All 20.5 - Wolf in the Kitchen

“So did’ja find out if your hair changes colour if you turn doggy and back?” Virgil asked Cress, popping up out of seemingly nowhere as Cress walked down the hall, towelling off his hair after a shower.
“Uh, no,” Cress was caught a bit off-guard. “That was like, yesterday, little bro.”
“You should find out! I wanna know.”
“Dude, we’re docking in a while, I’m not going to start dying my hair now.”
“Awwww…” Virgil whined as they walked into the otherwise-empty mess. “What if you like, dyed just a little bit? Like, with ink, just to see, that doesn’t take long.”
“Dude, I’m not putting ink on my hair.”
“On the end of your tail. You don’t even have it all of the time, no one will see,” the child continued, “I just wanna knoooow…”
Cress slumped down onto a bench, “Ughh, fiiiine. Since I know you aren’t gonna stop.” Virgil grinned and suddenly produced a small jar of ink. Cress looked between it and the boy, “...Were you carrying that around for this?” Virgil just continued smiling. “Geeze, fine, ok…” Cress concentrated on changing shape. This time however, he didn’t manage to hold onto his thoughts as he shifted. Instead of the swift change into a hybrid, Virgil was suddenly faced with a rather large white wolf, whose head fur was dyed a bright orange.
“Uhhhh…” Virgil stood still, unsure of what had just happened. “...Cress?” he asked the wolf. It seemed to pay little mind to the name; it leaned forward and sniffed at Virgil inquisitively. Remaining smooth and calm, Virgil tried to remember everything Lucca had taught him about dealing with animals. “Umm…” he was torn, since he knew the canine was still Cress, and probably wouldn’t hurt him, but he had been warned very strictly about the wolves, that they were not dogs or pets and could bite at him or worse. Trying his best to not startle him, Virgil let him finish sniffing, and, apparently satisfied, the wolf turned and began to investigate the mess hall. Quietly, Virgil slowly moved away to the door, turned the corner, and ran to the bunk room. Running in, he went directly to where Lucca lay napping. He could see that Pierce and Cheko were there too, also asleep, so he went as quietly as he could to the druid and began to shake him, with a hint of urgency.
It took a bit to wake him. Uncurling slightly, Lucca blinked groggily at the boy, "Mmhhh? Wassup, squirt?" he asked, pushing a bunch of hair out of his face. Virgil, who's face was uncannily worried, put a finger to his lips and tugged at Lucca to follow. This earned a questioning frown from the man as he a unravelled himself from the blankets.
Pulling Lucca out of bed, he took him by the wrist and led him into the hall. Once there and still moving, Virgil explained, "Ok, so, you know how Cress can turn doggy, like, part-dog but not all-dog if he thinks about it?" He stopped talking as he practically jumped down the ladder and waited for Lucca to follow.
"Uh huh..." The druid began to look uneasy.
When Lucca's feet touched the floor, Virgil pushed him forward and continued, "So, I kinda maybe told him to do it, an' he'd done it before and it was cool but, this time..." He trailed off as he and Lucca stepped into the entry to the mess hall, where Lucca saw the imposing form of a werewolf, standing on its hind legs with its hand-like paws on the counter, sniffing around the magical food-producing cauldron.
"Holy fu-!" Lucca hissed, freezing with a look of utter horror and going pale. He grabbed Virgil by the arm none too gently and backpedalled a short ways back down the hallway, doing his best to be as unobtrusive as possible.
"How did this happen!? It's still like, twenty-six days to the full moon! Shit!" He asked, still speaking in a panicked whisper.
"I don't know! I don't know so I got you 'cause Dad's really really upset about it and I didn't want him to get mad at Cress 'cause it's not his fault I don't think but I didn't know what to do!" Virgil continued, standing as much around Lucca as behind or beside him. "So what do we do?"
"Uuuugh! Shit!" The druid moved to put himself fully between the boy and the mess, biting his lip and running a hand through his hair as he thought frantically. "What are we gonna do? Me, I'm gonna deal with this. You are gonna go get Cheko and lock the two of yous in a room, and not come out till I say, clear?" He commanded emphatically, his tone making it clear there was no room for debate. "And then you're gonna tell Carrot not to come out, either."
