recolle | [closed] the wolfs upon him

[closed] the wolfs upon him

WHO: Yato and the Wolfs Bigby, Elizabeth, and Jade
WHERE: The Wolf apartment!
WHEN: Feb. 3, Founder's Day evening
WHAT: Yato gently lets himself into the Wolf flat (read: breaks in) for a quick shower. Nothing goes according to keikaku.
WARNINGS: Weapon brandishing? Threats? Hopefully nothing worse??

[ Yato smells like sweat and alcohol. Yato has to work in the morning. Yato needs a shower.

Which is why he's nosing around the Wolf apartment, peeking furiously into windows to see who's home. The night isn't quite over yet, especially for Founder's Day, so he's counting on the neighbors being too absent or partying too hard to notice a stranger nosing around. Could he have called Jade to make sure it was okay to to come over? Maybe. Maybe!! But he sees little point in dragging her back home when she's probably out having a good time, and he takes quick showers anyway. It doesn't have to be a big deal.

The lights are all off and the apartment is dead quiet. Yato jiggles the window to Jade's room open and rolls on in, landing a tad gracelessly. He may have got caught up in the celebratory atmosphere and had a drink or two too much, because now his stomach isn't agreeing with him; it roils unpleasantly, and Yato has to fight not to barf all over Jade's bed. Water... he needs water...

Putting the shower off for a moment, he drags himself into the kitchen and turns on the light. He rifles through cupboards until he can find a cup and fills it from the tap. While he's at it, he nabs a loaf of bread sitting around -- the Wolfs won't miss one slice too much, right? He sits at the kitchen table and nurses his water and bread, waiting for his stomach to settle. Cabinets are still open and it looks like a minor mess, but he'll clean up after himself once he's feeling better.

Unfortunately, Yato's so absorbed in his nausea that he doesn't notice the apartment door being unlocked... ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Elizabeth also smells like sweat and alcohol. She had to even Uber home for the night. After Founder's Day, there was much of a need to relax and just recollect. Cabin 11 was perfect for that. She made it home safely, her shoes kicked off in front of her apartment as she digs in her purse for her keys. A few grumbles follow as she struggles to find them, jiggling the handle as she finds the wrong key.

The woman has no clue what's going on in her apartment or that there's an uninvited guest, but what he does know is that her bed is calling her name. She only assumes Bigby is stuck on paperwork duty again since he was suppose to meet her at Cabin 11 earlier.

Finally, she succeeds and finds the right key, opening the door with a sigh. Elizabeth's feet press into the carpet and her hand is pressing into her bag to return her keys until she sees the open cabinets from her viewpoint.

Teetering half drunk and half nervous, she instinctively begins to fumble for her concealed handgun in her purse. Failing, of course, as she calls out - ]

Hello? Jade, baby is that you?

[ Nothing, huh? Okay, she grabs the grip of her handgun as she sees a person sitting at her kitchen table, absolutely caught off guard. She screams, enough to be heard outside from her surprise. She aims - ]

What the hell - ? Hey! Who the hell are you?!

[ Oh fuck.

Yato freezes at the table with most of a slice of bread stuffed in his mouth. He might've been prepared to sit there and get yelled at peacefully. But the gun -- Yato rises to his feet, one hand instinctively going to his pocket for his knife.

Not a good move. His lagging mind reminds him that this woman must be Jade's mom. His hand moves back away from his pocket, but it probably looked bad; he tenses, ready to dive to the side if she decides that was worth shooting him over. ]

[ Elizabeth fondly recalls one thing from her father - One thing I've learned: if you don't draw first, you don't get to draw at all. The question on why a preacher would say that is beyond her, but she knew he had a rough upbringing. Uh. So, Liz is definitely more oblige to acting instead of reacting.

