hair of the dog

DIEGO MENDOZA | TWENTY THREE | WEREWOLF honestly i dont even play an active role in my life stuff just happens and im like oh is this what we’re doing now ok. — Hollywood Nerd™ Adrenaline Makeover™ Perfectly Gentle & Noble Beast™ Blessed with Suck™ Naïve Newcomer™

[dieoza]

elenaridley:

      She couldn’t help but notice his… awkwardness, and relate to it to an extent. She’d had more trouble than saying a few funny things here and there when she came back from death. There were times when she wanted nothing more to be around people, real living people, but couldn’t bring herself to say anything at all. Perhaps she was too willing to put herself in the shoes of strangers, but she would argue that was only ever a good thing —in this case, it made him more endearing than awkward. 

      “I don’t know, we’ve got heroes named Harry and Steve. Diego sounds better, if you ask me —even if all you’re saving is my life.” 

      Again, she laughed at a joke that was only funny to her. 

      “Were you heading to the diner, or..?”

"That's true," He gave a nod of encouragement and consideration, assuming she had to be referencing some kind of popular culture which instantly made him fond of her. He could talk superheroes, that was one thing he'd always aspired to be when he was a kid and not much had changed in the last twenty odd years. "Still. What I'd give to have a name like Charles Xavier or something," He added, smiling over at her with a light chuckle. "That'd be cool. You'd sound awesome at every introduction."

Twisting then to look at the diner, he thought about the last time he was in there, sweating nervously and having his entire life fall apart. Call him silly but... this was kind of a Face Your Fears thing for him. By going back in there, this time relatively calm and collected, he'd no long associate Talbots with the soul-crushing feeling of falling apart. "Yeah," He finally answered, looking back at the blond. "You?"

[dieoza]

jaceofmystery:

Despite himself, Jace began to smile as the man started to ask about weird things. Jace was an expert in weird things. He basically had an honorary PhD in weird things. And now everything started making sense and falling into place. This was another innocent victim of some kind of supernatural occurrence, and Jace felt well equipped to help him in anyway he could. His smile disappeared as he pursed his lips. He learned forward a bit, lowering his voice and nodded.

“Everyday, believe it or not,” he said quietly. “It probably feels like you’re going crazy, but you’re not. Trust me, you’re not going crazy… This town has a lot of strange things going on in it. A lot of strange… unexplainable things. But I’ve known this for a while and I’ve looked into things. If you need help or information… I may have it. Just tell me what really happened.”

Diego wondered if he was joking, if that was a joke and he'd simply watched it fly right over his head as the guy spoke. How could he be used to weird things happening every day? In this town? The weirdest thing Diego had ever experienced so far in his six months of living here was the fact that sometimes the barista at the cafe seemed to read his mind when he was trying to make tough menu decisions. Other than that though, West Hollow seemed normal. That was the only reason he was freaking out so much about all this. It was insane.

He looked at the guy again, this time a little desperately at the idea of getting answers. Those were something he wanted more than anything right now, but he had a hard time believing somebody as regular looking as him would know anything about bones breaking and hair sprouting in places even Diego coming from Latino heritage knew it wasn't supposed to sprout from. He chewed on the inner skin of his lips, hesitating hard before he shifted in his seat and shuffled forward a little. "Okay... I was... at this party..." Diego began nervously, delving into the horrifically embarrassing story of his weekend. "I met this girl and we... well, I mean, we didn't... anyway, that's not the point. We almost..." He shook his head, quickly trying to back-peddle the story. "But then I... I was really sick. I felt sick, I mean. I went home after that... or at least I think I did... I don't really remember, I was... really out of it. Then," He looked at the guy awkwardly, not sure how to say this. "I woke up with these really weird... scratches all over me." Just his back, actually, but the stranger didn't have to know that. He didn't have to know all the majorly embarrassing details like how he'd almost gotten with a girl, only to vomit on her and want to die quickly afterwards. "Ever since my day's just gotten... weirder and weirder."