"But!" Virgil started to protest, but Lucca cut him off, pushing him towards the ladder.
"No guff! Go!"
"But!!...argh..." Virgil relented, climbing up the ladder towards the upper deck where Cheko was still sleeping. 
Turning back toward the mess, Lucca scrubbed his hand through his hair once more with a quiet, anxious groan. "Fuuuuck." He took a couple deep breaths, running his mind over the spells he had prepared that morning, knowing full well that he didn't have the one that he wanted. That didn't mean he couldn't prepare it now, though; he just needed to buy himself a bit of time. Quickly cooking up a plan, he nodded firmly to himself, then started back down the hall once more, creeping quietly and keeping close to the wall. "It's cool...you've got this, Lucca, you've got this..." he muttered under his breath to himself. Arriving at the doorway, he slowly, stealthily reached out and hooked the wheel with two fingers and pulled the door firmly shut, wincing slightly at the faint groan it emitted as he did so. Immediately, he grabbed the wheel with both hands and spun it to seal the door, letting out the breath he had been holding in a relieved sigh.
There was a silent pause, broken by a sudden muffled thump of something hitting the door. Lucca could hear some faint scratches, and the whines of a confused and put-out canine. By the sounds of it, the wolf couldn't open the door, but wasn't trying to forcibly break it down.
Feeling a bit better now that a few inches of steel separated him from the large canine, the druid made a face and scolded, "Oh quit it, you dipshit. You're fine. I'll be back in a few to fix this bullshit, and then we are going to have a talk, believe me." He finished with a snort and turned to walk a ways down the hallway, taking a seat on the floor and after a moment to center his mind, beginning the ritual that would allow him to prepare the spell he needed.
After a few minutes of scratching and whining, there came a forlorn howl from inside the mess, followed by another. After a few more minutes, Cohen came down the hallway from command. He looked between the druid sitting on the floor and the door a few times, a rather sarcastic look on his face, before saying, "Our fearful leader would like to know what's going on, seeing as how there sounds to be a bloody great wolf howling in the kitchen, and he found that slightly more distressing than normal business around here."
Lucca, just at the end of his ritual, gestured that he needed only another few minutes, but kept his focus; Cohen rolled his eyes and folded his arms, but waited patiently. Suddenly, Clover jumped down from the far hatch, hair dripping wet and clothed only in a towel. "What's going on? Is everyone alright?" Lucca gestured again frantically. 
"I don't think anyone's dead yet, at any rate. Otherwise, I doubt we'd be waiting for him to finish prepping spells," Cohen remarked dryly.
Clover nodded. Looking to the closed mess hall door, the sounds of a lonely canine still coming from inside, she asked, "Is anyone else in there?" Lucca shook his head vehemently. "Alright. Did someone change? Who is it?"
"Well, it's not me," Cohen replied. "It's not Erzebet, seeing as he sent me here, and I doubt it's Webber, since I was covering the navigation while he went to sleep. So I'd guess the elven boy." Lucca nodded in affirmation. The pair, satisfied that nothing was pressing, waited for him to finish.
Upon completing his preparations, the druid turned to the pair with a scowl. "Holy fuck you two! It's bad enough trying to focus with fucking howling goin' on, could you not wait for like, two minutes before blabbering at me? Shit!" he let out an aggravated snort, continuing, "Everything is absolutely fine, I've got it under control. Cress is a wolf; I'm gonna go change him back and have a talk with him. It's cool, I've got this. You guys can go back to whatever you were doing."
Cohen waited a tic, then shrugged and turned to leave. "As long as there's 'no problem', my job is done. Please keep the doors shut, if you would; we'll assume everything's resolved when the dog-noises stop." 
"Thanks, tips." Lucca shot back sarcastically, getting to his feet. When he realized Clover wasnt moving to leave, he turned to her, "If you'd go upstairs and make sure nobody else tries to come down here before I'm done, that'd be appreciated." As he spoke, he seemed to notice the state of her garb for the first time, and began to look mighty uncomfortable, fidgeting slightly. Clover nodded affirmatively, her lack of dress seeming to unfaze her; she climbed the ladder to the upper deck and closed the hatch door behind her.