Yato had no clue Liz was 4 beers too over and carrying a firearm, but even in her slight stupor, she is quick to raise the gun and pull the trigger once she saw his hand even flick towards his pocket. The top of her chair is ruin - the wood splintered with the bullet leaves the chamber in the flurry of a shot. It, luckily, impales into the cabinet behind it and not through the wall to their poor neighbors. ]

Keep your Goddamn hands where I can see them! Not an inch - don't you dare move! I won't miss next time!

[ She didn't mean to miss this time................................ she's 2 drunk. ]

Edited 2017-02-10 02:05 (UTC)

[ Yato is definitely not... not moving. Obeying her command would be the smartest choice to a reasonable person, but years of getting into brawls both superficial and not have taught him that action always wins.

The gunshot sets him off. Yato briefly chokes his bread down as he flips the table over and takes cover behind it, barely registering the wood chips raining down on him and the cup of water crashing on the floor. ]

Stop shooting! Are you crazy?!

[ She could hurt someone?? He may be shouting too loudly; the ringing in his ears is really not ideal. ]

[ Bigby's had a bit of a Day, what with the chocobos and being strung up by yarn and eventually getting stuck inside the Retrospec building for the last several hours. it can safely be said that he is tired, stressed and frustrated all the same. he wants nothing more than to return home, undress and just go to sleep, not aware of what the rest of his family got themselves into throughout all of the hectic festivities.

he takes his time going inside, partly because of how much he dreads explaining everything he has somehow gotten himself into in such a short period of time. like the true rebel that he is, he's smoking out in the hallway and leaning against the wall, aware that Elizabeth must be inside with her shoes resting outside the door. maybe he will finally get some peace. maybe.

HAHAHAHA yeah right.

at the signs of his wife raising her voice, he immediately kicks his body off of said wall and is in full alert. he steps forward with caution, wondering if this was one of the rare occasions where she was yelling at Jade. ―then the sound of gunfire rings past his ears and he's not even thinking before his boot makes contact with the front of his door. it's a surprise he doesn't kick it straight off the hinges, only making it fly open as Bigby storms inside.

of course he has his own gun out, safety turned off and his finger already resting on the trigger. he doesn't even wait to see who is behind that table. nope. no way. without saying a damn thing to Elizabeth, he is moving in front of her to act as a shield as he just. unloads. his entire clip at the very same table that is Yato's only barrier between life and death. ]

You broke into the wrong goddamned house, you motherfuc―!!

[ Yato will learn today that he is one lucky son of a gun. hahaha, get it? gun. hah. ]

[ Yato jolts behind the table at the entrance of yet another contender, and now a man he presumes to be Jade's dad is going ballistic with YET ANOTHER GUN?? Holy shit, what is wrong with this family.

Yato should be fearing for his life, and yet he's oddly irritated. His cover is slowly chipping away under a storm of bullets, so he makes a decision: he turns around tightly and grasps the feet of the table.

Bigby and Elizabeth will find that the table is suddenly moving at them -- because Yato is using it as a shield and plow, charging at the source of the gunfire with bullish determination. ]

USING FIREARMS INDOORS IS DANGEROUS, YOU GODDAMN FOOLS!!!

[ his hearing is really going to hell ]

[ jade wolf does not know she is about to die.

what she does know is that she's made a promise to stay the night with anya, and she's got to pick up her overnight bag, some leftovers and enough pocket change for a potential emergency. the apartment complex is familiar, so she feels comfortable focusing on digging into her purse for her keys. at this hour, she assumes one, or both, of her parents will be busy or asleep, and she'd rather not pull them from their sleep or work. going up the stairs allows her time to dig to the bottom of her purse (which is still housing a bunch of apple juice boxes, which she supposes she should just put in the fridge at this point). humming to herself, she steps onto the floor the wolf apartment is on, and with a smile, she locates her keys.

there's gunshots.

jade knows she really shouldn't run to the source of noise, but there's a niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach that feels a lot like dread. voices come next, then a pounding against wood -- several more rounds follow. the icing on the cake is bigby's voice.

so yes, jade runs directly toward danger. she doesn't have her gun on her - she's not licensed to carry and it'd look bad if a detective's daughter was caught with one. she doesn't risk it. she picks up her pace and rounds the corner in time to hear yato's shout, a scream that echoes louder than it should. god, the noise complaints are going to be terrible.

by the time she's in the doorway, panting with sweat dripping down the sides of her face, yato's rushing at her parents.

happy founder's day! ]

Stop!!!!! Everyone of you, just STOP!!!

