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Post by caleb on May 12, 2009 15:37:20 GMT -5
'Given' up on your love because
I found out years I've lost.
I finally saw for myself
What's been seen by everyone else -
Oh that your good love, good, good love
Has been a bad, bad love.'
Cracked lips mouthed the words to the song, smoke rings following each time they parted. He'd miss the smoke when it left him, bereft of the comfort it offered. So he has his new found friend on hand, ever ready to pass him that rolled up piece of heaven they call cannabis, so that he may once again soothe that part of him that kept wailing for more like a starving infant crying for its bottle.
'Led me on, oh that's what you did,
To believe that you loved me -
When all the time you knew
You just pitied me.
Oh that's all right, guess you win -
Every road must have an end -
When your good love, good love, good love
Has been a bad, bad love.'
Here in the dim lounge of some club, name forgotten in lieu of the fog which had taken up permanent residence in his head, the blonde haired wolf found his place amidst a sea of bodies limp from the drug's gentle cradle. Here where everyone was the same, human, wolf and vampire alike. There was no war to wage, no disagreements to settle, just a group of chilled out flesh.
Even the vampire hating Caleb barely had the right mind to offer the obligatory growl to a passing leech on legs, not when all he wanted to do was just lie back and forget everything...
Where he was...
What he was...
Who he was...
Taking another hit from the joint, he passes it back to a random outstretched hand and proceeds to untangle himself from the mess of limbs, the urge to wet his whistle calling him back towards the bar. Besides, what could go better with drugs than more mind-numbing alcohol?
'Am I wrong?
That's what I ask myself,
And I just got to know,
Should I forgive,
And find somebody else?
You know I stood yesterday,
Oh I can't stand it again -
When your good love, good love, good love
Has been a bad, bad love.'
Shoving past a beaded curtain in a haze, the cabby weaved his way on unsteady feet, flopping against the bartop with a goofy grin on his face, giggling at nothing in particular.
"Oi mate... 'Owsabout a stiff one fer y'pal aye?"
He didn't even bother pulling his face up from the smooth surface, merely waiting till he heard the clink of a shot glass somewhere nearby. The amber liquid was coveted, loved dearly and downed faster than you could say 'Bad idea'.
Caleb coughed a little as the whiskey burned the back of his throat, and giggled as strange thoughts of little fire wolves running down his oesophagus crossed his mind. Smacking his lips he offers the bartender an apologetic grin and waves his empty glass in the air.
"S'all empty, can I have s'more mister? Promise I won't be drivin nobody..."
It's the tender's duty to serve and not ask too many questions, and seeing as how this guy obviously needed the escape, he decided that was no harm in giving him what he wanted.
"Ta mate." he thanks his alcohol bearing new-best-friend, nursing the glass and getting lost in the gleam of lights within his beverage. It was the same colour that could be found in the eyes of his pack-mates when they were on the hunt, sharp and bright and brimming with a fire than no other living creature could match. The ferocity in a single glance...
No more.
He'd see to it that he'd never darken another doorstep, no matter how much his wolf yearned to return to the comforts of the pack, tearing his insides apart for even leaving in the first place.
"Din'wanna cause any drama none, honest I didn't. But, couldn't stay..." he whispers to the shot glass as if it were a dear companion, "Woulda killed the lot o them, too angry y'know? Too pissed..."
And he still had no idea why.
But for now, he could listen to Eddie Floyd sing the blues, and silence his frustrated lupine with drugs and drink. Just content to be lost within himself.
'Good love, good love, good love
Has been a bad, bad love.'
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Post by vagus32000 on May 12, 2009 16:52:57 GMT -5
'Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare'
For some reason this song was stuck in Adam's head at the moment. Had been as he walked through a section of Hollywood he had never been too before. He'd heard of this place, Crapgame frequented here with her illegal games of chance, but Adam had never been here before. He was a business man and looked the part with his black suit and polished shoes. Although the suit was rumpled as was his trademark he was well groomed otherwise, clean shaven and with his black hair combed back. Although his sky blue eyes rarely wandered from his chosen course of travel he was taking in everything around him. Adam had a knack for seeing things without really looking at them.