Left to himself once more, Lucca let out a sigh with an exasperated shake of his head.  Ensuring that all the doors to the hall were securely sealed, he fished around in his pockets. He eventually located his wand and, with a flick of his wrist, used it to cast a spell that would allow him to communicate more effectively with Cress in his current state. He cast a glance up and down the hallway, to make sure all of the doors were in fact shut before he released the wolf. Heading back to the mess, he leaned against the door, calling loudly between howls, "Yo, Cress." He waited to make sure he wasn't about to get howled over before continuing, "I'm gonna open the door, but only if you be a bro and sit quietly for me, kay? Jump on me or some shit and I ain't gonna be happy..."
The howling stopped, suggesting to Lucca that he had been heard; a muffled whiny groan came from inside, that the spell translated to Open the door!
"Kay, no jumping though, remember?" He admonished as he turned the wheel, then cautiously pushed the door open. No jumping! The door swang slowly open, to reveal the large wolf in a playful position. Yay! As soon as he saw Lucca, and freedom, he bolted forwards, pushing past Lucca to dash down the hall, though notedly without jumping up. Catch me!
The druid let out a strangled yelp and cowered back as the enormous canine lept forward, then spun and hollered after him, "Cress you moron! Come back here! Settle down!"
Catch me! the wolf reiterated. Quickly reaching the end of the hall, he began to climb the ladder with an uncanny dexterity that would never be seen in a regular wolf. It took him seconds to reach the top, whereupon he banged his head on the closed door. Why didn't it open? he asked, looking at the hatch in confusion.
"Because you can't go up there. Get down from there and come back here!" Lucca yelled, his tone belying the strong undercurrent of fear coursing through him in spite of his efforts to be commanding. Cress let go of the ladder and lept down, landing on all fours with a heavy sound. Immediately, he made to dash for the other ladder, pushing past Lucca again, once more earning a frightened cry from the man. "Stop it, Cress! You can't go up there either! You can't get out!" He hesitated for a long moment before continuing, slowly sinking into a crouch as he did so, "Come here, sit with me." He punctuated his words by patting the floor in front of him, his hand shaking slightly. As Lucca did this, Cress managed to bang his head on the other hatch. Awww... Jumping down again, he walked, at a slower pace finally, back towards Lucca. He flopped down, with a rather upset look for a dog; Boring. 
"I know bro, sucks. Just...sit there quiet for a couple seconds, and I'll make something awesome happen, kay? But you gotta be quiet, not distract me, or it wont work and you'll have to be bored for...like...the rest of the day or something, alright?" After waiting a moment to see if it looked like Cress would co-operate, Lucca tentatively half closed his eyes and cast the spell he had prepared to change his friend back. Immediately, the wolf turned back into an elven man.
Cress blinked a few times, disoriented and laying face-down on the metal floor. "...What the shi-aaah..." he held his head as he pushed himself into an upright sitting position. "The fuck happened?" he asked as he rubbed his head where he had banged it twice into a door not moments ago.
Lucca let out the breath he had been holding in a heavy sigh, his entire body seeming to slump slightly with relief. "Well, a little monkey told me that you were asked to go half-wolf and ended up all wolf." He leaned back against the wall and continued, "So he came to get me, and I fixed ya back up."
He seemed to think about that for a second before saying simply, "...Oh...," his manner downcast. He rubbed absently at his head for another moment, then stood up, heading towards the nearer ladder.
"Dude, wait..." Lucca said, getting up as well and following him, "...can we have a chat about this, maybe? Real quick?"
"Ugh, what about it?" Cress paused, his hands on the ladder, "I didn't know it would happen, I won't do it again. Thanks and sorry and all that crap. I feel like shit and I just want to sleep before we dock." He was obviously depressed, and didn't look up as he spoke.
"I..." he stopped and sighed, "...nevermind. Don't apologize though, 'totally cool, nothin' to be sorry for. Go have a rest, feel better..." he fell silent, looking at the elf with concern, obvously wanting to say more. Cress made a sound halfway between a snort and a sigh, and climbed the ladder, pausing only to open the hatch above him. 
Clover came jogging over as the hatch opened, now fully dressed. "Hey! Are you alright? What happened?"
"Apparently, turning into the half-form means sometimes it goes straight to wolf. That's all, it's over, I'm tired and going to bed," Cress explained shortly.
"Oh...ok, are you sure you're..."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Cress pushed past her and made for his bed. 