[ hopefully the voice of someone all three of them should recognize will get their attention. jade's clearly exhausted after a long day of running around, but. ]

I know him!!!

[ the intruder. she thinks that's obvious. ]

[ Elizabeth was ready to pop another bullet out but it's not until Bigby's oh-so-heroic and oh-so-macho entrance that she loses her cool. She jumps, like any woman would, and nearly caps him. Everything was too much. Between Yato yelling and Bigby's threat - the sudden burst of gunfire makes her crouch behind Bigby, flinching at the loudness. With ears ringing like a damn bell, she barely makes up the next outrageous series of events.

Elizabeth immediately looks up when their darling daughter bursts onto the scene next. Feet don't fail her as she's ready to shield her from anything else that might protect itself, but no - she stops looks to Bigby and the stranger with a panicked yell. ]

Stop! Stop, stop! She knows him! S-she -

[ Jade does a great job of getting the attention, but sorry Liz's ears really hurt..... Her voice cracks and she feels faint just realizing what the fuck just happened. Her thumb hits the safety and she tucks her handgun into her waistline. ]

Jade Winter Wolf, explain!

[ there's a lot going on right now. between the first bullet being shot and Yato picking up the now-ruined table and using it as a friggin' battering ram to try and combat the people who resided in the apartment he was in, Bigby isn't processing everything as well as he should. he's seeing red the moment he finds out someone was in his home, with his wife of all people non-the-less. it's a miracle the poor kid is able to even stand right now, but. it's happening. he is coming at them.

when Jade comes in and screams in an equally loud, Wolf-like manner, one would think everyone would settle down and listen to her. he should pick up on the words that state she knows the douche charging at Elizabeth and himself with a table and lower his gun. no. no. instead, he throws his firearm at one of Yato's feet at full force in hopes of stopping him, and with a fierce growl, he charges forward with his front half dipped down as if preparing to tackle someone in a football game.

he's totally attempting to spear the guy right now. if it goes through, there's only two things that are going to happen here: 1) he tackles Yato through the table, breaking it in the process or 2) Yato is forced to tumble down onto the ground with Bigby on top of him as the table just kind of. uh. interferes with the impromptu wrestling match. ]

Coming in here tonight of ALL fucking nights. You must be out of your fucking― come here, you piece of―

[ What a war zone. When Jade bursts in, Yato falters and his charge begins to fizzle out -- and then there's a gun suddenly under his feet, forcing him into an awkward dance.

Next thing he knows, his faithful table bursts right down the middle and there's a very savage man in his face, tackling him to the ground, driving all the air out of lungs in a big whoompf of raw poundage and frightful force. Yato is dazzled for a moment, barely able to make out Bigby's words. Instead, Jade's words resound in his memory: I know him...

What's she doing? She'll get in trouble, won't she? Especially with all this mess he's caused... A cold panic seeps into him. If her parents are upset with her, he won't be able to come back and she'll hate him. As he tries vainly to defend himself from Bigby with one arm, he shouts, voice straining and constricted under Bigby's weight. ]

Wait! It's my fault! Jade didn't do anything wrong!

[ you know what? she expected this. the table breaks and yato's face is revealed for all. her father has charged like a bull, like this is a bar fight and he's going to break yato's jaw.

she feels bad yato in this situation, more than herself. to that end, she and yato have something in common, and jade's in silent agreement here. it'd be pretty bad if yato wasn't able to get a shower - he's got to look passingly presentable, at least.

he speaks up, and jade's response is immediate, a snap with a determined bite: ] I can take care of this!

