Hobb's Consolation Emporium

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

His head still swam through the thick muck of instinctual panic, watching Hobb stand up and move closer to the bars. Jain wasn’t so stupid to not pick up the man’s insinuations. The thought repulsed him, it was bad enough he was cowering from the man in a cage like a kicked dog now this was being asked of him. Rather ordered of him. He gun was still a threat- although not a lethal one it would still cause a great deal of damage and pain he didn’t have the reserves to easily recover from.

Jain clenched his teeth, square jaw set firmly as he glared to the older man before, reluctantly, getting back to his feet to stand. He looked to Hobb directly into his eyes in a last ditch display of dominance, grasping for anything at this point. He stood tall for a moment, a few seconds longer to see if he could pull some manner of intimidation on the other.

             “You’re nothing but walking meat to me,” he growled from deep in his chest.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

The reply to that was simple enough.

“Same” he agreed cheerily, letting the rest of the environment—the cage, the gun between them, the fact that the other man had asked for his name and he didn’t give a shit—do the rest of the work for him.  

He didn’t do anything else, waiting expectantly. He probably wouldn’t have done it exactly this way if he’d been totally sober, but. Again, no one was stopping him.

[radiatorchains]

Just play along for now. Get him to leave. Break this shit apart and burn this fucker and the rest of his shitstain family to the ground. Jain comforted himself silently in his mind as he moved to kneel down on his knees, eyes glared up to Hobb expectantly. The man wanted to shame him, but Jain wouldn’t let this hit to his ego knock him down. He figured the man that stood before him knew he could heal from lead bullets, partially expecting a pointblank shot to the forehead like a beef steer, that would take a long while to recover from, reserves he would exhaust to starvation to heal from, but it offered more dignity than the other option.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

“There we go” Hobb murmured in a soothing voice, smile leaking from his face into something more serious as the man complied, kneeling down in front of him. There was a part of him that wanted to take advantage of the position, had very specific ideas culminating in shooting into the middle of that pretty forehead. Net zero knowledge, just meat.

He didn’t do anything unfortunate. He was with family, there were possibilities here.  

“This is good; we can work with this.” The praise was genuine, as far as it went. He let himself luxuriate in the moment, considered asking the stranger to open his mouth to really lean into it, microdose where he wasn’t willing to actually do anything final.

Hm. This wasn’t great, he was significantly less in control than he’d thought he would be at this point. He was enjoying himself too much.

He needed to go somewhere else for a while to breathe, to not be around other people for awhile; come back safe.

But he couldn’t just walk away; this was a volatile introduction, nothing would stop him at any point, but it would be a major loss to just walk away. Calm down; think.

“I’m offering you a deal. One time only. If you fuck with it at any point that’s the end.” He breathed in, using the language to remind him that he cared about—a lot of things. His voice sounded different—smooth, too casual. He should be more deliberate.

“You’re getting moved. Comply, and it’ll be a pretty unremarkable experience. I’ll bring you some food after. Don’t, and you’ll be tied down at the end, you won’t enjoy it.” Small smile, he pointedly doesn’t mention how or whether he personally would enjoy it.

[radiatorchains]

He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel relief at seeing Hobb kneel before him as well. The lack of the press of cold steel to his head or other less appetizing things being asked of him. He felt a calm take him however small it was. Perhaps it would have been easier to be shot in the head and left in the cage as a corpse. At least then Jain could recover and make a run for it. Being moved- well that could either show itself as a blessing or a hinderance depending on where he was being moved.

The promise of food managed to draw out an interested growl both from his chest and his stomach. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second, he needed to eat though.

             “You’re fucked if you think I’m gonna stay,” he spoke almost mechanically, no real hostility or snarl there. Did he have a real choice? Would the man just kill him if he fought back? Was Hobb even capable of doing such grave damage to him? He made a lunge for the gun still tucked into Hobb’s pants, one last act of desperation to disarm his captor and- hopefully- make his escape.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Thank God. The stranger lunged for the gun, had a hand wrapped around it, so Hobb could do anything to him. No one could say he was reacting badly.

There was so much pressure building behind his eyes, it was a relief to backhand the man across the face, know that it wouldn’t do much and have to repeat the action as many times as it took to personally feel comfortable (five).

He was so much stronger than Hobb, after all. He was so dangerous. A thrill ran through him, a giddy laugh escaping his lips. The trick was—no reason to give him that kind of space. He had those resources, of course.

It was wasteful to be aggressive with the man now, but no one would think he was doing anything wrong now that the man had reached for his gun, presumably tried to kill him.

He hit and hit and hit, and had his hand on the pistol, ready to shoot. He’s trying to stop himself, aware that there was a way to do this badly.

He had a hand on the man’s leg, pulling him against the bars, and it would be so easy to shove the metal between the man’s lips and into his mouth, perform the rest of this from there.

His voice is breathy, trying hard not to want to hurt him more and knowing no one present would say anything if he did.

“Don’t be stupid” he murmured, and he’s really talking to himself. His voice is friendly, flirtatious.  He really wanted the man to be stupid.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

His head still swam through the thick muck of instinctual panic, watching Hobb stand up and move closer to the bars. Jain wasn’t so stupid to not pick up the man’s insinuations. The thought repulsed him, it was bad enough he was cowering from the man in a cage like a kicked dog now this was being asked of him. Rather ordered of him. He gun was still a threat- although not a lethal one it would still cause a great deal of damage and pain he didn’t have the reserves to easily recover from.

Jain clenched his teeth, square jaw set firmly as he glared to the older man before, reluctantly, getting back to his feet to stand. He looked to Hobb directly into his eyes in a last ditch display of dominance, grasping for anything at this point. He stood tall for a moment, a few seconds longer to see if he could pull some manner of intimidation on the other.

             “You’re nothing but walking meat to me,” he growled from deep in his chest.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

The reply to that was simple enough.

“Same” he agreed cheerily, letting the rest of the environment—the cage, the gun between them, the fact that the other man had asked for his name and he didn’t give a shit—do the rest of the work for him.  

He didn’t do anything else, waiting expectantly. He probably wouldn’t have done it exactly this way if he’d been totally sober, but. Again, no one was stopping him.

[radiatorchains]

Just play along for now. Get him to leave. Break this shit apart and burn this fucker and the rest of his shitstain family to the ground. Jain comforted himself silently in his mind as he moved to kneel down on his knees, eyes glared up to Hobb expectantly. The man wanted to shame him, but Jain wouldn’t let this hit to his ego knock him down. He figured the man that stood before him knew he could heal from lead bullets, partially expecting a pointblank shot to the forehead like a beef steer, that would take a long while to recover from, reserves he would exhaust to starvation to heal from, but it offered more dignity than the other option.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

“There we go” Hobb murmured in a soothing voice, smile leaking from his face into something more serious as the man complied, kneeling down in front of him. There was a part of him that wanted to take advantage of the position, had very specific ideas culminating in shooting into the middle of that pretty forehead. Net zero knowledge, just meat.

