Ryslig AU

[agiantbird]

Who: Rodney McKay and Dee Reynolds
When: Dusk, Paddy's Pub, Bavan
Where: Dee has a visitor
Warnings/Triggers/etc: Mild description of undead monsters

[The bar is quiet. It usually is dead on a Monday afternoon, so Deandra Reynolds isn't too surprised that there isn't a single soul taking up a bar stool, guzzling beers like it's going out of fashion. Her usual customers have typically spent their Solars on weekend drinking, and they're flat broke, tied to their work desks until the next weekend comes around.

Dee doesn't mind. She has the jukebox playing Bavan's most popular tunes, she has a beer in one hand and a plate in front of her, stacked with thick, juicy steaks, and she's in her element. She looks up at the deer antler chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, looks at the antler decorations placed in the middle of each round table. All of the antlers are ethically sourced, of course, and she knows a couple of them are her own.

The waldgeist has really tried to make Paddy's her bar. There are some deer-related stickers on some of the walls, antlers decorating the top of each door frame, and there's a large poster by the entrance warning that violence against patrons, monster or human, will not be tolerated. There's a drawing underneath the text of a deer headbutting a gargoyle out the door.

Dee, herself, can seem intimidating to some, but most humans know they're safe at Paddy's. Dee isn't going to eat people who support her business, and she gets pretty cross when other monsters try. She can't blame the humans for being a little freaked out. She's a 5'11" deer monster with long claws, long fangs, snow white fur covering every limb, and large bone-white antlers protruding from her head. Her legs are unguligrade, like a deer's legs, and they end in hooves that tap against the wooden floor every time she takes a step. She's deathly pale and cold to the touch, which can freak some people out, but most of her patrons don't care. She can pick up their glass and make their beer colder and that's all those guys care about.

Dee hears the door open, the bell chiming loudly. Her white furred, deer-like ears turn to the sound, and her deer-like nose crinkles. So much for silence.]

Bar's closed.

[She jokingly calls out, turning the page of her latest romance novel. The people who know her will get it. The people who don't will just assume she's being a dick.]

Comments

cw: mention of Ryslig typical cannibalism

[bathtubarchimedes]

[Rodney McKay is a very grumpy werewolf.

It’s been…what, three or four months since he’s found himself in this world, having clearly gotten the worst luck of the draw when it came to accidentally ending up in alternate universes. The concept wasn’t unknown to him—but being trapped with no way back? He’d tried to do what he could with the limited technology that Ryslig had, but unless he could find maybe, Ancient-levels of tech here, he was screwed.

Not that he gave up hope. Despite his cynical nature he was still fairly sure he could find a way. Maybe he could bully that Fourth god kid…

And then not to mention all the…everything else.

Transformation.

He was a werewolf now, through and through, with all that it entailed. Nightly changes, exhausting mornings, and fur. God, the fur. Why was fur so much. The endless fur. It was everywhere, how could something that was attached to him also end up everywhere?! Make it make sense. Speaking of senses, that part isn’t…too bad, admittedly. He enjoyed the ‘superpower’ part of this, the strength, agility, that was cool.

The tail was annoying because it never went away, even in the day, and was extremely, annoyingly, expressive.

And then the hunting. God, he can’t even think about the hunting. He’s no better than a Wraith now-worse, even, at least the Wraith left your body intact.

How can he go back home when he’s like…this? How could he ever trust himself again?

It’s for all of this and many reasons that he’s looking for someplace to drown his sorrows, both scientific and personal, and he balks about a few feet away from the door when he hears the voice call out. Despite his mostly human appearance he still has wolf ears (because why wouldn’t he, of course he would, this is his own personal hell) and a tail, which stands straight up in alarm.]

What? It’s only afternoon! Why would you be closed if the doors open?!

[There’s the slightest flash of a sharp tooth as he practically growls. Admittedly he finds himself looking a little longer at the woman at the bar in question. She was…some sort of deer creature? Even now he’s still utterly baffled at the myriad of species that live here, or maybe he just forgets about them like how he’s terrible with names.]

cw: mention of Ryslig typical cannibalism

[agiantbird]

[Dee Reynolds is no stranger to the workings of Ryslig peninsula and the Fog God. She’s been here too long, she’s seen too much, so she’s used to seeing the scared, uncertain newbies. She’s used to seeing people cope with their new monstrous bodies, trying to come to terms with their physical and mental changes. Trying to come to terms with the terrible, monstrous hunger that torments every single one of them.