Lucca for his part remained where stood for a long moment, looking troubled. A determined cast came over his countenance, and giving himself a firm nod he turned and headed up the ladder as well. Catching Clover still in the hallway, he said to her, "Could you go let the old dudes know that everything has been dealt with? That it's all good now?" Clover nodded and walked past him towards the command.
He thanked her before continuing on to the sleeping quarters, turning to knock on the closed door of the one. Calling to Virgil through the door, he let him know that everything was back to normal, and he and the others didn't need to stay on the down-low anymore.
The door opened and Virgil popped his head out. "Shh..." he said. "I didn't wake 'em up. Is Cress all better now?"
Lucca smiled faintly at this, and gave a half-nod, "Yeah, he's mostly better, not a wolf no more. He's a bit sad though, so I'ma go chat with him a little, see if I can cheer him up."
Virgil nodded, "I'ma go do my homework. Tell him I'm super sorry, and I hope he feels better." 
"Good idea, bud, I'll let him know." With that, Virgil slid off to the common room on the lower deck.
This done, he turned and headed through the opposite door, into the other bunk room where he knew he'd find his friend; the tell-tale lump of blanket on the upper bed marked his presence. Lucca walked over to his bunk in silence, shoving the mess of books littering the bed out of the way and into one corner, then sat down on the edge. After a long, thoughtful stretch, he eventually spoke up, his attention seemingly focused on the end of his sash as he twiddled it in his fingers. "Cress..." he began haltingly, "Look...I know we don't generally...like...talk and shit...but..." he paused, "Okay, I know something has been bothering you real bad for like...a super long time now. At least since we started this weird ass mission thing, maybe longer? Either way, it's not like I can't tell. And like...whatever it is, it keeps comin' up, keeps buggin' you...and I want to...you know..." he cleared his throat, "help with it, maybe...? If I can? 'Cause it sucks that you keep feelin' like shit...and...you shouldn't have to, you know? So maybe like...you could kinda...tell me what the deal is...?"
There was a long silence before something came muttered out from under the blankets. Lucca's 'huh' begged for a repetition, so he said more loudly, "S'nothing. I just...get down sometimes. It's cool, I get over it. S'normal."
It was a few moments before the druid spoke up once more, his voice soft, "...It ain't nothin'...I can tell it ain't, not with how its buggin' you. And it seems to me like whatever it is, it's one of them things that gnaws at a person, you know? And those are the worst ones...you've gotta drag 'em out and kick their ass, otherwise they'll eat you up, it you let 'em."
"Meh..." Cress gave a verbal shrug. "It's nothin' that changes. It's nothin' important. I just...I just get sick of being the useless one sometimes. It's cool. Whatever. Someone's gotta be."
Lucca blinked, looking flabbergasted looked up toward Cress' bunk, "Dude, the fuck are you even talking about? Since when are you useless? Like...where the hell did you even get that idea?" Rubbing at his furrowed brows, he added, " 'Cause you're totally not, you know that? Like...actually."
Cress made a sad sort of laugh, "Whatever, dude, it's cool. I don't care most of the time. It's just...kinda frustrating, right? Whatever. Not worth buggin' anyone about; not worth buggin' myself about. Just is what it is."
"No, but actually, man...like...you're fuckin' saving the world! The gods themselves fucking ascended your ass!" Lucca argued emphatically, "Like, really! I think you've got yourself all turned around in there; useless people don't end up doin' shit like this."
He rolled over to look at the ceiling as he retorted, "I got ascended 'cause the gods needed as many people to do their shit as possible, and they made up a BS excuse to give me power. I didn't actually pass their tests; I got a grade bumped up so that they wouldn't go back later and be all 'shit, if only our army had a few more numbers in it'."
...They really did, the voice of Harlequin agreed in Lucca's mind.
"And I'm only fuckin' here in the first place 'cause you were fuckin' holding my hand. I'm here for the same reason as Virgil. I'm not special, and I'm here 'cause of a mistake that was easier to roll with than fix. I know I'm dumb, but I'm not that stupid. I know fuckin' well I can't step to anyone here. I'm not a fuckin' swordmaster, I know shit-all about anything, and I can't do magic to save my life. And fine, it's cool. I'll just keep doing whatever, keep out of the way. Play babysitter or draw fire or whatever. I know I'm still helping. I'm just the most useless one, like everywhere else. S'no different."
