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@dhruvxmehta
BASICS:
Name: Dhruv Sahil Mehta ( he/him )
Age: 36
Occupation: Scientist at K Labs
Species: Werewolf ( omega )
About page: click here! // Full bio: click here!
PERSONALITY:
Positive: Intelligent, Methodical, Ambitious
Negative: Bitter, Impatient, Stubborn
Fix your sleep schedule.
I have a better suggestion. Stay up for research.
Rangi didn't look back at him. He might think that, but that didn't make it true. It was her, of course it was. That was why everyone in her life left her. That was why no one ever stuck around. It was her. Her messy, pathetic, depressing life. She'd left home to try and change everything but she'd just ended up right back where she started, maybe even worse off than before. If she'd never met people to care about, it wouldn't hurt so much when they left.
Rang turned just barely towards him, finally, following his gaze down the path. She could see the weariness in his muscles, too, even from here, even when she wasn't trying to look for it. She saw it because it was in her, too. That bone deep sorrow, the kind that clung to your soul. She didn't say anything, because agreeing would be a lie, and he didn't need to carry any more of her sorrow today. So she just smiled as much as she could and nodded, then turned her back to him again and stared at the stone, listening and waiting for his footsteps to disappear before she finally picked herself up and left, too.
END.
Júlio César nodded. "It was nothing. Wolves heal better than banshees. I'm glad she did it anyway. Before I could do something I'd regret. We could have had a lot more bad things. Not that that makes it any better for the people who already have them." The stench of blood hung stagnantly in the air around Lunar Cove, and even beyond Bobby Spencer, JC was acutely aware of the lives lost. He shook the thought away before it had opportunity to settle too deeply into his bones.
Looking back up, then, the Alpha met Dhruv's eye. "I'm saying that...I now need to feel in a certain way or risk transforming into something that seems to want to hurt other. I haven't tested it, but what even's a good emotion? Anger's righteous, and passion's passion. Do I just...not get to have those things anymore like everyone else?" He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head back and forth. JC swallowed, clearing his throat. "Not devoid of feeling. Sure. But only in a way that'll at least make me more palatable to everyone, I guess. No offense, Dhruv. But I have the sense you're trying to...logically loophole a way out of something spiritual. My fire is an integral part of me. My core. It's gone now. I don't get to have it anymore. What's left? Duty? Sure." He trailed off.
"Yeah. I sort of feel like a ticking time bomb. I'm not really safe to Meena or the pack, I don't think. I know others have shit going on too, but...an Alpha bite is pretty deadly and all."
It didn't sound like nothing, but Dhruv didn't comment. Things could always be worse, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. They didn't need more things happening nor did he want more bad luck than what he already had. "Yeah, let's not jinx that."
Dhruv was quiet for a bit as he turned the words over in his head. "Everyone else has anger and passion too, man." There was a part of him that almost wanted to laugh at the mention of spiritual, it wasn't funny, just perplexing because it felt so far removed from what he was trying to say. "I think we're talking about different things? Or well, different angles. I wasn't trying to find a loophole." He frowned faintly, searching for the right way to explain it. "You're not wrong to be worried, what I meant was that now you just have to be more aware of what you do with it. You don't have to control emotions to the point where they cease to exist... just..." he scratched the back of his head and let out a slow breath. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you keep talking like stopping to think before acting is some kind of loss of personality? I know it might feel that way, but the core of you isn't gone, at least not from where I'm standing."
The mention of being a ticking time bomb drew a nod from him. "I get it. I spent a long time wondering whether I was safe to be around too." He knew exactly what a werewolf bite could do, spent enough time wishing he could forget. Though his bite wasn't as lethal as the Alpha's but being part of an experiment, being made to lose control and hurting Meena of all people, the fear of that happening again never really went away. "I don't think this started the night you got injected. Bad things could happen before too. The circumstances are different now, risks are worse, but —and this is just my opinion— isolating yourself isn't really going to change anything or help your cause."
Rangi scowled. She won't tell Dhruv exactly what her parents had said about Mason, about how he was just mortal, it was bound to happen, but she couldn't help the angry noise she made. "Yeah, well, there's a reason I haven't talked to them since it happened."