[dieoza]

finleylanerp:

when he said it out loud she could see how uncomfortable it made him, and she wished she could tell him everything would be okay and that he could go about his normal life and not much would change. but that wouldn’t be fair to him, everything was changing rapidly for him and it would take some adjusting, but that’s what she was there for. when he told her about the previous night and he remembered everything he had gone through finley couldn’t help but remember back to the first time she had turned. she had been absolutely terrified and had no idea how to react, and he had clearly experienced the same thing. turning for the first time is an experience no one ever forgets because it tends to be extremely intense and traumatizing.

finley chewed on her bottom lip lightly when diego mentioned blood everywhere when he had woken up. his question caused her to let out a small and sad breath, “i don’t know, you might have. best case scenario it was animal blood, but it’s almost impossible to say unless you can remember it yourself.” from the short interaction the two of them had she knew he was the type of person that would never want to hurt anybody, so the thought that he may have injured or possibly killed someone had to have been gut-wrenching for him. “but you can’t focus on the past, if you do you’re just going to drive yourself crazy. what we need to do is focus on training you how to control your powers and impulses. do you trust me?” she asked as she looked at him with clear determination in her eyes. she was going to do everything in her power to help him.

Diego looked down sadly, despair rushing through him all over again. He couldn’t handle it if he’d hurt anybody, the first thing he’d done after scrubbing the dirt and blood off of him for an hour under boiling hot water was check on his family. His dad, pawing over tax statements in the dining room and his little sister, watching TV... the relief that had swept through him had been almost euphoric. He’d hugged Zoe until she wailed that he was embarrassing her ( in front of nobody ) and made his dad a cup of tea filled with silent gratitude. Now, though, he worried about someone else out there waiting for a loved one to come home that never would. Surely it couldn’t have been that bad right? He’d have remembered it...

Nodding slowly, he agreed with that, with driving himself mad over wondering. It was strange how he’d only just met this girl and yet, she had the inate ability to talk him back from the edge of an anxiety attack. It was strange, and Diego could only see himself depending on it more than he probably should. “Yeah...” He heard the word come out of him, charmed by her tone. “I don’t know why because I still think this is crazy but... if what you’re saying is true then you’re my only hope of making it through this.”

[dieoza]

trickstertae:

“Nah, I definitely wouldn’t call it normal.” With a grin as bright as the sun itself and at least twice as cruel, Tae slipped into the seat across the table. His lips had curled up the moment he’d spotted the young werewolf outside the diner and he’d been unable to wipe off the grin ever since, finding the memories of puppy’s chaotic first night to be way too entertaining. “Also, it was remarkable how awful you were at chasing that cat. The peeing part went flawless, I’ll give you that, but you certainly gotta step up your hunting game.”

Eyes glowing with amusement, Tae leaned back in his seat and rested his ankle comfortably on his other leg’s knee. His body language was seemingly exuding satisfaction and while he wasn’t one to only pick at the easy prey, he certainly wouldn’t spare them. “I gotta admit, though, I haven’t had that much fun in weeks and I didn’t even have to lift a finger. I guess I owe you a thank-you.”

Diego felt himself go rigid, staring at the man before him in utter shock when he was approached so casually, particularly given he was right in the middle of an emotional avalanche. Looking at him, Diego felt a weird sense of awe was over him, as if he instantly knew this person was made up of a galaxy worth of perfection. Blinking out of it thought when he mentioned the cat, Diego felt is gut drop. “You... You saw that?” He stammered, not sure how to take any of this. Had he... had he done this in plain sight? Had this guy seen him do it? Diego’s mind was reeling.

“A thank—” He cut himself off, bewilderment crashing over him like the way a piano might fall on someone’s head in some comedy cartoon. Disorientating as it was though Diego turned more to the stranger. “Did you see me do that? I mean... Like, you’re saying I didn’t imagine it?”

[dieoza]

☠ Do they fear death?

Hek yes, above all else.

[dieoza]

☹

☹ Name one person they would kill for.

His little sister Zoe.

[dieoza]

▼✿

▼ What is their greatest fear?

That he’ll hurt somebody while bein hairy. That he’ll fail his father somehow. That he won’t be able to give his little sister everything she needs. That he’ll not be able to finish his degree. That his mother won’t find love again. Basically everything, everything is his greatest fear, hes afraid of everything.