He didn’t do anything unfortunate. He was with family, there were possibilities here.  

“This is good; we can work with this.” The praise was genuine, as far as it went. He let himself luxuriate in the moment, considered asking the stranger to open his mouth to really lean into it, microdose where he wasn’t willing to actually do anything final.

Hm. This wasn’t great, he was significantly less in control than he’d thought he would be at this point. He was enjoying himself too much.

He needed to go somewhere else for a while to breathe, to not be around other people for awhile; come back safe.

But he couldn’t just walk away; this was a volatile introduction, nothing would stop him at any point, but it would be a major loss to just walk away. Calm down; think.

“I’m offering you a deal. One time only. If you fuck with it at any point that’s the end.” He breathed in, using the language to remind him that he cared about—a lot of things. His voice sounded different—smooth, too casual. He should be more deliberate.

“You’re getting moved. Comply, and it’ll be a pretty unremarkable experience. I’ll bring you some food after. Don’t, and you’ll be tied down at the end, you won’t enjoy it.” Small smile, he pointedly doesn’t mention how or whether he personally would enjoy it.

[wine-loving-vagabond-blog]

Forever Love by Tom Ford

“I am tired of the cult of youth. The cultural rejection of old age, the stigmatization of wrinkles, grey hair, of bodies furrowed by the years. I am fascinated by Diana Vreeland, Georgia O’Keeffe and Louise Bourgeois, women who have let time embrace them without ever cheating. Society today condemns this, me, I celebrate it. For this session of fine jewelry, I imagined a man and a woman who had been together for a long time, faithful to each other and always incandescent with desire.”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

His head still swam through the thick muck of instinctual panic, watching Hobb stand up and move closer to the bars. Jain wasn’t so stupid to not pick up the man’s insinuations. The thought repulsed him, it was bad enough he was cowering from the man in a cage like a kicked dog now this was being asked of him. Rather ordered of him. He gun was still a threat- although not a lethal one it would still cause a great deal of damage and pain he didn’t have the reserves to easily recover from.

Jain clenched his teeth, square jaw set firmly as he glared to the older man before, reluctantly, getting back to his feet to stand. He looked to Hobb directly into his eyes in a last ditch display of dominance, grasping for anything at this point. He stood tall for a moment, a few seconds longer to see if he could pull some manner of intimidation on the other.

             “You’re nothing but walking meat to me,” he growled from deep in his chest.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

The reply to that was simple enough.

“Same” he agreed cheerily, letting the rest of the environment—the cage, the gun between them, the fact that the other man had asked for his name and he didn’t give a shit—do the rest of the work for him.  

He didn’t do anything else, waiting expectantly. He probably wouldn’t have done it exactly this way if he’d been totally sober, but. Again, no one was stopping him.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

He hunkered down in a convenient enough spot, a short distance from the edge of the cage nearest Hobb and in a darker corner where he felt some semblance of privacy. Granted he figured it was a false sense of security- this contraption didn’t seem like it was made for shelter in mind. To be so exposed when he was vulnerable and healing, usually he had some form of cover to take.

             “Fuck you,” Jain snapped quickly, glaring to Hobb when the man cooed to see his injuries. He didn’t know if it would help or hinder him to have Hobb know the extent of his healing- he figured it wouldn’t benefit him if his captor knew he could recover from grievous injury.

             “What th’ fuck you want from me?”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb hummed appreciatively at the stranger’s quick understanding of the situation. Seemed like they could talk now, at least a little.

“What can you do?” he responded, smiling with teeth. It was likely unsatisfying as a response, but it was true as it went. Hobb hadn’t done this with something specific in mind; he’d just done it and no one had stopped him, so here they were.

“Any useful skills? Can you be charming, fuck well? Great stamina and strength, already seen it. Waste as an exhibition or meat but there’s the option.” He shrugged casually.

“Want you, I guess. We can figure out the details.”

[radiatorchains]

He took a moment to process what Hobb was asking. The words were clear and well-pronounced careful, like the rest of the way the older man carried himself, but the actual message was nesrly lost on the confused caged man.

             “Fuck you talkin’ ‘bout?” He nearly hissed, eyes narrowed at Hobb as he moved to brush away the bullet that had once lodged in his foot. He could try again to escape- not with the armed man staring him down of course. He would need to actually plan- definitely not a strength for Jain but what choice did he have now? Hope Hobb got angry and shoot him again? Play possum? He doubted the man would fall for such.

             “I….I don’t know,” Jain spoke, his tone sounding weak, perhaps defeated. He didn’t have a plan currently as frustrating as it was. He needed to play along, as aggrivating as it was.

             “I-I hunt. Kill. You know that- you saw that…” he growled. A reminder. A threat.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb’s gaze flickered down to the foot the moment the stranger moved to touch it, trying to get the information the other man hadn’t wanted to show him. He blinked, eyebrow raising; he was pretty sure he’d just seen the man brush the bullet away; had his flesh pushed it out? Something in his gut clenched in interest, and he tilted his head to the side, looking back up into the man’s face as he spoke.

Light tsk; he leaned back in his chair, reached for a mug Mandy had left for him, took a sip of whatever was in it. Almost spat it back out; nice girl, shit coffee.

“Not much call for hunters, Kroger’s a couple miles down. Try again.” His tone was encouraging, on the stranger’s side. He was actually amazed the man was playing ball, wouldn’t have pegged it; maybe this was salvageable, a submissive or moldeable personality had a ton of uses, he could forgive the loss of Lee for some of them.

[radiatorchains]

Jain felt a tinge of panic, what was he good for? What the hell did this man want from him? Right now his concern was to placate Hobb to the point of getting him to leave.

             “An’ whatchyu call what ya did t’ me? Grocery shoppin’? Ya do hunt, ya got call fer it,” Jain’s voice slipped more into a basic accent as he tried to argue his point. He was out of his element- explanation and debate were for more eloquent folks. A train couldn’t defend itself in a verbal battle, but place it on the tracks and it made its point quite clear. Jain was off the rail, sinking into the ravine, and he scrambled to try and think.

             “If that wasn’t hunting then I been doin’ something wrong this whole time…” he did his best to calm his voice, to steady his nerves, Hobb couldn’t know he had more of an upperhand than he already did.

