Market time

[Deleted]

In such a new place, she almost felt like a criminal trying to blend in. Her son Jericho was by her side, a worn and tattered hood over his head like his mother, but she was wearing nicer clothing. Lisa didn't know the meaning of the word discreet. They didn't know if they might have had people after them or not. Of heavens forbid those aweful women that Lachesis had been with both before and perhaps during their relationship. Lisa didn't understand Lach's way of thinking, but she sure as hell loved the challenge whenever they were swooning for him.

A quick flash of the teeth or a punch to the face did them right and she'd have Lach pleading that he would make her happy. She smiled to herself about that wolf, her natural colored lips curling softly at the corners while she looked over some produce to buy. She loved Lachesis du Ponteloc. No questions. She and her wolf side determined that he belonged to them as did them to him. And even though he'd go and screw up a good day some of the time, She would still forgive his little slip up because his begging and trying to make her happy and pleased amused her the most. She knew he meant right.

 The market was noisy, loud, smelly and if she didn't keep her head on right, she and her wolf would lose her temper. Not a good place to do so when you felt like you had a thousand eyes staring back. She sighed, hearing Jericho's neck shifting about to look at everything and take in all the smells. In his teens, he was just a couple inches taller than her already, but that didn't stop her from elbowing him in the ribs and whispering harshly.

"Knock it off, Jericho... You're going to get some unwanted attention the more you do that." she scowled under her breath and sighed. She wondered where Lachesis and Pierre were, but were less concerned with them in general. And heaven help Lach if he was off hounding on other women. Her jaw clenched and she tried not to think about it. She huffed and tugged on Jericho's shirt to get his attention while she continued to browse.

Nothing caught her attention as of yet. Her nose worked to take in the new smells of this town, the people and whatever else she was missing. Merovech had started becoming a dangerous place. So she hoped the family could start a new life here. So long as she kept them all in line of course. And she was good at doing that too.

[Ranulf]

"Late again! Always late!" A middle aged angry merchant yells in a store at the west side of the market. "I'm trying to run a business here you lazy oaf, what am I supposed to do when my workers show up late!? Whitmore is on my ass to deliver these goods and thanks to your tardiness I've lost three contracts! Do you have any idea-"
Ranulf hurries to put on his work apron while his boss chews him out.
"And to top it all off Queen Whitmoore has increased taxes on all the vendors! So please! What is your excuse this time!?" The merchant asks angrily.
Ranulf sighs, "My other job didn't let me off at-" Truthfully he had to hunt longer in the forest, all the game there seemed to be disappearing. His boss didn't know of Ranulf's lycanthrope, or else he would have never been hired.
"Know what? No, no! I don't care. You, take this and this." He gives Ranulf two heavy crates. "And this." He gives Ranulf a bag full of fruit. "Take those to the Crux in Rorikstead, and sell those to the people in the market. Now go and DON'T be late again!" The man yells.
Ranulf wanted to say that he couldn't really see over the two large crates that would've been impossible for a normal man his age to lift, but at this point it was best just to be on his way. He didn't want to be fired from yet another job. He headed out into the busy market place and almost instantly,
"Hey, watch it!" A man says.
"Sorry." Ranulf says. This was very hard to do with only one eye. He runs into almost everyone in his path. All of the sudden he plows straight into someone, an impact so hard that he accidentally dropped both crates and almost falls.
"Oh geez, my mistake!" He says looking into the eyes of Jericho.

[Deleted]

Blending in? Lachesis didn't know the meaning of the phrase, he flatly refused to tuck his tail between his legs while slinking away from Merovech in disgrace. If this was to be a fresh start he would treat it as such. After being cramped on that wretched boat for six months why shouldn't they celebrate the day of release? He had donned his brightest red overcoat and shining black leather breeches. Real gold buttons sparkled on his knee-high boots and a ruby the size of a bird's egg acted as a cravat at the hollow of his throat. Meeting up with his hooded mate and youngest son, he held back a frustrated growl and silently dared her to speak a word against his appearance. Jean Pierre had met his father's eye, silent questioning whether he should be cloaked as well. The reply was a grimacing flash of teeth which was rewarded with Pere's good humored smile. The boys had grown to men in the blink of an eye; soon the couple would no longer be able to publicly claim their children, instead they'd be his younger brothers, most supposed that to be the truth already. Making a note to speak with Lisa about it before their first entrance into society, he tucked her arm around his elbow and they took their first steps in their new city.

