〔ｙｅｓｔｅｒｄａｙ〕↠ closed

[Wallflower11]

𝐋𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐝
| Location - diner | tagged/interacting - Maka, Annie, Johann, Dakota, (Tema, Farris) [mentioned: Bruno, Lou] |

Lyall nodded Mirabelle was a saint. He also agreed that Bruno wasn't the one they needed to worry about, it always was and had always had been Johann who would hog Mirabelle's treats. Makataz got in the car, Lyall noted that she had changed her clothes.

"Well, the main plan is still to remain low on everyone's radar and to continue looking into anyone new in town. For right now though, I was thinking that we should stop by the diner and grab some takeout or something for lunch with Kota," Johann said. Lyall was glad that they could still do lunch with Kota with everything that was going down, hanging out with the two of them was always fun, it made spending time with the whole pack easier. Heck the two of them were probably the only reason he even had opened up as much as he had to Annie, Lou, and Bruno.

Lyall got out his phone to text Dakota the details.
[It's gonna be a pack lunch at the Smith's barn]
[picking up diner food]
He turned his phone off sliding it into his pocket.

They pulled up outside the diner, Johann started giving orders. Lyall smiled his 'brother' made a good alpha; he had to remember to tell him that sometime, preferably when they weren't surrounded by people. Having already finished his job before it had even asked of him waited until everyone had gotten to their respective tasks. He let out a sigh feeling kind of useless. Johann called Bruno exasperatedly leaving the youngest pack-member a message. Lyall let his attention drift out the window, his wolf, who had been a quiet passenger so far other than the outburst this morning, was getting restless. His attention was brought back to reality when he heard Johann speak, "Lyall, I have no idea how dad did it."

"Yeah, me neither," Lyall sighed, that was probably the one thing he didn't want to do that Lars had done, be alpha. "You're doing a great job, he would be proud of you." Lyall reached across and put his hand on Johann's shoulder, "I mean it," he said his voice hard making sure that Johann knew that he wasn't kidding or just trying to comfort him. He removed his hand from his 'brother's' shoulder before continuing. "This whole thing sucks, Dad's..." he said the word with unease, Lars had always told Lyall that he could call him that and he was pretty sure Johann didn't mind him calling Lars that either, but Lyall had never been quite comfortable calling Lars that not because he didn't see Lars as a father to him but more because Lyall had always felt like more of a hazard or a burden than someone that should be accepted. "death, the hunters, me..." he added the last part under his breath he didn't want to get in an argument about it again. "But we will pull through I believe in us," Lyall might have hammed that last part up a tad too much. He believed in the pack, it was true but he didn't quite believe in himself.

Lyall turned back to look through the windshield, he felt emotionally spent. He wasn't used to doing things like that so it always left him feeling weird and vulnerable. He hoped his 'brother' appreciated his words. He felt his vision flicker reds and oranges fading into yellows, his wolf restless enough to make his eyes shift.

"I'm sorry but can I get out of the car? He's going a little crazy," He asked Johann referring to his wolf. Lyall knew Johann probably didn't want him alone out there. "How about I check on Makataz," he suggested even though at this point he was already opening his door. He was pretty sure he heard Johann mutter tiredly in agreement, as he stepped on to the street.

His wolf calmed not being in the car was nice, the red returned to his vision. He wandered over to the diner's entrance letting his mind do the same he swung open the door walking in. Lyall decided to wait for Makataz in the little waiting area that was in the dining space. He hummed picking up a brochure from the brochure rack the diner had, it was filled with things about local businesses and tourist traps that were way too far away to even be convenient. He took a breath through his nose letting the scents of the diner fill him, he enjoyed his more sensitive sense of smell, it allowed him to pick out what the diner was cooking, along with the personal scents of every single person in the diner. He counted all the recognizable ones, Edith, Makataz, Bob, till the scent of Lilacs and paper hit him. Heck, Mirabelle had said she would be in town. Against his better judgment, he looked up from the brochure searching for the tan-skinned girl.

She was facing him sitting in a booth across from another woman not looking at him. He couldn't stop staring he probably looked like a creep. The girl reassembled her mother from what had been burned into his mind of her terrified face as she tried to convince the hunter not to kill him. She looked kind she held herself in a quiet and soft manner, nothing about her yelled "Threat!" like he was afraid it would. His wolf was at attention but not 'seeing red' or not seeing more yellow in its case.