             “What do you need? I can prove it- just open the cage,”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

“Aw honey.” Hobb’s voice was mild; he set the horrible coffee aside, rising.

“Plenty of things I could use, somethin’ like you, but this isn’t about need.” He picked the pistol back up, sliding it into the front of his pants and approaching the (now slightly warped) bars of the old-fashioned cage. He wouldn’t have if the stranger was right there, but since he was taking cover in the limited shadows by the back, fine. He rubbed rough fingers along the bulge the gun made, just to be an asshole; he was a very nice guy, anyone in the community would say so, would sing his praises. He helped neighbors and local businesses with short term loans, sent his daughters as babysitters and ‘ma’amed’ anyone at the grocery ready to carry bags to cars.

“Right now, I just need you come here and kneel, hm?” The insinuation was clear, though Hobb wasn’t actually stupid enough to put his sensitive parts anywhere near that powerful jaw, those teeth. He did want to prep him to move over to the Emporium. If the stranger wasn’t going to tell him anything new, that was the next step; he could ask again later.  

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

He hunkered down in a convenient enough spot, a short distance from the edge of the cage nearest Hobb and in a darker corner where he felt some semblance of privacy. Granted he figured it was a false sense of security- this contraption didn’t seem like it was made for shelter in mind. To be so exposed when he was vulnerable and healing, usually he had some form of cover to take.

             “Fuck you,” Jain snapped quickly, glaring to Hobb when the man cooed to see his injuries. He didn’t know if it would help or hinder him to have Hobb know the extent of his healing- he figured it wouldn’t benefit him if his captor knew he could recover from grievous injury.

             “What th’ fuck you want from me?”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb hummed appreciatively at the stranger’s quick understanding of the situation. Seemed like they could talk now, at least a little.

“What can you do?” he responded, smiling with teeth. It was likely unsatisfying as a response, but it was true as it went. Hobb hadn’t done this with something specific in mind; he’d just done it and no one had stopped him, so here they were.

“Any useful skills? Can you be charming, fuck well? Great stamina and strength, already seen it. Waste as an exhibition or meat but there’s the option.” He shrugged casually.

“Want you, I guess. We can figure out the details.”

[radiatorchains]

He took a moment to process what Hobb was asking. The words were clear and well-pronounced careful, like the rest of the way the older man carried himself, but the actual message was nesrly lost on the confused caged man.

             “Fuck you talkin’ ‘bout?” He nearly hissed, eyes narrowed at Hobb as he moved to brush away the bullet that had once lodged in his foot. He could try again to escape- not with the armed man staring him down of course. He would need to actually plan- definitely not a strength for Jain but what choice did he have now? Hope Hobb got angry and shoot him again? Play possum? He doubted the man would fall for such.

             “I….I don’t know,” Jain spoke, his tone sounding weak, perhaps defeated. He didn’t have a plan currently as frustrating as it was. He needed to play along, as aggrivating as it was.

             “I-I hunt. Kill. You know that- you saw that…” he growled. A reminder. A threat.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb’s gaze flickered down to the foot the moment the stranger moved to touch it, trying to get the information the other man hadn’t wanted to show him. He blinked, eyebrow raising; he was pretty sure he’d just seen the man brush the bullet away; had his flesh pushed it out? Something in his gut clenched in interest, and he tilted his head to the side, looking back up into the man’s face as he spoke.

Light tsk; he leaned back in his chair, reached for a mug Mandy had left for him, took a sip of whatever was in it. Almost spat it back out; nice girl, shit coffee.

“Not much call for hunters, Kroger’s a couple miles down. Try again.” His tone was encouraging, on the stranger’s side. He was actually amazed the man was playing ball, wouldn’t have pegged it; maybe this was salvageable, a submissive or moldeable personality had a ton of uses, he could forgive the loss of Lee for some of them.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

He hunkered down in a convenient enough spot, a short distance from the edge of the cage nearest Hobb and in a darker corner where he felt some semblance of privacy. Granted he figured it was a false sense of security- this contraption didn’t seem like it was made for shelter in mind. To be so exposed when he was vulnerable and healing, usually he had some form of cover to take.

             “Fuck you,” Jain snapped quickly, glaring to Hobb when the man cooed to see his injuries. He didn’t know if it would help or hinder him to have Hobb know the extent of his healing- he figured it wouldn’t benefit him if his captor knew he could recover from grievous injury.

             “What th’ fuck you want from me?”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb hummed appreciatively at the stranger’s quick understanding of the situation. Seemed like they could talk now, at least a little.

“What can you do?” he responded, smiling with teeth. It was likely unsatisfying as a response, but it was true as it went. Hobb hadn’t done this with something specific in mind; he’d just done it and no one had stopped him, so here they were.

“Any useful skills? Can you be charming, fuck well? Great stamina and strength, already seen it. Waste as an exhibition or meat but there’s the option.” He shrugged casually.

“Want you, I guess. We can figure out the details.”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

As the bullet shot into his foot Jain stumbled with a yelp, sitting on the ground with a snarl as he continued to glare at Hobb. The wound at his wrist was already fairly well-healed now, still smeared with blood and bone matter covering the now healed flesh, and now his body focused on the wound to his foot. He wished now he had eaten at least some of the first fallen man, wishing he still had access to the excess of bodies back in the bar. His body had already had to endure a bit as it was, and his hunger was growing as energy began to be devoted to healing minor wounds rather than anything else.

Instinct told him to take cover to heal, or to attack blindly in an effort to recompensate for lost energy with the flesh of his attacker, but suddenly Jain felt the pressure of being in a very exposed cage. He had nowhere for cover, no weapons, no means of attacking, he was getting hungry.

             “This what you was plannin’, son? When ya got them sorry bitches in my room?” His drawal was noticable now, anxiety the smoke to push it out.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb felt a deep satisfaction watching the stranger stumble back from him, hesitate to come back. It wasn’t an admirable quality, sure, but he did his best to indulge it appropriately and honestly, with minimal impact on the family. He lowered the pistol to his lap, letting go of it momentarily.

“Not at all” he admitted, liking the new, loose tone to the stranger’s voice.

He laughed, like it didn’t mean anything. To be fair, it didn’t; this was all a toy, a pretty bauble. There was nothing invested in the stranger’s life either way. He could snuff it out and no one would say a damn thing.

“The fact that you’re alive is an improvisation.” This feels like a flirtation, probably is even if the other man doesn’t recognize it as such.

