Bugging Out

Dax Curtis • 42 • Werewolf Forensic Entomologist

[daxcurtis-blog]

viviennexdumont‌:

Vivienne was no stranger to police stations, but she didn’t think she’d see the inside of a jail cell so soon in Hollow Grove. It was petty, possession under two grams, and more of a formality than anything, but by the time she bailed out and used half her savings to do so, she was left sitting outside the station waiting for the next bus to run. The last thing she wanted to do was call Chase and tell him why she’d gotten arrested, so she was reduced to staring at the sidewalk with cops passing her and giving judgmental looks. 

With a sigh, Vi stood and shoved her hands in her pockets, kicking at a few rocks before she peered down the street on the off chance that the bus was turning a corner with no luck. “I’m never going to get home at this rate,” she sighed out loud, dropping her head back with exasperation. @daxcurtis

Dax had stayed a little later at the station then he'd planned. Not that he'd gotten bogged down with work or a case. No he'd actually fallen asleep at his desk while watching a video on the life cycle of a butterfly. Something he already knew well enough but still he was interested in seeing if something had changed in town. Witches had screwed up Hollow Groves delicate insect ecosystem and he was sure that before long... others would notice. 

But as he was finally leaving for the night, yawn after yawn taking over, he heard a despondent voice and turned to look at the woman standing near the bus stop. He turned his head to keep walking then stopped, remembering that being polite was a social norm here. He turned and looked at her, thinking about how he wasn't in the mood for idle conversation. So he turned back toward the parking lot, but stopped again. The right thing to do would be to offer a ride. with a slight sigh he grabbed his badge and held it up. It was a laminated I.D. badge with his face, name and occupation with the department on it, not nearly as authoritative as a police badge, but it would identify him as less of a threat. "Do you need a ride?" he asked.

[daxcurtis-blog]

cxlebbennett‌:

Other than when he was bartending (or participating in other activities beneath the club), Caleb usually didn’t spend much free time in bars. But with Rosaline busy working, he didn’t like the silence of the apartment. So despite knowing how terrible he was at pool, he managed to challenge someone to a game after a few drinks, and it was coming back to bite him.

“You know, you don’t have to cheer every time you beat me,” he pointed out as he chalked the tip of his stick, moving to rack up the balls again. @daxcurtis

Dax shrugged as the man spoke. Did he have to? Nope. But was he going to anyway? Sure as hell was. "Trust me, if you were as uncoordinated as I was as a kid, you'd be cheering too. Who knew that a bite while working a crime scene would end up making me so damn good at pool?" He made another shot and let out a small cheer as the ball rolled beautifully into the pocket. He stepped back and let out a happy sigh. "Did you know Louis XI of France had to first known indoor billiard table? The whole game was evolved from outdoor ball games like jeu de mail or palle-malle, the precursor to croquet."

[daxcurtis-blog]

patroclusbell‌:

“Nah nah, she’ll be right mate.” He could fee his heart beating against his ribs, but everything was fine. One big breath. Another. A third, this time with a very long exhale. “All good. Thank you for the tips, I really do appreciate the help man.” 

“It’d be weird if everyone called me nurse guy though, so I’ll definitely just call you Dax from now on.” Patto laughed, slowly rolling up onto his feet, standing shakily upright. “I’m Patto, can’t remember if I introduced myself last time. But basically, if you really wanna know, I have visions of the future, and other stuff, and they cause me a lot of pain because I have massive self esteem issues about it, now my friend is going to get murdered and I didn’t warn her, and I got drunk to try forget about it a but but the visions just got worse. Basically, that’s it in a nutshell. A big nutshell. Like a walnut, or somethin’.”

He couldn't help but ignore everything up until murder. Before that the man was talking in circles and Dax always found that easy to tune out. Not that he meant to, but he liked facts and points made early. But when he heard the word "murder" he frowned and straightened. "You're telling me you saw your friend get killed and instead of telling her, you got drunk? What the hell is wrong with you? Come on, you can tell the Sheriff. He'll do something about it. He'd believe someone who can see the future." Wouldn't he? Dax really didn't know but something had to be done. "We can't let her die, man. I don't need something to keep me busy at work that bad."

[daxcurtis-blog]

everaltair‌:

Ever narrowed her eyes at his words but she was hardly bothered her. Of course, nothing really bothered her and while anyone else might have taken a bit of offense to the common knowledge thing, she simply shrugged. “All the cold weather is getting to my brain. We’re not meant to survive like this. Too bad I don’t have a flask on me– coulda made my own hot toddy, no liquor license needed.”