[ yes, she dares to answer the intruder before her own flesh and blood. whoopsie. sorry, elizabeth. jade looks to her with a conflicted expression; she had meant well, she really had. she recognizes the red rim in the whites of elzabeth's eyes, though, sees the drunkenness for what it is.

they're gonna have to pick up the mini van at cabin 11 in the morning, she assumes. ]

His name is Yato! He's just looking to get a shower - he's homeless and can't get one so he's presentable at work! He...

[ jade fears very little apparently, or the dramatic reveal of her protag style middle name gives her further plot armor. bigby wolf is a ferocious man, someone who is not to be trifled with. with years of fights below his belt, police training and a sharp nose for smellin' bullshit, she knows she can't pull a fast one on him. her best bet is to always skirt around his peripheral.

this time, she walks up to him. jade knows one thing about her father and it's a very simple fact; he'd never hurt her. ]

Dad. It's okay.

[ it's not a firm statement. it's just something simple, and to prove her point, she puts a hand to his shoulder, the one easiest to reach. ]

[ Oh my God? Elizabeth is so focused on Jade she doesn't see the abomination that ensues. She's looking to Jade for guidance, trusting her on this. Elizabeth just wanted to come home and sleep, to rest for once after a horrible holiday.

They were most definitely going to pick the mini van up. Luke, keep it safe please. It's hard for her to pry her eyes away from Jade, but as her words erupt over Bigby's grunts and Yato's plea, she looks over to put things together. Jade is definitely going to get a stern talking too and she can't soak in the impact of trying to help homeless people...

Their parental instincts - familial - was akin to a wolf pack, it's true. Springing to action and impulsive in every sense of the word. Elizabeth furrows her brows down and stumbles over to Bigby, her arm hooking against his bicep to give a harsh tug. Jade vocalized it, but she returns the sentiment. ]

Baby, it's okay! [ Her eyes will definitely water out of frustration over the table and the confusion, but she doesn't stress it. She tries to help with common sense. They all need it. ] He's not armed - he's not - c'mon! It's okay.

[ Yato would have had the life choked out of him if it wasn't for the women in this apartment right now. sure, Elizabeth was the first one to shoot first and start all of this insanity, but she knew what she was doing, drunk or no. Bigby was working on pure emotion and instinct. he hardly hears his daughter's voice when she tries to stop everyone and her attempt at explaining who the man who supposedly broke in really was failed. the very same table that has been broken in every way possible in such a short period of time is the only thing that stops him from getting his hands around this guy's neck.

both of the other Wolf's understand how bad things can get with their father and step in. he's growling even louder when Elizabeth attempts to tug him back, as if exasperating his desire to inflict physical harm upon this young man even further. ] He is armed! With a fucking table― [ he's spitting out words with half-interest, but he finally gets a hold of himself when Jade puts her hand on his other shoulder. talk about a family effort. ]

It's absolutely not okay. You have some explaining to do, young lady.

[ said as if Bigby did not act like the least fatherly person ever. at least he's pulling away from Yato with a groan, but not without rubbing his elbow against his face. gently. "gently". when he's standing up, he just looks around at the mess that has been made. ]

What a goddamn night.

[ The elbow in his face stirs a spark of a fight in Yato, but his body protests -- and shortly after, his better sense. He lets his head thunk back to the floor, angling it to better look up at this family about to pass judgment on him.

It's clear that they have no interest in what he has to say. Even now their bodies are all facing him, but their eyes and thoughts are for each other. It's only natural. He supposes that's what a family does. The kitchen of their cheap apartment is in shambles now, and it probably won't be an easy fix. Someone has undoubtedly called the police by now. Dealing with them will be a mess. Yato looks up from among the pieces of a bullet-ridden table at this out-of-control man, his teary-eyed wife, and their feisty daughter, and can't help thinking that the three of them are very lucky.