“Poor thing. Let me see your foot.” He wants to track healing.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Jain felt consciousness kiss at him a few times, giving a low growling moan as his head spun and body ached. It felt like a dream; to be taken by surprise, stabbed and drugged by nothing more than a few meager humans felt like an affront. He had heard of stronger beings being taken down by groups of angered humans, but surely Jain viewed himself as far more cunning and strong for such an embarassment. He felt himself being dragged by hands, hearing voices occassionally but not much else. They moved efficiently- this wasn’t their first time doing this- and each time consciousness decided to visit Jain once more he found himself in various places.

Finally he found himself lying on earthy-smelling straw, rough but cushion enough from the cold hard floor. His head still filled with cotton and his nose suffocated by chemicals he could tell there was someone there. Human. Female. That was about it. He made a heavy swing to reach out to grab the girl, still not fully done with his rage, he had only killed one or two people in this house and he still was hungry for more bloodshed. But he was still sluggish, still slogging through drugged and drunken movements that he only managed to grab and rip a portion of the woman’s clothing before falling back into stupor. It would take energy to work the drugs and alcohol through his system and to stitch the stab wound.

For now he would sleep.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb spent some time washing off, looking over his own wounds. If it was just him he might not care as much, but it’s important that he looks as expected for the family; important that he’s functional.

He is.

He has Lee’s pinky finger in his pocket, intending to preserve it in a jar, sawed off by the son’s own knife, since his own is still in the stranger’s shoulder. He has other, similar relics; they’re accompanied by plaques, identifying marks, stories. Lee lived enough to deserve that, or should have; Hobb had had great hopes for him.

By the time he made it down the very basic first aid is done and there was no danger that he’ll get ahead of himself; that was the idea. Many of those who had been there had dispersed to take care of their own injuries, and Hobb sat outside the cage, sitting on a small stool to let Mandy fuss over him in turn.

She bound his ribs, taking much more care than she had with the stranger, having him remove his shirt entirely and wrapping him tightly when she doesn’t find anything other than deep bruising and some light lacerations that aren’t so unusual. The palm is a problem, impossible to do much with, but she had him cup alcohol-soaked cotton and wrapped that up too, kissing the top of the bandage in a bid that something would keep it safe and heal it clean soon.

Shrugging his new, clean shirt back on and buttoning it back up, Hobb kept his perch on the stool, humming to himself and testing the hand the stranger had taken a good of flesh out of with simple patterned movements.

[radiatorchains]

It would be an hour or so before Jain would wake fully enough to be able to move, no longer drunk and his shoulder mended enough to bear weight again. He coughed a few times, lungs taking a few gulps of air not tainted by toxic fumes and stared upwards. He was still inside, unable to see anything as familiar as trees or stars, and the ceiling wasn’t as low and dim as it would be if he had been out buried somewhere.

Slowly he rolled to his side and then his stomach, pushing himself up to get to his feet as he still tried to recollect what had happened and where he was. Eyes looked to the heavy iron bars that surrounded him but he felt more put-out than scared. This was the best they had? He hadn’t even noticed Hobb at first, staggering to one side of the bars to test them- try to bend and break them. Like hell these fools would think this would stop him?

He finally caught glimpse of the cleaned up man, a far cry from Jain’s current state- blood dried on a once white undershirt, jeans stained and dirtied with gore and dust from the floor. He was still shoeless, without his jacket, and Jain mourned that more than anything. His eyes settled on Hobb, a twisted smile crossing his face and a low laugh bubbled in him.

             “This the best you got? Think this gonna stop me, boy?” He growled, hands wrapped at the bars as he moved to try and pry them apart.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb tsked, reaching beside him to a small table next to him and producing a well-used pistol. He pointed it at the center of the stranger’s head with his off hand, expression steady.

Something in him thrilled at the easy strength the other man exhibited offhand; left to his own devices, there was no way they could keep him here. He needed to be transplanted immediately if they were going to keep him at all.

“Woah now” he cautioned, perfectly ready to shoot and keep shooting if the man made any more efforts. Not right in the forehead, not without reason, but it wasn’t off the table.

“Not the best, no. Settle down, still getting your room ready.”

He heard metal strain and damned if he didn’t see metal actually bending under the stranger’s grip. Pretty neat trick. He clicked the safety off and fired a warning shot—into one wrist. If the man wasn’t having a problem ambulating and using his arms like this, obviously his stab to the shoulder hadn’t hurt him much.

[radiatorchains]

Jain didn’t balk at the sight of the pistol his grin remained steadfast on his face in a show of fangs in his own display of power. Granted, power that was wholly useless while locked in some old-timey sideshow trailer cage and the man he was threatening had a gun. Wasn’t as if Jain had his pick of projectile weapons himself.

He was about to rend the bar into a waved shape when a pop exploded in front of him and Jain felt his right hand fly uselessly away from the bar. He recoiled back, good hand instinctively clutching his forearm above the wounded wrist to stifle pain and bleeding, as well as inspect the wound. Small calibre, non-lethal, enough damage to shatter the wrist, hurt like hell. Jain yowled in pain and frustration, eyes shimmering as he turned to glare at Hobb with a look of rage.

             “You fucking-” he snarled, his cockiness giving way to anger as he lashed out with his good hand to slam at the bars. Not an attempt to break it- not if he wanted to keep his other hand functional for a bit- but an attempt to get Hobb to jump, to panic, to show fear and unease.

             “I’m going to get out of here, and I’m gonna fuck a hole in your goddamned chest,”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb was the one on the outside of the cage with the gun, so it was easy to smile in response to the stranger’s pain and fury. Felt good to, in fact, even as it felt nice to watch the stranger rage. Exciting-like, like watching a lion roar; it wasn’t any fun if you went to the zoo and it was peacefully sleeping next to the water hole.

There was an opportunity for a good lesson here, something about not being someone who could be casually threatened, so he tracked the pistol down and shot one bare foot for good measure after the stranger’s last, vivid threat. Wasn’t like the family was short on bullets. It was more satisfying to watch the physical destruction and had the benefit of giving Hobb a prime chance to see if the stranger was healing himself or just moving forward on—whatever else. Drugs, exterior animation, vodou—he’d seen a few things, couldn’t make any assumptions.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Jain felt consciousness kiss at him a few times, giving a low growling moan as his head spun and body ached. It felt like a dream; to be taken by surprise, stabbed and drugged by nothing more than a few meager humans felt like an affront. He had heard of stronger beings being taken down by groups of angered humans, but surely Jain viewed himself as far more cunning and strong for such an embarassment. He felt himself being dragged by hands, hearing voices occassionally but not much else. They moved efficiently- this wasn’t their first time doing this- and each time consciousness decided to visit Jain once more he found himself in various places.