When she mentioned wishing she had a flask, Dax frowned a bit. "Since when are you not prepared for life? I thought you had like a year's supply of witches brew on you at all times." Honestly he'd never interacted much with Issy but he knew enough about enough people in town to have figured some things out about them. He was, after all, quite the observer. "Here," he said pulling his jacket from behind him on the chair and handing it over. "Use this until you warm up. From what I hear, you're too important to freeze to death." Only a decade into the supernatural world, all he knew about the supreme was that she was important to witches all over the world.

[daxcurtis-blog]

patroclusbell‌:

“Nah, there’s nobody to call.” He laughed, the noise echoing loudly through the area. “Not sick, but I might be having a breakdown though, like a quarter life crisis or something. An identity crisis?” With a frown, he looked up, eyes sliding from side to side as he attempted to focus on Dax. “I dunno. Sick of being a freak, really. Hey, wait,” He squinted. “You’re the bug dude, right? I remember you, kinda. Wow, the must sound so rude. I think it’s cool you think bugs are cool. I’m just not really in the best frame of mind right now, yikes.” 

"It sounds like you're working yourself into a panic attack," Dax said when he took a breath. "You should probably take a beat and try listing something in alphabetical order. Like movies you liked as a kid or bands you listened to as a kid." He used to hang out with the psychologist in the precinct back in Baltimore. He may not have understood what the man in front of him was going through but he remembered a few grounding techniques still. Well, all of them actually, thanks to his memory. 

At the nickname Dax smiled and waved him off. "I was called far worse growing up, and most people do know me as the bug guy. Though that does make it sound like I have an obsession with bugs, when in reality it's a profession and just general knowledge." And probably a slight obsession but he wasn't going there. "You can just call me Dax. Feel like explaining why you almost threw up on my shoes?"

[daxcurtis-blog]

ophelia-hale‌:

Silverfish… that was a sort of bug, wasn’t it? Any sort of bug above spiders, flies, and stink bugs were decidedly above her pay grade. She picked up the puppet that the man had just been using as an example and did see the problem he had mentioned. “I’ll pass that information on to the library director.” Who wouldn’t be in until the late afternoon, but what could you do?

“The science section! Sure! What sort of book are you looking for? We have quite the expansive collection and I don’t want to send you off to books about weather when you’re really looking for sport books.” The non-fiction section made up a solid third of their collection in the children’s room. Kids really did love learning new facts. Sport and weather books were what had been deemed the most popular recently. As Ophelia spoke she tucked the puppet into her pocket, a reminder to bring it to the director when they got in.

He nodded as she mentioned passing the information along. "Don't wait too long. Infestations grow out of control far too often and you don't want to have to replace all these books." He listened as she deviated to weather and sports within non-fiction and shook his head. "I just need anything and everything on insects. Preferably with pictures." He stopped for a moment and thought about how it made him sound extremely childish and less like a man collecting all information but he really wasn't concerned with outward appearance as long as the result was the same. He needed those pictures and names to input into the database and honestly the older the book the better.

[daxcurtis-blog]

everaltair‌:

She’s shivering. It’s so cold that Ever swears she can feel it in her bones and it’s clear in the way she’s dressed that she’s absolutely not prepared for the weather. Stupid of her, really, that she’s never thought to buy a coat but her time spent in northern states wasn’t so long and certainly not in the middle of the coldest fucking winter known to man. “God I think I have frostbite,” her announcement is loud,sure, heads in the establishment turning to face her and her poorly thought out wardrobe of a leather jacket and distressed jeans, but she’s talking to herself mostly. She manages to sit down, not thinking about anything but getting warm and leans over to the nearest person who’s back is currently turned. “Hey– tell me I can get a hot cocoa here, or better yet– a hot toddy. I can’t even feel my freakin’ fingers.”

Dax was used to people making an entrance and didn't really turn from the book he was reading about insect migration. He needed this info and didn't much care for the dramatics around him. But when a question was posed to him he turned and looked at Issy and made a face. "I don't think they stopped serving hot chocolate in the cafe. But they don't have the liquor license required for the alcohol so you're out of luck there. Are you feeling okay? This is all pretty common knowledge."

[revisitingleverage]

412: The Office Job

[daxcurtis-blog]

patroclusbell‌:

“Oh man, this fucking witch nonsense is like having a hangover but like, all the time.” Patto was currently crouched, well, somewhere, head between his knees, eyes screwed shut and reeking of beer. “I don’t need to see gore and shit when I’m trying to walk home from a night out, this is ridiculous. No more fortune teller squad, I’m quitting, you’re on your own. Hello humanhood once more.” Finally, his head lifted. The person was not Haylee. She was not here. She was off about to be murdered, probably. “Oh man, you are not who I thought you were. I’m so,” he paused, to dry heave for a moment, eyes fluttering shut yet again. “Sorry. To bother you. Ew.” 