Really, Rangi understood exactly how Dhruv felt. Moving on felt too final, too wrong. It was something impossible. It was something she knew she'd never be able to do, not fully. She'd been trying. They both had. It wasn't working. She shrugged. "It's nothing or this pathetic, empty pile of grief." Her body deflated, though, and her shoulders drooped. "No, I-- I'm sorry. I just...it's all so messed up." A beat. "I'm so messed up."
The angry noise that left Rangi drew the faintest nod from him. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I can see why." He left it there. Whatever she thought of her parents, whatever sat behind the distance between them now, it wasn't really his place to pry at it. The silence that followed felt easier than the conversation.
At least for a moment.
Dhruv watched the way her shoulders sagged beneath the weight of it all. It was familiar in a way he wished it wasn't. "Are those the only options? I'm not sure if either of us figured out how to carry it yet properly yet." He wanted to disagree, and he did somewhat, with a quiet shake of his head, but something else in him faltered as she continued. He'd already told her she wasn't broken, told her grief wasn't something to be ashamed of, told her that trying counted. But somehow they'd ended up back here anyway. He knew she understood too, that she was listening. But because grief was stubborn it looped back on itself.
For a long moment, he said nothing. There had always been a part of him that believed problems could be solved if he understood them well enough. That if he could find the right angle, the right equation, the right things to say, eventually something would click into place. But he was starting to see now that nothing everything could be reasoned with. And if he was honest with himself, he wasn't exactly succeeding with his own grief either, and that realisation didn't come with frustration, just a tired sort of acceptance.
"You don't have to apologise," he said at last. "I don't think it's you, Rangi. I think it's the situation." Mason. Kitty. Everything that had happened since. How was anyone supposed to walk away from that unchanged? "I don't think grief's meant to look good, if it did, it'll probably be a lot easier."
The words settled between them before he glanced toward the path leading away from the cemetery. The weight in his chest was still there but exhaustion grew heavy as it sank into him. There wasn't anything else he could offer her today that he hadn't already tried to give. "I should probably head off. You'll be alright, yeah?"
Kiraz's brow knitted, and she found herself peaking one eye open, despite herself, up at him. Quietly, she eyed him. She wanted to ask 'why?'. Why should she tell him if she wanted anything? What was he going to do if she did? And why was he being so nice to her anyway? It didn't make sense. He got what he wanted already. The transformation worked. She wasn't dead. He should be happy, and yet he was here with her. "It is, but it's also just a day," She reminded him. He should be the one celebrating and, yet, she watched him disappear onto the return with a cake of all things. "And... you have a cake," Her brows scrunched even further. The corner of her lips itched up despite herself as she took in the red little cherries that he must have requested to decorate it. She was shocked he'd even remembered.
"I suppose I am. You asking me on a date, Gov'nor?" She peered over at him, though she knew better than to actually believe that he would be, which is what made the cake even more perplexing. "As in pop yours? Mhm. Yeah. I like cherries. Might be a weird cake flavor though," She admitted as she slowly reached over to swipe at the frosting with the tip of her finger before she brought it to her lips. "Hmm," A small, but happy smile managed to flicker across her lips, however faint, as her head moved to rest in his lap. Letting her eyes fall closed once more, she admitted quietly under her breath, "But... " She didn't even do anything. He's the one whose research had been right. "Why? That should be your cake, not mine. You're the one who did it. Can't say you were a fluke anymore. You officially cracked the code on the werewolf gene. Congratulations."
"Yeah, it also is a day," he agreed. "Like I said though, I wanted to do something for you," he added with a shrug. He caught the smile which relaxed him a touch, taking that as a sign that he hadn't annoyed her with it all. Letting a laugh through at the comment, he nudged her slightly unable to help himself from teasing, "Is that you telling me you wanna date me?" He didn't answer the question though, because why would she want that? Letting that go unanswered felt like a better idea. Or maybe it wasn't, he didn't think on it too much longer. "Yeah, that," he added with another laugh. "It's also chocolate. Cherry and chocolate go together don't they?" He was sure he had that combination before.