No, what caused him to almost turn into a wolf in the middle of the crowded diner lunch rush, was the edge of the scent of something familiar, something sterile and dangerous that he couldn't quite identify. Hunter Hunter Hunter his wolf barked incessantly. His wolf wanted out it wanted to protect the pack, capture the hunter, and drag them back to the alpha, make them talk, make them pay. No, he couldn't do that. His breaths had turned ragged, the brochure crumpled in his hand, claws, and fur fighting their way to the surface.

Nobody had taken notice of him or his distressed state. He growled at his wolf "DOWN, you want to get everybody killed you, useless runt! There isn't even a hunter in here, she is not a hunter, Lars checked." His wolf folded his ears back giving his human side dominance, for now. His control was still shaky he needed to get out of there, just because he didn't react to the girl as a human didn't mean his wolf in a state of panic wouldn't still mistake her for a threat. He turned slamming the inner glass door open the force causing a crack to form on the glass pane. Of course, Johann was right he couldn't be trusted. He rushed outside ignoring the looks he got from everyone. Edith was already calming the guests, she knew Lyall had 'incidents' and would bill him for the damages he just hoped that hadn't grabbed any of the hunters' attention with rumors and gossip.

As soon as he was outside his steely control started to fade he was probably shaking as the panic and fear set in he almost just sat down on the sidewalk and let it all flow over him, he deserved it for that unprovoked outbreak. But he forced himself to go back to the car getting into the front seat, burying all his emotions deep inside to prevent the flashbacks from swallowing him whole. He didn't look at Johann at all as he kept his face a mask of apathy, his hands still shaking.

[InfiresAddiction]

♆ Bright Malinon ♆
⦉ Second in Command| Location ➵ Bookstore | Mentions ➵ Elowyia ⦊
▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬

Bright gave the slightest smile as she flipped the sign, knowing he had won. If she'd locked him in, he would have simply made a mess and then broken out. It would be her fault for locking him in anyways. Talk about bad customer service. He raised an eyebrow as she let her hair out of the bun, showing slight approval. "You should leave your hair down more often, it looks better that way." He grunted, shoving the food into his cheek so he could talk more clearly. Some people looked better with their hair pinned and others with their hair down. Bright liked Farris' hair when it was pinned up, as it allowed her bangs to frame her soft face.

Once again, Bright pulled out his phone and clicked onto the web, putting his sandwich in his lap to type. "Oh." Was all he said when he found the picture. "That is one funny-looking guy." He found it oddly flattering to have been compared to such a being. The looks weren't quite there in most photos, but the looming presence was something they both had in common. He looked up at her as she dragged a stool to him, instinctually drawing himself up so he would seem more present. He jerked his knees away from her, giving her a nasty look, a considerably good outcome for her. Luckily for her, he didn't hit strangers unless he was truly mad. "I'm am a freak about cleanliness. Your face," he pointed at her, "Isn't cutting it. If I had a dust sweeper, I'd do your poor face some justice." He picked up his sandwich again. "But I've decided to be more relaxed." He stopped midway to a bite, stopping to stare at her. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have let a rodent in."

He quickly polished off the rest of the sandwich, stopping in the middle of licking his finger at the loud roar of complaint coming from the women's stomach. Slowly, his lips curled into a smirk, his tongue withdrawing itself back into his mouth. "Too bad you're not eating out right now. Perhaps you should have spoken more nicely to your beloved customer." He said sweetly, the sarcasm adding a biting edge to his voice. He tsked and opened the bag of rolls shaking his head playfully in mock disappointment.

He'd been planning to take one out and take the showiest bite he could give, but a hand appeared in the top of his vision, prompting him to lift his face to hers. He did not expect to get slammed with puppy eyes. Not good ones, but puppy eyes none the less. "You must be pretty desperate if you're willing to beg someone you been arguing with." He murmured softly, ripping the bag for better access and tilting it in her direction.

