What drives him is me.

Of mice and demon || Callum, Ric and Josh

Callums head was still hurting like hell and he knew that it was a risk to try to talk to a hunter with an open exorcism hanging in the air. But it seemed the tables had turned now that he had a hostage. How predictable. He tried once again to clear his head and straightened up, trying for a patient facade as he stepped closer to the man in front of him.

He took his time to take in the state the hunter was in and by the way blood was running from his temples he liked what he saw. The guy was probably not feeling better than himself now. Cal grinned once more before he stopped about five meters away from the other man.

“A hunter with common sense? Wow, that’s a new one. You wouldn’t believe me how many were too stupid to talk to and therefore…” He grinned. “…lost their lives. Tell me the truth or else…”

Callum looked at the other hunter again who lay unconscious on the ground, he didn’t need to raise his arm to get his point through and once again turned to the man in front of him.

“What is that lightning I saw a few days ago? Is it a witch that performs spells like these? An angel? Talk. NOW.”

The damn exorcism was getting on his nerves, he had to kill the guy fast after he had his answers. It had been a while since he had humans trying to exorcise him. At least for more than two words before snapping their necks. The info had better be good. That power drew him like a moth to the flame. He had to know who it belonged to.

#of mice and demon #huntinganewday #trappeddemon

Alaric’s world was going a little fuzzy around the edges from time to time and he had to hold himself back repeatedly from rubbing his eyes in reaction. He wouldn’t show any weakness to the thing, no matter how distracting it was. The demon was still grinning at him, but something about him was off, he was moving… too slow? Too careful? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking…

Alaric frowned, barely refraining from rolling his eyes. “I get it, you’re the boss here. You’re the one asking the questions, I answer, no need to start with the insults.”

The lighting? The guy had seen someone get fried outside of the city and now he wanted to find out about it? Alaric was impressed, a clever demon, probably trying to get into the city…

Well, too bad. For the demon.

“Look, I know you’re not going to believe me, but it’s the truth: We don’t know what it is. We don’t know who or what decides who gets to go inside and who is killed. This—energy field or whatever you want to call it… It’s been there before most people arrived here, we tried to find out who’s behind this, but we don’t know. That’s it. Nobody is controlling it—at least not as far as we know, it’s just there.”

He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose then, cursing inwardly when it didn’t help his vision at all.

“Before you ask—or try to force me: I can’t take you inside, if it decides you’re not welcome—there’s nothing I or anyone else can do about it.” He allowed himself to give the demon a tired smile then. “I don’t think it wants you inside, pal, you shouldn’t try it.”

burnedontheinside

My Path's A Fault Line | Ric, Peter

Roughly two weeks until the full moon and Peter couldn’t wait. He was a patient man at best, but sometimes the other half of yourself was set off from the rest of you. The wolf. It was hungry right now to take control and just start running. It wasn’t used to Peter pinning him up in this cage, having to behave and be cautious of the other humans in Tofte. After years of doing what he wanted, he finally had to settle to rules unless his ass wanted to be tossed from this place in one piece. Though Peter could be manipulative and got what he wanted through devious schemes, he also knew the better way to survive was to suppress your normal behavior and bow down to rules and regulations.

If he was honest with himself, Peter didn’t like this place one hundred percent. Yes, it had its safety. He was able to sleep in a bed in his own cabin and have food prepared for him in the mess hall three times a day. Most would agree it was better than hunting for meat that hopped its way through the woods. Peter would say he liked the game. The hunt. Sometimes he wondered if maybe that was really his wolf making him think that way, that the creature that was molding itself into him was the one will these urges for hunt and kill. Perhaps he was the one who enjoyed it.

Once upon a time, in the days when his family wasn’t turned into extra crispy werewolf barbecue, Peter was a loving man who cared deeply for his family and trusted them with all of his heart and they trusted him right back. He never had these thoughts of ripping apart fluffy white bunnies and fighting men - human or werewolf - and feeling his knuckles ripping as teeth scraped against them as he knocked his fist into someone’s mouth. The smell of fresh blood…it really gave him a high. Once everything is taken away from you and burned down to ashes, you change. For good.

As his boots crunched through cold grass, making his way towards the lake, Peter thought about the changed man he had become. God, this place. Was it somehow going to change him, too? For years and years he had become someone who was hated and nobody could trust. When you thought he was turning a new leaf, Peter ripped it into pieces and disappointed you again. Even for those short years that Peter had stuck with Isaac and the pack, he ended up leaving in the end. Leaving the few humans that traveled with his own flesh and blood behind. Look out for number one. He’d always done that. Watch his own back and pretend he cared for others to get what he wanted.

Jesus, how the hell had he been allowed in Tofte in the first place? If this Force truly allowed entrance to people with good intentions, why was he in here? He was having thoughts of running out there to hunt and kill and bathe in the moonlight of the upcoming Flower Moon. Pretending to obey to rules and fit in here among the other humans and vampires and whatever the hell rest was in here…was it pretending at all? Was he actually - dare he say it - good inside?