Dee likes to think of Paddy’s as a place where all monsters can come and have fun, forgetting about the horrors for just a little while. She wants it to be a haven. A safe space. A place of peace in a world of turmoil.

She hears the complaint, her sharp wald hearing catching his growl with ease. ”Not a regular,” her mind whispers, and she looks up with a smirk, flashing her elongated upper and lower canines.]

It’s a joke. [She says dryly, but playfully, her long fluffy tail waving from side to side. She waves him in, while taking a quick sip of her beer].

My regulars get it. But I don’t think I’ve seen you around?

[bathtubarchimedes]

[He is a very scared, uncertain newbie. Which he expresses via barking loudly about it, and in many cases, that is quite literal.

His fur, ears, and tail are all on end, bristling in confusion and apprehension. He’s nervous in general, and his new form is very adamant on expressing that in very loud, clear ways.

Including the slight whine in the back of his throat, much like a sad little wolf. God, could he be any more embarrassing?]

Oh.

Oh! I’m, I’m pretty new. I, uh. First time here.

[Wow, Rodney. You nailed it. He winces inwardly, which shows as his ears flattening in anxiety. Dammit. He might be a little (or a lot) nervous too because the deer-woman is gorgeous. He’s never been shy about finding alien species in his universe hot, and while certain people (namely John) would probably tease him about it, it doesn’t bother him. Deer woman is really, really hot.]

cw: protruding bones, image of theatre makeup/bone spikes protruding from back

[agiantbird]

[Oh, yeah. He is super easy to read, but that is the downside of being a werewolf. Dee's spent some time as one, and as much as she loved it, it was a very expressive form, and it made her desire for attention and love so much worse.

She rests her chin on her hand, her smile softening. The bone spike that protrudes from her wrist points toward him, and she's suddenly very self-conscious about it. A lot of newbies seem to freak out when they see Walds, and Dee honestly can't blame them. When he gets closer, Rodney may also catch a glimpse of her back spikes in all their horrendous glory, but as long as he doesn't make a huge deal over them, he's welcome here at Monster Paddy's. Dee points to the stool directly in front of her, tail still waving from side to side.]

Well. Welcome to Paddy's. Come take a seat. Ryslig newbies get to drink for free, so don't even worry about Solars.

cw: protruding bones

[bathtubarchimedes]

[Rodney’s tail wags a little, tentatively as he approaches the bar. Even now, he can feel his instincts prod him to be a little less abrasive and nicer, as a human he’d cared little for what people thought of him, but now…

Or maybe he had always cared but had buried it so deep he thought he’d lost it, and now it was being brought to the forefront again. Regardless, it makes him just a little bit more social than he’d been.]

Oh! Well, that’s great, that’s, I’m sure, good for business! Thanks!

[He pops over and sits on the stool, his tail wagging a little harder, his ears springing up in apt attention.

But he might be staring just a little at all the spikes. It’s not disgust on his face, merely fascination.]

Can I ask, if it’s not too rude—cause sometimes I am rude, without meaning to be—what kind of species you are? I’m not really familiar with everyone yet.

[His tail is still wagging, and there’s a bright, interested look on his face.]

cw: protruding bones

[agiantbird]

[Dee slips a receipt into her book and closes it, placing it underneath the counter so Rodney doesn't have to see the cover: a sheep minotaur lady and a nymph lady caught in a passionate embrace, their lips mere centimeters apart, the nymph's back vines coiled tightly around the minotaur's waist. No one needs to look at that. It's trash, but Dee loves it.

She notes the way he stares -- as most new monsters do -- but there's no disgust, which fascinates Dee to no end. If she's to be perfectly honest, she's never met a monster who's been horrified by the bone spikes. They're often intrigued instead, or impressed by them. Dee's always been self-conscious, and the bones have added another layer to her insecurities, but it all seems to be in her head. She can't help smiling at the bright, interested expression on his face, the fascination that radiates off him.