Finally he found himself lying on earthy-smelling straw, rough but cushion enough from the cold hard floor. His head still filled with cotton and his nose suffocated by chemicals he could tell there was someone there. Human. Female. That was about it. He made a heavy swing to reach out to grab the girl, still not fully done with his rage, he had only killed one or two people in this house and he still was hungry for more bloodshed. But he was still sluggish, still slogging through drugged and drunken movements that he only managed to grab and rip a portion of the woman’s clothing before falling back into stupor. It would take energy to work the drugs and alcohol through his system and to stitch the stab wound.

For now he would sleep.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb spent some time washing off, looking over his own wounds. If it was just him he might not care as much, but it’s important that he looks as expected for the family; important that he’s functional.

He is.

He has Lee’s pinky finger in his pocket, intending to preserve it in a jar, sawed off by the son’s own knife, since his own is still in the stranger’s shoulder. He has other, similar relics; they’re accompanied by plaques, identifying marks, stories. Lee lived enough to deserve that, or should have; Hobb had had great hopes for him.

By the time he made it down the very basic first aid is done and there was no danger that he’ll get ahead of himself; that was the idea. Many of those who had been there had dispersed to take care of their own injuries, and Hobb sat outside the cage, sitting on a small stool to let Mandy fuss over him in turn.

She bound his ribs, taking much more care than she had with the stranger, having him remove his shirt entirely and wrapping him tightly when she doesn’t find anything other than deep bruising and some light lacerations that aren’t so unusual. The palm is a problem, impossible to do much with, but she had him cup alcohol-soaked cotton and wrapped that up too, kissing the top of the bandage in a bid that something would keep it safe and heal it clean soon.

Shrugging his new, clean shirt back on and buttoning it back up, Hobb kept his perch on the stool, humming to himself and testing the hand the stranger had taken a good of flesh out of with simple patterned movements.

[radiatorchains]

It would be an hour or so before Jain would wake fully enough to be able to move, no longer drunk and his shoulder mended enough to bear weight again. He coughed a few times, lungs taking a few gulps of air not tainted by toxic fumes and stared upwards. He was still inside, unable to see anything as familiar as trees or stars, and the ceiling wasn’t as low and dim as it would be if he had been out buried somewhere.

Slowly he rolled to his side and then his stomach, pushing himself up to get to his feet as he still tried to recollect what had happened and where he was. Eyes looked to the heavy iron bars that surrounded him but he felt more put-out than scared. This was the best they had? He hadn’t even noticed Hobb at first, staggering to one side of the bars to test them- try to bend and break them. Like hell these fools would think this would stop him?

He finally caught glimpse of the cleaned up man, a far cry from Jain’s current state- blood dried on a once white undershirt, jeans stained and dirtied with gore and dust from the floor. He was still shoeless, without his jacket, and Jain mourned that more than anything. His eyes settled on Hobb, a twisted smile crossing his face and a low laugh bubbled in him.

             “This the best you got? Think this gonna stop me, boy?” He growled, hands wrapped at the bars as he moved to try and pry them apart.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb tsked, reaching beside him to a small table next to him and producing a well-used pistol. He pointed it at the center of the stranger’s head with his off hand, expression steady.

Something in him thrilled at the easy strength the other man exhibited offhand; left to his own devices, there was no way they could keep him here. He needed to be transplanted immediately if they were going to keep him at all.

“Woah now” he cautioned, perfectly ready to shoot and keep shooting if the man made any more efforts. Not right in the forehead, not without reason, but it wasn’t off the table.

“Not the best, no. Settle down, still getting your room ready.”

He heard metal strain and damned if he didn’t see metal actually bending under the stranger’s grip. Pretty neat trick. He clicked the safety off and fired a warning shot—into one wrist. If the man wasn’t having a problem ambulating and using his arms like this, obviously his stab to the shoulder hadn’t hurt him much.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Jain felt consciousness kiss at him a few times, giving a low growling moan as his head spun and body ached. It felt like a dream; to be taken by surprise, stabbed and drugged by nothing more than a few meager humans felt like an affront. He had heard of stronger beings being taken down by groups of angered humans, but surely Jain viewed himself as far more cunning and strong for such an embarassment. He felt himself being dragged by hands, hearing voices occassionally but not much else. They moved efficiently- this wasn’t their first time doing this- and each time consciousness decided to visit Jain once more he found himself in various places.

Finally he found himself lying on earthy-smelling straw, rough but cushion enough from the cold hard floor. His head still filled with cotton and his nose suffocated by chemicals he could tell there was someone there. Human. Female. That was about it. He made a heavy swing to reach out to grab the girl, still not fully done with his rage, he had only killed one or two people in this house and he still was hungry for more bloodshed. But he was still sluggish, still slogging through drugged and drunken movements that he only managed to grab and rip a portion of the woman’s clothing before falling back into stupor. It would take energy to work the drugs and alcohol through his system and to stitch the stab wound.

For now he would sleep.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb spent some time washing off, looking over his own wounds. If it was just him he might not care as much, but it’s important that he looks as expected for the family; important that he’s functional.

He is.

He has Lee’s pinky finger in his pocket, intending to preserve it in a jar, sawed off by the son’s own knife, since his own is still in the stranger’s shoulder. He has other, similar relics; they’re accompanied by plaques, identifying marks, stories. Lee lived enough to deserve that, or should have; Hobb had had great hopes for him.

By the time he made it down the very basic first aid is done and there was no danger that he’ll get ahead of himself; that was the idea. Many of those who had been there had dispersed to take care of their own injuries, and Hobb sat outside the cage, sitting on a small stool to let Mandy fuss over him in turn.

She bound his ribs, taking much more care than she had with the stranger, having him remove his shirt entirely and wrapping him tightly when she doesn’t find anything other than deep bruising and some light lacerations that aren’t so unusual. The palm is a problem, impossible to do much with, but she had him cup alcohol-soaked cotton and wrapped that up too, kissing the top of the bandage in a bid that something would keep it safe and heal it clean soon.

Shrugging his new, clean shirt back on and buttoning it back up, Hobb kept his perch on the stool, humming to himself and testing the hand the stranger had taken a good of flesh out of with simple patterned movements.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

He felt shaep metal dig hard and quickly into his flesh, the tip buried deep in the meat between pectoral and deltoid. It wasn’t lethal- even if the older man had landed the knife deep into his chest Jain would have only gone down for maybe a minute or two. He felt a hard punch to the face, coupled with the pain in his shoulder further acting as dizzying distraction for the thrashing Jain. It had all been a distraction, a means of lowering his guard enough for Hobb to make his intended attack. He felt his jarred, harsh breathing suddenly enwrapped by noxious fumes, a cold wet rag pressed to his face.