#my path's a fault line #burnedontheinside #thaaaahahahat went a LOT different from what I thought.#I... uhm... apologize for all the Josh-y-ness? ;)

A lot had happened during the past couple of days, a lot that had got him thinking. And not all of them had been bad thoughts, which, these days, was new for him. Alaric had never been a pessimist, but the past few years had taught him to expect the worst and then enjoy the few occasions when it didn’t happen. Back then, he might have called himself a realist, today he felt it was more of a survivalist. His roof caving in on him during the night might have seemed like a bad thing at first—and, considering the fact that he had to share rooms with the Winchester idiots for a couple of nights before it was fixed and he could move back—he might have even agreed about that… If it had not also led to him and Dean talking about a certain doctor which, in turn, had made him realize that he might have developed… something… for said doctor. And then talked to him and then talked some more and…

Well, the rest, as they said, was history. Heh. Alaric found himself grinning at that thought and he quickened his steps slightly, snow crunching beneath his boots as he continued on his way to his cabin. Sam had promised him that the roof would be done today so that he could finally move back home and sleep in a decent bed again. Maybe invite Josh over for dinner and talk… about things…

Get a grip on yourself, Alaric, you’re worse than the teenagers you used to teach.

And it was true, he was, during the past days he’d been in a ridiculously good mood which, of course, had led to all kinds of looks, rolling of eyes and even comments from his co-workers which he had dutifully ignored. Even the incident with the demon that had ambushed Josh and him three days ago had not been enough to ruin it. Well, at least not for long, the first day after he’d spent reminding himself over and over again that they’d survived and that neither of them had been critically injured. And even though it could have ended so much worse and he would usually have spent hours obsessing over it… somehow he just couldn’t, not when Josh was around and he really didn’t want to think about what could have been….

A sound close to him—footsteps—made him look up. He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he had not realized he’d walked straight past his house and toward the lake, a place he used to spend some time at during the summer when it was too hot to think and all you wanted to do was to go for a swim in the cool water. A few steps ahead of him there was another person, a man. He looked vaguely familiar and Alaric cursed himself briefly when he couldn’t remember his name, but then put on a polite smile as he gestured toward the lake.

“Going for a swim or is it ice-fishing today?”

fuckyeahforeignfilms

#wlspicture #josh

Of mice and demon || Callum, Ric and Josh

The demon used his telekinesis again to knock Ric back with a thick branch, although Ric barely managed to dodge it. Barely. Josh winced slightly when he saw it hitting Rics head. The bleeding started immediatley but at least he managed to stay on his feet.

He had to act fast now!

Josh was thankful for Rics distraction because he –just like Ric- picked up the exorcism where they left it hanging and seeing the demon blink a few times Josh knew that he must be in pain now. That’s right! Take this, bastard!

He was set on finishing the exorcism and nearly succeeded when he suddenly felt an invisible force grabbing him. Looking up, he saw the demon snarling furiously and obviously in pain and the last thing he felt before he lost consciousness was a sharp pain in his head and back…

“Stop the exorcism now or he’ll die!”

Callum growled low in his throat and stared Ric in the eyes. His head was hurting like a bitch now and his eyes glazed black as he used his telekinesis to lift the hunter, who was closing in on him, a few meters off the ground and throw him backwards forcefully. The hunter hit his head on a rock as he hit the ground and lay still.

“One more word and I’ll snap his neck. Your choice.”

For theatrics he held out his right hand in the direction the unconscious hunter lay and made as if he clenched his fist, showing slight marks on the other hunters throat. He looked expectantly at the bleeding man in front of him and waited for his surrender.

#of mice and demon #trappeddemon #huntinganewday

It took him a moment to clear his head enough to follow the happenings again and when he did, he found Josh continuing on the exorcism while the demon looked to be in serious pain. Heh, this was going exactly as they would have planned it—

Except for when the demon suddenly played against the rules and lifted Josh to throw him against one of the stones surrounding them. Josh didn’t get up, didn’t move, and Alaric felt panic creep up his throat. If he was lucky, and he was praying that he—both of them were—Josh was only pretending to be knocked out, but somehow he doubted it. He grimaced, about to start talking again, when the demon threatened to snap Josh’s neck and Alaric immediately fell silent.

Okay, so the thing wanted to talk. That was cool, he could do that. Talk to it, distract him from Josh, hope his friend would wake up soon to help him—

Alaric took a step toward the demon, hands raised defensively.

“Okay, stop that, I’ll talk. You said you want to talk, I’m talking—about what?”

He took another slow step toward the demon, thoughts racing. Since when were they out to talk? He’d met and fought so many of them, all you usually had to worry about was how to distract them long enough. Okay, sometimes you talked to do that, but this—

And Josh still wasn’t moving…

Okay, he needed to focus.

Alaric straightened as best as he could, gaze locked on the demon’s face. “What do you want?”

Triumph -- Fight the good fight [x] //All your life you've been waiting for your chance, Where you'll fit into the plan But you're the master of your own destiny So give and take the best that you can//

Linkin Park -- Crawling [x] //Crawling in my skin These wounds they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing what is real//

Florence and the Machine -- Shake it out [x] //And I've been a fool and I've been blind I can never leave the past behind I can see no way, I can see no way I'm always dragging that horse around//

Birdy -- Skinny Love [x] //I told you to be patient, I told you to be fine I told you to be balanced, I told you to be kind Now all your love is wasted then who the hell was I? Cause now I'm breaking at the britches And at the end of all your lines//

A Fine Frenzy -- Almost Lover [x] //Goodbye, my almost lover Goodbye, my hopeless dream I'm trying not to think about you Can't you just let me be So long, my luckless romance My back is turned on you Shoulda known you'd bring me heartache Almost lovers always do//