Jade called him homeless. It's true, of course. But the word is still a vise that clamps his throat shut. He's sorry that she has to admit to that to explain anything. It stings to know that it will explain a lot. He wants to interject, to explain that he came here without Jade's express permission, that she isn't responsible for any of this mess. But her parents won't want to hear that from him. All he is to them is Jade's fault now, and he's sorry for that too. ]

[ yato is a bystander right now. jade can't help that, and there's really no denying that yato is jade's fault at this point. she agrees. if she had talked to her parents about this sooner, rather than letting him in and out, this wouldn't be an issue. yato wouldn't be on the floor, staring up at them like this, and her parents wouldn't be half scared to death over the fact that someone had broken into their apartment. she's definitely done it, this time. yato might have broken in, but there were measures that could have been taken to avoid this. it's a lot easier to take the blame upon yourself and feel like a sack of garbage over mistakes you think you've made than blame them on someone else, but this really does feel like the truth to jade. ]

It's my fault. Let him go, please.

[ there's a sigh as she lets go of her father to kneel down next to yato, moving the broken wood away. the sound of it shifting across the linoleum is awkward in the tense air in the kitchen. ]

I brought him over to shower before. He really needed one and I... I really couldn't let him just be. [ look. jade's a well meaning girl, but she's probably too trusting in her parents' eyes in this moment. her father's tone is stern, her mother's gaze is prickling and she can feel it on her even as she keeps her back to the both of them. ]

I'll pay for the table. It's my fault. No one got hurt, right?

[ Elizabeth is too tired. She knows Bigby is strong - the muscles are definitely not for show. His job required him to not only be strong but heroic and the leap into action was exactly that.

Just like Jade, Bigby was good with his intention but things fell apart.

The emotions that bubble up inside of her conflict with her alcohol level, making her just want to stop this before someone gets hurt. She won't ever blame Bigby and honestly, Jade too. She's mad right now but mostly still feels confused at the whole ordeal. Her hands drag from Bigby when he gets up, immediately going to her purse and tuck the handgun away. It was far too much to think and she raises her voice, to Jade, but to Bigby. ]

Call it in. The neighbors are probably already calling the police.

[ She gives Jade and the stranger a sympathetic look. ]

No, you won't pay for the table. You need to tell us these things, Jade. It's late and someone almost got hurt. If I wasn't — if I had one less of a beer, my aim could have been better.

[ She looks to the stranger. ]

What's your name?

[ while everyone is off having introspection regarding who is right and who is wrong, Bigby doesn't give a flying fuck. he is fuming and it takes every bit of patience in him not to cause further damage to their home by punching his fist through a wall. his blood may be boiling and his ears ringing, but he's hearing all of them. this intruder was a friend of Jade's. yet another troublesome boy she's decided to get involved with in one way or another. he isn't here to steal their personal items ― he just needed a shower. relatively harmless in the grand scheme of things, yet... their kitchen will serve as a reminder of this chaos for quite some time. ]

He shouldn't have been over here this late. Neither ― [ he points his index finger at Jade and then Yato. ] ― of you were thinking. What if we were here when you came in, kid? I wouldn't have fired at you with a pistol. It would have been a fucking shotgun.

[ a deep breath follows him running his hand through his own hair to smooth it out. it's clear he is trying to keep himself composed. he's pacing back and forth in the kitchen, kicking some spare chunks of wood out of the way before bending down to pick up his handgun. he's holstering it whilst simultaneously pulling out his phone to call the station and let them know what the hell just happened. ]

The hell she isn't. I'm going into the other room to call them. When I come back, someone's going to have a plan on how to get a new table back in this kitchen.