✿ Would they ever trust dark or wicked magic?

Likely not.

[dieoza]

¿, ☣, ♣

¿ Are they easily frightened?

110%. He’s so jumpy.

☣ Would they kill someone close to them if they had to?

There’s no way I think he could even force his hand if he had to to stop them suffering.

♣ Do they believe the world is made up of good and evil?

I think he has no idea and pondering philosophy gets him really flustered.

[dieoza]

☾, ✔, △, ☄

☾ What is their favorite and least favorite thing about the night?

I imagine he likes the quiet. But he HATES the spooks. He’s a jumpy guy.

✔ Are they holding a grudge against anyone?

Impossible. Unless it’s against himself then yes 100%.

△ Name one thing from their past that they regret.

Not being honest with his dad that he wasn’t interested in engineering as much as he wanted to do education, or that he wants to be a teacher, not working in his dad’s construction company.

☄ While watching a scary movie, are they the one clinging to a friend or being clung to?

He’s the clinger FOR sure!

[dieoza]

romansmoore:

The fact that Roman’s discreet message flew right over his head was enough to leave the warlock speechless. He w trying his very best not to judge the man sitting behind him, especially given his plight. Apparently, Roman would need to lay it on thick or outright tell him if he ever expected the werewolf-in-training to get the point. “I’m trying to keep this as lowkey as possible,” he quietly explained, “because you sound like you’re having ‘wolf problems, dude. You should probably keep your voice down so humans don’t hear you, and probably hit up the manager because this place is run by your kind. Literally, everyone who works here is…y’know.” He brought his hands up behind his head so that they looked like dog ears. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume you’re new to this whole ‘not being human’ thing, huh?”

The moment the guy dropped his voice, Diego felt his spine stiffen up, his mind reeling on the possibility of what he was about to say next. He hoped he wouldn’t say it, hoped that this was just some passing moment. But then he said the W-Word and Diego felt himself go bone-white. He knew. How did he know? How was that even possible? How was any of this even possible at all? One moment he’d just been trying to live a classic Rob Reiner directed life and the next he’d... well, he’d done a lot more than just pee on some old lady’s hedges.

“No need,” He sighed at the limb comment. “You’re right, except... well, that’s not... it’s not possible, so...” He felt like an idiot, this guy was probably just playing him. Making him think he was even more of a weirdo than he already felt. “I think I just... I don’t know, ate something wrong or...” He trailed off, unsure of what else to offer. Not human wasn’t the right thing to say surely but... it was definitely how he was feeling.

[dieoza]

soulofsin:

Mila raised an eyebrow but dropped it quickly: the only signs on her face that she was remotely entertained by his performance. Truthfully, it was one of the more interesting ways she’d been approached for help. Almost literally bumping into one another, it felt like судьба. She knew it was the right idea to stand outside by her sign. She hoped it made her seem less intimidating, but then again, the boy in front of her seemed as if he would be intimidated by a fly. Anxious, or going through a crisis, she inferred. 

Smiling softly, unbothered entirely by his show, she nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’m here for,” then–suspicion. It would be the easy route to assume he’d meant therapy, but in this town, nothing was ever the easy option. He held panic in his eyes, as if his world had just been shattered, as if everything he ever knew had been turned to dust. Again, there were two options. Either he’d just become incredibly intimate with the supernatural—directly or otherwise—or he was genuinely neuoritic. Both was also likely. “Why don’t we sit and have some tea and get to know each other a little better? So you can discover just what kind of help I am able to offer,” 

He felt himself swell up from the inside, so much so that his head felt like he’d just hit high altitude. But he knew that was just his nerves, knew that if he was going to learn to control any of his emotions when it came to what had happened to him, he was going to have to trust in a stranger. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe she could actually help. Did she help lots of people like him? His case specifically?

“Oh... sure. Yeah, okay.” He agreed, edging closer to the door when offered, trying to swallow over the golfball in his throat.