#wlsplaylist #gifs not mine

Rocky, Bullwinkle and the other one | Ric, Sam, Dean

sweetfarsam

Sam gave a vague nod at Ric’s request to check out the rest of the cabins. No doubt he’d be the one patching up the hole in his friend’s roof, and one job like that was enough - not to mention the thought of anyone being hurt because of something as trivial as a cave in wasn’t exactly something that sat right with him. Survive the apocalypse, find a ‘haven’ where you’ll be safe - or as safe as was possible these days - die by snow and timber. Not exactly the best way to go. And avoidable. “Yeah, I’ll get on it in the morning.” He replied with another small yawn. Sam had no desire to be traipsing up and down ladders in the dark, skittering around on snow covered roof tops clearing it away in the dead of night, half asleep to boot. That was just asking for a blunder, a slip and possibly a broken neck. Even though technically it was already morning and Dean and Ric butting heads and trading snark at stupid o’clock wasn’t really the way he wanted to spend the night…

“You so owe me a fresh pot of coffee when I get up.”

The last part was mumbled as Sam risked a small glance at his brother, seeing that, for now, he didn’t seem intent on escalating anything - at least, he probably wouldn’t while Ric was around anyway. It was one thing that they both trusted the other hunter. Ric had more than proven himself as capable, knowledgeable and way more organized than either of the Winchesters, so for the most part - as far as the general running of Tofte went - they were happy to let him take point. He was the one who’d clued Dean into the town in the first place after all. That didn’t mean things always went smoothly - more so between the other two men in the room - Dean’s brash attitude fit well with Ric’s general laid back exterior, but they still managed to rile each other up plenty. Sam pretty much stood back and let them get on with it for the most part.

…Either way - dropping the bomb that they were pretty much personally responsible for the whole shit storm that had swallowed the world would probably go down like a bucket of stale vomit, and then some. Trust only went so far. Even now…

Still mumbling something about coffee and blankets and ridiculous hours of the morning, Sam took the opportunity to wander off into his room in search of blankets, hoping that nothing blew up between the other two in the couple of minutes it took him to grab one from his closet and strip another from his bed. He’d had a couple on there ever since it got colder, but he could sleep in a hoody if he got too chilly. The one from the bed still had traces of body heat in the rough fabric and he was tempted just to crawl back beneath the covers and stay there.

He didn’t.

The blankets were dropped onto the end of the small couch, Sam rolling his eyes and smirking slightly. “Your loss, dude. I’m an awesome snuggler.”

“So, are we done? Blankets, no one’s dead, no one’s fighting, and it should warm up quick enough in here now. Can I at least get an hour or two before it gets light again?”

amanwithareason-blog

“Ha ha, Asshole,” Dean spat sarcastically when Ric decided to be a smart ass about how much his punches did (or rather, did not) hurt. “Remind me to refresh that slipping memory of yours later.” Really, it was a small wonder anything in town got done with the three of them at the helm of it. The older brother was willing to bet that most of their days were spent with all three of them trading jabs at one another over the two-way radios they carried, with occasional instructions about where they needed to be or some job detail laced in between. And for some reason, it was even worse when all three of them were in the same room with one another, although the hour probably wasn’t helping his own surly attitude. But he’d agreed to keeping the peace for the rest of the night, however short, even though he knew there was no way he was getting back to sleep.

Rolling his eyes when Ric decided to join in on Sam’s little party of nagging him about where he left his stuff, Dean finally gave them both an unruffled shrug. “Hey, not my fault you two are both anal.” And it wasn’t. Nor was it his fault that ‘keeping his room clean’ wasn’t exactly on the list of chores John Winchester was known for doling out. Keeping his guns clean maybe, but otherwise, his dad had never been a shining example of house keeping. Probably because most of the places they stayed in had people who were paid to pick up after them once they left, but regardless, the older brother had always chalked his being a slob up to living what he’d learned, and put Sam’s neatness into the same category of ‘unexplained weirdness’ that his preference for research and love of vegetables fell into. Made sense to him, anyway.

He tossed Ric another glare when the other hunter taunted him over the coffee before attempting to take the high road… even though he’d totally been planning on rifling through the other man’s stuff, as insinuated. Hey, as far as he was concerned, sharing some of his stash was the least Ric could do for them after waking them up at fuck off o’clock in the morning, but fine.

“Whatever. I’ll just go to Isaac’s when it gets light out. He always gives me an extra cup anyway,” he sniffed, flashing a smirk. “Perks to being the handsome one.”

“And it’s true,” he said, nodding his agreement with his brother. “Sam’s like a big girl when it comes to cuddling.” No explanation for how he knew that much was offered, but he did throw a cheeky grin in his younger brother’s direction. Sure, it wasn’t Sam’s fault they were both awake now, but that didn’t mean he was going to let the opportunity to give the guy some crap slip by… especially when Sam had left that one wide open for him.

And while Dean would’ve been more than happy to sit around snarking at them all morning—or, at the very least, until it got light outside—Sam looked half dead on his feet, and Ric looked like he was about to pass out mid conversation, so he finally shrugged and waved his brother off. “You two can go back to bed if you want. I got some stuff I gotta get done, but I’ll keep it down so you guys can get your beauty sleep or whatever.” And he even managed to keep his quip about Ric needing all the help he could get in that department to himself for a change, though his amused expression probably did more than enough talking for him as he glanced down at the man on the couch. “Can’t say the same for Sam, though, so good luck gettin to sleep with him snoring in the next room, Chief.”

#rocky bullwinkle and the other one #amanwithareason #sweetfarsam #roommates ric_sam_dean

Alaric had changed into the shirts he’d brought over and couldn’t help but grin.

