“My name is Summer,” she told Void. “There are werewolves around here? Great. And what did you do to them?”
“Yes,” he said simply, thinking of the best way to answer her question. “I may have possessed one of their pets.”
She leaned forward and dropped her head against the table. “So now you’re running from them, and about six inches high, and in my apartment, and presumably not lying to me. Why me?”
Stiles slammed his laptop shut as he walked over to the widow, cracking it so he could speak to Summer. “H-hey… Uh… Whatcha doing?”
She gave him a very flat look. “I am weird supernatural stuff, in case you didn’t notice just now. And I’m — NGH — ” The end of the sentence cut off sharply in another back-bowing spasm. “How dubious can it be if it affected me too?” she finished.
“Different supernatural stuff, Summer,” Stiles said, grimacing as she appeared to be going through more pain. “Two wrongs don’t make a right. That’s the definition of dubious consent, dude. Let’s just both be glad nothing happened. Because… that could have really fucked us up. I mean, I know we’re still rocky.”
She turned her face away, unwilling to face that right now, and gritted her teeth. “Does your supernatural stuff have anything to do with the giant tree stump in the middle of the forest? Because I’m pretty sure,” she paused to hiss through her teeth, blinking away tears, “it’s magic.”
“Wolves. Large, furry, howl at the moon wolves?” She lifted a sardonic eyebrow. “Why don’t I believe you?”
The Nogitsune rolled its eyes at her. “No, human. Werewolves,” he said as if it were obvious.
“My name is Summer,” she told Void. “There are werewolves around here? Great. And what did you do to them?”
Stiles slammed his laptop shut as he walked over to the widow, cracking it so he could speak to Summer. “H-hey… Uh… Whatcha doing?”
“Just keep talking. Seriously. Just talk to me. You haven’t exactly explained.” Summer dragged herself around until she was propped up against his bed, legs stretched out straight. She wanted to be able to look at him while he talked. “And you owe me an explanation,” she went on, while her legs trembled. “I could’ve taken advantage of you, you know, and I didn’t.”
Stiles gave her a completely unimpressed look at why he apparently owed her an explanation. “Congrats on not being a total asshat, then. Dubious consent at best, Summer,” he pointed out, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I’ll give you part of an explanation because I’m grateful that you got rid of… whatever the hell that was,” he said, taking a breath. “There’s a lot of weird… Supernatural stuff here. I know about a lot of it. That’s all you get.”
She gave him a very flat look. “I am weird supernatural stuff, in case you didn’t notice just now. And I’m — NGH — ” The end of the sentence cut off sharply in another back-bowing spasm. “How dubious can it be if it affected me too?” she finished.
“I am much bigger than you, so you might want to moderate your words,” Summer commented. She put her hands on either side of the wee fox. “Do I want to know why you’re seeking refuge?”
The Nogitsune glared at the red head, before taking her words to heart and choosing to answer in the least amount of words as possible. “Wolves.”
“Wolves. Large, furry, howl at the moon wolves?” She lifted a sardonic eyebrow. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Stiles slammed his laptop shut as he walked over to the widow, cracking it so he could speak to Summer. “H-hey… Uh… Whatcha doing?”
“Don’t call an ambulance!” Summer said hastily. “There’s nothing ‘just’ about it. You let me know how you like it when every muscle in your body seizes up.” The last half of the sentence was increasingly bitten off as more muscles clenched. One in her lower back spasmed and she arched, gasping. Tears started in her eyes.
“I deal with a lot of weird shit, but I’m not used to this. Sorry for not knowing what to do or say,” he said, staring helplessly, not sure how to help.
“Just keep talking. Seriously. Just talk to me. You haven’t exactly explained.” Summer dragged herself around until she was propped up against his bed, legs stretched out straight. She wanted to be able to look at him while he talked. “And you owe me an explanation,” she went on, while her legs trembled. “I could’ve taken advantage of you, you know, and I didn’t.”
“Kitsune?” she repeated. “A fox spirit? I thought kitsune were shapeshifters, so how can you be stuck that size? Just shift back.” She mirrored his posture, frowning slightly. “And why are you /here/?”
The Kitsune glared at her. “You think I haven’t tried that, useless human?!” He was outraged, how could she think that he hadn’t exhausted those options. His whole run away from that horrible pack consisted of trying to shift to normal size. Apparently, exuding the boy, Stiles, and taking over ownership of the Oni had exhausted his powers. Not to mention he had no idea what those wolves had done to him. “It was the closest place of refuge,” he said in a dull voice.
“I am much bigger than you, so you might want to moderate your words,” Summer commented. She put her hands on either side of the wee fox. “Do I want to know why you’re seeking refuge?”
Stiles slammed his laptop shut as he walked over to the widow, cracking it so he could speak to Summer. “H-hey… Uh… Whatcha doing?”
“A new brain.” Her foot twitched, and she lifted her head and glared at it. “I am about to have a convulsion,” she said precisely. “I will be coherent throughout the whole thing, so if you could just be distracting, that would be nice.” A muscle in her leg jumped. She tried not to tense up in anticipation. “Maybe you can explain why you know what an empath is.”
“A convulsion? Like a full on seizure? Or just muscles? Do I need to call an ambulance?” He asked, looking down to Summer’s leg. “I can’t explain everything. Not my secrets to tell. But I read a lot. I knew this kind of stuff was possible.”
“Don’t call an ambulance!” Summer said hastily. “There’s nothing ‘just’ about it. You let me know how you like it when every muscle in your body seizes up.” The last half of the sentence was increasingly bitten off as more muscles clenched. One in her lower back spasmed and she arched, gasping. Tears started in her eyes.
Stiles slammed his laptop shut as he walked over to the widow, cracking it so he could speak to Summer. “H-hey… Uh… Whatcha doing?”
Letting it go involved her slumping to the floor in a limp heap of limbs. “Ohhhh, this is going to suck,” she whimpered, clutching at her temples. “Can you just try not to feel for a little bit? That would be so great.”
Stiles sat next to her. “Uh.. Should I get you anything?”
“A new brain.” Her foot twitched, and she lifted her head and glared at it. “I am about to have a convulsion,” she said precisely. “I will be coherent throughout the whole thing, so if you could just be distracting, that would be nice.” A muscle in her leg jumped. She tried not to tense up in anticipation. “Maybe you can explain why you know what an empath is.”
Stiles slammed his laptop shut as he walked over to the widow, cracking it so he could speak to Summer. “H-hey… Uh… Whatcha doing?”
Summer breathed hard, eyes falling out of focus. “I don’t know what happens if I let go,” she said, through gritted teeth. “I also don’t know if I can hold it for long.” She found a tiny little piece of concentration and forced herself to remember to breathe, slowly and carefully.
“Just let it go. I mean… if it comes back to me, at least I had a breather,” he said, staring at her.
Letting it go involved her slumping to the floor in a limp heap of limbs. “Ohhhh, this is going to suck,” she whimpered, clutching at her temples. “Can you just try not to feel for a little bit? That would be so great.”