When she shifted closer, his arm lifted automatically to rest across her shoulders. Her laying on him was easy to logic away: she was tired, clearly. The question, however, he couldn't answer immediately. Should he really be proud of that? There was relief, certainly, she survived, results reproduced, but did that deserve a congratulations? He didn't think it did. Just meant that nothing failed. Which was the expectation to meet. That's all. "It was supposed to work. That's not really worth celebrating. Cake says 'Happy Birthday' that's code for congrats on being another year older." Watching her eyes close, he didn't carry on with any more talk. His own gaze drifting to the ceiling, watching as sunlight drifted across the room, and in typical fashion, when things fell into this sort of quiet lull, his mind wandered to everything and nothing at the same time.
END.
open starter ft. anyone, located outside of boba cha. (00/05)
josie stepped out of boba cha with her drink in one hand and her phone in the other, already distracted by a string of texts she probably should've ignored. she was so focused on typing out a reply that she didn't notice someone approaching until it was far too late. her shoulder collided with theirs, and suddenly her freshly purchased brown sugar milk tea was no longer in her hand. "oh shit!" she yelped, watching in horror as the cup went airborne. the lid popped off mid-flight, sending tea and boba pearls scattering dramatically across the sidewalk before the empty cup clattered to the ground.
"oh darn it!" for a long moment, josie simply stared at the mess, looking like she'd just witnessed a personal tragedy. then her gaze slowly lifted to the stranger she'd run into. "i'm so sorry. i didn't mean to bump into you. i just-- i got really distracted with summer break."
Dhruv, much like the girl on the same path as him that he didn't see, had his attention split between the pavement ahead and the latest message that light up his phone. Texts like this didn't need immediate attention, Fred was somewhat competent at his job, but he was also an Engineer and that in itself warranted haste. Thumbs moved quickly but he didn't quite hit send when something, someone, slammed into his shoulder.
"Oi watch—" Dhruv looked up just in time to witness the drink launch itself into the air in what could only be described as slow-motion tragedy as boba pearls scattered in every direction. "Well shit." Both of them stared at the mess in equal surprise, though when his eyes met hers, she seemed more devastated than anything else. "No, no, that was partially my fault too, sorry," he said, slipping his phone into his pocket. "I was texting and walking. A terrible combination." He blinked slightly in confusion at what she said, "Sorry, what? Summer break caused this?"
"Oh goodie. Now it's time for one of our signature pity parties. Do you need to hear how you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me again, or can we skip over the who's the worst person award this time around?" He asked with a tilt of a brow as he took another hit of the joint, wondering if the conversation was going to go down the self-depreciation direction, if he should bust out some harder stuff for himself alone, or if seeing harder drugs would only make Dhruv try to take them too. "Okay, well, how about you list them then?"
Dhruv rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. He considering whether he actually wanted to answer and list things. The question had seemed simple enough, but now that he was trying to put thoughts in order, they still felt tangled together.
He held up a thumb. "She survived." Index finger joined next. "Pretty sure JC hates me." Then came the middle finger, at which, Dhruv folded the other two, and held it up directly at Vivek. "Fuck you." There wasn't even a hint of a smile at first, but complete seriousness could never hold. Lasting exactly long enough for him to be pleased with himself, a chuckle rolled out soon after. "Not actually a concern. Just felt important to include."
Dropping the count, he waved his hand vaguely through the air as though the motion alone might encompass several months of accumulated frustration. "The rest is the usual stuff. Research feels like it's going nowhere, been getting five questions to one answer. Time has stopped making any coherent sense." Running a hand through his hair, he fell back against the wall with a quiet sigh. "Wasn't trying to throw a pity party, by the way. You asked," he said after a moment, glancing at Vivek. "But your turn, wise guy. I don't feel like talking much anymore. What's going on in your life?"
for: @acostacowgirl time & location: morning after the full moon, somewhere on her property
Time always felt different after a full moon. Too quiet. Too loud too. Dhruv moved through it slowly. Not because he wanted to, but because his body no longer seemed interested in cooperating with him. The shift back had taken more out of him than usual, leaving behind a lingering weakness beneath his skin that, even hours later, every step still felt clumsy and heavy in a way he couldn't quite explain away. He figured fresh air might help.