'This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie'
Yeah, this area matched that part of the song exactly. This WAS where the rubber met the road. This place was no fantasy land. No paradise. This was life without the silver lining. Rock hard and unyielding.
'You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are'
He stopped before a run down joint where the races seemed to mingle without any trouble and he immediately knew why. The smell of hard liquor and pot assaulted his nose like a foreign invasion. He was about ta walk on when his wolf, that beast that he had recently let out from the darkest recesses of his mind after a decade or more, perked up and barked.
"What's the deal?" he said softly to himself. "Why in the world would I wanna go in there?" The wolf barked again and made it know in no uncertain terms that he wanted Adam ta go in there. "Fine, fine you mangy dog. I'll go in but this better be good." Steeling himself for the assault he walked into the joint and looked around.
'Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then
This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off'
Adam stood inside the door for a moment looking around. Taking everything in only this time you could see that he was actually looking. He was completely out of place here and it showed by the looks he got. However if it bothered him it didn't show. Adam was in his element where ever he was. Looking where his wolf was pointing to Adam saw Caleb, one of the wolves he'd met briefly when he invited himself into Pat's pack meeting so many months ago. The guy looked totally trashed and not at all like the way Adam remembered him.
'When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?
You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are
Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)
Man, I've been there'
As the song in his head ended Adam walked up to stand beside Caleb, the six foot three inch alpha looking down at the wolf with a concerned but disapproving face. "What in the world are you doing in such a place pal? Does Kat know you're here?" He sat down beside the wolf and waved the bartender away with with a strong muscular arm. Adam may not of been in the best shape lately, the hard muscles having softened somewhat since the end of the war, but he was still in far better shape than the regular Joe. "What's up Caleb, I'd of thought the member of the pack that won the war would be in better spirits."
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Post by caleb on May 14, 2009 1:34:34 GMT -5
It was like a race towards the finishing line, trying to see who could black out faster between wolf and man. The more Caleb drank, the more he could sense himself reaching that point where the border between reality and something else became blurred...
Or maybe he was there already, seeing as how his inner canine was getting uneasy from sensing a familiar presence in a dump like this.
Without even moving he peeks from the corner of his eyes and catches sight of a pretty impressive belt buckle, before his blurry gaze travels up and up towards a face that towered over his slumped form. It was hard to see, what with the shadow that loomed over him as he felt the obvious disdain radiating from the other male wolf.
"Aw bloody 'ell," he groaned, rubbing his face in his hands, "Came here to escape the lot of you, not run in t'ya fer a cuppa..."
"What in the world are you doing in such a place pal? Does Kat know you're here?"
"M'a big boy 'pal', dunneed t'report t'Kat bout everythin I do."
Finally managing to lift his heavy head from the bar top like a bleary pup disturbed from deep slumber, once bright blues now tinged with red from stress squinted up at the unhappy voice. He pulled back slightly and frowned as he tried to put a name to the face, raising a shaky finger to point.
"Oh, I know be knowin yer face..."
A hiccup and a cough later, Caleb rubs the back of his scalp and tries to get his brain cells to work again.
"Yer that vamp lovin bloke who was there that *hic* night, bein all mean and pushy t'Ella... Wus y'name again? No wait, don't tell me now... I know it had to do with a state or city or summat... Uh, wassit Montana? Alabama?... Nah, I remember it had summat t'do with gamblin... Las Vegas? Ah, Adam Vagusss..."
His speech was slurred and half the time he could barely see straight, but as reason and logic teetered like fragile eggshells over a cliff edge, Caleb realised that he was still being spoken to.
Oh yah, Mr Serious face was not happy with Caleb.
"What's up Caleb, I'd of thought the member of the pack that won the war would be in better spirits."
Downing the rest of the drink, the blonde wolf shook his head vigorously and snorted, "S'wot y'all think. *hic* That we won the war... Nothin won fer me mate *hic* I lost half m'family in the fight, got me first alphas murdered and the bleedin undead homicidal maniacs are still pollutin th'streets an pickin off people like an all day buffet! *hic* Won the war, aye that we did... Won ourselves a whole lotta crap and more angry vamps t'contend with. Don't ya get it? It never ends laddy *hic* never ends..."
Picking up his empty glass he waves it towards the general direction of where the bartender should have been.
