(no subject)

[capwolf]

Who: Steve and Open.
What: Wolf!Steve goes exploring
When: Current-ish?
Where: City of Nightmare
Warnings: None, yet. Will edit if necessary.


Clark's remarks about having to be careful at home, after flying to the top of one hell of a tower here had opened Steve's mind up a little bit more to the possibility of maybe being less guarded here. Thomas knowing what he was within about five minutes of meeting hadn't hurt, either.

He still felt the need to be cautious, but less so than back home. There wasn't the same risk of fallout here, after all, and there was an opportunity to learn a lot - about himself and maybe about others.

To that end, he was on four feet and wearing fur as he moved through shadows and pools of light in a very different city. He followed his nose and impulse as they led him. He was enormous and moved with an easy, predatory grace, but there was also a kind of calm and confidence in his movements - and if he was threatening it was only in response to a threat.

And he was unusually inclined to approach people. In fact he was pretty inclined to outright nudge at their hands and lean against them, whether they wanted him to or not. Hazards of being a pack animal, benefits of being in one heck of a disguise.

Comments

[capwolf]

[ OOC: Absolutely fine, and sorry for delay. ]

He padded to stand directly in front of her, tilted his head and looked up into her face with a calm, steady gaze for a moment, before closing the distance and thoroughly sniffing her. Then he backed up, turned his head to the side and sneezed. It wasn't so much that he needed to, as clearing his nose from the somewhat unpleasant scent of ozone.

Then he did answer, though he was somewhat tentative and cautious - even careful. Not a lack of trust, but a lack of understanding who exactly she was. She reminded him a bit of...Thor in some way. Or maybe that was just the ozone, again.

He wagged his tall exactly once and without knowing how she could understand actively if slightly shook his head. Not lost.

Then nudged her hand.

[clay_and_truth]

"Exploring? We've that in common, then." Her speech patterns were, perhaps, a little Thor-ish as well, though with an accent speaking more of the Mediterranean, something close to Greek, but not quite.

"I'm afraid I don't have any food on me, and I doubt the street vendors here serve anything worthy of a fine hunter like yourself," she said, taking the cue of the nudged hand to scratch behind his ear. "But I can offer company- it may be safer for you in the city if you're mistaken for a companion animal." She consciously avoids using the word "pet." One does not make a pet out of a wolf, in her opinion- one may only hope to join its pack, however temporary that honor may be.

(ooc: I can't not picture Diana in a Mountie uniform now. Dammit. /Cues Due South theme.)

[capwolf]

He didn't really care about the food, but leaned fairly heavily into her hand when she scratched behind the ear and leaned even more heavily.

Wagged his tail at mention of company, yips softly in agreement but mostly has decided that he doesn't care if he's mistaken for a companion for a while or not.

He does, however, back away after a second, and then nudge her again - this time behind the knee - since it's the only way he knows to communicate that he'd like to go that way.
[ Fraser would be so proud! ]

[clay_and_truth]

"Ah," she gets the direction, even before he indicates physically, and follows easily. The ozone-scent is slowly fading from her skin- a side effect of flying, the scents of the skies (and occasionally storms) can linger after a long flight, which she'd recently indulged in over the city.

"Something in particular you want me to see?" she says, more wondering aloud than actually asking him. "Fine then, lead on."

She is getting the distinct impression this wolf has some non-animal-like intelligence to him. There certainly seems to be some definite motivation for his nuzzles and directions, and she's curious to see what they are.

[capwolf]

He's beginning to understand that she's picking up things without being told specifically, which means that he's less frustrated at not being able to say 'not exactly' in response to her question. There is a particular direction, but mostly he's heading for more light and safety and the rough area he stashed his clothes so he doesn't get stuck out in the city with a choice between fur or naked.

He sticks close to her, ears up and pivoting to pick up sounds of potential danger. More overtly protective in this form, too, though there's nothing unsafe, unsteady, or aggressive about him. He's intensely watchful, but that's about the extent of it. He likes this woman. He wants to have a conversation with her.

He's probably going to make that happen.

Which could be awkward, but it's not like he already knows her and it can serve as a test of sorts. For him - not her.

I hope backtags are cool.

[clay_and_truth]

She doesn't show any signs of discomfort walking alongside him. Perhaps because she knows it would take well more than one wolf, seemingly intelligent or not, to take her down. Unsurprisingly, given that she is wearing a small amount of armor, she carries herself like a warrior, though not necessarily as careful as a soldier. There's an ease in her movements suggesting an inherent level of trust to her surroundings, even in a place like this.

She lets the wolf lead her to the stashed clothes. She doesn't see them, but if he begins to change, she will turn her back for the sake of his modesty until he's dressed. Another sign of trust as much as consideration.

I am so behind... and so sorry.

[capwolf]

He doesn't begin to change right away, mostly from a safety perspective. He grabs his clothes and disappears behind something for both their sakes.

It's a few minutes before he comes back out, dressed, and a little confused. "...What's with the ozone?" Also: " Steve."

I am now equally behind so no worries

[clay_and_truth]

"I flew through a small storm system to get here. It can linger," she says, not looking terribly surprised, but at least a little surprised. She knew a few shapeshifters, but it was always something of a novelty for her.

"Diana. Of Themyscira, though I suppose that has less meaning here than it did in my own world. A pleasure, Steve." The smile she gave him was genuine. That he shared a first name with one of her oldest friends had to be a good omen.

[capwolf]

He smiles and gives her a nod in return. "I'm afraid it's not something I recognize, but it's a pleasure to meet you, too, Diana. Care to continue our walk?" He's uneasy, even nervous, but hey. He had to 'come out' to someone eventually, and it seems like she was a good choice.

So far, anyway.

[clay_and_truth]

"I'd like that," she says, and offers her arm in a friendly gesture.

"Any particular area of the city you'd care to investigate more closely in bipedal form? Or shall we just walk aimlessly and wait for some poor souls to try start trouble with us?"