“I promise there will be coffee. The good kind.” He looked over at Dean, giving him a half-grin. He figured he could be nice for a change, even to Dean, since they were both willing to let him stay in their cabin, so he waved his hand in a gesture that included Dean as well. “For those who deserve it. I’ll bring it to the post office, so you can get rid of the taste of whatever it is that Isaac’s brewing in that kitchen…”

Once again there was a moment when there was some silent communication between the brothers, a look that Alaric couldn’t read, but that he also didn’t miss. He was so used to this by now he no longer questioned it nor did he try to figure out what it was about. If they wanted him to know, they would tell him, otherwise it was between the two of them.

When Sam came back with the blankets he gratefully accepted them, then tried to get comfortable on the couch. Sam’s words made him grin. “Don’t doubt that,” he said around a yawn, then leaned back against the rest. “But the couch is only big enough for one and you’re way too heavy to be sleeping on top of me. Or anyone else for that matter.”

Had he been more awake he wouldn’t have wasted this opportunity to tease Sam even more, as was expected of him, but for some reason it was getting harder and harder to concentrate even on this light conversation, he felt more and more like he was about to pass out rather than fall asleep. Soon. It surprised him, well, vaguely surprised him, falling asleep with people around him—it was not something he was comfortable with, in fact, it was the reason why he’d demanded to have a cabin all to himself—he couldn’t do it. Not after everything that had happened back then. It didn’t make sense, it had been years since then and he’d never had an episode of sleep-killing people ever since again, but it was still something that literally kept him awake at night when he was in the company of others.

Maybe it was because Sam and Dean were capable hunters and he very much doubted he’d be able to overpower either of them in their sleep. Maybe he was slowly—very slowly getting over the horror of his past—or maybe he was just too tired to really care about anything anymore. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to think about it right now. Pulling his feet onto the couch he stretched his tired body for a second, then relaxed into the couch.

“Sleep sounds fantastic…”

His eyes must have fallen closed at some point and he must have dozed off for just a second, because Dean’s words seemed to come from far away. It was a struggle to focus on them and he just barely managed to open his eyes again, regarding the other hunter with a disbelieving look. And, maybe, a little guilty.

“You kidding me, right? You wanna stay up, now? After that talk about waking you up at inappropriate hours?” He ran a tired hand over his face and tried, unsuccessfully, to focus on Dean’s face. “Can’t it wait?”

Day 2:

How do they usually dress?

Pretty much whatever is available these days. Jeans. Shirts-- Nothing out of the ordinary. Whatever keeps me warm and protected.

What do they wear to sleep?

Boxers, T-shirt. Socks, it gets really cold.

Do they wear jewelry?

No, not anymore. I no longer wear my wedding ring and the other-- I got rid of it.

Is there anything about their appearance they wish they could change?

My appearance is the last thing I worry about these days.

How would they look as the opposite sex?

I don't know how to answer this, I've never thought about this before.

What do they smell like?

I don't know, soap? Coffee? You gotta ask someone else about that. *smirks*

Do they have an accurate mental picture of their appearance (how they see themselves versus how the world sees them)?

I guess so?

#30 day character development meme #headcanon ric

30 day character development meme (day 1, basics, cosmetics)

Age?

39

Date of Birth?

May 8, 1981 [casually stealing Matt Davis‘ date of birth]

Hair color?

brown, light

Eye color?

blue

Skin color/nationality?

American

Accent (if any)?

nope

Height?

6’ 1”

Tattoos? / Piercings? / Birthmarks? / Disfigurements?

nope

Scars?

Too many to list.

Do they have any nicknames? Where did they come from?

Ric. Because most people have trouble pronouncing ‘Alaric’ properly. Also, ‘Saltzman’, people have this habit of calling me by my last name.

#30 day character development meme #headcanon ric

Dracula and Van Helsing // Godric and Alaric

Godric had listened to Alaric as he was walking through the barrier. But he felt as though he needed to concentrate completely on the task at hand… He wasn’t intending to be rude and he hoped that Alaric understood that.

But then the real question came. Godric wasn’t afraid to answer it. Not in the least, but people tended to judge first ask questions later when it came to his… darker nature. Especially now that the world was over. While Humans and Vampires were commonplace now… There were still those that held animosity towards the other race. But he was nothing like the newborn vampires that most hated. He knew how to control himself. Knew how to tame the more sinister parts of him and keep them at bay. He had not had an ‘accident’ in over 500 years and he would not have one any time soon.

He gave Alaric a stilted smile. One that would look unsure to someone that didn’t know him. He looked down at the offered hand and took it in his, shaking it. He hoped the cold of his body didn’t shock the man. He knew that he was a few degrees under the norm, but it was still a shock to someone who didn’t know what he was.

“My name is Godric. And I… I am a Vampire.” He left it at that. He didn’t think they needed to know how old he was, nor that he died. All the man needed to know was that his intentions were nothing short of honorable and that he would not hurt a single living soul inside the city.

“I understand that you may turn me away now, but I do hope that you won’t. I grow so weary of travelling alone and I know that if you but allow me entrance to the city, I will not take that lightly.”

#dracula and van helsing #bornofgreatness

The moment he touched Godric’s hand, everything fell into place: Cold skin, pale complexion—vampire. Different vampire than the ones he was used to, but still undead. He couldn’t quite hold back a short grimace—no matter how many you met, the first thought you always had was something along the line of ‘bloodsucker’. But he also knew that they could be nice people if they had themselves under control. And since the Force seemed to think Godric was okay—who was he to argue?