His legs were shaky, unused to the earth, the ocean was no place for a wolf. Lach hated the boat, loathed any place too small to run across. His wolf was screaming for release, had been since the first day they departed. The minutes were crawling by the way they do only when one is desperate for it to be many hours later. A gold pocket watch on a chain was checked and the hour made the wolf sneer further, his brow furrowed and the electric yellow eyes flashed like lightning. Just past noon, at least five hours until sunset; he felt like a tiger pacing the bars of a cage. Glancing at Lisa he wondered if she felt it too. The infernal hood pissed him off, he longed to rip it from her head and run his fingers through her hair. This 'playing the victim' thing had grown old a month into the cross sea journey. He'd had a hard time of it too, leaving the Pointe du Lach had pained him but the whispers that followed him 'round town had nearly sunk him into another depression. When Isonette grew old enough to go with her mother to the market everything started crashing down, the pack fell apart when respect for their alpha faltered. That damned wretch who screamed in the market until the guards were called about wolves taking the town, making accusations against his beloved sister, himself and his yellow eyed children.

Thoughts flicker to his angelic little daughter who had her Papa's eyes, Lisa would soon discover the fact that he'd paid for their passage and secured a cottage as well. He couldn't leave the dear thing in a town prejudiced against her before she even came of age, she deserved a chance at least. It was a thought for another day, considering how long their journey took it would be a while before they came on the scene. The family aimlessly moved through the market toward the center of town until Pierre and himself paused to speak to a courier about checking the estate they would call home; if the servants hired via post hadn't stocked the oil lanterns, pantry and livestock feed it was best to take care of it before they arrived. His eldest stood aloof, carefree smile giving away no indication of how he felt. Most of their conversation required no speech, but Lach clapped the youth on the shoulder now with affection. "What think you, Jean Pierre? Are you content or do you long for home?" Khaska, his first wife, her eyes always stared from his eldest's handsome face, though Pierre had no memory of her, their personalities were strikingly similar. The son smiled brighter still, "Non, Papa, it is my first time away from Merovech, I am full of appreciation for the experience. Dont trouble yourself over me." A good lad, his Pere was, far better behaved than himself at that age. The son always showed his father proper respect and deference, worked diligently at his studies and somehow managed to avoid fighting with his half-brother or step-mother despite their antagonistic personalities. Pierre made up for his lack of alpha qualities with his good character, patience and agreeability. Pere gives his father's hand a small pat and Lachesis squeezes his shoulder before releasing him. "Let us see where Jericho and your mother have gone."

The cloaked figures weren't hard to spot in the crowded market, as the duo came upon them a commoner slammed into Jericho dropping crates to the floor at his feet . Pere's breath intook sharply, something he would immediately pardon often caused his brother to fly into a fury. Lachesis stepped to his mate's side, pressing his palm against the small of her back and gave her hip a squeeze. Preternatural senses quickly pick up on the nature of the clumsy wolf, the alpha male arched a brow in anticipation of what his son's reaction would be to this error and the apology that shouldn't have been offered.

[Deleted]

Lisa had to keep an eye on her son more often the older he was getting. Being a pure wolf like he was tended to make him more troublesome. He was keener, more aggressive, dominant like his father and mother. He was a fine man in his mother's eyes and definitely resembled his father. She sighed, knowing that around their early to mid twenties, the boys would really slow in their aging and looking like that well into their fifties or even eighties. They would surely break a lot of hearts too. She huffed a bit and continued on with her browsing, glancing at her son every couple of seconds and nudging his elbow.

Jericho was fascinated with this new place. Everything smelled so interesting and new that he just wanted to go around checking everything out. Like and excited young male dog. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging. But he kept close to his mother and tried his best not to grab attention. Lisa was still cautious around this new place. Unlike Lach, who wanted to dress like royalty. But she didn't want a whole riot to start just because people found out they weren't really human. And with three members of the family possessing golden eyes? How was that explainable?

