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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 4, 2012 23:29:07 GMT -5
Dylan's stomach felt oddly uneasy as he made his way into town again. He was feeling a confusing combination of emotions, and as a result, he kept changing his mind. One minute he was heading back to his cabin, and the next he was turning back towards the town.
He liked Iris, more than he had any right to. It wasn't just the work or the promise of free books. It was her and her beauty and grace. Her sweet smile and the way she tried to make him smile. She made him feel comfortable and yet not, all at the same time. How was that even possible?
He turned back towards the cabin again, but after walking a short distance, he turned again and headed for the town. It was while he was doing this that he ran into someone. Strange how he had been so distracted that he hadn't even heard anyone approaching.
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Post by Elijah on Jan 4, 2012 23:37:30 GMT -5
Elijah actually started going into town more often. He had a steady job with Dawn at the food place and surprisingly, he was getting along fine. Of course, he thought it was because of Dawn. He knew that he usually wouldn't be at a place like that on his own, but for some reason she caused him to stay. She was extremely familiar but Elijah could never place her. Maybe he ran by her one day in town or something.
Since he tried to place her, Dawn had been on his mind a lot. It was surprising that any girl would be on Elijah's mind. For the longest time, he was always the lone wolf, always doing things alone. Now, however, things seemed a little different. While he was with her, he felt like he was something more than just some rugged, wild animal. He felt almost human.
Elijah caught himself daydreaming earlier that day. He saw the blue sky and it reminded him of her eyes. If Dylan ever saw him, he would never hear the end of it. Feeling the need to go into town, just to see if he would run into Dawn, Elijah started his way out of the woods.
On his way out of the woods, he had to pass Dylan's cabin. Usually he wasn't there, but this time, he was. Elijah paused for a moment as he observed Dylan pacing back and forth. He watched him for a moment. It seemed as if he was having decision problems. A slow smirk grew on Elijah's face.
He caught up with Dylan. "Having trouble deciding where to go?"
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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 4, 2012 23:59:17 GMT -5
Dylan narrowed his eyes at the sight of Elijah, standing a few feet away from him. This was almost enough to make him go back into his cabin and forget the whole thing. But he didn't want to hear from Elijah about how he was afraid or anything like that. And besides, he didn't want to disappoint Iris by not showing up. She really shouldn't lift those books by herself.
An even worse thought occurred to him at that moment. What if Elijah was looking for a job in town? What if he somehow wound up working at the bookstore instead of Dylan? That odious possibility was the final deciding factor.
No," he mumbled. "I just... keep thinking I forgot something. I'm going into town."
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Post by Elijah on Jan 5, 2012 7:10:41 GMT -5
"Funny, so am I." The usual smirk appeared again on Elijah's face. He wasn't exactly sure why he enjoyed messing with Dylan so much other than the fact that it was really the only human interaction he received, until now that is.
"You thought you forgot something four times already?" He was teasing him. Elijah could smell the uncertainty. "Come on buddy, I'll walk you into town and we'll see if you remember it. Wouldn't want you to continue to decide if you think you forgot something all day."
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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 6, 2012 23:36:56 GMT -5
Dylan wanted to tell him to bugger off. Walking into town with Elijah sounded like the worst possible idea. First off, he'd be forced to endure Elijah's presence, whichj would probably mean that the two of them would keep sniping at each other the whole way. And then there was the risk that he might meet Iris. Would he decide to pursue her himself? Or would he realize that Dylan liked her and tease him mercilessly?
And that was when Dylan reached the shocking realization that he did like Iris. A lot. He had never liked a girl before, or even really noticed a girl before. But it was difficult to meet girls when one lived alone in the woods. Even on the few times he had gone to town in the past, he had never really noticed any of the women. When he took his usual small jobs, he usually worked for little old ladies who couldn't do their own yard work.
But despite his very limited experience with the opposite sex, he did know a little about love and romance. He read a lot of books, after all, and these things were frequent subjects of his favorite books. He had never thought it would happen to him.
He was so taken aback by this realization that he found himself mumbling, "Yeah, whatever. Let's go."
He started walking quickly and it was too late to take it back.
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Post by Elijah on Jan 7, 2012 0:00:39 GMT -5
"Oh, so you're being nice to me now," Elijah continued as he moved from where he was to walk with Dylan. Although the guys snipped at each other all the time, Dylan was the closest thing Elijah had as a friend. He could be nice to him sometimes, but other times it was just fun being snarky.
"Whatcha going into town for today that caused you to forget something so many times," he asked. A slow grin appeared on his face. "You got a girl or something and you're debating getting her flowers?"