"An' I would be in better spirits, if the spirits they gave me weren't this watered down shite in th'first place..." he groused, pouting and drawing circles in the condensation rings left on the table. "Buncha crooks th'lot o'them."
The wolf was getting antsy, pacing within the body it resided in and that made the cabby all the more frustrated.
Why can't ya just calm down fer once and lemme alone?...
He had never been at such odds with the wolf before, and the rift that had wedged inbetween them since Ella's funeral only seemed to grow with each passing day. Anger was vented out upon any vamp that decided to have a go at the Scotsman, from Belfast to Bombay and now here in LaLa-land. But it just wasn't enough.
"Whaddya want anyway Vagus? *hic* Y'bored of makin goo-goo eyes at vamps already?"
He didn't mean to be so rude, really. But he was miserable and grouchy and thus decided to act like a spoilt brat in hopes that Adam would give up and just walk away. Like Pat should have when he found Caleb in the dumpster so many years ago.
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Post by vagus32000 on May 18, 2009 14:20:51 GMT -5
"M'a big boy 'pal', dunneed t'report t'Kat bout everythin I do."
"Never said ya had ta but I'm sure she wouldn't approve of this pal," Adam said. He quieted the damnable dog within him. The thing had been growling at some vampire nearby that was giving him the evil eye. A cold hard return stare caused the corpse to look back at it's drink. Adam didn't hate vamps, not as a whole, but there were some he wouldn't mind seeing turned into dust.
He grinned a little at the way Caleb remembered his name, his features softening a little. "Yeah, it does kinda rhyme with Vegas doesn't it? Never really took notice before." He listened to him complain about the results of the war and Adam tried ta contain his anger and talk with an even voice at least. "What do ya expect, for the vamps ta come running at ya with open arms saying 'Oh we love ya now!'? Your pack hates all vamps, always have and always will. How do ya think they'll react to losing? They know that no matter what you'll kill them. If it was the other way around and Aubs and the BNC won you'd act the same way."
"Whaddya want anyway Vagus? *hic* Y'bored of makin goo-goo eyes at vamps already?"
That remark brought a growl from both his wolf and Adam himself. The look he gave the vampire almost appeared on his face, almost. Adam however controlled himself, such a look would get him nowhere with Caleb, that much he knew. "I'm here because that dog within me perked up when I passed by. Why I even came to this part of town though is beyond me. Perhaps the man upstairs knew you were in need of a friend and thought I could do the job?"
As he spoke his voice and features softened again. He really did wanna help Caleb and would do his best ta keep his cool. Let Caleb take out his anger and frustrations on Adam, if would probably do him good. "So Caleb, care ta tell me about your lose? I'm willing to listen if you're willing to talk."
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Post by caleb on May 20, 2009 6:11:11 GMT -5
"Never said ya had ta but I'm sure she wouldn't approve of this pal,"
Caleb blinked up at Adam from where he'd been staring aimlessly at his still empty glass, yellow tinged eyes from too much alcohol and drugs trying to focus on his face. For a moment it looked as if he were looking for something on the other's wolf's face, some sign or a hint... before turning away once more.
"Dun'care wot she thinks..."
It was a blatant lie.
Of course Katra would never approve of this. None of them would. Ever since he'd joined the pack, the whole lot of them decided to take it upon themselves to wean him off the liquor bottle. Taken away his booze stash and forced him to go cold turkey until the addiction had eased into an occasional craving. Kat had been most adamant about him ending his relationship with drugs. And now he'd gone and ruined years of enforced rehab by falling face first into it.
Just like he did with the battle of the beasts.
"What do ya expect, for the vamps ta come running at ya with open arms saying 'Oh we love ya now!'? Your pack hates all vamps, always have and always will. How do ya think they'll react to losing? They know that no matter what you'll kill them. If it was the other way around and Aubs and the BNC won you'd act the same way."
This was going to come to a stalemate, of that he could tell even with huge wad of wet cotton wool that had lodged itself in his head. Caleb was as stubborn as they come, of that there was no doubt. It had driven even those who cared for him deeply to grab him by the scruff a couple of times just to get him out of those hard set values he'd set for himself... And not all of them were good.