It did, however, make it a little bit complicated to find the perfect roommate for him. Vampires were not exactly everybody’s first choice and no matter how nice and friendly they promised to be, he couldn’t even blame people for not wanting to share their cabins with them. And then there was also the whole daylight-thing that had to be taken into account: The last thing they wanted to happen was someone accidentally sunburning their roommate just because they wanted a little light during the day.

Alaric smiled at Godric, gesturing around them. “The Force seems to think you’re okay, so you’re welcome to stay. Fair warning: You bite someone against their will, you’re out. We don’t know if the Force would even allow that or if it wouldn’t just strike you down, but I wouldn’t try my luck if I were you. We’re not turning anyone away who can live by the rules, we don’t even have that many. Basically, we expect you to be a nice vamp, help others and make sure that everybody is safe. You should try to find a job, there’s a list of what we’re looking for at the post office.”

He made a few notes on his list, then looked up at Godric again. “Please look for blood outside of the city, people feel safe in here and even if you ask them to feed on them… it would make everybody feel like prey.” Again.

Rocky, Bullwinkle and the other one | Ric, Sam, Dean

sweetfarsam

“You do?” Sam asked, his voice still a slight sleepy drawl. But he did as he was asked and lowered the weapon, pausing for a moment before deciding that nothing required imminent dismemberment or beheading, reaching out to one side to prop the long blade just inside the door frame.

“It did?” He blinked, then shot a look over his shoulder as his brother grumbled, threatened, and wandered off.

“You did?” Okay, Sam was going to have to engage his brain at some point, because all of this was getting them nowhere and as Dean came back from his room, Sam stepped out the way of the door. He was almost as big as the opening itself, and Ric would have a pretty hard time walking through it if he just stood there asking stupid questions.

“Um… Yeah, yeah man, come in.” And even with the door being open for just a minute, enough heat hat leeched out, or cold in, that the main room of the cabin was now freezing. And since that’s where the couch was, Ric would hardly be much warmer in here than he would’ve been in his ‘roofless’ snow bound cabin. So he padded away from the freezing air, bare feet starting to feel a little numb and went to poke at the dying embers in the brazier. A solid, cast iron old wood burner, thick chimney winding it’s way up and out of the wall to purge the place of smoke, but it still lent the scent of burning pine and ash to the room when Sam tugged open the door and gave the lightly glowing remnants a jab with the poker.

“You okay?” He asked, lifting his gaze back to Ric, eyes flicking over the other man as he fumbled with a few pieces of dried wood, stacked just to one side of the burner. He looked okay. He looked like he’d just been dragged through a wet hedge backwards. But there was no blood - which was always a good start. “Need to go over to the infirmary to get checked out, or…?” He shrugged and tossed more wood into the flickering flames, satisfied that there was still enough heat for them to catch. Pine was ‘sappy’ and sticky and tricky to burn sometimes, but the pieces in the cabin had been dried properly, so he flipped the little grilled door shut and stood up, stretching a little as he did so (glancing down for just a moment, his nose wrinkled slightly… he hated the burner. The grill on the front reminded him of Bobby’s panic room. The hatch in the door. The same thick iron. The reason he’d been in there. Twice. And in turn it reminded him of Bobby and the yard and the cars and the Impala and… The list went on…).

And just because Ric looked okay, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keel over any minute from some unseen injury. Internal bleeding. Broken bones. Bruised ribs… The list went on. And Sam had experienced pretty much all of them himself at some point or another - as had Dean. None of which were a peach. “Last thing we need is to wake up to a body on the couch in the morning.” Lips curled into a grin as he said it, but there was enough weight to his tone to lend to the seriousness of the comment, and yeah, Ric was gonna get some cracks over the coming days about being the abominable-snow-bookworm, probably a few comments about ‘bringing down the house’, and the inevitable ‘roof raising’ lame ass jokes or some shit, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t genuine concern threading through.

“And can we leave the ‘ass kicking’ till the morning?” Sam looked back over at his brother, seeing pretty much the same pissed off expression Ric was wearing right now and sighed. “Because it’s like, three o’clock, and anything after 4am officially counts as ‘tomorrow’ so you can scrap it out then. Right now though, I’m freaking cold and dead on my feet.”

Sam didn’t look at Dean when he admitted to being tired. Knowing there’d probably be one of those ‘pinched’ expressions that washed over his brother’s face whenever he caught Sam dozing or yawning. Not that he was allowed to be ‘naturally’ tired now, Dean automatically putting it down to the discovery of what had happened way back when they’d been reunited at the old hunter’s cabin.

“Dry towels in the bathroom if you need to dry off. And don’t leave your crap on the floor. It is NOT a ‘floordrobe’.” A pointed look at his brother then, and Sam tried his best to stifle a brewing yawn. “You need anything else?”

amanwithareason-blog

Okay. So Ric’s roof coming down on him and nearly crushing him to death was a pretty good reason for the late night (or early morning?) house call… Didn’t make the older brother any less grumpy though.

Still, as Sam moved out of the door frame to let Ric in, Dean did the same, stepping to the side and shutting the door behind their friend as Sam wandered off to deal with their woodstove, and Ric stepped inside, still looking as pissed as he himself surely did. Sure, his roof hadn’t collapsed on him and buried him in snow, but a pounding that was loud enough to wake the dead on his cabin door in the middle of the friggin night did not exactly earn any points with Dean. Especially since he’d been happily in the middle of some vague reverie that involved a sunny, warm beach, and all of the bikini-clad girls to go along with it. Being forced out of bed to see the streets blanketed in heavy snow and his cabin full of half-asleep, pissed off, and fumbling dudes was like… an electric shock to his poor consciousness. Seriously, was a few hours of imagined fun in the sun too much to ask for?

