jewelsofasgard | Teddy meets Sam

Teddy meets Sam

Who: Teddy and Sam (and anyone who wants to interrupt)
Where: Lands surrounding Asgard
When: July 24
What: Teddy finds a town ravaged by the Witch Storm. He's looking for a place to spend the night and discovers that the town isn't as deserted as he first thought.
Warnings: Violence and porn possible

Teddy arrived at the little village just as the sun was setting. He was weary and irritable having been travelling for the past three days without much rest. He had to keep moving. The image of his mother's death kept replaying in his head, haunting his steps. Not his mother - the woman who had raised him and kept him from the horrors that would have befallen him the moment he had descended to the Grey. His true mother had been long dead and all of the questions of his birth died the moment the assassin slit his adoptive mother's throat.

His stomach growled, reminding him that there was more important things than memories at the moment. He called a shield around him, hiding his wings from any who would still be in the village but the precaution was of little use. No one was here. The Storm had taken all of the Blood and those that didn't perish fled into the surrounding forest. He was alone, just as he had been when his journey began.

The houses stood silent with their doors barred. Teddy walked past until he saw one that had been pried open from the outside. He paused, uncertain why he felt drawn to this particular place but his grumbling stomach pushed all thoughts of concern from his mind. He entered the dark space, his eyes adjusting to the low light as he made his way to the kitchen. It was there that he heard a sound - a rat, possibly, but it could have been larger than a simple scavaging rodent. He walked quietly, the sounds growing closer until he saw a large, dark shape in the doorway to the pantry.

He should leave, find another abandoned house that wasn't quite so occupied but that same feeling that had drawn him to the doorway kept him from turning away. Without knowing why, he cleared his throat, alerting the other to his presence.

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He'd thought that the Witchstorm would make it all better. He could feel that psychic scent in it. That was her, was Witch herself! And it had changed everything. His captors had been destroyed, left him free. And yet...

There was no way for him to return to Kaeleer, to his home. If it even was his home. It had been a long time ago and he'd been young. Young enough that he could barely remember Tigrelan, his home, his parents.

And he didn't know how to return anyway. He doubted there were any priestesses who could open the way for him. His only option was to find a court that would take him in, help him. Maybe he could send a message?

This village wasn't going to do any good though. He'd seen a few like this. Villages emptied out, towns where half of the buildings were gone, the land dying in the absence of any Queens to tend to it. It was good luck for him though. He didn't feel too bad about salvaging what he could from the empty buildings. If the storm had taken them, they had been tainted, as bad as the people who had captured him.

This house was a good choice. Still food in the pantry; big bottles of preserves, cured meats. Still good. He could probably sell some of them in the next inhabited place. Trade them for a proper meal.

There was a sound from behind him, and his ears pricked up at it, every nerve on fire as he turned. He called up a green shield, just in case, and kept half crouched. "Who's there?"

"Theodore Altman," Teddy announced, stepping out of the shadows. He held his hands up to show that he wasn't carrying a weapon. His shield would protect him should the other man prove to be dangerous but he doubted it would come to that.

"It seems we both had the same idea."

He pointed to the food that still lined the shelves, keeping his movements slow and calm. "If you're willing to trade I'd be happy to take a few items off your hands."

Sam watched him warily as he stepped out, eyes narrowed. He curled his fingers to keep his claws hidden but in case the man was unfriendly. That had always surprised them. Humans here didn't expect claws. He'd gouged out a few eye in the courts before they'd learnt to keep their distance or keep him chained.

He cocked his head slightly to the side, but never took his eyes off the man. "What are you trading?"

Teddy reached into the small purse he kept around his waist and counted out a few silver coins. He didn't have to offer the other man money. There were other things Teddy could barter with but he doubted the man would be interested. Money seemed more reasonable.

"It's not much," he said, holding his hand out. "But it might get you a bed in the next town. Better than roughing it."

Silver marks. It was tempting. He could sleep on a real bed for the first time in ages. But at the same time, it seemed too easy. Why give him money when he could just take the food?

"Don't you need it?" he asked. "You could buy proper food with that."

Teddy laughed sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. How was he going to explain that he needed to stay away from villages without sounding as though he had something to hide? Perhaps it had been a bad idea to alert the other man to his presence.

"Good point," he said, looking down at the coins. "Truthfully, I've had these coins in my pocket since the start of my journey. Using them never really occurred to me until now. I'm sure you'll have more use of them."

He was tempted to take it, but somehow it felt bad to take money for something that he was stealing anyway. He chewed on his lip for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"What if we just... stayed here for the night. We could share. Could buy bread at the next village too." He could vanish enough of this stuff too if it came to it.

Teddy smiled. To tell the truth, he was tired of being alone all the time. It might have been the safest way to travel but Teddy craved other people. He needed their presence to keep the nightmares at bay.

"If I wouldn't be interrupting. Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you."