Violence and blood-letting came with the territory when the wolf was introduced to him those many years back, and it was all well and good with the Scotsman who enjoyed his fair share of mayhem and wild abandon more than most. But he didn't really enjoy the killing, not as much as many would have liked to believe. Sure he'd willingly (happily even) set a vamp's knickers on fire in a heartbeat, but there were times when certain faces refused to just fade away. Forever contorted in agony as they burned alive in his mind over, and over.
He'd tell himself it was justified. They were murderers, monsters with no conscience and very aware of their ability to manipulate. Then there were days when they appeared to be more human than he was...
"Well hoo-bloody-ray t'you and th'wisdom o'the ages mate," he muttered with a snort, "Dun'matter wot we think dunnit? Ya and yer lot will always be waitin fer this vamp n' wolf Utopia that can never be... Just ya be leavin the reality check t'me awrigh?"
Typical Caleb defense-mechanism; push and prod until something snapped.
"I'm here because that dog within me perked up when I passed by. Why I even came to this part of town though is beyond me. Perhaps the man upstairs knew you were in need of a friend and thought I could do the job?"
Caleb gave a huff and scratched at his fringe in an almost nervous movement.
"Friends? I dunneed friends... Just need t'get m'self completely knackered s'all..."
And that's when he caught up with something that Adam has said before. Snapping his head back towards the older male Caleb blinked wide eyes and felt his lower lip begin to quirk. It started with a wobble, then progressed to a smirk before it bubbled to a full out laugh.
"D-did ya say 'The Man Upstairs'?" he snorted, giggling behind his hand, "Tell me yer kiddin, I mean I be believin ya iffin yer saying yer inner woof got all at attention-like but..."
A pointed finger went up, as did a dark brow.
"Big kahuna in th'clouds? Not a chance mate."
An ironic statement coming from a guy whose father had been a Pastor. But ever since he'd been forced to sing his first hymn, Caleb rebelled against anything that had to do with religion.
"S'no God Vagus," he said softly, pulling out a cigarette from his jacket pocket, "Just a buncha us fools runnin helter skelter round these here parts. Makin noise as if the world gave a damn."
Lighting up the stick had been harder than it looked, just getting a flame out of the lighter was more than an effort for a muddled mind. Yes, he was angry and bitter about too many things, to the point that even he wanted to cuff himself on the ear. The blonde wolf hated whiners, and he was just becoming one as well. And in some weird way, he'd keep pushing Adam, just to see how far it would take before he crossed that line. Like he did with everyone else.
"So Caleb, care ta tell me about your lose? I'm willing to listen if you're willing to talk."
"Wot's to tell mate?" he says, with smoke flowing from his lips, "S'all gone pear-shaped round the ears, s'not much t'say bout that ..."
Turning his head he blows a fog in Adam's direction.
"Is there."
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Post by vagus32000 on May 22, 2009 13:49:45 GMT -5
"S'no God Vagus. Just a buncha us fools runnin helter skelter round these here parts. Makin noise as if the world gave a damn."
Adam thought about refuting that comment but decided against it. He wasn't here to preach about ANY of his beliefs. Instead he was here to try and get Caleb out of this boozed and drugged up stupor and back to his usual self. Not that Adam really knew what the wolf's usual self was but he was pretty sure that this wasn't it.
"Wot's to tell mate? S'all gone pear-shaped round the ears, s'not much t'say bout that ... Is there."
"I wouldn't know, I've been too busy rebuilding my pack. It all but died when I left it for a while. Didn't think I was that important what with losing the war and all. But then I never really thought that I was ever important ta my pack." This was true, Adam had a habit of never really thinking highly of himself at times. Although he thought he was all that and a bag a Frito Lays he never really believed he was a good leader, that he was a tough guy, that he was respected by his friends and feared by his enemies. Maybe he too needed a drink?
Adam shook his head, tossing those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time for self pity. Caleb needed a friend right now and a friend Adam was gonna be. "How about ya indulge me anyways Caleb? I'm sure it'd be nice ta get this stuff off your chest. I know every now and then I myself gotta just let off a little steam." Adam grinned at Caleb he was determined ta keep a cool head on his shoulders and a good mood in his heart.
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