Dhruv pressed a hand briefly against the nearest tree when another wave of dizziness curled unpleasantly through him. He waited for it to pass but the ache in his limbs only deepened, settling stubbornly into bone and muscle alike while he forced himself onward. He muttered under his breath, but rather than words a dry cough caught in his chest without warning. He brought a hand instinctively to his mouth, more out of reflex than concern...until he saw blood. For a long second, he only stared. "That's not ideal," he said mostly to himself. Dhruv pushed himself away from the tree anyway, stubbornness doing what good judgement wouldn't. One step. Then another. The ground shifted unevenly beneath his feet while black crept into the corners of his vision.
It was through that growing haze that he noticed a figure some distance ahead. Recognition and relief hit so abruptly it almost made him laugh. "Lara. Hey," he tried, though it barely came out audible. "I think I have about ten seconds before—" The ground titled three seconds later. Knees buckled first, then the rest of him followed. Dhruv barely registered himself hitting damp earth before consciousness vanished entirely.
Rangi shrugged with one shoulder, the other clenched tightly in her jacket pocket. "Guess that's what happens when you're over eight-hundred years old. A year means nothing to you. People who live less than a hundred mean nothing." She remembered, still, the words that had made her finally snap. They were going to die soon anyway. Her grip grew tighter, nails digging into her palm, cutting lines of little half moons into her skin. Mortals aren't worth it. She let out a breath and tried to relax her grip.
Rangi just hummed at his reply. She wished she could deny it, too. She wished she had the ability to lie to everyone else as well as herself. "Do you really think she'd think that about you?" she nodded towards the headstone. "That you're nothing? That what you guys had was meaningless? Just because you can't move on?" It was maybe unfair but Rangi had learned that life didn't care about fair the hard way. She let out a puff of air. "You don't know that." I loved him, she wanted to say, did you know that? Because I didn't, until it was too late. Instead, she bit her tongue. "You don't know me."
"That definitely does explain things, yeah. I think they can't help it sometimes? It's not an excuse though." Maybe it was their way to cope with the ever-changing world, but immortals tend to forget mortal lives aren't any less significant.
"No," he answered, "I know she wouldn't. Moving on...well," he shook his head, "can't do that in the typical sense because it meant too much. I care too much to let go fully? Maybe that's a fault, I don't care. She was family. That's why I can't think that I'm failing or have failed. I can't be nothing." There was a stubbornness to it. The same stubbornness that refused to let him call himself a failure, no matter how often the thought surfaced. "I wasn't trying to tell you who are," he said slowly. "But no, you're right, I don't know you." He didn't need to ask, didn't need to say more, it felt obvious, she never did allow that, probably never would. "Sorry."
closed || @dhruvxmehta & Charlie
Before moving to Lunar Cove Charlie rarely drank. She could count on her hands how many times in her entire life, until she watched people die in front of her at the town's Masquerade Ball. The whole event had been a shock, to say the least, and the siren was struggling to cope. Wine, alone in her room felt pathetic, so she ventured into Sunny Harbor to a local bar. The giant ship amused her. It looked like a fun place, but Charlie mostly kept to herself.
At the end of the bar she'd taken a seat with a wine glass in one hand and an I-Pad in the other. She was watching the live radar for the north eastern United States. It wasn't for work, not really. Charlie just enjoyed watching the radar. Which was all clear for their area, until a thought occurred to the siren. She'd been working with both Nyra the fae queen and her sister to develop and control her natural abilities, and while she was far, far from mastering anything she wanted to give her developing skills a little test.
After several moments of quiet and intense concentration, the siren's eyes started to glow and precipitation began to gather on the radar. Soon after the lightest sprinkle of rainfall could be heard just outside the bar, spraying the deck in a drizzle of drops that lasted half a minute at most. When it stopped Charlie began to burst with excitement. "Oh my god! Did you see that!?" She did not know the man beside her, yet he would do to celebrate with. "I did that! I made it rain, wow! Can you believe it!?"
Dhruv had only stopped by for a drink and a quick catch-up with Vivek, an easy enough excuse to kill half an hour before heading home. Nothing eventful. He had nothing new to report. He had been halfway through putting on his jacket when the sound of rain against the deck caught his attention. "Come on, not now..." he barely voiced his complain when the rain stopped. It was puzzling, yes, but strange weather in Lunar Cove ranked rather low on the list of unusual things he knew this town was capable of.