[dieoza]

finleylanerp:

finley watched the changing expressions on his face and tried to interpret them. she could tell he was trying to come to terms with the information she had given him, and she also knew it would take quite a bit of time for that to happen. being told you’ve been turned into a werewolf isn’t something you can just take lightly and deal with, and she knew that more than anyone. she just waited for him to speak next, she didn’t want to overwhelm him, though that was nearly impossible given the situation. but still she waited, knowing that when he was ready he would let her know.

when he mumbled the question and looked down at his shoes she felt a sense of grief for him. the life he had been living before was over now, a whole new set of challenges waited for him in this new phase of life he was entering. “i would help you by training you to control your impulses and perfect your new skills and abilities. with all this new power you have you’re going to have to learn how to control it. it’s really hard for werewolves to deny their instincts when they’re first turned, i’m sure you’ve already experienced a little bit of that.” as diego’s eyes met hers she changed her expression from one of concern to a partly-convincing smile. “and i would just be here for you. i know what this process is like and i know how scary and polarizing it can be. i would always only be a phone call away if you needed help. and you are going to need it at some point.”

finley let out a small breath as she looked at him, the two of them still fairly close together from when she had been holding his hands in hers to comfort him. “i’m so sorry this happened to you, but at this point there’s nothing you can do to change it. if you let me help you i promise the transition will be easier. you just have to trust me.” she knew trust wasn’t something a lot of people gave out easily and willingly. she was someone who trusted people maybe a little bit too easily, but she had no idea where diego fell in the spectrum. she hoped he would be able to have faith in her, if not he became a threat to the entire werewolf population. his lack of experience and control could cause trouble in west hollow and possibly even expose the species to humans. “what are you thinking?” she asked softly and wished she could think of something else to say.

Looking back at her was possibly the best thing he could have done at that moment, her expression reigning him in from the budding panic attack that he knew was waiting for him somewhere in the back of his mind. Listening to Finley, he wasn’t sure how much more he could deny her or this whole situation that had transpired between them. Whatever this all was, she seemed to think it was real. Even more than that, she seemed to think she could help him... and god, all he could think about was how he could have used the company of someone like her last night. Even hearing that she’d be close by for him to reach out to felt like a weight lifting off his shoulders, a sudden clearing beginning to form in his head. Suddenly, he realized he had questions, and finally, he felt a little less overwhelmed to ask them. 

Prompted by her question, Diego began to form the words but failed once again, voice wavering as he tried to think of what to say. What could he say? What the heck was the answer here? “So, I... I guess I’m...” He tried to say it, to form the words that sounded like some stupid MTV show script. “I guess I’m... a werewolf.” There, he said it. He felt stupid and dumb but he also felt... weirdly relieved. It explained... pretty much everything. Even if he still felt like he was tripping. “Last night, I... I guess it was the first time I’d... you know,” He didn’t even know what to cal it. Was there such a thing as a politically correct way to talk about beasting out? “It was so... I mean, I broke my arm in the third grade but last night was like...” He struggled to explain it exactly, though if she was experiencing this too, he knew he wouldn’t really have to. “It was like having someone break every single bone in my body.” His tone softened as if last night had easily been one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. “And when I woke up, it was like I couldn’t remember anything from the day before like it was all some dream but... I knew it wasn’t because when I woke up,” He said. “There was blood everywhere...” He confessed, voice tremoring again as he looked at Finley, hesitating. “You don’t think... I hurt someone, do you?””

[dieoza]

DIEGO MENDOZA, a summary.

“ Oh good. I am a crazy guy — who just broke into an abandoned building — who is talking to himself. ”

[grantsass-archives-deactivated2]

[dieoza]

tamsink:

Tamsin tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he got a better look at the unfamiliar boy. Was he high? That was Tamsin’s go to explanation when anyone was behaving out of the ordinary, born of far too much personal experience to be healthy – that was a fact. He nodded his head as the other answered in a halting cadence. “Shaker, the badly behaved Labrador,” he repeated.

Since when did people start naming their dogs Shaker? What happened to Rosco and Fido?

“Well, it sounds like you’ve got your hands full,” he said with a halfhearted chuckle. “Pissing on your neighbor’s bushes and chasing their cats… Can’t say I envy you, man.” Tamsin shrugged. What did he know about dogs? They’d had guinea pigs when he was growing up. In the seventies.