[ and he's off, not even bothering to stick around to hear the kid's name. he'll have his own conversation with him later. one that doesn't involve guns or wrestling match antics. ]

[ There goes Jade's dad. Yato imagined Mr. Wolf would be a lot of things, but none of them were that.

With Bigby gone, the entire room seems bigger, and a little bit colder. Yato sits up, a couple chunks of table sliding off and clattering to the kitchen floor with a delicacy that borderlines parody after what just transpired. He'll feel a bruise or two in the morning, but it's nothing to write home about. All things considered, he could be worse off. Much worse off.

He gives Jade a nod -- thank you -- and absently sweeps away a fragment of mug by her knee before addressing Elizabeth. After all the shouting, his voice now is low and small. ]

Yato. Sorry about the table. And the cup. [ Pause. ] I took some bread, too.

[ jade doesn't dare to talk back to bigby. she's spoiled rotten, she knows, and though she jokes about it, it's the truth. her father could do a hell of a lot worse than making her pay for the table. it is what it is: jade messed up and she'll pay the price. neither of her parents are cold hearted, and a conversation with them probably could have prevented this.

bigby's words are aimed at her and yato, and it's salt to the wound; he might be reactionary and vicious, a literal wolf of a man at times, but he's not cold and he isn't indifferent. her mother's tone and her words are not cold, but caring despite the clipping nature they hold in them. jade sucks in a shaky breath. ]

...You drank a lot, didn't you? [ softly: ] You are such a handful.

[ but jade picks away at debris that sits on yato, so clearly she's not that mad. if she cares enough to clear up after him, the situation only hurts on her end. she's not mad at him. ] He's not... Dad said that for you, too. [ a beat, and then, ] If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't say it. [ it's unspoken but implied in her tone that bigby means well. he's gruff, he's difficult but he's not a bad man. not by a long shot.

he probably would have let yato in to shower once in a while, even if it was begrudging.

her mother wouldn't have said no, not if she saw yato.

fuck. ]

We'll discuss her punishment later, Bigby. The last thing we need to do is to be rash. Someone almost got shot and — please, the last thing we need are cops.

[ There's a low growl in her voice. She's stressed and drunk, the last thing she wants to do is be too soft or too harsh. There's a tension that eats away at her and she's stuck collecting her things and putting her purse on the coat rack in the entranceway of their apartment. She mouths to Bigby as he walks away thank you.

However, her eyes shoot back to the boy when she asks him about his name. ]

Yato. Shower's down the hall to the right. [ She can't piece together if he had showered before, but she offers it to him with a cold, but sympathetic glare. ] It's there for you now, if you need it.

[ When Jade questions her, she feels a pang of guilt. She'll explain why later and discuss how she won't drink that much again. It's not the alcohol that bothers her, but the innate fear that she'll end up bottling it like her father did. She has more control. Right?

Elizabeth sees her table in shatters - the few decorative centerpieces of plastic she got on sale a year ago now broken on the floor. She directs her attention to Jade: ]

I'm tired, Jade. You were suppose to spend the night at your friends house, right? You can ... you can do that, but tomorrow — we'll discuss punishments.

[ Punishments... plural. Now that's a scary word. Wolf discipline is probably tough but fair, judging by the sternness of Jade's parents' tone, but Yato's fists clench hard and he bites back a protest he knows won't help. In his eyes, Jade is the least punishable person involved tonight.

The continued offer of a shower takes him aback for a moment. But he nods because he has no other choice, keeping his head bowed to Elizabeth for a prolonged second. He isn't quite sure how to express his gratitude to her beyond that.