Jain’s wild yowling and bellowing was muted by the cloth but still he thrashed and tried to bite through the cloth. He managed to bite into Hobb’s hand, much as he did with the late Lee but didn’t have the time, leverage or focus -following another haymaker to the head- to pull his head away to tear flesh. It took a while, thrashing and kicking and clawing at those that held him, at Hobb, at whatever unfortunate thing stood in his way, before his strength began to slack. He gasped for air for his efforts only to draw in more of the chemicals. His howls of rage drained into groans until finally the large beast of a man became limp from the attack.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

It’s all the combined force of them can do to ride the man out, even stabbed, even drunk, even with a tight seal of wet, stinking cloth against his nostrils and a good bit of Hobb’s palm in his teeth. Hobb’s eyes were very wide, expression somewhere between a grin and a snarl that twisted the second time the man managed a good swipe at his ribs, but between the lot of them, between Hobb’s indefatigable grip on his face—he went down.

They were all sweating, Hobb panting down into the man’s face knelt down on top of him, men holding down limbs and cursing in a steady stream around him.

He watched and kept his position well after the stranger had gone limp, even after the rest of the men present had relaxed their hold. No one questioned him, but they did back off, slowly getting to their feet and going over their respective injuries with the shaky bravado of people who feel like they’ve cheated death. Hobb shifted forward, placing one hand against the hilt of the knife and rocking it slightly, pushing down; he was testing to see if the man was playing possum, trying to get one over on him.

Didn’t seem so. But worth a good clear confirmation.

“Get Mandy downstairs, would you?” The question was rhetorical, his voice still a little breathy with exertion.

“Don’t trust myself with this knife, and I get the feeling we gotta patch this quick.”

He took a hand up from one of them with his good one, clapping the man who’d helped him up with the bad one and leaving a smear on his workshirt.

“Someone better show me Lee, ‘fore I get too wrapped up in all this.”

[radiatorchains]

Jain had experienced worse injuries, ones that would have killed him ten times over in his lifetime- the stab to the shoulder wouldn’t take long to heal at all and began to close as soon as the offending weapon was taken out of it. Slowly, barely noticable to those too busy inspecting their own injuries to see. The man’s body shifted fully that to a human one, strong hands no longer clawed with talons, flashing eyes closed and white his teeth still seemed sharp and smeared with blood they were notably straighter and flatter than the jagged hounds teeth they had been. The chemicals from the rag would keep him out longer than the injury to his shoulder. Chemical intervention- be it alcohol, poisons or even chloroform from a rag- were more difficult to recover from than flesh and sinew injury.

Hobb would be able to see much clearer now thw damage done to Lee. The bite to his hand had wretched two fingers from Lee down to the wrist joint, but paled in comparison to the injury inflicted to his face, neck and chest. The man looked almost peeled, part of his jaw torn away and down to dangle by weak sinew at his torn open chest. Tongue and throat had been pulled down with the jawbone nearly to the poibt of exposing glimpses of whitish bone and threads of vein and nerves of the spine in the back. It looked to have been done in one quick, violent jerk.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb was of half a mind about leaving the stranger—even unconscious—to people who weren’t him. He trusted the family, of course, but they all had their functions, and Hobb had technically taken charge of the man by bringing him here personally. The rest of them would be reluctant to touch him, even if it was necessary to restrain him when he woke up, so they’d be less competent, less able to make any necessary decisions depending on how the rest of the night shook out.

Still more than a little buzzed himself, he let a blood-spattered son with a dislocated shoulder from one of the stranger’s more violent jerks take him to Lee’s body. He pulled it up against him, pressing his lips gently on one shredded cheek, injured hand holding the jaw back into its proper place to give the boy a little dignity.

Well that changed things a bit. He kissed the body again on the forehead, laying it back down where it was—he’d come back later with some others to wrap it and take it to the family cemetery out back. There was a part of him that was excited, interested in the strength and savagery, but this was a son—one of his actual sons, not just the boys of around that age that took on the name.

Meanwhile, a mixture of sons and cousins took the stranger’s unconscious body down under the proper rooms of the house and into a holding area. The Emporium was where most of the real equipment was, but there were several thick-barred cages that looked to be the kind of thing a circus from the 1800s might use to cage its tigers. Indeed, this was what they were mostly, an odd kind of family heirloom. There was fresh(Ish) hay at the bottom, nothing else. The stranger’s body was placed inside, the door held open only long enough for the daughter—Mandy—to pull the knife out and disinfect it, doing remarkably little else.

No one questioned her; they were all aware what might have happened if they’d let an interested Hobb fiddle with the knife longer or pull it out.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

He felt shaep metal dig hard and quickly into his flesh, the tip buried deep in the meat between pectoral and deltoid. It wasn’t lethal- even if the older man had landed the knife deep into his chest Jain would have only gone down for maybe a minute or two. He felt a hard punch to the face, coupled with the pain in his shoulder further acting as dizzying distraction for the thrashing Jain. It had all been a distraction, a means of lowering his guard enough for Hobb to make his intended attack. He felt his jarred, harsh breathing suddenly enwrapped by noxious fumes, a cold wet rag pressed to his face.

Jain’s wild yowling and bellowing was muted by the cloth but still he thrashed and tried to bite through the cloth. He managed to bite into Hobb’s hand, much as he did with the late Lee but didn’t have the time, leverage or focus -following another haymaker to the head- to pull his head away to tear flesh. It took a while, thrashing and kicking and clawing at those that held him, at Hobb, at whatever unfortunate thing stood in his way, before his strength began to slack. He gasped for air for his efforts only to draw in more of the chemicals. His howls of rage drained into groans until finally the large beast of a man became limp from the attack.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

It's all the combined force of them can do to ride the man out, even stabbed, even drunk, even with a tight seal of wet, stinking cloth against his nostrils and a good bit of Hobb’s palm in his teeth. Hobb’s eyes were very wide, expression somewhere between a grin and a snarl that twisted the second time the man managed a good swipe at his ribs, but between the lot of them, between Hobb’s indefatigable grip on his face—he went down.

They were all sweating, Hobb panting down into the man’s face knelt down on top of him, men holding down limbs and cursing in a steady stream around him.

He watched and kept his position well after the stranger had gone limp, even after the rest of the men present had relaxed their hold. No one questioned him, but they did back off, slowly getting to their feet and going over their respective injuries with the shaky bravado of people who feel like they’ve cheated death. Hobb shifted forward, placing one hand against the hilt of the knife and rocking it slightly, pushing down; he was testing to see if the man was playing possum, trying to get one over on him.