The excited voice beside him, however, was harder to ignore. Dhruv glanced over just in time to see the woman light up. For a second, he simply stared at her enthusiasm before looking back toward the now slightly wet deck. "Huh, yeah. You did." A small smile broke through a second later when it clicked. "Siren, I take it?" He glanced toward her screen and then back to her. "Oh, so that was intentional control, not a spike? That's cool."
His own features tight, as though there were a pressure in his jaw he could not quite clench away, JC offered a short nod. He seemed to wince. "She is. Or...well, she was when I visited her. She reflected it right back at me in the moment when it went down, so...she, you know, she did what she had to."
It was not as though he expected Dhruv to appreciate that he had been injured back, although JC did not suppose he would blame him, given recent happenings, but he felt some need to stress that Rangi had more than handled herself. The Alpha cleared his throat then. "Sorry." He left it at that, because some part of him genuinely believed that was the finale here.
"Well. Not for him. But I'm going to...I'm going to make sure he has the proper memorial he deserves. He shouldn't be remembered that way." JC met Dhruv's eye. "It...uh, well...I walk around like a pod person now. If I get too angry or happy or anything, the thing gets my body and my mind. It's not a fate I'd wish on anyone, and I don't think any amount of werewolf control training will fix it. Not bodily death, but personality? Sure. It is what it is, I guess. In any case, I'm glad I caught you. I'm going off-grid for a while, so I wouldn't have gotten another opportunity. Take care, okay?"
"Fuck, are you okay?" Having that reflected back didn't sound like a pleasant time, especially when he knew and saw what the Alpha had transformed into that night. And knowing what little he knew of her, he would hazard a guess that Rangi might have been very sorry about it too. "That night was one bad thing after another."
He nodded at proper memorial, it sounded better than becoming another horror story people whispered around in hushed voices. "I'm gonna be honest, I don't really follow? Are you saying this is a personality death? Does it actually react to everything? Even good emotions? Or is it more when things spike too hard?" Questions rolled out before he could fully stop himself. He cast a quick glance to the Alpha, studying the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, it was very different than how he used to be. "I get that this is worrying. I do. But having to regulate emotions isn't..." Dhruv hesitated a bit, chewing briefly on the inside of his cheek before speaking again. "I don't think being more careful means you have be to devoid of feeling?" He hoped that didn't come off as dismissive. "I'm not trying to step out of line again or anything by the way, only trying to understand."
"Whoa, what?" he said, blinking suddenly, genuine confusion breaking through. "Off-grid?" Dhruv almost wanted to stop him from leaving, but not wanting crease boundaries that had been set in place, he refrained, yet couldn't quite keep the concern from lingering. "Just... yeah alright. You too. Don't isolate yourself too much."
Emira tried to ignore how his laugh, even with how small and tired it was, pulled at her heartstrings. It was a foreign feeling she thought she had forgotten. But the body remembered, and the heart certainly never forgets how a first love could make the smallest things endearing. With time, she believed she was immune to these inconvenient flutters. But these small sensations reminded her that her fondness for Dhruv would always remain, no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it. "I'm glad you could feel it. I put my all into it, obviously." Her own snark and bite slipped out easily when met with his sarcasm.
The intimacy of being known was something that Emira had always craved yet feared. Being seen so clearly for who you are after living in the shadows of misunderstandings was terrifying, especially when your own perception of self was warped. Deep down, Emira wanted to believe she was a good person. Dhruv had looked at her like she had hung the moon, and she still broke his heart. Would a good person do that? Despite their time together, Emira still had walls. The truth of her family was one of those. She nodded, silently accepting his apology. She never had to question Dhruv's sincerity. Even now, when it wasn't deserved. "At least I could keep you on your toes. Is this an exclusive club of two, or do a series of unfortunate events happen to everyone here?" For a moment, Emira felt like she had been transported to a much simpler time. The scene felt familiar. Where late-night laughter and the glow of the TV hummed in odd hours of the night, once thrived were now replaced with stilled silence and unsaid truths.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. "You ask right when I'm comfortable?" She dared to test a teasing tone. It was light, almost undetectable, but the attempt was still made as she stood. "Sure, I could use some fresh air, and by the sound of it, so can you. You looking at papers for twenty hours seems more realistic, but okay, glad you got at least some paper time in the middle of much-needed sleep." She could physically feel her heartbeat skip inside her chest as Dhruv's hand extended out towards her. The moment felt more like a dream than reality. A vision she saw every so often when she closed her eyes and thought of the man she loved so dearly. Emira would have dared to pinch herself, but it would've caused an even bigger scene. After a quick moment, she took his hand, the air being knocked out of her lungs. Her hand fit perfectly into his, just as it always had, the sensation all too familiar. It felt like no time had passed once their hands had joined, but the harsh reality was that time had passed.
