Phantom Hollow that dream is my reality

His impassive comment regarding, Nori’s looks seemed to draw a genuinely positive reaction from her. Upon her countenance was a genuinely happy-looking smile, he noted out of the corner of one eye, and she called him not half-bad for himself. Ordinarily, his first instinct might’ve been to snap back at something like that. But for some reason, he didn’t want to. It felt nice, to make someone smile. Hella strange, as well, but not.. terrible. He huffed, not sure what to make of that confusing feeling. ”Not bad, for a demon, I suppose,” Jet admitted, turning to offer a wry, half-smile in return. Perhaps this arrangement wouldn’t be as bad as he’d thought.

Somewhat incredulously, Nori questioned whether or not he actually liked the place. She seemed to pick up on his reasoning for it, which left him little else to do but provide a small nod. ”Don’t believe in any of that supernatural shit - but, yeah. Solitude is what I want.” Solitude and freedom. Nothing to get in the way, slow him down, tell him what to do, or any of that.

There was that teasing and the laugh again, but rather than finding annoyance by it, the dark one snorted in faint amusement. ”Unfortunately, yes.” He agreed, promptly pausing then, to bite at and bend back the branch his companion had just ducked under, leaving the portion of it he managed to gnaw free on the ground as he had the last one. Nori explained her situation as he did so, stating that she’d actually just been exploring, and looking for family at the same time.

Exploration was a common desire, then, he noted, quickening his lope a bit so as to not fall behind. The family bit was rather ironic, though. Here he was, trying to get the hell away from and forget his had ever existed, while this young woman sought after hers. ”It is, damn confusing. I was not entirely sure which way I’m going. But at least I know it isn’t in circles after I thought to do that.” He admitted, flicking an ear back in the direction of the branch he’d broken. Between the two of them, though, he figured they out to be able to find their way out of here before tomorrow ended. ”Is your family around? Do you know where they are?”

A personal question, but potentially useful, too. For starters, if the other knew more about the surrounding land than he, the information could be useful in knowing where not to go. Although.. having an alliance with a family of wolves wasn’t something to snuff at. Such a thing could prove useful and demanded further consideration.

He earned another laugh upon insulting himself, too, although upon the revealing of his actual name, Nori appeared to consider which title she actually preferred. She then announced regally that, though he looked like a jerk-face - an undeniably true statement - Jethro fit better. ”Jethro could mean something like that, who the hell knows. Wouldn’t surprise me.” He had a few more guesses, too, but opted to refrain from speaking them as his eyes settled on something of greater interest.

Ahead of them, the land began to elevate in two separate areas, creating a makeshift ravine of sorts, just wide enough for perhaps three or four of their kind to walk through if they were shoulder to shoulder.  Brackish water gathered and trickled down through the middle of it, and it was populated on each side by small bushes and shrubs that were a bit greener than anything else he’d seen, likely thanks to the steady water source. Jet surmised that rainwater, in seeking a path downwards, had carved this little ravine out over the years, and in doing so, had given them shelter.

On the left embankment, a tree had toppled over, but the top of it gotten caught somewhere above with another, leaving it to lean into the other at an angle. The action had torn up the tree’s root base and displaced enough soil around it to provide a makeshift cave of sorts, which Jethro padded forth to investigate. It looked roomy enough to fit one of them if they were to tuck themselves underneath the base of the tree, where its trunk was largest. He didn’t suppose it would keep one completely dry in the event of a heavy downpour, but it would be enough to keep from getting thoroughly soaked.

”Will this suit you, or would you prefer to keep going?” He questioned, seeking to meet the gaze of his companion, and get her opinion.

"Don't sell yourself short. You're the most handsome demon I've ever seen," she responded, noting with a strange sense of pride that she'd made him smile twice now. She had a feeling that that was a pretty rare thing for this guy, so it made her feel pretty good about herself. Besides, the smile wasn't that bad to look at, either - he was handsome in a sort of roguish way. Plus, his eyes were very green. She was momentarily envious that she hadn't inherited her mother's viridian eyes, because she would probably look much less plain with them, but there was nothing she could do about that.

Apparently he didn't believe in the supernatural. To be fair, Nori didn't know if she did, either, but it was fun to tease him over. "That's exactly what a demon would say," she muttered, feigning suspicion as she squinted at him. But the expression didn't last for long. "Being alone is nice, sometimes. I've been enjoying it recently, but meeting new people is nice, too." She doubted that she could stay in solitude for too very long - it'd only been a couple days, and she'd already been going insane.