[Stargazer3000]

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Farris Sannhildr | tagged: Tema | location: diner
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Farris' throat felt oddly tight in a manner it hadn't for years. She rarely, if ever, cried but something about talking with Tema was having a real effect on her. As the other girl's eyes became increasingly watery, Farris fought the urge to reach across the table and wipe away her tears, stopping only because she figured that she'd overstepped her bounds enough for a day. Unsure of what to do with herself for a moment, she was happy to have Tema steer the conversation in the direction of art, scrolling through the paintings on the phone with great interest. "Tema these are...amazing," she breathed, genuinely in awe of her talent. She was distantly aware of people entering the diner but she paid them no mind as she continued to praise Tema's works. However, at the sound of the door slamming aggressively, Farris' head shot up and she instinctively reached behind her back, her fingers subtly finding the handle of one of her hatchets under her flannel. However, whatever had made the noise was gone, and she forced herself to breath out slowly from her nose, releasing the hatchet handle discreetly and turning to face Tema with a befuddled expression on her face. "What do you think that was all about?" she questioned, cocking her head questioningly. Before the other woman could respond, their waitress had returned to the table with their food, setting it down with a mumbled, "Here ya gals go," before leaving as quickly as she had arrived.

[kanni]

𝙴𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚢𝚒𝚊|𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗; 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚎|𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍; 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝
The second the food was offered in her direction, the blonde reached out for a roll, only to hesitate at the last second. Sometimes her mother had brought home food that wasn't good, too sick at that point to really notice if what she picked out of the bargain bin had gone rotten yet. After several years of trial and error, Elowyia knew better than to ingest food she hadn't inspected somewhat. Especially from someone she didn't trust much yet. She blinked. Yes, she supposed a yet was in order. After all, Lurch had offered her food in the first place. Reaching her hand out again, the small blonde wrapped her hand around a roll and tugged it out, wriggling slightly in excitement. Sharp stormy blues flicked over the roll and its contents, deeming it presentable. It certainly smelled fine, if nothing else. Noticing the nasty expression the man in front of her had sent her way for poking his knee, Elowyia rolled her eyes, biting into the roll.
xxxx
"I'll consider the hair. I like it down, but it gets in the way when I garden. Honestly, I could use a facial. Go for it. But hey, at least I'm not Lurch." Elowyia mumbled around her mouth full, pausing to chew and swallow before leveling a "really" look her own version of the creature. "If you were such a clean freak you wouldn't have sat on the counter, imagine all the little germies having a party now that they have you as their new playground. I clean my counter daily, but I didn't get a chance to yet." The blonde's mouth quirked into a half smile as she took another bite. Stars, this was good food. She hadn't eat anything from the diner in so long. She'd have to go out again soon. Budget or no budget she needed food therapy.
xxx
It was quiet for a moment, and Elowyia realized that for the first time, she wasn't afraid of Lurch. Sure, she still didn't know his name, or why he'd gone after her in the first place, but his biting comments were humorous and it was easy to talk to him. He seemed pretty touch averse - well, that she wasn't sure about due to the fact that they were total strangers - which was a downside, but he hadn't pummeled her and instead had offered her food. A plus in her book. It took a lot to change Elowyia's opinion of someone, especially if her first impression of them was as horrendous as Lurch's, but the little things certainly didn't hurt.
xxx
"Also, you're not my beloved customer. I feel like you'd be..." A pause to chew, searching for the words. "you'd be more of a one night stand customer. Who'd try to steal my cat. Which is unforgivable so you definitely would deserve to get treated horribly."

[spirit • daydream]