Didn’t seem so. But worth a good clear confirmation.

“Get Mandy downstairs, would you?” The question was rhetorical, his voice still a little breathy with exertion.

“Don’t trust myself with this knife, and I get the feeling we gotta patch this quick.”

He took a hand up from one of them with his good one, clapping the man who’d helped him up with the bad one and leaving a smear on his workshirt.

“Someone better show me Lee, ‘fore I get too wrapped up in all this.”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Jain couldn’t rightfully say why he didn’t make a mad lunge for Hobb, it certainly wasn’t from fear of the shotgun and weapons aimed at him, nor from want of actual conversation. A blow to the head would no doubt do more than significant damage to him, more than a blow to the chest or limb, and forming coherant thoughts for conversation was like pulling a cool breath from a hot humid day. Stifling. Suffocating.

             “No talk,” he snarled, eyes narrowed and nose wrinkled in a monstrous snarl. He lashed out with his clawed fist- too far to make contact with Hobb but the force behind the swing launched his fist through the wall at his side. The sound of crumbled drywall and wooden studs punctuated his snarl. It would be the last warning to the smoothtalking man and his troupe of cowering followers behind him as Jain took large, wide strides to close the gap between the two of them. Consequences be damned he showed more than enough respectable civility towards his prey and he grew tired from the lack of bloodshed.

He had only heard others behind him- scurrying rats when he faced the true target in front of him- Jain was surprised when he felt pressure on his arms and shoulders suddenly pulling him back and off balance from his forward movement. The few of Hobb’s followers behind him had caught him off guard enough to stumble back but not far enough off balance to bring him down fully. It would give Hobb an opening if he so chose to take it before Jain would turn his fury to those who dared to try and hold him back from making an offense against their leader.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

‘No talk.’

Fair enough. There wasn’t really anything else to say, though Hobb would have kept a banter flowing as long as it made sense to. It abruptly didn’t make sense to, as Hobb noted other members of the family coming up around from the back, having been alerted by the remaining son between poor dead Lee and the two at Hobb’s back.

He didn’t look over at them even with a momentary flicker; there was, first, the idea that he would be likely to alert the man in front of him to the danger. Second, he didn’t have any attention to spare—it was very much like the times Hobb had gone hunting more exotic things when he was younger, just starting the Emporium up, playing around with the idea of being something of a predator himself. It was easy to get cocky or distracted by all the other figures at play, but Hobb only had to worry about one of them right now—just this one, lashing out with those intriguing claws and taking chunks out of the house his family had built in a way they could talk about later.

Damn but the man was fast! Hobb let out a hissed breath in appreciation, eyes bright as he pulled the knife and cloth, flicking the blade to an underhanded, stable position—less for slashing and creating distance, more for gutting and sinking in. Somehow this one didn’t strike him as the kind of thing to be put off by a little red line across his wrists. He was leaned forward, ready to engage but honestly unsure if he’d be able to slide his way in, when his boys came up and pulled the man back. Hobb was momentarily as startled as the stranger might be—he’d truly forgotten about them, had been too focused in—but recovered quickly.

He hadn’t been sure he’d get an opening, and here one was. He shot forward, stabbing the knife as far as he could manage into one shoulder with the hope that he’d incapacitate it (hale and whole was ideal, but he’d take what he could get under the circumstances), shoving the saturated cloth firmly against the man’s nose and mouth and applying punching force. If he had the time, he’d keep the cloth in hand, rear back and punch again and trap his palm around the man’s jaw to keep the cloth in place.

He fully expected to get something torn for his troubles, but it’d be worth it, just like it had been worth it to get a hoof to the kidney for his best horse. He wasn’t against hurting a bit for something good.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Surprised was replaced with an excited thrill, prey in hand he leaned in to make a bite for whatever flesh by his neck wasn’t covered by a thick claw. He was hit in the back of the head- hard- before he could sink his long elongated, sharp teeth into his first target. His head rocked forward from the force, but Jain responded by merely tossing the first man into the second like a shotput. He wanted distance between them now, the first man’s blood dripped from Jain’s hand as the action of tossing him had effectively ripped flesh, sinew and artery away from his neck.

Jain was upon them quickly, biting and tearing with reckless abandon and furious snarls. He didn’t care who he was tearing into, more for the action and for payment for his interrupted sleep than for food. It was a hollow mauling, not minding the stench of ripped stomachs and bowels tainting precious organ meats he would have favored if hunger inclined him to enjoy.

He knew he didn’t have time to mutilate as he so wished- the house was full of potential victims, some perhaps arming themselves or running. There were vehicles outside, though Jain figured local law enforcement in a town this small no doubt closed when the sheriff felt themselves too tired to carry on their shift. He pulled back from the gored men, front and face painted with blood glistened in the minimal light of the room as Jain moved to take his leave and start on the rest of this family.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed out in apparent frustration, and the men at his side flinched from his displeasure.

“Here, let me” he murmured, holding hands out, and within moments a knife was set into one hand, another well-saturated handkerchief in the other. He tucked both into pockets, letting the chemicals leak through his pant leg to his skin if they would.

The boys had guns, were ready to shoot to kill, but obviously he didn’t want that. Such a waste.

He knew it when he entered a dangerous zone even before they told him; it smelled too good. Not just blood and viscera but man, something fundamental and human that he enjoys, even if he hates the idea that at least one of his sons is dead now.

He tsked loud, into the room. He won’t be there still, he’s moved on. Okay, let’s follow.

He stopped, indicating that everyone else should follow at a distance; stalked forward.

“Stranger, this isn’t very polite. I offered you a night here. You killing my sons?”

He was close.

[radiatorchains]

He skulked through the house, not having had time to get his shoes and jacket between the attack and leaving the room. He wasn’t drunk now- at least not on alcohol. He could hear the heartbeats of those in the house, smell the sweat and human smells they gave off. His own heart raced excitedly knowing he would need to pace himself almost painfully to maintain his stamina. He still walked with his limp, the phantom pain from an injury years ago acting up in the weather but to him it was only a minor inconvenience to the task at hand.

He was down one of the hallways when he heard Hobb some distance behind him. He didn’t sound particularly troubled, agitated maybe but there was that missing hysteria and rage of a man discovering the mutilated remains of a loved one there. He stopped where he stood, blood dripping from his claws.

He didn’t say a word, turning to look to where Hobb was speaking from. All human pretenses had been dropped, hobey brown eyes now glowing gold and fangs bared in a malicious grin.