Dax had been walking back to the precinct to grab his laptop before heading home when he passed a man he slightly recognized. Ah, he'd been the one who almost stepped on the monkey slug. As the wolf watched, the man seemed to be having some sort of mental breakdown. Until he looked up and then gagged causing Dax to take a step back. "Are you having a breakdown? Should I call someone?" He was horrible when it came to understanding people. Especially witches which this man had already identified himself as.

[daxcurtis-blog]

indirapankar‌:

Micah may have been past the ‘jam-hands’ stage but he was far from a clean and orderly kid. She already knew when they got home, his shoes would be discarded right inside the door and his jacket thrown over the back of the couch but she simply nodded at Dax’s comment. "I know where to find you some little sticky fingers if you ever change your mind.”

She slid into the booth across from them, once again listening to his words without offering any input. There were potions that required certain wings from certain bugs and maybe he just wasn’t aware of that fact or chose to ignore it but she refused to be the one to supply that information - it had been a while since she’d spent any time potion making but it was still a thing she was guilty of. “The business is -” she thought about the center before a smile crossed her face. “- it’s good. There’s enough babies in this town, we stay pretty busy. What are you guys looking at anyway?”

Dax shook his head a bit too quickly. "Hard pass. No sticky fingers on this keyboard. This laptop is tricked out to be perfect for me and replacing anything would be a bit too far out of my price range." He set down his fork and pointed at a link next to one of the insects that Micah was looking at. "This one has been particularly strange this winter. I don't usually see them and somehow came across four on my walk to work." Micah clicked the link and studied the areas of discovery that Dax had highlighted on a small map of town. 

Turning his attention back to Indi he nodded. "Do you prefer infants to toddlers?" Speaking from his point, he could see how one would be preferred to another. Babies slept for long periods of time and didn't wander around getting into things. But toddlers didn't usually wake someone up at all hours of the night for a meal. Children were complex and complicated. There was no formula to them and that triggered a sense of anxiety in him. There was no math to study on how to raise a kid. It was too many unknowns for his comfort. At her question, he perked up, happy to be on a subject he knew well. "It's a sort of insect encyclopedia I've been working on. But more for what I see around town and oddities in that. Right now he's just looking through the different species."

[daxcurtis-blog]

itskarasykes‌:

Nose scrunching the slightest bit, Kara flashed Dax a small smile. “You probably shouldn’t say things like that in public,” She spoke in a hushed tone, elbowing him playfully in the ribs. “The rest of these people might think you’re a creepy dude talking about ‘bodies’.” Though…a good chunk of citizens in town were vampires, another portion werewolves…it wasn’t like dead bodies were really uncommon conversation points around Hollow Grove. Her life was weird. 

“You’re probably right, but I also like to try and live up to some decent expectations for him.” Colton had been a life saver for her; he’d been her best friend and confidant for years, not to mention helped her through some of her darker times. She wanted to be there for him, too. It was true that the man probably wouldn’t even notice that Kara strolled into the precinct later than she was supposed to, but there was still a part of her that wanted to impress him. He was her boss, after all. His opinion of her mattered…even if her late track record already spoke for itself. 

“Well,” she hummed, rocking back and forth from the ball of her foot to the heel. She was always late was the primary reason. "It’s Monday?” She smirks, “I don’t know, Dax; getting out of bed is hard when it’s a nice cozy warm burrito of love. Ya know?” 

Dax gave a small shrug. "In a town like this, I'm sure saying 'a body' is the least concerning thing they've heard." He knew when he made the move that he'd be missing out on work action, but Hollow Grove was never in short supply of disaster. From kidnappings, to bombings, to creepy fear fog. There was certainly very few dull moments. 

He nodded as she mentioned wanting to keep up expectations. He could understand that and had a healthy respect for someone who refused to get comfortable slacking. He'd had to work harder than anyone around him to get out of his neighborhood and into school, and everything he had done, he'd worked his ass off for. He'd always appreciate someone who wasn't about resting on their laurels. But when she gave her tardy excuse, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. 