They were no longer the people they once were, the last time they had been this close. "You have a lot of explaining to do .... and so do I."
"Obviously, I'm honoured to be graced with all the effort," he replied easily, a quieter but more genuine laugh escaping him this time. He let it settle for a moment before lightly shaking his head, like he was trying not to fall too naturally into the rhythm they once had. His gaze drifted to her then, properly taking her in and the way she carried herself. It struck the same notes, especially in the quieter things. The way she accepted things without fully opening the door to them. He still noticed that. He still understood that.
"You definitely kept me on my toes," he agreed, letting the conversation shift, "Still do. Though I will say the club extends well beyond us. I don't think they let you into this town without at least one unfortunate event." His mouth twitched slightly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that bloke who wrote all those books just came here for inspiration," he added, clearly spinning a yarn now for the heck of it as he leaned in slightly for effect. "Have you seen the haunted house on the hill? Looks suspiciously similar to the one from the movie." The grin that tugged at the corner of his mouth lingered. "When else am I supposed to ask?" he shot back, slipping into the same teasing tone. "When you're standing up?"
At her jab about sleep, he lifted a hand in immediate defence. "Okay, first of all, those were strategic power naps," he argued, making way for truth he no longer felt like hiding. "Second, if you knew how much of this mess is self-inflicted, you'd actually be impressed I slept at all." He shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, because to him it wasn't.
But the second her hand slipped into his, something in him faltered. The familiarity of it hit harder than he expected. He only realised a moment too late that his fingers had curled around hers, holding on for a fraction longer than necessary before he covered it by ushering her out the door, moving a little too quickly in hopes to not focus on it. He grabbed his keys and jacket, shrugging it on as they stepped outside. "You first," he said, walking in step next to her. "I don't even know where to start...there's too much that..." He shook his head lightly. He didn't want to ask the obvious question, didn't know how to address that. "You first," he said again, "I assume you know what I want to ask you, yeah?"
"Suit..." Kiraz breathed out. Her chest lifted and fell with each intake and drawn-out exhale. "-yourself." She didn't bother to bat an eye as he readjusted the blanket over her shoulder. She wasn't cold. Quite the contrary. She still felt as though she was burning up. Nor did she feel a need to fix it for modesty's sake. But if it made him feel more comfortable, then he could do whatever the hell he pleased as far as she was concerned. "Cake?" Her chin perked ever so slightly up at the thought. "Why?" Her brows, however, knitted as he continued on. Slowly, however, less than ideal as it was to be moving, she rotated about once more so that he could see her lifted up brow. "I don't understand. We didn't have plans, did we?"
The laboured breathing and the way each word seemed to cost her effort was slightly jarring to witness. Dhruv had spent a long time burying the memory of his own first shift, packing it away so thoroughly that he'd almost convinced himself he'd forgotten it. Almost. But the faint scars left behind were proof enough that he hadn't, and seeing her like this threatened to drag some of it back to the surface. Which was probably why he finally gave up on trying to fix the blanket around her. He remembered the heat, the rise in body temperature. "If you want anything, tell me, yeah?" he said and left it at that.