Well, duh. Of course it was. Didn’t mean reality checks weren’t a bitch, though.

While Sam was busy stoking their fire and fretting though, Dean’s mental gears finally started to grind into functioning again, and he shot a smirk at Ric as he folded up his arms across his chest again. “Yeah, you’re not gonna die on us before morning are you? ‘Cuz stiffs on the couch aren’t exactly Better Homes and Gardens material, man. Your corpse wouldn’t match the decor…”

“And besides, how the fuck would we get the pyre to burn your ass goin with the wind out there? Last thing we need is your mug sticking around to haunt us, dude.” And this time, his smirk was a little brighter, bordering on a grin before he was scrunching up his face at his brother, shooting Sam an eye roll to go with the disgruntled expression. “Whatever,” he grumbled, “guy comes over here in the middle of the night hollerin when no one’s dying, he deserves an ass-kicking…”

But he let the subject of Ric’s loud arrival go in favor of looking put off by Sam’s tiredness instead, briefly glaring at the spot on the guy’s midsection where there was a prominent scar to mark where Lucifer had nabbed a piece of Sam for himself before he glanced up look at the other man warily. Not that it mattered much, since his brother was decidedly not acknowledging him at the moment, no doubt because he knew Dean’s irritation with the whole matter. It wasn’t like the older Winchester had made it much of a secret that he hated the fact the Devil was walking around with bits of his brother in him, or that it worried him as much as it pissed him off. Because if people found out about that tie between Sam and the archangel, or what it could possibly mean, then there was no telling what they’d do, and the last thing Dean wanted to deal with was capping a bunch of otherwise innocent people because they decided to come at Sam, lynch mob style. Because he would, no question about it.

When it became clear that the guy was not going to give into Dean’s silent seething though, the older brother relented for the moment and took to forcing out another smirk instead as Sam brought up his habit of dropping his stuff wherever he damn well pleased. “Hey, old habits die hard, Sammy. Besides, no one says you gotta pick it up,” he countered with a shrug. It wasn’t like him being a slob was some kind of revelation or something, and the way he saw it, his brother should’ve been used to it by now. But finally, he turned his attention back toward Ric, giving him another smart-assed look. “Couch is all yours if you want it too, unless you wanna bunk with Sam. Just keep the sweet nothings to a whisper, alright? I don’t need to hear all of your nerd-soulmate crap…”

#rocky bullwinkle and the other one #amanwithareason #sweetfarsam

Alaric didn’t waste any more time in the cold, as soon as they both stepped out of the way, he went inside. He didn’t care that it was just as chilly in there as on the outside, at least the wind was gone. He watched Sam busy himself with getting a fire going and walked toward the couch, sinking down on it with a soft sigh. The walk through the snow had woken him up a little, but now that he was finally able to sit down, it was like his body suddenly remembered it was too early to be up and awake and started sending him reminders that he was tired. Just barely stifling a yawn, he looked from one brother to the other, watching their exchange quietly. Something seemed to be going on between the two of them, something private that made Dean look like had just tasted his own coffee.

“I’m okay… now that I’m out of the cold”, he added with a short glare at both. “I was buried beneath the snow when the beam hit, absorbed most of the impact. Barely stronger than a punch from Dean, so I should be fine, no damage done.” He leaned back against the rest, absentmindedly massaging his neck.

“We need to check out the other houses tomorrow, make sure people get the snow off their roofs. Pray that nothing happens tonight, get out early in the morning to make sure it stays that way—I’m gonna need you to go through town, check things out—“ He broke off into a yawn, falling silent for a moment. It had to be the fact that he was almost frozen and so tired he couldn’t really think straight anymore, but, damn, the couch was comfortable…

“No ass kicking tonight,” he agreed, then pulled his backpack closer to open it and look for the shirts he’d packed. He knew how long it took to get the cabins warm and comfortable and he had known from the beginning he would be sleeping on the couch, so he had packed accordingly, bringing his warmest clothes with him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave my stuff lying around, especially not when I’m not at home, unlike other people…” He gave Dean one of is glares at that, referring to the many times he would find Dean’s things on his desk in the post office. Competent hunter that he was, but for some reason his stuff always ended up all over the place. And no matter how often you bitched about it, it never changed.

“A blanket or two would be nice,” he said, feeling his body gradually relax as the first sparks of warmth from the fire crept across the room in his direction.

Dean’s teasing about sharing a bed with Sam was met with a tired eye-roll. “Not in the mood for snuggling up to Sasquatch, thanks. And don’t think about going through my stuff while I’m asleep, you won’t find it there. Left it at a safe place, you’ll never guess where.”

Dracula and Van Helsing // Godric and Alaric

Godric nodded in understanding, he believed that he would get through. He was not a vindictive person, not any more. He lived life through honesty and integrity and only fed on those that deserved to hurt.

He reached down and picked up the bag at his feet once more. He wouldn’t risk not being able to come back out and get them.

“So, if I pass this test, I am free to come in, no matter what?”

Godric took a few steps and then he felt it.

The tingling started at the souls of his feet and traveled up. It startled him at first. He did not expect the sensation, but it was nothing more than a faint buzz and he continued forward.