"Hey! Don't you fucking dare give me that shit!" Lucca suddenly snarled, jumping up and scowling over the edge of the elf's bunk, "If you wanna go there, you are here in the first place because I fucking wanted you to be here!" he gave him a hard stare for a moment before continuing, "How often do I hold your hand, asshole? How often do I fuckin' touch you at all? When the All attacked and we heard shit goin' down in the city, I grabbed YOU, not Cheko who Harlequin apparently liked, to help fight some unknown attacker, because YOU were the one I wanted watching my fucking back! So don't fucking even!! Just because some jackass fey didn't pick you to be here doesn't mean that you just came by accident!! And it ain't the same reason as Virgil, cause his dad was trying to protect him; I wanted you helping me fight those fuckers! We weren't running away, remember! And that's not even touching on the fact that Harlequin said Carrot was useless, and where the fuck would we be without her? In that fuckin' boat-house thing at the bottom of the sea, that's where! Just 'cause he's hardcore doesn't mean he always knows what he's talkin' about."
Hey! Harlequin threw in. 
He paused, breathing slightly hard after his tirade before adding a bit more calmly, "And as for the gods, if we're talking like that, pretty much only three of usreally passed, so if you think that counts, that means Mr. Webber and Bastion, and Caitlyn and probably the geezer, and fuckin' Ryu, who is a beast, are in the same boat as you, so pssssh! That argument don't count, good try. Anyway, the Great Nature Spirit thought you were awesome, and she knows what's up."
Cress had recoiled at the vehemence of Lucca's response, half-sitting now with a look of trepidation on his face. "Dude. Fuckin' chill." 
The druid blinked at him, his aggression melting away almost immediately, "Sorry...but it's true."
"I know, I know it's a stupid-ass thing to get upset about. I try not to! I really do!" Cress said defensively. "It's just, gods, you've never been to Riolythe, right? If you ain't perfect there, you're worse than nothin', and...and everyone knew like, my dad's wife wasn't my mom right? You don't do that there. And I'm not smart, right? Everyone's a fuckin' wizard, but I'm like, not getting it? Just, fuck me, I don't get magic. So it's like, I'm fuckin' dirt, right? And the only time it's any good is when Mom comes and gets me, but they're fuckin' fighting everytime, and eventually Dad tells her to just fuck off and keep me, 'cause it's not like I'm any good anyhow. So, it sucks, but it's better, right? 'Cause Asanon's like, a billion times better than Rio. But, then it's like...Mom's really busy, she's got a whole lot of shit goin' on, so she doesn't really care what I do, most times. And she's really fuckin' good at it, running the Syndicate, so I think, man, I should learn this stuff, 'cause none of the others are gonna. Not June, fuckin' runnin' a Northlands tribe with like, her twenty kids, not Holly, goin' around being a superstar, winning awards and saving babies from burning buildings and shit, and not Narc, fuckin' runnin' four businesses and bein' a fuckin' wizard millionaire. But it's like, I'm not cut out for it. I'm not smart enough or mean enough or connected enough to even be a region boss, let alone take over for Mom and don't even fuckin' argue that Lucca you're not in the Syndicate you don't know," he stressed his words, cutting off any arguement from Lucca who had so vehemently contradicted his claims earlier. He slumped a bit, "I don't care. I really, really don't care. Life's still good, right? So what if I'm the weak link? Doesn't mean I'm not happy. I...just suck at being a Riolythan, and a Rivale, and a Syndicate leader. I'm not smart, I'm not a great fighter, and you're pretty much the only person who'll hang around me for more than a few hours." He flicked a speck off his blanket. "S'not everything. There's always more stuff out there. I'll get something eventually. S'not like I'm not gonna live fuckin' forever. Not forever-forever, but you get the point."
Lucca looked at him sadly for a long moment before pulling himself up to perch on the edge of the elf's bunk and saying, "Dude...that's like....the thing though, yeah? I mean, you elves live for so ridiculously long...so you're like, practically a kid still, that sense, right?" Cress rolled his eyes at the question, but said nothing. "You have all the time in the world to figure that shit out, find your gig. To get good at something! Sometimes getting awesome at the good shit just takes time, and that's something you have like...all of."