He was about to comment on how Monday was the start of the week and she should have been rested, but that familiar voice in his head that usually sounded like Isla was telling him she was making a joke. Social rules dictated that he should either laugh or joke back. He couldn't think of anything to joke about so he gave her a chuckle and nodded. Nailed it. "Feel free to use me as a excuse. You could say you ran into me and I talked your ear off about the unusual insect activity in this town recently. And if you don't like to lie... I can certainly tell you about the unusual bug activity in this town recently."

[daxcurtis-blog]

amberhorne‌:

Amber sat back in her seat, making herself comfortable. Her focus moved from looking out the window, to watching other patrons, until finally landing on the man sitting in front of her. She brought her cup of coffee to her lips for a quick sip as she took a break from speaking. “NYU was an excellent place for me to get my degrees. But sometimes I wish I had gone elsewhere, you know?” she continued. “There were plenty of excellent professors there but I wish I had spent more time abroad. But that was a bit more difficult to get to without any money.” she chuckled softly. “Besides which, I suppose life would have been very different if that had happened.” Bringing her cup back to her lips, she allowed the hot caffeine to slip down her throat. “What about you? What was your education like?” @daxcurtis

Dax listened politely as Amber spoke about her studies. He didn't really talk college with people often, probably because he was much older than he looked and had been out of school for a while. Granted he wasn't as old as the other's around town... but old enough. "I never traveled much myself, never had the money either. I grew up in Baltimore and really only left the state of Maryland to go to school in Michigan. They were the closest with the entomology program, but I also dabbled in forensic anthropology." He took a sip from his own coffee and studied the woman for a moment. "So what are you using your education for now?"

[daxcurtis-blog]

coltondeforest‌:

“Uh-huh.” The number of bug puns didn’t go unnoticed. Neither did the other man’s attempts to remain subtle. If he had any reservations at all that something was going on they were dashed the moment that Dax brought up the color of the wall and rushed forward. For some reason he was trying to catch an insect that had made it into Colton’s office.

“So unique, definitely haven’t seen a shade just like it in the break room.” He stayed where he was, turning to watch Dax when he stopped beside him. “You want to tell me what’s going on or should I acting like nothing is happening and come up with a random name to call the shade of my wall?” The was no annoyance in his tone, no show of anger. Currently, he was only curious why Dax was trying to hide the fact he was chasing a bug around the office and why it was so important to catch.

Dax let out a sigh, he had never been one to sneak around. Turning to face Colton he knew he looked like a child caught stealing cookies. "Okay, so there is a little incident, but I have it handled, and you don't need to call in an exterminator or anything." 

"I might have been raising some flies as a side project and they might had matured quicker than anticipated and those flies might have gotten out. But it's fine! Everything is totally fine and I'm only missing two. One once I get the one that flew in here a minute ago."

[daxcurtis-blog]

isaacbyrne‌:

He returned the firm handshake with a slight nod, making sure the name stuck with the face. “It’s nice to meet you.” For as long as he’d been a part of the NYPD, he’d been observing those around him - at least to the degree that having a halfway decent conversation could be achieved. With a sigh, he shook his head slightly before speaking. “Neither, sort of. I definitely didn’t retire from the force but it was time to leave that force. There were just too many people expressing their true feelings toward the supernatural and after my partner left, there just, wasn’t really a reason for me to stay there. I went through the proper channels so it doesn’t show on my record as me quitting.” He moved as the line did. “It was just time for a change.” There was plenty more to blame for why he had left the force but talking about Lois and the girls - the timing just didn’t feel right. “What exactly is a forensic entomologist? We probably had one in the city but I was distracted a lot of the time.”

"Yeah the world is extremely intolerant of our kind these days. But it's to be expected. What has every monster movie shown us and them since the beginning of cinema? We're evil and they'll kill us." He sighed and shook his head. He didn't have much faith in humanity these days when it came to letting people like him live. At the other man's words he nodded. "A resignation is always the way to go." He took a deep breath and gave a small chuckle. "If you dealt with dead bodies, you've probably come across a forensic entomologist. Basically I work with bugs. Flies and larva that show time of death as well as insect activity that can tell if a body has been moved or relocated. It was an interesting job back in Baltimore." He looked at the man for a long moment before asking, "what did you switch it up to if you're not in law enforcement anymore?"

[daxcurtis-blog]

indirapankar‌:

Cool. "Why didn’t you just say it was a fancy bug encyclopedia to begin with?” Micah was use to waiting at the table while his mom paid the bill or used the restroom or somehow jumped in to conversations with people at nearby tables. He’d be getting along to chasing down his friends shortly but until she returned, he’d occupy the bug man’s time and navigate his way through the database, searching for the most outrageous looking bug.