He looks to Jade, hesitates, and then crushes her into a one-armed hug that goes from head to waist. He doesn't know what to say to her either, for putting up with him, for defending him, for still trying to make him feel better while her parents are scolding her, but he tries to squeeze that feeling into her all in one moment. As suddenly as it comes, it goes; he lets go of Jade, climbs up to his feet, brushes off the dust, and staggers off to take a shower. ]

[ around thirty to forty-five minutes pass where no one really talks to one another. Yato goes to take his shower to avoid being gross and to soak in his shame, Bigby yells at police officers to not bother coming over and to report no injuries. Elizabeth is off nursing an inevitable hangover and Jade is probably trying to figure out where she went wrong in life. regardless of whatever they're all doing, Bigby finds each one of them individually and summons them to appear in the living room as if it's a court.

he does not care if Yato is in literally nothing but a towel. he will be dragged if need be. ]

Alright. You two are gonna sit down and explain to me why we thought it was a good idea to not tell the people who pay rent. And then you ― [ pointing at just Yato. because he likes pointing, apparently. ] ― you're gonna tell me why the hell you're homeless and why you haven't gone to anyone for help yet.

[ he doesn't even want to think about the conversation he will have to have with the landlord tonight or tomorrow. what a headache. at least there seems to be some well-meaning intent in that gruff voice of his. ]

[ Luckily for all involved, Yato has finished showering and dressing by the time Bigby drags him back into the living room. The running water has sobered him up a little, and helped clear his head. The fact that he isn't being handed over to the cops (yet) is a good sign... right?

When Bigby points at him, Yato flinches. Why is he homeless? Somehow, no one's ever asked him that before. But the answer feels too personal to lay bare to a virtual stranger, and his chin lowers, his shoulders hunch, defensive. ]

I don't see how that's relevant.

[ Don't be nosy, Bigby?? ]

[ Bigby actually takes a step back and tilts his head in surprise at Yato's response. he opens his mouth to speak yet not words come out. his fist balls up and his nails dig into the palm of his skin and it's almost like he's about to tackle the man in his couch and ruin that piece of furniture as well. instead, the detective takes a deep breath and simply growls as a therapeutic way of relieving himself of his frustration. ]

Oh, it's fucking relevant, alright. It was relevant the moment your homelessness brought your ass into my home and into my kitchen and shower. Let's reconsider your answer and try this again. Why are you homeless, kid?

[ it's better to have him yell than for him to tackle anyone again. he simply folds his arms and stares down at Yato as if he's now a part of an official interrogation. this all just means that Bigby cares, okay. ]

[ Yato clenches his jaw, hard. He'd almost rather get thrown out than have to deal with this. Yet Jade is still here, and her mom, and somehow he thinks he'd be disappointing them if he walked out. He can't quite look Bigby in the eye, choosing to stare at a bullet hole to the side instead. ]

I can't keep a job long enough to pay for rent. I'm too much of a screw-up. Why else?

[ It's a petulant answer, but he doesn't know what Bigby wants from him. ]

You did not have to answer that.

[ jade's back from her bedroom with an overnight bag slung over her shoulder, arms folded, her forehead creased with worry lines. yato's hug had been enough to get her to her feet, to remember what she's supposed to be doing. elizabeth's permission is enough and she'll take it, but she doubts her parents will have much desire to be around her tonight. it's always rough when she's disappointed them.

there are better ways to ask "why can't you get your own shower", pops. at least, jade assumes that's the meaning of the question. ]

I did not tell you because... [ ...she was scared of being told no, and didn't want to turn away yato? ] I thought it would not be such a huge deal. I met him at college and he needed help.

[ Cha cha slides back here. Elizabeth had taken the time to splash her face with water from the sink and to pour herself a glass of orange juice. Something, anything to try and sober herself up. The conversation is hard, Elizabeth can hear the murmurs between the boy and Bigby from the open floor plan, but she's mixed with anger and sadness. ]

There's other ways to find help.

[ Elizabeth perks up when Jade does. The ding of their toaster will inevitably bring out their fucking poptarts and Liz slides them towards the edge of the counter. She keeps her distance from the trio — with Bigby angry, Jade fearful, and Yato defensive... Elizabeth feels a tension she's not capable of properly digesting. ]

You didn't tell us because you thought we'd react worse than this, right? Jade. [ It isn't disappointment, but it's sadness. Elizabeth looks to Yato now. ] There's services — at the college for trying to find housing if you attend. If not, there's — I've volunteered at shelters.