"Why?" he repeated, "It's your birthday, innit?" He got up and disappeared into the kitchen, returning a couple minutes later carrying a small cake, a candle, and cutlery, and set everything down on the coffee table. "Didn't realise I had to formally schedule times to hang out with you, but noted." A grin tugged at his mouth as he sat down beside her. "You free right now?" The joke came easily, though the concern behind it never quite left. "Come on, sit up a little. Lean on me if you need." He nudged the table closer with his foot so she wouldn't have to reach far. "It's cherry. You still like cherry, right? Got it from the Pie Hole... as in shut your." A quiet laugh escaped him as he pushed the candle into the cake and lit it. And for a moment things did feel normal. But of course, nothing really was. "I know it's not much. I wasn't really sure how everything was gonna go," he said looking back at her with a shrug, "still wanted to do something for you though."
"I tend to always say what I mean. It's habit." Over a century, nearly two, of being completely unable to lie and no desire to attempt to skirt around it made Lara blunt and to the point. There was no need for unnecessary implications. If she said something, for the most part, she meant it. Her lies were clumsy, even after the last few years as a wolf. "Would you like me to say that you were not normal?" she asked.
Lara snorted. "Did you collect football cards? Like to show them to adults?" She couldn't imagine him as a child. There was something so tired behind his eyes that did not translate. "They cannot be cool like that? Have you checked the settings?" Her eyes crinkled at the edges, even if the rest of her face remained mostly impartial. "You're so interested in my music taste. Is it so surprising that I have listened to Tears for Fears?"
"Yeah, I've noticed," Dhruv replied. "It's a good thing." He understood the tendency. She had been fae, after all. After so long of being unable to lie, it was hardly surprising that saying exactly what she meant had become second nature. At her offer, he immediately shook his head with a laugh. "No, no, I'm fine, thanks. We can stick to me being normal."
He ducked his head slightly with a sheepish grin. "And if I did? Look, let me explain," he said, quickly moving to defend himself. "I was a child and properly obsessed with it, yeah? Had posters on my wall and everything." That probably wasn't helping his case, but the smile on his face suggested he didn't particularly care. "I thought it was very cool. Though enthusiastically explaining teams and player statistics to adults who were clearly just trying to be polite did humble me eventually." His grin widened all the same. Catching even that brief flicker of amusement from her was nice. "Mh, you're onto something there. I'll make a note to check the manual."
At the question, he shook his head. "It's less that you've listened to it and more the Britishness of it, if that makes any sense?" he said with a chuckle. "You went from the Beatles to Tears for Fears. It's good. We can finally leave Pitbull behind." The warmth in his expression lingered. "But can you blame me for being interested in what you like?" he asked, tone slipping into easy teasing, "you reveal these things one at a time. Which is nice, don't get me wrong. I'm hoping by next month I'll find out your favourite colour."
"You are kind," Lara said. He was. She knew that many found the lack of conversation off putting. If she cared more, she might put more effort into it, but there was so rarely a point. There rarely needed to be long, drawn out conversations unless things needed to be explained, or unless one was simply interested in the sound of the other's voice. There were very few voices that Lara found interesting enough to talk about nothing with. "And a flatterer, if you compliment my silences, too," she murmured, teasing quietly. "Would it not be nice, if change only happened on our terms?"
"Ah, wasn't trying to flatter," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fact, really." A small smile lingered briefly before fading as he found himself considering her question a little longer than expected. Of course it would be nice. Life would be far easier if change arrived when invited, if it knocked politely and waited to be let in instead of kicking the door down when it pleased. "Yeah, it would be nice. Though I get the feeling life would find a way to ignore our terms anyway. Like how we skip on reading terms and conditions, y'know?" he flashed a smile, "That's probably what life does."
"See. God forbid I happen to know you," He shot his friend a knowing look. A light laugh broke from his lips at the sound of the other man's cough. "I was thinking about it, but yeah sure I'll take a hit," Vivek decided after a momentary pause, reaching over to take the joint he had been offered back. "So, you wanna talk about whatever the hell is on your mind or would you rather I put on some music and we stare at blank wall for the foreseeable future?"
He watched Vivek take the joint, a light huff escaping from him at the comment. "Yeah, yeah, well knowing me ain't all that great." Dhruv didn't feel that needed expanding upon. But a moment later, tension did seem to ease a little from his shoulders, replaced by a familiarity that made things a touch easier. "Blank wall staring does sound appealing right now," he admitted, leaning back slightly and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck with a low exhale. "I don't even know if I have a solid thing on my mind? It's more like... a lot of things stacked badly on top of each other."