𝙰𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚊 𝙳𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚗
➢ pack member | female | twenty-two | location - pack cabin, diner, town | mentions/tags - johann, lyall, maka
Annie pulled her phone out of her pocket and plugged in her headphones as she walked down the main street. She clicked play and hummed along to the music blaring in her headphones. As she walked she smiled and waved to the locals who were out and about doing their daily errands. She took note that she should probably go grocery shopping for the pack. Pulling out her phone she made a reminder to go shopping and ask what everyone wanted. She knew practically everything that her packmates wanted she just wanted to make sure they didn't want anything else. Just as she was crossing the street the scent of Johann reached her nose just before he called out to her. She jumped slightly not realizing that he was going to be in town but smiled softly as she turned towards him. She couldn't help but think he was adorable in the baseball cap. She started to blush as he had gotten closer. And as he slipped his arm around hers, her heart skipped a beat. She pulled out her headphones and looked up at him, "Hey there." She repeated back to him as he dragged her to the car he had come from. As he opened the car door for her and motioned her inside she quickly shuffled into the backseat. Annie nodded as he spoke, "Yeah I understand that with everything going on." At the sound of Lyall's name, Annie perked up. She smiled wider happy that she was finally able to see him again. Even though he was indifferent to her, she loved to hang out with him. He had been gone for what seemed like forever, so Annie was excited to be able to talk with him again. "Yeah the diner is easier and closer I believe so that makes sense." She didn't really want to go back, but if that was where they were gonna get some food she couldn't really say no. At the thought of food, her stomach growled loudly making her blush with embarrassment. It technically wasn't her fault since she hadn't eaten since that small snack she had before her shift had started. It was always too early to eat a full meal so she always resorted to snacking on some of the food the cooks had made for themselves. "Yeah I don't mind joining you guys, I wasn't going to do much." She smiled at him just as the front door of the car opened revealing Lyall. "Hi, Lyall. It's been a while." She smiled at his greeting, the scent of baked goods reaching her nose. Her stomach growled once again and she hoped that neither of them was able to hear it. A second later Maka entered the car, Annie smiled at the female. Though her nose scrunched up a bit at the scent of Johann on her skin. She watched the two upfront as she decided to take in Maka's scent. She definitely had just shifted, so that was probably why she had smelled of Johann. He had given her one of his spare shirts from his car. She relaxed slightly, realizing there was no need to be jealous. Annie smiled at the female, hoping to make her know that she wasn't at all upset. Though Maka had just looked out the window. Annie had always wondered if Maka hated her, but she knew that she was going through a lot so she didn't feel a need to push. She was pulled out of her thoughts as Johann placed the tin in between the two and she had to force herself to move slowly. She wanted to eat something so bad and Mirabelle's baking was the best in the entire world. As she took a bite she hummed happily, "Ugh, I really need to thank Mirabelle for these. They are so good, oh my gosh." She was so engrossed in the cookies that she just barely caught what Johann was saying. She looked up as her name was spoken. She merely waved her free hand as he apologized she really didn't mind. Just as long as she didn't have to work again that day, it was a long shift. "Yeah, I'll be fine with that, my car's right by the diner." She smiled as she shoved one last cookie into her mouth happily. She opened her door and headed out to her car, though she felt that it would be a bit weird if she just sat in her car until they left. As Annie sat in the driver's seat of her car she watched Lyall walk out of the car and into the diner. Though he walked out almost immediately, he had looked panicked and she stiffened. What had happened, was there someone in there that triggered him? She noticed that he had made a crack in the door and her hands clenched the wheel hoping that nothing would happen. Seeing him panic made her jumpy, she had to force herself to not go in the diner herself. She couldn't risk anything, especially after everything that had happened at the funeral. If a hunter was truly in the diner, she would make it worse by going inside. She couldn't wait to get on the move, she knew that she had been forcing her wolf down. Maybe when they reached the barn she could finally allow herself to transform. Though Johann probably wouldn't like her turning while out in the open at the barn. She turned on some music and sang along in broken lyrics, becoming lost in thought.

[azhefa.]

xx─────────┥𝑴𝑨𝑲𝑨𝑻𝒁𝑨┝──────────────────────────────────

the ride over to the diner was rather short which was a little surprising for maka since she had assumed they'd be going back to the cabin. when johann explains about getting food and whatever else, her stomach drops. eating has been a problem for her lately and eating in front of the whole pack will only make it obvious and she wasn't wanting them all to get worried or start shaming her into eating more. even though they may feel like they're trying to help, it would only make things worse for her. and she's already as low as she can get. maka only glances at the cookie tin briefly before nodding to johann and climbing out of the car. she puts her duffle on the seat and heads into the diner with only the wallet he had given her.

the diner was a little busy with the afternoon rush, but it wasn't overly crowded. which was great since crowds weren't really her thing. maka waits in line to place her order and zones out for a minute while she waits. a lot of voices were buzzing about the diner and most of them were idle chatter between partners or friends. normal human talk. a nice change from pack chatter and growls. she fiddles with johann's wallet in her hands and brushes a bit of loose hair from her face as she takes another step forward in line, a customer having been served and left. maka gives a light sniff as she hears the front door open to allow in more customers, a reflex of sorts. her face scrunches a little in confusion when she picks up the rainy scent of lyall, and turns to look back at him, but he was already gone by the time she looks back to the door. had johann sent him in to check on her? was she really so bad that they couldn't trust her to get some sandwiches? it was a little disheartening to think that the pack doesn't trust her anymore. perhaps she should have stayed at the cabin instead of holing up in her apartment alone. so much has changed in only a week and it's hard for her to grasp it.