She had left him at their table to go wash her hands and for a split second as she came back, she panicked at his absence. With a quick glance around, she quickly located him sitting with a man she was more than comfortable letting him talk to - until it seemed he might come off as a bother. She took a minute to talk to a prospective couple with a toddler at the counter before excusing herself with a smile and heading back towards her boy.

“Micah, I love you and all but please tell me I’m not seeing what I’m seeing. Have I caught you once again imposing on Mr. Curtis’ personal space?” She looked over to see his hands moving across the keypad of the laptop. “And you’ve got hands on his computer?” 

Dax was focused on the bugs the Micah was flipping through so much so that when Indi joined them, he was surprised enough to start a bit. "Oh it's no imposition, besides he's the only kid around here that's interesting enough to hold a conversation with. And he's past the 'jam-hands' stage of life, so he's free to touch the computer." He meant the "jam-hands" comment as a joke but he also knew that he failed with jokes more often than not. 

Dax held out a hand toward the seat across from them as an invitation to sit as well as he went back to his food. "Any curiosity in bugs that doesn't involve pulling wings off of insects or any other sociopathic behavior is always a welcome change." He heard the disgusted comments all day long and fought the irritation it brought. It was refreshing to talk bugs with someone who gave a shit, even if he was only 13. "How is the business?" Dax asked more because social rules dictated it than because he had a mind for business. Not to mention he didn't mix well with kids usually.

[daxcurtis-blog]

itskarasykes‌:

That seemed like such a Dax thing to say for some reason, an attempt at a joke that wasn’t exactly funny, but Kara appreciated the attempt and a brief snort of a laugh escaped her in response, patting the other playfully on the shoulder. “You tried. It counts for something.” Dax…he was an interesting personality. Sometimes Kara felt like he was trying too hard, though; like he wanted to blend in when he was better at standing out. 

“Yes, exactly, that makes it…so much more desirable, when you describe it like that…I just…can’t wait to get work and have some…” He did make a good point, though. She could down as much coffee as she possibly wanted and wouldn’t get any of those undesirable side effects. Because she wasn’t human anymore. Right. That still caught her off guard sometimes. 

“So are you off to work, too? I can come up with a cover for why we’re tardy. Wouldn’t want to get detention.” 

"I mean, I'm going to get to work eventually, but I'm in no rush... unless we have a body somewhere that I don't know about." He let out a small sigh that he knew wasn't missed. The only problem Dax had with Hollow Grove was the lack of decomposing bodies. Not that he wanted people to get hurt but he missed his puzzles and mysteries that he'd been able to explore at home in Baltimore. Here it was sitting in a lab all day trying not to let his secret bug stash escape into the precinct. 

"So while I don't need an excuse I am more than happy to be an excuse for you." He shrugged and took a few steps as the line moved forward. "Not that you'll need one since I doubt Colton cares if you're running a little behind. He's probably the most laid back boss I've ever had. The chief of police back where I'm from? It was uppers to wake up and stay awake all day and downers to finally pass out. He lasted an obscenely long time on the force like that." He shook off the memory and looked her over. “So why are you running late, anyway?”

[daxcurtis-blog]

isaacbyrne‌:

The weeks since Halloween had seemed to fly by and as much as he wasn’t over the loss of his family, Isaac had found a way to settle into a routine within the boundaries of the small town. He’s reconnected with Jack, finally decided on a new place to call home - a nice little place near the woods -, and managed to start multiple meaningful conversations that seemed to help ease some of the pain. He’d also finally relinquished the stool he had befriended at Hair of the Dog, opting today to stand in the line of the cafe that always seemed to be a hopping place.  

He turned slightly as the man standing behind him cleared his throat. “Former cop, actually. We’re going on about twenty weeks now since I could officially call myself a detective and I’ve heard there’s not much action worth transferring to HGPD for.” Isaac extended his hand in the other man’s direction. “Unless you’ve got different information and they could actually use me, I’ll probably just keep up this part time job at the historical society. Also, name’s Isaac.”

Swing and a miss. Well... more like a foul. He looked at the man's hand for a moment before taking it and giving it a firm shake. "Dax." He eyed Isaac for a moment, reading him. He was well trained in what to notice from people. The way the spoke or held themselves. He looked like a man who'd worked himself to the bone. "Did you retire or just quit?" He shook his head. "And I can't offer any excitement in jobs around here. The only reason this town has a forensic entomologist is because they took pity on me after I was bitten." There wasn't much to investigate for him, but maybe the case involving the clave would be active. He didn't know the man in any way to even venture an offer.