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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 8, 2012 1:50:38 GMT -5
Dylan froze in his tracks for just a moment, turning to stare at Elijah for just a moment. Did he know something? Had he seen him with Iris?
But no. That was crazy. How could he know about Iris? This was just another one of those stupid things Elijah used to tease him. And his reaction was probably making him look more guilty. At the same time, he was also wondering if he should plan to bring flowers to Iris. He wasn't courting her... he was just working for her. Right?
"Yeah, right," he mumbled in response to Elijah. "I just need to... buy some supplies. Maybe you're the one who's got a girl."
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Post by Elijah on Jan 9, 2012 13:20:04 GMT -5
Dylan's reaction caused Elijah to think maybe he did have a girl. "I think you do have a girl," he mused. "By all means if you want to get her flowers, get her flowers." Elijah's smirk faded just a little when Dylan mentioned that he might be the one with a girl. There was no way that Dylan knew about Dawn. Besides, Dawn wasn't his girl. Sure, Elijah knew he fancied her but he wasn't even exactly sure how to go about the whole situation. Then there was also the fact that Dawn probably didn't fancy him at all. Who would like a werewolf like him anyway? He could see how a girl would like Dylan, but Elijah was quite a different story.
"Is that the best comeback you can come up with?" Elijah gave a small chuckle. "Besides if you do have a girl, she's not going to really like all that mumbling you do. You've got to speak out."
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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 11, 2012 0:03:43 GMT -5
"I don't have a girl," Dylan said firmly. It was true, technically. He liked Iris, but she was not his girl. She was his employer, and his friend. He didn't really have a right to even hope for anything more than that.
He shoved his hands in the crudely-sewn pockets of his pants as he walked a little ahead of Elijah. Oddly, he found himself thinking how nice it would be to own a proper pair of pants or a shirt that he didn't have to make himself. He still hadn't got much better at sewing after all these years. Iris probably thought he was a slob. She wore such pretty clothes, and it reminded him of just how inadequate he was to even be near her.
He almost wanted to turn back again, but he didn't. Elijah would never let him hear the end of it.
"What are you going to town for?" Dylan asked, casting a suspicious glance over at Elijah.
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Post by Elijah on Jan 11, 2012 8:52:15 GMT -5
"Alright, alright, you ain't got a girl," he said putting his hands up. "No need to use that tone with me." There was still a little teasing in his voice.
"I need to pick up a few supplies," Elijah answered almost automatically. He wasn't going to let Dylan know the only real reason he was going into town was to see if he could run into Dawn. Today, Elijah did clean a little better than what he had been. He even wore his not so torn pants and a more decent shirt. Of course, he still looked a little on the rough side, but that couldn't be helped. Maybe he would pick up a few clothes that would actually fit and not have holes in them since he did have a little extra.
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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 11, 2012 23:23:07 GMT -5
Dylan was tempted to walk a little faster to keep his distance from Elijah. But since he was stuck walking into town with him, he decided it would be best if he acted normal, as if he didn't really care whether Elijah was there or not. Any unusual behavior would surely make him suspicious. With any luck, Dylan could lose him once they reached town. They'd go on their separate ways, and that would be that. Elijah wouldn't need to know about Iris.
"Yeah, me too," he mumbled. "What supplies do you need?"
If he knew where Elijah was headed, he could make sure he went the opposite direction.
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Post by Elijah on Jan 15, 2012 13:06:33 GMT -5
Elijah wasn't fully aware that Dylan might have asked him what supplies he needed. He didn't have an automatic answer as he did for his reasoning going into town. For a moment he paused. "I," he began. "I just need to get a few basic supplies." Part of him even wanted to get flowers for Dawn, but he didn't know what sort of flowers. Then there was also the fact that Dylan was also going into town. He didn't want Dylan to have something to tease him about.
"I was just gonna go look for a bit." He glanced over at Dylan. "What supplies do you need?"
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Post by Dylan Woods on Jan 17, 2012 1:16:11 GMT -5
Dylan turned away from him, scowling. He couldn't very well press for more details, because it would make Elijah suspicious. He was just going to have to lose He was just going to have to lose Elijah once they got into town. If necessary, he'd double back around somehow before heading to the book shop. He couldn't let Elijah see him with Iris.
"Uh... gardening supplies," he lied. "Seeds and soil... a new shovel."
That would surely put Elijah off. He had no interest in gardening or planting or anything remotely work-related. Or so he thought.
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Post by Elijah on Feb 1, 2012 13:15:56 GMT -5
"There's no need in scowling," he said just to annoy Dylan a little more.