maka is slightly startled from her thoughts when the man behind her clears his throat pointedly to get her moving once the line starts to move again. she murmurs an apology and takes her place at the counter to make her order. maka relays johann's order of sandwiches and fries, the amount seeming to surprise the cashier a little until she explains it was a group picnic and the other girl relaxes once more with a smile and nod. maka pays for the food and moves to an empty chair to wait for it to be put together. surprisingly, it wasn't a very long wait and she exits the diner with bags in hand only ten minutes later. the blonde passes the food to johann though his window before getting into the backseat, moving her duffle out of the way so she could sit. maka returns to her silent staring out of the window as before once she was settled and waits for the others to show up so they could leave. her head rests against the cool glass as her chin is propped up by her hand, her elbow resting on the door's armrest. though she was trying hard to fight it, she ends up lightly dozing a few minutes later, not truly sleeping, but enough to snore very softly from the odd positioning.

location; town ● mentions; none ● tags; johann, lyall

xx──────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[InfiresAddiction]

♆ Bright Malinon ♆
⦉ Second in Command| Location ➵ Bookstore | Mentions ➵ Elowyia ⦊
▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬ ♆ ▬ ▬

Bright watched her as she inspected the food, slightly skeptical, but also understanding. Bright had no problem accepting food from others, but he'd imagine it would be hard to accept food from someone you didn't like. Either way, he interpreted her examining as suggesting he would do something to the food and felt slightly insulted. He may act like a badger with a sore toe, but he wouldn't poison food. Drinks? Maybe, he's done it before. Hunting isn't as bloody and violent as some think. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes you have to get in close.

"No need to stare at it like that. Luckily for you, I left the poisons at home." He snorted. Bright had recently been altering a neurotoxin to make it less potent. Some he had for killing, and other solely for the purpose of incapacitating a creature. Neurotoxins weren't easy to make, but now that they were in the mountains, it was more difficult than before. Usually, he'd get components for whatever he was going to make off the black market, but there was none this high up the mountain. Not in this town, at least. Bright couldn't just go down the mountain to get some tetrodotoxin, or something at a time like this. The hunters couldn't stand to have any of their team absent.

Upon seeing her eye roll, his hand darted out instinctually as if to hit her, but he drew back at the last second. Bright didn't demand much respect even as the second in command, as he didn't respect himself, but he rarely tolerated eyerolls. If they were playful, he didn't care, but doing it in a profound manner almost always earned someone a slap over the head. His lip quirked dryly at her comment about this Lurch guy. "He'd actually look okay if he weren't making a constipated face most of the time." He said, gingerly folding the bag and putting it next to him, his hands sticky.

"Gardening is fun, though. I have to tie up the hair on top of my head when I work out." He used his large hand to take the hair from the front of his face and make a little ponytail on top of his head. "See?" This was a very Asian style quirk that Bright's father had taught him. Bright found it rather odd as he interacted with this little mouse. He wouldn't describe himself as comfortable around the man, but he didn't have the usual desire to get the hell out of her vicinity as quick as possible. He found her to be remotely interesting, to say the least. Not many people took what right said and threw it back in his face. It gave him the smallest sliver of grudging admiration towards her.

Bright looked down at the counter almost as if expecting to see little germs playing around by his leg. "Germies?" He scoffed and rubbed his messy hand all over the counter, leaving satisfying smears. "I don't care if it isn't mine. Besides, I showered this morning, I'm not dirty." The tall man smelled lightly of rosewood and mint, that being the scent of his body wash. Even his hair did. The hunters often ridiculed him for using his body wash as shampoo, but he never told them it was a two-in-one bottle. That was mainly to stop others from using it on their hair, as shampoo had been more expensive lately. Bright strangely didn't like the idea of someone smelling like him.