The closer he got to the town, the further up his body the feeling went. It stayed the same low buzz but he felt something else… It was almost as if this buzzing was searching him to his very core, testing his merit and his mettle.

He was just a few steps away from the entry when the feeling vanished, leaving only the memory of it in its wake.

And while he didn’t show it, the relief he felt when he passed through unscathed and alive was incredible. Again, alive was a relative term, but it was exactly how he felt.

He turned to the man that he spoke to earlier. He wondered if the man knew what he was, and if he would be turned away because he was a vampire. He would ask that in a bit though… He wanted to know if he passed the test first.

#dracula and van helsing #bornofgreatness

Alaric watched the stranger walk past him and approach the town. He couldn’t help but feel nervous, every time someone found the town and actually passed through the Force it meant they—he had to deal with a newcomer. Find out who they were, what they were, find a place for them to stay, get them settled in, tell them the rules… And since it was his shift at the gates right now, he couldn’t just pass that on to someone else, no, it was his responsibility.

And then there was the fact that not everybody made it through. He had only seen two people get struck down by lightning in all the years he had been there, but that was enough, it wasn’t something he wanted to repeat. Hopefully this kid would know when to stop walking.

“Yes and no,” he said, following the youth. “There are rules you have to follow, things you have to do—but, basically, if you can pass through the Force you’re welcome to stay in Tofte.”

He could tell the exact moment the stranger became aware of the buzz by the way the other man tensed for just a second. He kept walking and Alaric kept following him, growing nervous himself.

“You okay?” He asked, halfway through the barrier, but the youth simply kept walking, looking determined—and then he was in. Alaric let out a small breath he’d been holding.

“Okay, now that you’re in—You need to tell me a few things about yourself. Your name, species, anything about you we should know. Don’t try to lie or hide anything, it’s going to come out one way or the other, we have enough people inside who can figure things out.”

Alaric gave the kid a smile, reaching out to offer his hand. "I'm Alaric, by the way, if you need anything, just let me know."

Of mice and demon || Callum, Ric and Josh

When he saw Ric pointing his crossbow at the trees close to them, he cursed inwardly. He had been so distracted by the other man that he hadn’t kept an eye on his surroundings! Stupid, Josh! The next thing he saw was Ric being thrown face-first into a tree.

No! Demon.

He tried to grab the holy water out of his backpack as he was lifted into the air and telekinetically thrown a few meters away. Ignoring the rocks and branches that were sticking through the snow and in his back, Josh groaned painfully and out of the corner of his eye he saw Ric getting to his feet –thank god, he was okay- and heard him start a loud recitation of the exorcism Josh had once taught him.

Okay, so I’ll distract it then.

Memories of a few years past welled up in his mind when both men had been on a hunt together killing some demons. Ric had always been the one to recite the exorcism because Qhuinn and Josh had more experience fighting demons and distracting them.

Josh pushed the memories aside, got up from the ground and frowned when he realized the smartass demon was reciting Shakespeare.

Keep him talking, Josh. Piss him off so he leaves Ric alone.

“Wow, a well-read demon. I’ll bet you’ve been the teacher’s pet then?”

Josh tried for an arrogant smirk and started to slowly approach the demon.

Callum sighed. He couldn’t believe his bad luck. Of all the goddamn town inhabitants, he got his hands on a hunter.

Damn! Did every single human on this goddamn planet know how to exorcise??

He growled at the first guy who began the reciting. It would be so easy to just kill both of them, break their necks or jaws and have them silenced forever but he wanted answers and needed at least one of them able to speak.

He lifted a heavy branch from the floor with his powers and threw it at the exorcism guy, hoping to interrupt the magic and all the while ignoring the name-calling the other guy obviously was hoping to distract him wit. Always the same tactics with hunters!

The first signs of an attempted exorcism were always headaches. When he’d heard the first few words he felt the constantly increasing throbbing of his temples. Cal tried in vain to clear his head and to focus and not let the men see his distress.

Wait- What did that guy just say? Teacher’s pet?

“Oh, come on.. I’ve heard much better insults.”

He snorted and rolled his eyes -obviously bored- and turned around to look at the man trying to come closer.

“What now? Trying to get closer to me to engage in hand-to-hand combat? With a demon? Are you stupid?”

Callum chuckled and stared at both men, not hiding his amusement.

“What if I told you I just… “ He grinned cheekily. “…wanted to.. talk?”

#of mice and demon #trappeddemon #huntinganewday

His head was still ringing, blood running down the side of his face where it had met the tree stump, but Alaric pushed it aside as he continued to rattle through the exorcism. Thank God he knew the text by heart, he didn’t even have to concentrate on it anymore, the words kept coming automatically, while he watched the demon closely, paying attention to each and every gesture of it.

Next to him, Josh started talking, taunting the demon, in an attempt to distract it. Alaric allowed a small smile to briefly play at his lips as his thoughts flashed back to the past. To the months he had spent with Josh and his partner, Qhuinn, walking through Mystic Falls as they tried to find his friends and cleaned the town from as many creatures as they could. He’d learned a lot about hunting back then, mostly that there were different kinds of basically everything and that what would kill one breed of vampire was pretty much useless against the next.

And that you should never ever allow yourself to get distracted if you fought a demon. One second, just one—and the thing acted. A shadow flew up from the ground and Alaric could just barely avoid having his face greet yet another part of a tree as a branch as thick as his arm was thrown at him. He brought up said arm to shield his face and dodged to the side, but he wasn’t fast enough, part of the branch managed to strike his temple, stunning him. He grunted, couldn’t hold back a pained groan when his already hurting head protested sharply against it and for a second he couldn’t remember where to pick up the exorcism again.