Dee's pretty vocal about being a waldgeist, so her expression also brightens as soon as he asks what she is. She's glad he asked.]

Not rude at all. I'm a waldgeist. A, uh. Undead deer monster. I had never heard of them before I wound up here. And we're pretty rare, so I get why people are curious when they see a... bony deer creature walking around.

[She grins.] And I can see you're a werewolf! How are you coping with that one?

cw: protruding bones

[bathtubarchimedes]

[It’s probably for the best that he doesn’t see the book, but he sees a book, which makes him super curious, but he keeps that bit of information tucked back for perhaps future conversation later. He’s liking this place already, and her—she’s welcoming and funny already, even if he didn’t quite get her joke at first.]

Undead?! Seriously? I’ve been meaning to ask an undead monster how that all works, but I haven’t really met all that many yet…or any, at all. [He has no idea if that’s rude either, but his wagging tail and attentive ears suggests that he’s asking out of interest and wonder.]

I mean, honestly, before I came here, I probably would have run off screaming if I saw an undead anyone, but here I am, a monster too. But I bet you can do some cool stuff?

[He puts his hands on the counter, tilting his head a little much like a canine would.]

It’s…not gonna lie, super weird? It could be much worse, I know, and I’m really glad I get to go back to…mostly human during the day, but it’s so exhausting that I don’t really get to enjoy it so much? I’ve always been a night owl anyway, so it’s not too big a change for me in that regard, but. The fur. Good God, the fur is relentless. And weird. And I can never keep a secret ever again…

[He gestures at his ears and tail with a huff.]

[agiantbird]

[It's funny because she never used to be welcoming, never used to really care about running a bar. She'd asked Mana for Paddy's Pub, just so she had something to rub in the faces of her Philly friends if Foggie ever summoned them here. She'd never planned on looking after the bar. Not at all.

But the bar became a haven, a place where monsters could forget about their troubles for a while and just have fun, and Dee came to love it. She loved being able to contribute to the human and monster community, loved the positive attention the bar received from patrons. Loved that it took her mind off the bullshit.

She doesn't interpret his curiosity as rude at all. It gives her an opportunity to talk about herself, and she'll never pass that up.]

Oh, yeah. I have night vision, and I'm immune to the cold. So I can sit on a deck chair in a swimsuit in the dead of winter while everyone else is freezing their asses off. The downside with night vision is that my eyes are stupidly sensitive to the light, so I can't go out during the day. I, uh. Sleep here sometime so I can run the bar during the day.

[There are no windows, it's dingy. The only light comes from the doors whenever they're opened, and she just has to make sure she doesn't look.]

The transformations can get really tiring. And the fur is... yeah. It's a lot to get used to. [She holds up her arm, covered in snow-white fur.] And it really does get everywhere. You don't realise how much you shed until you go out and your pants are covered in your own fur.

[She smiles again. It's warm and sympathetic. Her ear twitches, she nods.]

It's... an expressive form. I've spend some time as a werewolf and everyone knew what I was thinking. Everyone.

[bathtubarchimedes]

Being immune to the cold sounds pretty cool, and quite useful. Night vision is also extremely useful, but not being able to go out during the day…that sucks.

[There’s a slight thread of a whine under his words, because he gets that, so much. He looks around the bar, realizing there were no windows.]

Like, having a choice of being nocturnal, as a human? Not as big a deal as where you are forced to live at night. At least I can see the sun, sometimes. I suppose I’d miss it a lot if I just…couldn’t.

[He gestures at his clothes, a shirt and pair of jeans, which, despite being perfectly clean and fresh, look like he’d just fought with a husky and lost.]

Seriously! I tried one of these industrial strength lint rollers? In five minutes, I looked like this again. It’s ridiculous!

[As if to make its point, his tail lashes irritably and his ears flatten against his hair. It’s such a strange sensation, having these movable…things, attached to him, where there were no movable things before.]

They really do have a damn mind of their own! It’s not fair. I think you look really cool, by the way.

[agiantbird]

Yeah, I've... gotten used to it. There's a woman here who can temporarily turn you into other monsters too, so sometimes I still get to see the sun. If I pay her the right amount of cash.