She sniffed the air slightly and looked around, catching sight of Lach and Pierre. She didn't smile in public like she normally would in the privacy of their own home. But she was happy to see him coming. A feeling of safety came over her briefly before she heard a bit of a ruckus by her. Turning swiftly, she saw the brief encounter the commoner had with her son. But before she could say a word, Lach was right there with her, stifling her temper from flaring. For the moment.

Jericho hadn't seen the lad coming until he felt the force of the guy walk into him and lose hold of the crates. One of them landed on his foot. Yes, it did hurt and his temper flared in an instant. He didn't holler, but looked the guy dead in the face and growled. He definitely had his mother's temper and Lisa was proud that Jericho hadn't ended up like Pierre in personality. He was definitely Alpha material. Because he also wanted to show his father and make him proud.

Jericho locked eyes with Ranulf and bared his teeth a bit. Apologizing and looking him in the eyes? It screamed 'weakness'. Something Jericho was going to take advantage of. He smelled the scent of Ran, knowing he was a wolf before his mother noticed it.

"You have a lot of nerve not watching where you're going you craven fils de bas." he snarled, keeping those golden eyes right on Ranulf like a stone gargoyle. "The crate landed on my foot! You know how that feels? How about I slam one down on yours? Sound like a good idea? I think it does..." he took a step forward, feeling the hair on the back of his neck bristling. "And you have the audacity to stand there and apologize to me as if you sold me a rotted fruit? Eh? You lousy, ill-bred whelp... I should put you out of your misery." he growled again, waiting for a response. He even had his mother's filthy mouth and some insults she taught him along the way. She was proud, leaning against her mate with a hidden smirk.

[Ranulf]

(Sorry about the late reply, Boy it's hard keep up with yall)

The thud of the crates on the hard stone ground of the market plaza was what worried Ranulf more than the angered teen that had begun chewing him out. Already stressed out, today was just not his day. He took a deep breathe trying not to become angered. This guy just sounded like another angry towns folk, he was used to them by now. "Look, I-" He stopped when the boy took a step forward glaring Ranulf in his one eye. He raised his eyebrow as he was insulted. For a moment the teen sounded like Balius when he was chewing Steele out. He noticed the guy's glowing yellow eyes and that was when he realized he was talking to another werewolf.

He gave a long sigh after the boy finished his rant. He looked him in the eyes and finally spoke, "Look..kid, whatever..THIS is? Just stop. You're making an ass of yourself. I said I was sorry, get over yourself." Ranulf stated. "You're acting like full on alpha male douche bag." He looked down at the crates. It was no use, they were busted. Panels of wood were shattered across the ground. He would definitely be fired now. He ran a hand through his silver hair and sighed, what the hell was he gonna do now?
"Great, just great....ugh.."

[Deleted]

Unable to keep his mind from the gutter, Lachesis slid his fingers up and down his mate's curving waistline. Far too many layers of cloth covered her body; he preferred the fashions of the Orient, silk kimonos that clung to each lady like a second skin. Jericho's outburst put an amused smile on his lips, he definitely was Lisa's child, but the loud growl had him checking round to see if anyone was taking notice. "Jericho, être calme, mon fils. nous ne savons pas encore ce lieu." A gentle reminder to his son that they didn't know this new city yet and to be calm.

Jean Pierre was the only one who sympathized with Ranulf. He'd spent a lot of time socializing with the peasants and slaves who worked his family estate. The difference a single gold piece meant to the unfortunates was something often forgotten by the higher class. Spilled fruit and broken crates could cost this wolf his job, his home, his means of survival. Stepping back out of his family's line of sight (Pere was great at fading into the background) he gathered the fruit back into the bag and set it gently within reach. The worker's speech made him wince, Jer would take it as a direct challenge.