Dazed, he swayed, then caught his balance again, blinking at the scene in front of him. The demon was laughing at them, taunting them again. Alaric caught the last of his words and snorted. Yeah, right, a demon that just wanted to talk. Nice try, asshole.

“We’re not interested in what you have to say,” he said, then took a deep breath to clear his head and went back to the exorcism. It wouldn’t take long now, just a few more lines…

That one evening when Dean started to talk about Dr. Sexy (AIM)

Cut for length...

#amanwithareason #sweetfarsam #homicidalalterego #huntinganewday #aim-rp #dr. sexy and the moose

Patience is a virtue || Alaric, Josh

17.02.2020 3:21 p.m.

Hey Ric,

Dean just told me you’ll be back late today. I just wanted to talk about the new stuff Zel and I need for the patients. We’re running low on painkillers again. Perhaps you could drop by at the church some time?

Josh

#notes: patience is a virtue #huntinganewday

.

17.02.2020 7:28 p.m. (note stuck to church door)

Josh,

just got your note, idiot must have misplaced it. Guess you're out? Should be around later tonight, meet me at the front gate?

Can't make any promises for the painkillers.

~Alaric

Of mice and demon || Callum, Ric and Josh

Oh he was so lucky! Two guys walking near the outskirts of town and- the best thing he could have hoped for- they seemed to be lost in conversation without paying much attention to their surroundings. He would finally get some answers to his questions. Callum followed the two men for a few steps, before he decided to act.

“Who is there?”

Callum couldn’t hold back a laugh. As if the man would get an answer to that stupid question. Tsk. Who had taught humans to talk first and shoot later? Famous last words, lad. He saw the -hunter?- bring up his crossbow, pointing it at the trees near his hide-out.

Using his telekinesis, Callum first knocked the crossbow from the man’s hands and then threw him forcefully against a tree trunk. The other guy looked shocked for just a second and then hastily tried to get something out of his backpack. Cal chuckled and knocked him off his feet and a few meters away. The next thing both men saw were the backpack and crossbow flying out of sight behind the trees.

Loosers.

“What’s in a name?” He drawled, walking closer. “That which you call a demon, by any other name would be just as deadly…”

Callum stepped around the tree to show himself, his eyes flashing black as his lips spread into a smirk.

“Shakespeare. Only better…”

#of mice and demon #trappeddemon #huntinganewday

One moment he was pointing his crossbow at the trees close to them, the next he was airborne, crashing face-first into something unbelievably hard that knocked the air out of lungs. Dazed, Alaric slid to the ground, crumbling into the snow at the foot of the tree he’d been thrown against. Behind him, someone was talking—male voice, he dimly realized—but everything else was lost for a moment as he fought to clear his head.

Their attacker was still talking –Shakespeare? Seriously? Just how hard had he hit his head?—and once his sight cleared enough he could see Josh already moving, fumbling for something in his backpack. Alaric wanted to call out to him, to tell him that he shouldn’t waste his time looking for a weapon when someone was obviously using magic against them, but before he could open his mouth, the backpack and his crossbow went flying, well out of reach now. A shadow started moving and stepped into his line of sight. No doubt the owner of the voice he had heard—and then his eyes flashed back and Alaric could barely hold back a groan.

Demon.

Of course. It was always demons these days. Sometimes he wished for a goddamn vampire to attack him, just for varieties’ sake, but here they were, once again facing a black-eyed person. At least they could stop trying to go for their weapons now, there was only one thing that helped against them. Even though the demon had got the drop on them, the chances were good that they would get out of this if they played it smart.

It took him a moment to get to his feet and keep upright without swaying too much, but he didn’t need to see the demon to start the exorcism, he only needed to be loud enough for the words to be heard. Trusting Josh to distract the demon long enough, he started reciting the spell that would hopefully save their asses.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immunde spiritus,.."

Live and let list | Alaric, Josh

It was a comfortable silence that took over after their departure from the church. And Josh once again realized that he couldn’t stop thinking about the man beside him. Alaric. Ric. He barely noticed the people they met on their way to the outskirts of town although he and Ric gave all of them a friendly nod. Ric’s presence was distracting him more than he wanted to admit to himself.

Get a grip. You’re not a teenager anymore. They stopped in front of a cabin that was weighed down with snow and Ric took notes and promised the unhappy inhabitants quick help. He was respected among the people here and seeing him interact with them made Josh’s smile widen. After making their way around town they decided to have a look outside the town in order to look after the people there. Just because they weren’t living inside Tofte didn’t mean they didn’t deserve help. When they made their way to the gates, they informed the guards what they were going to do and that they would probably be back in one hour, and continued their way to the other cabins. At some point they had to walk a short way through a wooded area and Josh stopped suddenly, looking at Ric with a wide smile. “Guess what? It’s the first time I’m outside since I came here.” He stretched for a moment, his eyes never leaving Ric’s, then he continued walking beside the other hunter. “It feels good to be outside again. Although I’m pretty happy to have found the town.” He smiled. “It’s just a strange feeling to have a job again and well… to have office hours again.” Josh chuckled to himself and winked at Ric. ”You know, what I mean? I was on the run for years, trying to survive— and finally I start living again. And the first thing I do? Complaining about office hours…”