"Gardening supplies? Well that's interesting. I might end up taking to making a garden myself, maybe you can give me a little bit of advice while doing it. After all, if I were to make a garden, that would be a little less bothersome on your part considering I probably wouldn't come bother you as much." There was a light smirk on Elijah's face. "But then again, where's the fun in letting up a little on you? It's so much fun to see you scowl and get all defensive. Besides, I would miss my best friend."
There was a slight bit of truth in that last statement. Even if Dylan didn't realize it, he was the closest thing Elijah had to a friend, with the exception of Dawn.
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Post by Dylan Woods on Feb 1, 2012 23:39:24 GMT -5
Elijah would just happen to pick this inconvenient time to develop an interest in gardening. Dylan just hoped Elijah wouldn't insist on following him once they got into the city. Surely he had his own plans, right? The last thing Dylan wanted to deal with was having Elijah as a shadow.
"If you really want to, I guess I could help you," he said in a low voice. "Some other time. You'd have to think about where you want to put it and what you want to plant."
Maybe if he made it sound like too much work, Elijah would change his mind. Elijah wasn't usually a big fan of hard work.
But the comment about being his best friend made Dylan stop for a minute. He supposed if he thought about it, Elijah was sort of his friend. They didn't like each other... but Elijah was the only person, other than Iris, that Dylan could really talk to. And there were a lot of things he couldn't tell Iris, not if he wanted to stay her friend...
"You getting sentimental on me?"
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Post by Elijah on Feb 2, 2012 11:24:52 GMT -5
"I've already thought about it and I know where I want it." Usually Elijah wasn't a huge fan of hard work, but he did do it from time to time. Now, something made him want to work harder and maybe have something nice. Of course, he didn't want to bring Dawn out in the woods and tell her that he lived there and took shelter wherever he could. He didn't want her to think he was some wild animal, even if in a way he was wild.
"Me, sentimental? Never. I'm just stating a simple fact. You know you'd miss me," he said with a wolfish like grin.
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Post by Dylan Woods on Feb 12, 2012 0:49:48 GMT -5
"Like a hole in the head," Dylan grumbled. Yet there was a hint of a smile on his face. Somehow, he realized, he and Elijah had become friends over the years. Maybe it was just because of the isolation and their similar circumstances, but it was a strange sort of bond nonetheless. Maybe one day Dylan would even feel comfortable enough to ask him for advice about Iris.
But not today. It was still too new, too uncertain. Right now, he wanted to keep it to himself, and try to figure it out on his own.
They were almost to the edge of the forest now, and Dylan felt himself tensing up. He needed to find a way to lose Elijah once they got into town, so he could make his way to Iris's shop.
"Why the sudden interest in gardening, anyway?" he asked.
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Post by Elijah on Feb 12, 2012 11:10:34 GMT -5
"See? I'm glad we're on the same page," Elijah teased at Dylan's comment. It was always good to give him a hard time and see him mumble and grumble. Of course, Elijah was still waiting for that day that Dylan would be able to come back with something big.
"Well, if you must know, dear, it'll save time and be more beneficial when the weather turns colder. It's so you don't have to worry if I'll starve to death or not when it gets winter time, because I know you worry." Elijah grinned. A garden meant having to stay in one place. A lot of time and care had to go into one, and for once Elijah was willing to do that. He had never really taken an interest in anything so time consuming before, but now he wanted to.
Elijah was aware that they were almost out of the forest. He was almost excited to be in town. He wanted to see Dawn again, but he didn't really want Dylan to know. If he did know, then he would finally have something to hang over Elijah's head. Maybe when they got to town, he could find some way to lose him.
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Post by Dylan Woods on Feb 13, 2012 16:09:03 GMT -5
"I wouldn't worry," Dylan said. "You always come over and bug me for food when you run out. If you had your own food, I'm not sure what I'd do with the extra."
Dylan rolled his eyes as he said this. He was actually rather used to dealing with Elijah after all this time, but that didn't mean he didn't like to complain about it once in a while. "But I guess I can help you. You'll need to dig a place to store the food, too, so it'll be protected and stay fresh during the winter."
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Post by Elijah on Feb 14, 2012 9:54:15 GMT -5
Elijah put a hand over his heart. "I knew you cared," he said with a fake sniffle. He grinned. "Never worry however, I'll still come bug you. I wouldn't be Elijah if I didn't." He gave a short laugh that almost sounded like a bark.
"See, I knew you'd help me too." Elijah wanted to become self efficient and not a scavenger. He knew very well how to do that, but he just never actually did it. He wanted to be a little more human like.
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