The wolf inside Lachesis bristled at the threat to his son, but he was far better at controlling the beast than he used to be. Lycanthropy affected people different ways, some acted more human while others were full animal, there were alpha mentalities also beta and omega. This boy, Lach could sense, was young close to Pere's age, but 17 years was long enough to come to terms with the nature of the wolf, he must've been bitten. "Do you think issuing a challenge to an unknown pack of four is wise? Do you deny your wolf? You have just informed us, by your actions, that you are weak, submissive. Then you make commands, which tests the authority you just gave us. Was this your intention or are you that ignorant of the way of the wolf?" That the pup had survived acting the way he did was surprising, but it gave the impression that he wouldn't have to worry too much about his family's safety in this new land the way he had in Merovech. Half the wolves of his old pack would've torn the boy apart for his display, the other half would've settled for beating some sense into his head. The only good thing about losing his alpha position was not having to constantly be on guard and ready to fight to the death when he was disrespected.

[Ranulf]

Ranulf was quiet for a moment still pondering what he was going to do now after he was fired. He kept his cool until a man he'd never ever seen before spoke to him. As this man spoke Ranulf was becoming more and more agitated , weak, submissive? He raised his eyebrow and began shaking his head. He waited for him to finish, "What are you talking about? No one is issuing a challenge. He sighed heavily muttering 'oh my god' in frustration. By now a few people in the market were beginning to form a sort of circle, watching the scene take place.
Ethan, the guard on patrol, even stopped to watch the scene himself. Course he wasn't about to intervene, he hated Ranulf.
"I don't know what you define as weak and submissive, but honestly I have nothing to prove to someone like you. Your way of the wolf, is insane and if that's the way your pack operates, then I can see why you never traveled to Kraven territory." He had no idea why he said that, he sounded like Steele for a moment. "Whatever man...I have a whole group to worry about, are we done here?" Ranulf shakes his head and then notices someone had collected all of the fallen fruit and put it back into the bag.

[Deleted]

(OOC: Hey Ran... Just so we don't lose track, could we stick to the posting order please? That way everyone can post and have their characters react at a good pace instead of jumping ahead of each other. Thanks. Posting order is Lisa, Lach, Ran now.)

Damn right Lisa was proud of Jericho for taking control of the situation and showing off his dominance to someone that needed it. Though the vocal insult slinging was getting a bit of attention from the crowd, she didn't see anything to worry about. What she like smelling however was Lach's scent wrapping around her. That and watching her son do what he knew to be a good opportunity. She had a little smile in the corner of her mouth before she looked at Lach, setting a hand over his upon her hip.

Jericho was fuming. His foot was hurting. He had to vent somehow and this poor wolf in front of him was getting the brunt of it. And the son of the two Alphas wasn't going to back down at any time soon. He was going to milk Ran's weakness and subordinate attitude for all it was worth. Ran would have gotten respect and maybe a bit of attitude had he just shoved his way past Jeri. But the apology was a bit sign of weakness and that was not something you did in front of Jeri. But when the guy talked back to him, even Jericho's wolf was ready to come out and bite Ranulf on the nose for such a no-no. Bittens didn't scare him. His mother scared him more.

But he stared at this other guy with a glare and didn't move. Like he was waiting for one of two things. Either Ranulf was going to keeping challenging and the was going to be a fight, or he'd submit and be off on his way. His wolf wanted a fight to show his dominance. But his father's voice rang in his ears and he calmed just enough, his body relaxing. He briefly looked at his mother, listening then to Ranulf's words. His yellow eyes turned back to the other with a hard glare. Lach questioned Ranulf's logic to what was going on right now s a small crowd started to form. Lisa looked at her small family of four, leaning back against Lach gently. He was keeping her calm for the most part. Otherwise, Ranulf would have been stabbed by now.

"Papa... He doesn't get it. Can I still teach him a lesson?" Jericho asked, staring hard at Ranulf. He didn't notice his brother picking up the fruit. He was getting tunnel vision. All that pent up energy with his wolf combined with a short temper just wasn't a good thing. He took in breath and sized the other up, ready for his father's command or words. His mother? She wanted to see a bit of violence and bloodshed. But probably not in this place. If they were looking to own some or all of the city like they did in the last place they lived, that might happen in time, but now at this moment.

"Son.." Lisa spoke up, looking from Jericho to the other he had been itching to bite at. "Leave a peasant be for now... They'll leave a bad taste in your mouth. They're sour like that.." she mentioned, shooting Ranulf a glare. She would have been jumping down Ran's throat by now, but she was definitely distracted by Lach's hands at the moment.