The branch cracked under his jaw, and she hummed in thought. "So you're doing that to mark a trail, right? I was gonna ask about it earlier - that's really smart," she complimented, noting briefly that the dark wolf was several inches taller than she was - which was pretty uncommon, because Nori was pretty tall. The way he asked his next question was pretty suspicious, she thought in amusement, but chose not to give him a hard time about it. "Maybe. All I really know is that they live on a mountain up north - I've checked a couple on the way up, but I haven't had any luck yet. I'm hoping the one west of here is right, because I'm getting sick of hiking." Nori was absolutely not a mountain-dwelling wolf, as her family lived much closer to the coast.

"I doubt anyone would name their kid something that means jerk-face," she said with a chuckle. "My full name is Noriaki - my dad said it means bright light. But it's kind of a mouthful." Nori seemed to fit her much better, and her mother agreed.

Fortunately, just as the rain began to fall, they came upon what was going to have to be their home for the night. It wasn't actually that different from what she was used to back home - much creepier, of course, but the sound of the creek was soothing, and the overturned tree was rather inviting. Not quite big enough for the two of them, because neither of the two wolves were particularly small, but Nori figured they could work with it.

"I'm not picky," she informed him, crouching down and crawling into the opening underneath the tree. From there, she began to dig, momentarily unworried about the state of her fur - it'd be muddy by morning anyway - so that there could be at least a little more room for the two of them. After a moment, she poked her head back out to look up at her companion. "If we squeeze in, I think we can stay pretty dry."

He was, apparently, the most handsome demon his company had ever seen. He scoffed at that, but where such a thing would’ve come from irritation before, it now was more good natured; a signal of mild amusement regarding the running joke. ”Also probably the only one, right? Not a very hard standard to beat, if so,” he scrutinized, narrowing his eyes at the other for a brief moment. Despite the demon part, though. It was quite possibly the nicest thing anyone had said to him ever before, although that was not a fact he was keen on sharing. Nor was it something the dark one aimed to grow accustomed to.

Apparently, though, saying he didn’t believe in any of the supernatural stuff was exactly what a demon would’ve said. ”Maybe I am one. Or if they exist, definitely been cursed by one.” He muttered, only the barest note of humor audible in an otherwise serious statement. The cursed part was something he’d heard often enough to believe. As far as their respective takes on meeting others, Nori clearly did not share his opinions. Which was predictable, of course. ”I suppose. If they have something decent to offer. Otherwise, I’d rather be alone. Dealing with others ain’t worth it, most of the time.” There was no use in hiding it - if the other hadn’t already guessed, which he assumed she had. He had something to gain at the end of this alliance, which was the major reason he’d bothered to entertain the other for so long. It’d proven fun, so far, but he still couldn’t wait to get back to exploring on his own.

The other had also caught on to his efforts to mark a trail, an inquiry he responded to with a simple grunt. ”Yes.” He was far more interested in what she had to say about her family, and did not make an effort to hide it, ears turning towards the other to ensure he picked up everything. ”A mountain. Got it. Now I know where not to go in the future.” There was a note of sarcasm there, but he did generally make an effort to avoid packs, families, and the like. The dark one could recall seeing some mountains to the west and north, and had contemplated going to exploring them, if only so he could look down on the world below from that perspective. That had to be a hell of a power trip and adrenaline rush, but now he’d be mindful that one of them had a pack.

It was impossible to bite back a scowl at Nori’s dubiousness of the meaning of his name, though the frustration was not directed at her. ”It’s probably worse. You don’t know my family.” He growled lowly, his abhorrence of them and the word itself very much apparent. With a name that meant bright light, he didn’t expect her to understand, and made an effort to suppress his emotions, looking away from Nori and their potential shelter for a moment. ”I.. hope you find yours, though. That’s a nice name, and it sounds like.. they’re decent folks.” Although the calm in his words was forced, they were truthful. Not everyone shared his background, Jet realized, so he didn’t suppose it hurt to wish someone else well. His past also.. wasn’t the kind of shit he’d wish on anyone, either.

For a time, Jethro looked upward into the misty, darkening sky, enjoying the feeling of light rain beginning to fall on his nose and face. The coldness of it soothed him, grounded him, brought him back to reality. He nearly missed Nori’s agreement to use the shelter, only looking back to see she’d started digging it out. She said something about sharing it if they squeezed in, to which the dark one immediately shook his head. ”No. It’s yours. I’m fine out here.” He murmured, moving to step across the small brook and to the other side of the embankment, toward a collection of small shrubs that gathered there. He was still beneath the tree trunk as he settled into the soft, muddy soil, albeit far less sheltered by it, and that was fine. He’d had worse. The main thing was, he’d found a place he could stay in the future, if he decided to make this a more permanent residence.