[kanni]

𝙴𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚢𝚒𝚊|𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗; 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚎|𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍; 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝
Elowyia blinked. For a moment, she took him seriously, staring down at the handle of the roll still left in her hand. It was the last bite, and it hadn't been that small. Well, she thought, if she was going to die, at least she was going to die surrounded by books. Not a bad way to go. Then she took note of the fact he had also eaten out of the bag, hadn't known she was going to be there, and had no reason to poison himself. As far as she knew.
xxxx
"How unfortunate, dying in a bookstore sounds like a pretty good way to go." Elowyia snorted at his batting at the air. He looked like a disgruntled cat. "Well, I think the constipated face works, because then the two of you really match." Shoving the last bit of roll in her mouth, the blonde nearly choked as the dark haired male gathered his hair into a little ponytail. It was an adorable hair style, but he looked ridiculous - this imposing behemoth of a man with this tiny little ponytail. Ducking her head into her arm, Elowyia half choked half laughed the last bit of roll down. Oh god it was hilarious. The contrast was near shocking in its intensity and she couldn't help but laugh. Gasping for air briefly now that her mouth and throat were free, the blonde straightened up to look back over and had to hunch back down as peals of laughter ripped out of her. Elowyia didn't laugh often, but the shock of it all had her shaking with it. They weren't pretty little hiccups, they were bright and loud and gasping.
xxx
"Oh that would be adorable if it wasn't paired with your face. Oh, your face!" Elowyia's laughter stuttered off into an offended gasp as the man smeared his greasy hand down her counter, and she near fell off her stool in her haste to get over. She wasn't a neat freak in the slightest, her house was organized chaos, but this wasn't her house nor her property and that was gross. "What the heck!" The blonde squealed, reaching out without hesitation to shove the much larger man to the side. Her momentum was just enough to get him to scoot an inch or so, but it wasn't really much. Pushing herself up onto the counter space that wasn't smeared with roll germs and grease, the blonde kicked her legs to scoot herself forward. Once she was far enough onto the surface, she reached one arm under the counter and rooted around for a while, finally pulling out a spray bottle of water. It was really only used for cleaning off smudges on the windows, as her boss didn't like wasting their proper chemicals on the glass. Turning awkwardly, still stuck on her belly, the blonde aimed and fired.
xxx
"Bad customer! Bad! We don't smear things on Elowyia's counter!!" The blonde scolded, squirting the dark haired male several times with a spray of cold water. It was like scolding Nova, and she couldn't help but snort at the similarity.

[Stargazer3000]

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Johann Vidar | tagged: Lyall, Annie, Maka (mentions: Bruno, Kota) | location: town
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As Johann continued to rest his forehead on the steering wheel he heard Lyall's murmured words of assurance, a small, soft smile finding its way onto his face. He was surprised by his brother's consoling touch, but made sure not to react to it other than leaning into his hand slightly. When Lyall was finished speaking Johann raised his head and stared at him for a moment before murmuring softly, "Thanks L," and allowing the car to lapse back into his preferred quiet. However, it quickly became clear that Lyall was on edge and needed some air, so when he suggested that he could go check on Maka, Johann simply murmured a few words of acquiesce. He wasn't worried about Maka, he knew she could handle herself, but it was nice to know that the pack was subtly checking in on each other.

As Lyall left and entered the diner, Johann took advantage of his momentary solitude, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes in thought, contemplating the state of the pack. During the drive, he'd noticed Maka not take a cookie and as he thought back to the morning, he didn't remember seeing her eat anything then either. Johann figured it was just the stress of everything, and that he'd keep an eye on her. Some quality pack time would likely do her good - no wolf should be alone for too long. After a moment more of waiting, he pulled his phone back out, following up with Bruno over text. 'We'll wait for 15 min at the diner, but then we're heading to the Smith's. Meet us there, and text if you need a ride'. When that one was sent, he shoot a quick text to Annie, 'We'll wait for Bruno for 15. If he doesn't show, we'll head to the barn. Thanks for your patience,' before once again putting his phone away.

No sooner had he done so when a very disgruntled Lyall returned to the car, his hands clearly shaking. Knowing better than to push him when he was like this, Johann simply gave him a silent once over, making sure that he didn't see, or smell, any blood. Satisfied that he wasn't injured, Johann made a note to ask about what exactly had happened when his brother calmed down enough and was able to talk without panicking. Not wanting his brother to get caught in his own head, the alpha flicked on the radio, changing the channel to some local news coverage, pretending to listen to their story on repaving old streets while keeping tabs on Lyall from the corner of his eye. Knowing that Annie had likely seen his exit, and would be worried about him, Johann sent yet another text, simply informing her, 'He's fine, I've got him', before settling in to wait.