[ But, her eyes look to Bigby, softening as if she feels she herself doesn't have an answer for him. She glances back to Yato.]

Easier said than done, I know. We know. But — that doesn't mean you're a screw up. A little... bad at making choices, I would imagine, but not a screw up.

Edited (im editing because ray is yelling at me because these arenT POP TARTS!!!) 2017-02-21 01:43 (UTC)

Oh, here we go. The pity party is arriving a little too late, don't you think?

[ of course Bigby is going to be the harsh one of the trio. poor Yato has too many emotions being thrown at him, with the patriarch's fierce finger pointing and glares, Elizabeth's softening, hazy eyes and Jade doing her best to remain neutral by not snarking her parents for being strict or being overly protective of the boy she brought into their home. he probably wants to just bail at this point, but he isn't about to let that happen.

once Elizabeth returns (with delicious poptarts at that, ty babe) and Jade follows suit, he gives himself a moment to breathe and pace himself. he can feel the young Wolf's concern with her words and listens to Elizabeth as she acts as the sobering, ironically enough, voice in the room. only after that does he sit down and break apart his delicious orange soda pastry, offering the other half to the boy. ]

I know how it is. Being homeless, I mean. Did it a few times as a teenager up in New York. You can probably imagine.

[ Yato feels a little less cornered when Jade comes back into the room, and he glances at her gratefully. Elizabeth with her... late night pop tarts?... softens Bigby's raw intensity. He chooses not to answer the mother Wolf because he doesn't attend the college even though he knows he's smart enough to, and refuses to go to a shelter because it would be proving his father right. More things about him that aren't logical, and any explanation he could give these people trying to help him all at once retreats into a tight ball in his chest. He's being stupid, like always, and would rather not face their disappointment and disbelief if he were to vocalize the proof of it.

The proffered poptart grabs his attention. Bigby's admission, moreso. Truth be told, it's easy to imagine Bigby roughing it. Easier to imagine than him having a lovely wife and cute daughter, actually. How on earth did that even happen. Slowly, Yato takes the poptart half. ]

What did you do to pull yourself out of it?

[ pop-tarts do crazy, wonderful things. they forge new friendships and relationships as well as mend them. apparently they even possess the power to de-escalate a situation that risked the possibility of a young man dying tonight, let alone the death of a lovely piece of furniture at that. maybe Bigby is just hungry after being stuck in the Retrospec building immediately after the discovery of chocobos. maybe he's willing to be more forgiving the more he learns about Yato. either way, it goes to show that being upfront and speaking to Mr. Wolf honestly does nothing to worsen his mood. ]

Mm. [ his question makes him chew on his thoughts as he chews into the almighty orange soda filling that makes everything right in the world. Bigby's eyes fall briefly on his daughter, unnaturally solemn and his wife who was still just trying to get a grasp of everything that has happened. the food is swallowed down before he continues. ] I was a foster child. Would have rather lived on the streets than under the roof of someone who didn't give a shit about me, let alone play pretend parents. That's how I thought of 'em at the time, anyway. Did that whole routine until I was old enough to move here, and then Jade and Elizabeth happened. Got a job, went to school. The whole nine.

[ his throat suddenly feels dry as he talks more than he would normally be comfortable with. he clears his throat and finishes. ]

If you expect me to give you a... "get rich" scheme or advice on how to personally see your way out of the situation you're in, I don't have what you want. What I can tell you is that it doesn't have to be permanent if you don't want it to be. You clearly know how to get the fuck around if you found my susceptible daughter and her even more susceptible kindness. Use those charms of yours to get yourself a job you can keep.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[closed] the wolfs upon him

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