"You don't know that. I could be friends with tons of demons," she announced, another soft snort of laughter escaping her. She'd never actually seen a demon, unless her new companion actually was one and was just toying with her before he devoured her soul or something. He really was playing the long con in that case - Nori felt pretty at ease with the guy. "I could lead a very exciting life."

Cursed? Nori hadn't considered that idea before. "If you were cursed, you would never have met me. I am quite the blessing," she bragged, though she briefly wondered if she sounded sarcastic or not. It was probably better than the initial self-deprecating thought of herself being the curse, especially when it came to lightening the mood. A wry smirk appeared on her maw when he spoke next, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, of course. It's why I offered you a trade - I didn't expect you to help me out of here if I had nothing to offer in return." Plus, he wasn't boring, which was a huge plus for Nori, who enjoyed being entertained.

Honey eyes flicked up to his ears, noting his apparent interest in the conversation with another smile. "If you prefer dark, creepy-ass forests like this, you wouldn't like a mountain anyway," she told him, gesturing at the looming trees around them. "A lot of the ones I've seen haven't had nearly as much cover." But the view from the top was pretty awesome, she had to admit. As much as it skinned the bottoms of your paws and how chilly it was up there, it did make you feel amazing to look down on everything else.

The girl's brows rose at his sudden change in tone, curious and intrigued at the glimpse she had received. It took a few moments before she felt ready to speak, warring between asking questions or just dropping the topic outright, so she settled on a medium. "Fuck them, then. They're irrelevant," she responded, shrugging her shoulders flippantly, as though it wasn't even a big deal. "Jethro can mean whatever you want it to mean. Your choice." Her own name was deemed nice, and it brought a small smile to her face. "Thanks. I don't know them yet - never met them before. My parents were nice enough - mom wasn't super involved, dad was a bit too involved. Nothing too bad though." That sounded like just the right amount of sharing, she thought. Of course, it was much more complicated than that, but she didn't feel like elaborating right now.

She peeked out of the new shelter, watching him as he walked to the entire other side of the brook to lay down. A part of her was rather offended by the amount of distance he put between the two of them, briefly wondering why he would rather get rained on than share a den with her, but she decided it wasn't worth arguing about right now. "Suit yourself, but if you catch a cold, don't sneeze on me," she called over, turning to curl up in the space beneath the roots. He probably just preferred to have his space, and she wasn't going to insist or anything. She let her eyes drift shut and curled her tail over her nose to preserve warmth, lulled slowly by the sound of the rain outside.

His company claimed, as they started to settle in, that she could be friends with many demons. That she could lead a very exciting life. The second part, was very possible, he thought. But the first? Hell no. ”Based on how you thought I was gonna eat ya, I doubt it,” he grunted skeptically, casting an incredulous, side-long glance toward the other. His company didn’t seem to believe he was cursed, though, citing the indisputable evidence that he’d met her to back her belief.

”Depends on the curse. Be careful mine doesn’t afflict you, next.” He warned in his best ominous and demonic sounding tone. It didn’t sound like she was in any danger of that, though, which a tiny portion of him was envious of. A feeling Jethro quickly shook his head to clear away. His brow arched in vague interest though, as his company actually agreed with at least part of his statement. He hadn’t expected that, and found himself speechless for a moment, opting instead to simply offer an approving, contemplative nod.

Nori did not seem to believe he’d like a mountain very much, though she didn’t sound completely serious about the matter. Jethro huffed in slight amusement at her eloquently phrased description of the forest, though. ”Dunno. This place is an option. I like it, but wanna see what else is out there. Would like to see this shit from up above, though,” he spoke, feeling comfortable enough with the other to divulge a bit about his plans. There were of course, though, no specifics. In part, because he still hadn’t thought of them, himself.

His companion all but dismissed his family, issuing a response he believed was most appropriate. ”Damn straight,” he agreed, although he flicked an ear forth in interest at the second bit. Jethro could mean whatever he wanted it to. Or it could be just a name, because.. she was right. Out here, what his family had thought, was irrelevant. It was his choice. And that was exactly how he liked it.