Oh no, Diego hated lying. Not the act itself, actually, he was impartial to that bit. It was just the stress he felt trying to do it, feeling like his lie was nothing but poorly fabricated, and the slow panic that often followed when he wondered for how many ears he’d have to keep it up for. How many more people would he have to tell about Shaker The Imaginary Dog after this to make sure he wasn’t caught out in a lie? Would he actually have to go out and find a fitting labrador? As the considerations flowed in, he felt himself weigh down like an anvil.

“Oh no, it sucks. It’s... the worst... actually.” He stammered, attempting to keep up the conversation for the sake of being polite. “I wouldn’t, um, recommend it at all... Owning a dog, I mean... not the... not the uh... hedge thing.” He hoped his face didn’t look guilty just then, he hoped if anything, he didn’t look like the guy who urinated on his neighbor’s bushes.

[dieoza]

jaceofmystery:

Wow, the anxiety on the man rivaled his own. But Jace could still sympathize… especially with the reluctance to go to the hospital. He never liked going there, it meant drama and it meant a lot more drama ever since his encounter with Josie. Still, he felt a moral obligation to insist. 

He moved to sit in the booth with him, right across, and placed his arms on the table. “Okay, dude, but no offense… you look like you’re gonna pass out at any second. I think you should still see someone just in case. Look, I’ve also had my share of ‘too much’” He said pointedly, brows raising knowingly. “Leah, my sister, always knew what to give me for the raging headaches and cold sweat.”

Jace paused, squinting a bit. Not suspiciously, but concerned. “You sure it’s drugs?” He asked, a little quieter.

Diego tried not to look alarmed when the boy sat, but it didn’t work, concealing panic wasn’t exactly an acute talent of his. Eyes widening, he felt his entire body stiffen like a cattle prod had just been stuck to his spine. One phone call and anyone in this diner could have the cops dragging him to the scene of his petty crimes from last night, and Diego couldn’t imagine a more humiliating scenario. His eyes flicked to the exit, considering how much of a lunatic he’d look like if he just made a run for it. Looking back at the guy though, Diego felt a shock of dismay run through him when he realized he was being watched like a hawk. There was no way to make this scene any less painful than it was, socially speaking anyway, so Diego figured... to hell with it. He’d already had the weirdest night of his life... surely a Round 2 wouldn’t kill him.

“Uh... Well, I mean, not exactly?” He began slowly, hesitantly, and wishing he had a napkin to wipe his forehead with. Instead, he fidgeted with the cap of the water bottle and chose his words carefully. “Have you ever...” Diego started, turning to look more at the guy and dropping his voice. “Had really... weird... things happen before? Like... the kind of weird that you know you couldn’t... exactly tell anyone... because they’d think you were crazy? Or just making it all up?” He felt stupid. He felt really stupid, actually. So stupid in fact, that he just kept going because he couldn’t stop himself. “Like... real... Bram Stoker weird things.”

[dieoza]

romansmoore:

Roman’s brows rose in silent judgement as the man’s rambling continued, and it was incredibly evident that he had some issues going on. Judging from his quiet mumbling beforehand, the stranger seemed to be having problems of the werewolf variety. While Roman’s knowledge on werewolves only went so far, it seemed that the man picked the perfect diner to have his existential crisis. A diner run by werewolves was quite honestly the best place to be if you’d just discovered you were, in fact, one of them. 

“You know,” he said, once the stranger had finished speaking. “You seem to be having, uh, dog problems.” The warlock carefully chose his words should any humans be within earshot. “And from what I know, there are plenty of dog owners who work here. You might want to ask for the manager and see if you can get advice on your dog problems.” Then, leaning forward, he quietly added, “Do you catch my drift?”

At the single word, Diego’s ears prickled and his head snapped up as if someone had just yelled his name. Dog problems, that was one way to put it. Watching as the guy continued to carefully construct his sentences, the insinuation flew right over Diego’s head like a frisbee. Staring, then allowing himself to squint in confusion, there was a long pause that remained after he spoke. Finally, Diego realized the other had asked a question and he was expected to answer it. “Manager....” He repeated, reflecting the same confusion he felt on his face “What, does he... does he really like... dogs or something?”