[Deleted]

Lachesis was confused by the words and actions of the inexperienced wolf, disorientation was a weakness the alpha male refused to display in a public setting. His wolf was losing patience quickly; after being cramped on that damned boat, the way Ranulf was now speaking to him was forcing him to use every ounce of restraint to keep from shifting. Fingers entwined with Lisa's , keeping half his focus on carnal delights was necessary at this point so the stroking continued, going further he pushed both of their hands under the cloak to rub against the fabric of her dress. His irritation was fading as was his mate's, poor Jericho didn't have the luxury. Pride was felt at the control his son was using, he'd half expected the volatile teenager to have already let his wolf get the better of him by now, instead Jer was asking permission, begging for it. Lach disliked telling his children no.

"Never before have I heard of Kraven, we are new to these lands. If you are the example, it is something we have little concern for. Be glad you were not born in the other half of the world, for you wouldn't have survived long." Electric gaze floats over Jericho, neck craning to meet the eyes of his more submissive son. Pierre was uncomfortably eying the onlookers that edged closer to observe the loud outbursts spoken by Ranulf. His father's tones were subtle under the dull roar that many voices speaking at once created in the busy market, it was disconcerting the way the boy had shouted 'way of the wolf' and 'your pack'. There even appeared to be a guardsman overlooking the discussion, Jean Pierre didn't like this at all and he tried to express it by staring pleadingly into Lachesis's eyes. Sighing, the alpha gave a small nod and returned his gaze to the disruption.

"I assume your denial of the challenge issued means you have no intention of settling the matter... man to man." He'd almost slipped and said wolf to wolf infront of all these people, the frustrating situation was truly getting to him. "It would be wise to leave our sight, unless you would like to accompany us to a less crowded location to prove yourself. Jericho would be more than willing to teach you of the ways you continue to insult and the rest of us would be glad to watch."

Free of the attention of his father again, Pierre tried to catch the attention of Ranulf, mouthing the word "sorry". Like a skilled magician, he suddenly held a gold piece between his fingers without digging about for his coin purse. Hopefully it would help the situation and escape the notice of the other three wolves, it always seemed to smooth things over in Merovech. Perhaps he could find a minute to slip away from his family and speak to the other wolf, Pere was curious as to how the packs could differ so vastly across the sea. It didn't look like anyone else in his family cared to even find out.

[Steele]

(My bad, usually when there's a direct post to a character, unless it's a fight, that's when i tend to bend the circle of posting. I get what you're suggesting because that can cause confusion and jumble up a scene, but c'mon we do that practically all the time here and no one gets confused...though there was one time where 3 people posted at once lol,)

All Ranulf could do was shake his head and he chuckled at the ridiculousness, "Look friend, first off, I don't even know you, so I don't have to prove anything to you." He looked at Jericho, "Second off, kid you have issues. Seriously." He looked to Lisa, "Third, meh." He didn't even want to get into all the things that was wrong with her. "If you want a fight go to Blackgate prison on a full moon, I'm sure Steele would love the warm-up. He pulls out his red bandanna from his right pocket and ties his silver hair back, his hair slightly covering the black patch that was on his right eye. He takes his hat out from his jacket and puts it on. "By the way, you guys are going to love it here. You all do a GREAT job of covering up your 'wolf'." He gives a sarcastic smile to Ethan. Ethan raises his eyebrow wondering what Ranulf meant by that but then looks at the family. Instantly a look of contempt springs across his face.
"You've got to be f%^$ing kidding." Ethan groans.
"Congrats, now the guards hate you too. Welcome to Avaleur." He waves with a satisfied smirk and begins to walk off with the bag of fruit.

[Steele]

(Damn, posted on the wrong account lol. Forgive me.)

[Deleted]

(I'd say we could end it here. cuz they don't want to cause a scene. Jericho will catch up with Ran another time in the future for a real fight. hehe)

[Seth]

(Indeed ^^, somehow I highly doubt Ranulf would win that. Sorry for such a short thread, all my main characters are out of town at this time lol)