Before too long, Maka returned to the car, and he wordlessly accepted the food, placing it gingerly between the passenger and drivers seat. After a few minutes, it was clear that Bruno wouldn't be coming to the diner, so Johann sighed, turned the car on, and put it into drive, starting off towards the Smith's barn. As the vehicle headed out, he made sure to check that Annie was tailing them, and once satisfied that she was, he turned his attention back to road. The Smith's was about five minutes out of town but it was secluded and only really frequented by the locals, so Johann was certain they'd be safe there. As happy as he was to have some pack time, the atmosphere in the car was heavy and as he pulled into park just before the fence to the Smith's property -it was a two minute walk on foot to the barn. Despite his two less-than-enthusastic companions however, Johann let a smile spread across his face as he scooped up the food, stepping out of the car and happily stretching in the warm afternoon sun. "It's the perfect day for a picnic," he commented jovially, his spirits lifted significantly by the fresh air. This would be good for them, he was sure of it. Before heading off though, he quickly stuck his head back into the car, stating playfully, "Maka, if you're planning on stealing my wallet, that's fine, I get it, it's pretty good quality. But if not, just toss it into the driver's seat, alright?" With this, he headed over to the fence, hopping over it with ease and setting off towards the barn.

[Wallflower11]

『 Tema Snow 』
| Location - Diner | tagged/interacting - Farris (Lyall) |

Pride rose in Tema as Farris scrolled through the paintings on her phone, her eyes filled with awe. Tema like most artists tended to end up hating her work after a while. Seeing another person enjoy her artwork, especially Farris, filled her with confidence and joy that her work had such an effect. "Tema these are...amazing," Farris whispered.

"Thank you," Tema replied quietly trying not to disrupt the moment. The bell on the diner door rang as someone entered, Tema paid no mind to it focusing on the woman looking at her work.

After a moment she felt someone's gaze on her, she looked up passed Farris to the tall ginger standing in the little waiting area, a long scar graced the left side of his scowling face. It was him the guy who kept avoiding her like she had the plague. She made eye contact for a brief peaceful second till his nostrils flared and his eyes seemed to change into something wilder. Then he was gone in a rush of violence, Tema flinched as the door cracked open. Farris' head shot up, Tema hoped she missed her flinching she really didn't feel like explaining her anti-stalker to her, one their first date. Was this a date? Tema wasn't sure but she was starting to think it might be.

"What do you think that was all about?" Farris asked with a mixture of confusion and concern on her face as she cocked her head.

Before Tema could answer Edith set their food down on the table, "Here ya gals go," she said with a service smile. Tema nodded a polite thanks to the waitress as she left quickly to continue serving the lunch rush.

"I don't know what that was about," Tema lied. She kinda knew. When she had noticed the tall man had been seemingly avoiding her she had asked both Lars and Mirabelle about it. Lars had been cagey only saying that she shouldn't worry about it, he was a good man he had just experienced some trauma as a child which made him a bit peculiar in his actions. Mirabelle had smiled and said that he was being foolish and he would come around at some point. Then she had pointed to some of the pictures on her crowded mantle of a ginger child, telling Tema that she had fostered him for a while as a kid.

Tema took a bite of her burger, it was good, again she cursed herself for not coming here more often. She'd missed out on so much while being shy and antisocial. Her brain started to go through a list of possible conversation topics, though this silence defiantly wasn't awkward she still felt uncomfortable with it.

"When I was looking at your journal this morning I noticed that you seem really passionate about all this," Tema stopped not really knowing where she was going with all this. "And I think that's really cool," she finished lamely blushing and turning away from her companion. Deciding that a simple and slightly awkwardly delivered compliment wasn't the best way to get the conversation going she continued, "What I mean you seem to really enjoy your work." There were a lot of questions bubbling within Tema but she couldn't really decide on one. Even though she knew what Farris did for work generally there was a lot of mystery still surrounding her. She wasn't sure she even knew her last name. She was hoping there would be plenty of time for that but Farris was here for work. How long would she stay? Tema added that to the top of her "to ask Farris list" where it sat with "Can I have your phone number?" and "Want to hang out again sometime?".