"Heh, coming from the fucker who can shoot lightning, fight hand-to-hand, turn into animals and is like, not even a year older," Cress interjected with a grin and without jealousy.
"Oh don't even!" Lucca snorted. He paused thoughtfully for a moment, continuing, "And I mean too, you know what? Fuck it. You're not the best at some shit? Then fuck that shit! You can be fuckin' fantastic at other shit! Like...fuck magic and fuck Rio, it sounds like a shithole anyway,"
"Dude, it's not that bad..." Cress frowned, interrupting again.
"so forget about all that, it can go to hell!" Lucca continued over him. "You know what I mean? Can't be good at everything, so why worry about what you're not good at? Especially if it's bullshit like that. And then other shit, like the Syndicate, fine, you're right, I don't know much about it. But I do know that if you really wanna do something and be good at it, there's no reason you can't learn, that you can't get good at it, if you really want it."
Cress made an 'eh' noise and shrugged, his face belying his lack of faith in that statement.
Snorting softly, Lucca continued, "Anyway, you're a pretty badass dude by any book, you've just got the bad luck of comparing yourself to some ridiculous people. Don't do that shit, man. I mean like...your one bro is like some fucking wizard prodigy or some shit, isnt he? I don't even know anyone who steps to bullshit like that, fuckin' overacheiver. And like, 'round here, nobody can really compare to some of these fighters because they're like...stupid insane good. But I mean, you're at least as good as me, honestly probably getting hella better by now. So like, maybe you're not the very best guy ever at some of those things...but that don't mean you're not really fucking good! And you are the best bro ever, hundred and ten percent, so there!"
Cress made an embarrassed, disbelieving grin. "Dude..." he shoved Lucca's shoulder.
"Yeah, that's right, I said it!" the druid shot back with a brief chuckle, "Deal with it!"
Cress returned his friend's laugh, then sighed, "Yeah, I know, I know, it's a stupid thing to get down about, that's why I try not to, right? I really do. S'just...ugh, this stupid curse thing. I mean, seriously? Dogs? It couldn't be something badass, at least? Fuckin' dogs. I'm dumb enough, I don't need to turn into a fuckin' dog and be a complete idiot. The one maybe good thing was the weird ass half-form, since it's stronger and can smell and stuff. But no, turns out that I can't even use that, since I'm just gonna turn into a fuckin' useless dog half the time."
"Dude, wolves are not the same thing as dogs." Lucca interjected seriously, "They are fuckin' hard. core. They'll fuck you right up, not even question it.
Making a 'pfft' noise, Cress leaned over onto his knees. "And I don't even wanna bring it up, right? Mr. W has a hard enough time handling when someone gives him the wrong drink, Mr. E is super pissed off about it, and the doc isn't exactly cool about anything. But like...we know it spreads, right? How? Like, whatever, I turn into a dog, but, like, what if I accidently give it to someone else? Do I even have to be a dog to pass it off? Like, what if I can't have a girlfriend? What if I have kids; would they be like, born with it? What if I'm like, passing it to fuckin' people on the street without knowing? S'messed right the fuck up." He sighed again, "And just when I thought it might have been useful, turns out it's not. Again. Woo."
"...Holy fuck, dude...you're right." Lucca stared at him, alarmed, "...I guess I was just kinda assuming it was like...rabies or some shit, and it's getting bit by the wolves that did it...but like, you're right; we actually don't fucking know...shit!" He pursed his lips and thought for a few seconds then shook his head, "It's okay...it's cool, I'll figure it out. I doubt it would just pass to people in the street or some shit, that'd be insane, especially for something so hardcore...but beyond that...ugh, I don't even know. We'll figure it out. Soon as we dock I'm gonna get every fuckin' book I can find and harass anyone who might remotely know anything...but fuckin' hell..."
Shrugging, he added, "Guess we'll know in a month if it's super easy to spread, since Virg is here and he's like, human. No offense or nothin'. Not that I want the little bro to get it, but if it's just passing around..." 
"Uuuugh, fuck, man. Don't even go there, please." The druid rubbed at his forehead with a look of deep dismay, "I don't even wanna consider that shit. Spirits help me, he'd best not get it..." He shook his head and sighed heavily.