[She shrugs; there's something sad but optimistic lingering around her, an aura of resentful acceptance. Still, she smiles, brightens at the mention of lint rollers and persistent fur because she relates so much. And werewolf fur is so much worse than her short deer-girl fur.

She brightens even more when he says she looks cool, and can't help laughing softly. She doesn't think she does, but she'll happily take the compliment.]

Really? You think so? I mean... Really? [She cants her head to one side, one ear twitching back and forth, her nose wrinkling slightly.] The bones don't freak you out?

[And as she says that, she does a slow twirl so he can see the back spikes properly.]

[bathtubarchimedes]

Oh! Well, that's actually...pretty cool, too. If a bit mercenary. I guess if I get tired of this... [He gestures at himself.] But honestly turning into this was bad enough. I'm not sure if I wanna go through all that again...

[He notes the air of sadness about her, and he gets that, so much. He wonders if he might have gotten an 'easier' species to handle as a human, but becoming something so far removed from one's original human form, to the point of being 'undead'...he can only imagine how upsetting it must be at times, especially to the newest ones.]

Well, they make you look tough, I think? I come from a universe with a lot of aliens so. Not that you're an alien! I mean, if you were, that wouldn't matter, I'd think you're still cool anyway? [Help. He can't stop talking and making it worse. He stammers, thinking he's probably insulted her five times over.] The bone spikes look terrifying? But in a cool way. A badass way? Like, I would not want to come across you on a bad day. It reminds me of something you'd see on the X-Men.

[His tail is still wagging wildly.]

[agiantbird]

If it helps, I usually go to sleep and then wake up as my chosen monster the next morning. It's kind of like a magical, Cinderella-esque transformation, so it doesn't hurt at all. Going from living to undead again can get pretty uncomfortable though.

[She shrugs it off; Dee's experienced the jarring switch from living to undead so many times now, that it feels like an inconvenience at best.]

Ohh, so I look like a superhero? [Dee likes that. She thinks it sounds fun, thinks it sounds exactly like something that'd make the guys back home jealous. Dee would assume he was just trying to flatter her if it wasn't for the wildly wagging tail she could hear beating against the stool. His enthusiasm is adorable; she loves and appreciates it. It makes her feel special in a good way. She grins and reaches under the bar, grabbing two beers. They're both warm, which does not make for good drinking at all. But she doesn't plan on serving Rodney a warm beer. That'd be mean, and he's done nothing to deserve it.]

Touch the bottle. Note how warm it is. I'm gonna show you something real cool.

[bathtubarchimedes]

Really? Oh, that doesn’t sound too bad! Except the…living to undead thing. That sounds…actually terrifying.

[But something to think about, maybe. Not the living to undead thing, but maybe trying out another form. That part sounded kinda cool.]

Yeah! Like, you look like you could fight off dozens of bad guys!

[His tail wags even harder. He had always had a sunny enthusiasm about him that had been beaten down by life so badly it turned him into a cynical misanthrope, but this form is prying his natural personality out from the years of armor and walls he’d built up around it.

He touches the beer, his ears flicking up and his tail sticking up in anticipation (and yes, still wagging. It’s like that thing can’t get tired.)]

It’s pretty warm, yeah!

[The anticipation gets to him like an overly excited dog. He has the instinct to play bow, to get on all fours and duck down, but it translates to him ducking his head and tapping the bar with his hands lightly, unable to keep still.

What is it?! What are you gonna show him?! This is so cool!]

[agiantbird]

It's... unpleasant! Just stick to another living form, and you'll be fine.

[Because she wouldn't wish being a waldgeist on anyone. Vampires and Lichs have a much easier time, but most walds struggle to control their never-ending hunger. It sucks; she can't imagine people spending money to willingly become one.]

You know, you're not the first person to tell me that. Maybe I need to start listening.

[His enthusiasm is adorable. Dee loves to see it, loves to see this energy radiating off of him. She knows how it feels to be beaten down by life, to have your hope and enthusiasm ripped away from you.]

The back spikes offer a ton of protection too. I do feel safer with them.

[Not that she's encountered a lot of monster hunters in Bavan, but she knows they exist.]

So.... [Dee can't stop grinning; he's so excited! She just hopes her waldgeist trick actually wows him, because she'd feel pretty bad if it flops and she disappoints the cute werewolf.]