It would be nice to have someone to talk to. Sam hadn't had that for such a long time. He'd been a pet, a curiosity in the courts, and before that? He missed home, but he wasn't sure there was anyone there who would remember him. It had been such a long time.

"You're not interrupting. Be nice to have someone else to watch camp too." Even if he'd probably be setting his own wards, just in case.

He grabbed the biggest of the jars and heaved it off the shelf to set on the floor, then climbed up the shelves themselves to look at the higher ones.

Teddy walked over to the shelves, watching the other man as he climbed. He had an agility and grace that was unlike Teddy had ever seen before. He had to admire it - and more, if he was being truthful. There was something about this stranger that Teddy felt drawn to.

"You never told me your name," Teddy said, looking up. "I'd feel a lot safer watching your back if I at least knew what to call you."

It was something that he did without thinking. Not that he had opportunity it was good to stretch his muscles even if it wasn't a tree or anything more challenging. There were some bottles at the back of the shelf, covered in dust but still sealed and he pulled one closer.

"Wine! There's wine."

That would be good to drink or to sell. He glanced down at him, still balanced on the shelf. "Yao," he said quietly. "Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Sam."

Teddy smiled, reaching out a hand to help Sam with the bottles. "It looks like this was the best house to search. We'll have a regular feast tonight."

Sam passed the bottles down, swept the shelves for anything else that might be good. A few more jars of preserves, some dried strips of meat. The rest they could come back for tomorrow. He jumped down from the shelves, twisting to land silently on the ground.

"Feels a bit bad, stealing stuff, but they're not going to be coming back."

"No, I don't suppose they will. The purge, I think, judging from the other houses in the village. Anyone who survived is long gone."

The purge had taken many from his home village but not before the assassin had killed his mother. It had saved his life but at what cost? Teddy still wondered why he was spared. There had to be a reason.

"I'm sure who ever owned this house would rather their wine stock go to good use. I've heard it said that it's criminal to waste good wine."

"Can't blame them. Who'd want to spend time in a place where everyone you know is dead?" Not him. The place creeped him out as it was and he hadn't seen it before today.

He flashed a brief smile at that. "It's good for ceremonies. Even if we don't drink it, we'll be able to trade. Sure someone will want it."

Sam had a very nice smile. It was the first thought that rushed through Teddy's mind. He quickly brushed it aside. The last thing he was sure the other man wanted to know was that Teddy was admiring him in ways that weren't considered normal. He was used to having to hide his true self behind a layer of gray. These thoughts were just another thing he was going to have to bury.

"With this wine and my coins we might just be able to talk our way into a tavern," Teddy agreed. "Which will be a sight better then staying the night here. Do you mind if I travel with you a bit?"

"I wouldn't mind sleeping on a real bed again," Sam said with a pleased purring noise. A real bed without anyong trying to use him. That would be nice.

He shook his head, although there was still an amount of trepidation that he felt. "I don't mind. I would like the company."

Teddy would be lying if he said that purr didn't send shivers through him. He shrugged it off, ignoring it for the moment. It was a dangerous thing to ignore, he knew that, but he had just met Sam. The last thing he wanted to do was to frighten him off.

"Neither would I," Teddy said, feeling a bit more tense than before. Having an extra set of eyes should have put him at ease. One night with Sam wouldn't hurt. He could control whatever this urge was, for he refused to call it rut.

Probably lucky. Sam is more than a little self-conscious about his race. He's been in Terreille for far too long. He knows that he's different, a curiosity. That was why he'd been dragged here after all. Something like that was liable to make him bolt.

He flashes a shy smile and vanishes a share of the food that they'd found before brushing past Teddy and back into the kitchen.

When Sam brushes past him the urge to reach out and press him against the nearest surface with his lips on Sam's own was almost too strong to resist. He catches his breath, knowing that the temperature in the room just increased slightly. Mother Night, did he have to do this now?

He backs away slowly, putting space between himself and Sam. It's against every instinct he has but he can't force himself on someone he's just met. "Maybe... maybe this isn't such a good idea," he says out loud, doing his best to keep the tone of his voice from dropping. "I... shouldn't be around others right now."

There's suddenly a flush of warmth through the room, and Sam stops dead in the doorway. He frowns, wrinkling his nose. There's a scent in the air, something dangerous and warm.

Sam turns back to the other male, curious. "You just said that we should share. Why are you changing your mind?" It made him a little suspicious. He was wary about it. Did he know something that Sam didn't?

He was fighting the urge to stalk closer to Sam, weaving strands of gray around the house to keep them enclosed. He'd only been through this once before and he'd sequestered himself in the forest. This was the first time he'd been around another person and Mother Night was it difficult to resist the desire to possess Sam.

Against his better judgement, he walked forward, his movements graceful. It was embarrassing to admit that he was quickly succumbing to the rut. "I'm not changing my mind," he replied honestly. "It's just... dangerous. I wasn't prepared for this to happen."

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Teddy meets Sam

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