Cress made a face, "And dude, pretty sure I'm a dog. The first night Ryu said I just ran in circles for like, 9 hours. The fuck kind of wolf runs in a circle for 9 hours?" Rolling his eyes, he answered, "Oh wait, a dog."
"How's about a young, playful wolf with no pack or alpha to tell it to do otherwise, hmm? Pretty sure that kind would. I'm tellin' ya dude, you're a fuckin' wolf, it is different. And anyway, dog, wolf, whatever. You said you thought the halfway thing might be useful? Just 'cause your shift can get slippy don't mean you've gotta give up on it outright; I bet you could learn and get better at it with more practice. Maybe I could help?" He finished with a shrug.
"I unno, dude. Maybe? It's like, your mind just sort of...wanders off, or something. Maybe practice would make it better? Either way, it's not really dependable if it's gonna fuck up randomly, unless you were gonna like, sit around waiting to poof me back. Kinda pointless in fights and shit when I'd probably want to use it. The halfway thing might be useful, but turning into a stupid dog isn't." He thought about that for a second, then started laughing, "Ha ha ha, unless, unless you were gonna like, train me or some shit." He kept talking through his laughter, "I don't actually know what's funnier, that I'd be like, a trained attack dog, or watching you actually have to train a dog. Fuck, I wouldn't get to see your face, that sucks," he mentioned, still giggling.
"Shut up, jerkwad! Fuck you!" Lucca shot him a scowl, its effect undermined by the smile threating to break through, "I could do it! It'd be weird, but whatever, if that's the thing you wanted to do!" He snorted, "I was honestly thinking I might be able to help you learn to control the shifting, you know, what with having done shit like that a time or two myself and all," he added with a touch of playful sarcasm. "I mean, it sounds pretty different too, but still, I might be able to contribute something. But I dig your point...it'd prolly be too risky if it botched in a fight...might be worth a try though?"
"I guess...I wanna say practicing doesn't hurt, but really, unless I can still do shit as a dog, any sort of fuck up in a serious fight isn't worth the gamble. So, unless you wanna get over your shit and train me somehow...fuck, that sounds redic. I wonder if that would stick around if I'm turning back and forth? Maybe? Anyway, yeah, otherwise, it's just not worth doing at all. 'Cause if it's a crazy deathmatch you've got better shit to be doing than dealing with my fuck ups, and if it's not, then you can just poof me right back again, no probs, right? So whatever."
"It's your call, bro, I'd be game for tryin whatever you like, if you like, or just leavin' it. Whateves,"  Lucca gave a noncomittal shrug.
"Eh, s'probably a bigger thing for everyone else than me. Only time we really have for practicin' shit is on the boat, and I'm guessing that having a dog on board pissed everyone..." he trailed off and his face blanched. "...Shit, does Erzebet know I was near his kid? Like, Virg was right there, I know he was, and I know I didn't do anything, 'cause nobody said anything, but fuck, he'll murder me..."
"Nah, he shouldn't. I didn't tell anyone that he was there when you did it, and Virgil knew damn well that the old man would be pissed; that's why he got me. So I seriously don't think he'd've said anything, he knows better. You're cool, dude." Lucca replied confidently, "Like, I mean, you'll definitely wanna keep your head down, 'cause I think he's pissed in general; you were howling like a ninny when I locked you in the mess for a bit, and he sent the doc to check it out. But it'll be fine."
"Geeeeze...I think I'll stick to my plan of 'sleep till we dock', and hope he's found something else to be pissed at by the time we get there," Cress said. "Wake me when we get there, eh? Else I'll wake up tomorrow with Carrot and find you've all buggered off without me."
"Pssh, we wouldn't do that. But yeah, that's a good call. I'll come get you, no worries," the druid nodded, hopping lightly to the floor.
"Thanks. Sorry for having to listen to my shit," Cress added.
Lucca turned and gave him a look, rolling his eyes, "Oh shut up, dude. Apology not accepted, there aint nothin' to be sorry for." He continued with a smile, "I don't mind at all, only hope it helped some." He pointed at him sternly, "And you'd best remember, nobody talks smack about my bro, not even you."
"Heh, right on." With that, Cress rolled over to catch up on his long-delayed nap.
Category:Advent of the All