If I concentrate real hard, I can fix that problem for you... [She closes her eyes, focuses on using her icy cold waldgeist touch to make the beer colder. Then she hands the bottle to Rodney, and quickly removes the cap -- the bottle feels like it's been refrigerated for hours. It's ice cold -- a perfect temperature.]

Touch it now.

[bathtubarchimedes]

Gotcha! I mean, it sucks, that you, uh, had to deal with that, but uh, thanks for the warning!

[He doesn't want to sound like a jerk about her being an undead being, but he is quite thankful for the advice.]

Really? Cause you do. I don't want to brag, but I used to get into tons of fights with aliens.

I mean, like, firefights, like, not fistfights. I'm not...great at that. Well, actually, now, I could probably take them on, cause I'm a wolf, but...regular human? No way. But the spikes really do look intimidating and badass.

[His tail is wagging faster and faster, if that's even possible. His eyes widen in surprise as he takes the bottle, and his ears flick back.]

No way! It's--it's perfect! That is so cool!

[agiantbird]

[She doesn't think he sounds like a jerk at all; being undead can be hard, especially for newbies, and they need to be prepared if they ever decided to give an undead monster form a spin. She grins and shrugs, her tail swishing languidly from side to side.]

Not a problem. Happy to give advice, answer questions... we were all new once.

[Dee's grown a lot over time. Once, she wouldn't have even entertained the idea of helping newbies. But she'll help, now. She won't go out of her way, like other monsters, but she'll help out if a lost newb lands on her doorstep.

Dee's eyes widen with fascination, and she rests her chin on her hand, her ears flicking back and forth, her expression brightening.]

You could absolutely destroy some aliens as a wolf. Werewolf claws can fuck a guy right up, and you're all pretty damn strong too. Sounds like you were a superhero before you wound up here, though. Alien fights?

[She laughs at how surprised he looks, loving the chance to show off the perks of being a Waldgeist.]

Isn't it just?! It took a little while to master, but it's such a handy power, especially when you're running a watering hole like this one. I just have to be careful not to accidentally use it on humans, because that never ends well.

[bathtubarchimedes]

Yeah, that...that part sucks. I miss home, a lot. I'm not sure what'll happen though if I went back like...this. I don't know if I could.

[He's not afraid to get real with someone he's just met, at least about that. Not like he can hide his emotions anyway in this form, so. It's not just going back a werewolf, it's going back a werewolf that would be dangerous to his friends, his family.]

Seriously? Oh man, that would be so cool. I'm not--I'm not, really, usually the fighter guy, I tend towards the cerebral and, well. Bookish, I suppose is the right word for it. But I was on a team that explored alien planets! I'm more of the science guy than the brawling guy. Usually meant that I saved the day more often than not, though.

[He sniffs, a bit proudly, but his tail is wagging so goofily and hard that it's difficult to look smug.]

It is! Could save you a ton on electricity, too.

[A beat. He takes a swig of his beer, frowning.]

Ouch, that sounds...painful.

cw: death by gunshot wound, experimentation

[agiantbird]

[Dee likes it. She appreciates people getting real about this situation. It's better than trying to talk sense into the idealistic ones who think they're going to kill the fog god and instantaneously make everything better. Life never works out that way. And every time someone tries to hurt the god, everyone else gets hurt instead.]

Mmhm. I don't think I could either. I'm from Philadelphia. I'd get shot and killed within ten minutes of walking outside. And that's assuming the government doesn't scoop me up to perform experiments on me.

[Something sad crosses her face for a moment; she shrugs it off, sighs.]

This is my home now, and it's... hard to accept that? It's even harder to admit that my life here is better than my life back in Philly. But... ignoring the monster thing for a moment... it is true.

[At least it seems to be getting easier for her to admit that.]

Holy shit. I have an actual superhero in my bar. [She says with a lopsided grin, removing the cap from her own beer, before letting the bottle rest between her clawed hands.]

That... sounds like something out of a movie, or a comic book. God, you've probably seen some incredible things.

[And then Dee grimaces, shaking her head like she's trying to shake away a bad memory.]

Oh yeah, it's... not good. It sucks for monsters too, but it's so much worse for the humans.