It was a little odd to hear that Nori did not actually know who she was seeking. Once more he found himself envying her position - he couldn’t imagine feeling confident enough that family she'd never even met would like her. Or, for that matter, to have had parents that gave a shit. But, none of that mattered now. ”I see.” He murmured, woefully underqualified and unwilling to speak to anything else regarding the matter. Resting his chin on a front limb, Jet didn’t bother to try to avoid keeping dry. The rain was going to get to him eventually.

Getting wet, though, was a hell of a lot better than sharing the space. He didn’t need things to get all cuddly or touchy or some shit if one of them happened to turn over in their sleep. Jethro nearly gagged at the thought. Besides, they weren’t anywhere near that level of trust, either.

He couldn’t quite tell if the other felt the same about it on any level, but she didn’t protest the decision. So he didn’t care. ”Sleep well,” the dark one offered, closing his eyes to enjoy the feeling of the rainfall as it began to wash over his body. It was a largely pleasant feeling, in an odd way. Like a cold blanket, it soothed him, the only type of consistent comfort he’d ever known.

(This post was last modified: May 19, 2021, 01:01 AM by Jethro.)

"Okay - you caught me. You're the first," she admitted, as though that was something that would be hard to believe. But the playful banter had seemed to relax the stranger, so she was glad enough for it, even if it might have made her seem a little dumb. A small price to pay to not have him constantly glare at her.

She hummed and sent him a teasing smirk at the threat of a curse, looking him up and down. "Oh, please. You're hardly a curse," she stated breezily, her smirk turning into something a bit more sly. "But... I guess it depends on how you define curse." He seemed much too fun and, frankly, too pretty to be considered a bad thing. "Maybe being afflicted wouldn't be a such bad thing." Her cheeks warmed a bit, and she hoped the slight embarrassment didn't show in her expression.

Nori perked her ears at the last bit of his following sentence. Of course, she understood wanting to see more of the wilds, but the bit about wanting to see it from above really stuck out. "Seems we're looking for the same things, then," she stated, filing away the from up above to use for later, if she felt he wouldn't mind going with her once they actually got to the mountain.

Another smile crossed her maw at his agreement to her sentiments. There wasn't anything else for her to add there, because it really wasn't much of her business to begin with, so she just nodded her head and continued on their walk. Her family wasn't nearly bad enough to react the way he had, but she felt so much freer out here, without their expectations and dissapointment. It was better, here, where she could figure herself out without their prying eyes.

She was surprised to hear him speak up from the place he'd chosen to lay down, but it brought a small smile to her maw, and she hummed as she closed her eyes. "Yeah. Sweet dreams," she responded. Honestly, she wouldn't have minded sharing the space if it meant they'd both be dry, but she had to admit that the whole snuggling bit would be weird with a stranger.

Maybe later.

Nori admitted to him, albeit seemingly somewhat reluctantly, that he was in fact the first demon she had ever met. Even though he technically wasn’t a demon at all, he still smiled a little smugly, at that. An expression that was probably hidden from the view of his company, but he took pride in it nonetheless. As far as the whole cursed thing went, she still didn’t seem to believe he was. But she did make a good point he hadn’t thought of, how he defined cursed could also have an impact on whether or not he was. It intrigued him enough that he turned slightly to observe the other, noting her shifting expression and the particular tone of the words.

Another veiled comment about his handsomeness or something, it seemed. ”Guess you got a point.” He admitted quietly, although with a light note of confusion. ”Still don’t think you’d want any of what I think I have, but that’s up to you,” he tacked on, after a moment, trying to make sense of it. Was she jealous of his looks, or something? He supposed that if she perceived it was a curse of sorts that had afflicted him with handsomeness, it would be something she’d want, too. The whole thing seemed to go back to being concerned about looks, which was irrelevant to him, anyway, so it didn’t really matter. He would’ve gladly traded his apparently good looks for a more normal upbringing any day.

His ears flicked at the notion of looking for the same things. At least, as it came to places they both wanted to explore, that appeared to be true. Their reasons behind such exploratory behaviors though were differing. ”Sort of,” he agreed contemplatively, wondering if it would be worth proposing an extension to this partnership to include climbing a mountain. A possibility, he thought, if things went well with their hunt.

Nori wished him sweet dreams as each of them had settled in, prompting the dark one to return his head to rest upon his paws, although he kept it angled toward the other for now. ”Yeah. Thanks. You.. too.” He muttered a bit tentatively, unaccustomed to expressing or receiving such sentiments. He couldn’t recall a time when his dreams had ever been what he would consider sweet, but maybe tonight that would be different.




--if you're good, I think we could end this one here ^^