             “You rather I start with you?”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb stopped momentarily to admire the picture the man made. No way to make him a regular member if he’d killed a real son (Hobb hadn’t had time to confirm), but plenty of other options.

“My my” he murmured in appreciation, looking him over from claws to fangs and everything in between.

“What a pretty little thing. Why you killing my boys, darling?” he asked, though the answer was obvious enough. Step forward.

“Thought we were friends.” Another step.

“Look a chu. This a misunderstanding a’ bet, no one’s trying to hurt summin’ pretty.” He kept talking, the rest of the family melting away when he he’d taken charge, watching from various points. He slid a calm hand down his own side, locating the knife; tapping then pulling away.

He put his hands up, took another step forward. His voice was more serious.

“Tell me what happened. We can fix it.” His voice was soft, coaxing, even as he was ready to meet an attack. This would be a poor time to retaliate himself or he’d do that instead.

[radiatorchains]

He stood his ground, watching Hobb with a predatory glare. Hobb was armed- he had to be there was no other way the man would be so calm and approaching him. Did this fool thibk that he could sneak one past him?

             “Send your little shit goons on me when I’m trying to sleep…now you want to play stupid? How about I rip out your spine and beat you with what’s left?” He snarled, daring to take a step forward towards Hobb in more of a domineering manner, to show that he was the one in control. He wanted to see fear in the man’s eyes, to shake him up, anything.

             “You wanna know what happened? You wanna fix it? How we gon’ fix this?” His growling voice held a strange, highpitched cackle of a laugh to it- wild and animalistic.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb nodded seriously, hands still held out in apparent conciliation. There was still a good twenty feet of space between them when the stranger stepped forward. Hobb didn’t flinch, but the boys coming up behind him did, one cursing and pointing his shotgun at the man’s head with shaking hands. He’d been the other son in the room with Lee, was still spattered with his arterial spray.

“I’ve treated you rude, that’s true” Hobb acknowledged, letting his hands fall down to his hips.

“Dealt you an insult. But seems to me you’re doing just fine, and you’ve killed family under my roof. If I’m not choosing to go vengeful on your ass, seems to me it’d be best if you came to the table.”

He wasn’t actually expecting this to come to any peacable end, was actually surprised that the stranger was willing to talk to him at all. But the longer he could keep him talking the more time other folk had to come up behind him, the more time Hobb got to look at him. There wasn't a downside.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Surprised was replaced with an excited thrill, prey in hand he leaned in to make a bite for whatever flesh by his neck wasn’t covered by a thick claw. He was hit in the back of the head- hard- before he could sink his long elongated, sharp teeth into his first target. His head rocked forward from the force, but Jain responded by merely tossing the first man into the second like a shotput. He wanted distance between them now, the first man’s blood dripped from Jain’s hand as the action of tossing him had effectively ripped flesh, sinew and artery away from his neck.

Jain was upon them quickly, biting and tearing with reckless abandon and furious snarls. He didn’t care who he was tearing into, more for the action and for payment for his interrupted sleep than for food. It was a hollow mauling, not minding the stench of ripped stomachs and bowels tainting precious organ meats he would have favored if hunger inclined him to enjoy.

He knew he didn’t have time to mutilate as he so wished- the house was full of potential victims, some perhaps arming themselves or running. There were vehicles outside, though Jain figured local law enforcement in a town this small no doubt closed when the sheriff felt themselves too tired to carry on their shift. He pulled back from the gored men, front and face painted with blood glistened in the minimal light of the room as Jain moved to take his leave and start on the rest of this family.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed out in apparent frustration, and the men at his side flinched from his displeasure.

“Here, let me” he murmured, holding hands out, and within moments a knife was set into one hand, another well-saturated handkerchief in the other. He tucked both into pockets, letting the chemicals leak through his pant leg to his skin if they would.

The boys had guns, were ready to shoot to kill, but obviously he didn’t want that. Such a waste.

He knew it when he entered a dangerous zone even before they told him; it smelled too good. Not just blood and viscera but man, something fundamental and human that he enjoys, even if he hates the idea that at least one of his sons is dead now.

He tsked loud, into the room. He won’t be there still, he’s moved on. Okay, let’s follow.

He stopped, indicating that everyone else should follow at a distance; stalked forward.

“Stranger, this isn’t very polite. I offered you a night here. You killing my sons?”

He was close.

[radiatorchains]

He skulked through the house, not having had time to get his shoes and jacket between the attack and leaving the room. He wasn’t drunk now- at least not on alcohol. He could hear the heartbeats of those in the house, smell the sweat and human smells they gave off. His own heart raced excitedly knowing he would need to pace himself almost painfully to maintain his stamina. He still walked with his limp, the phantom pain from an injury years ago acting up in the weather but to him it was only a minor inconvenience to the task at hand.

He was down one of the hallways when he heard Hobb some distance behind him. He didn’t sound particularly troubled, agitated maybe but there was that missing hysteria and rage of a man discovering the mutilated remains of a loved one there. He stopped where he stood, blood dripping from his claws.

He didn’t say a word, turning to look to where Hobb was speaking from. All human pretenses had been dropped, hobey brown eyes now glowing gold and fangs bared in a malicious grin.

             “You rather I start with you?”

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb stopped momentarily to admire the picture the man made. No way to make him a regular member if he’d killed a real son (Hobb hadn’t had time to confirm), but plenty of other options.

“My my” he murmured in appreciation, looking him over from claws to fangs and everything in between.

“What a pretty little thing. Why you killing my boys, darling?” he asked, though the answer was obvious enough. Step forward.

“Thought we were friends.” Another step.

“Look a chu. This a misunderstanding a’ bet, no one’s trying to hurt summin’ pretty.” He kept talking, the rest of the family melting away when he he’d taken charge, watching from various points. He slid a calm hand down his own side, locating the knife; tapping then pulling away.

He put his hands up, took another step forward. His voice was more serious.

“Tell me what happened. We can fix it.” His voice was soft, coaxing, even as he was ready to meet an attack. This would be a poor time to retaliate himself or he’d do that instead.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed his exhilaration out into his drink, a giddy bubble cut down into a hastily-swallowed double, a celebration. There would be other celebrations later, but Hobb breathed out into this one, barely affected by the harsh burn of the rail liquor taken all at once.

Incredible what Halloween could do.

The family could live off this for near-to a month; he’d be soothed for about that long.

Best time of the year.

Feeling magnanimous, Hobb turned to the only other figure present, offering up a toast.

“Buy you one; best time of the year, my friend.”

@radiatorchains

[radiatorchains]

Surprised was replaced with an excited thrill, prey in hand he leaned in to make a bite for whatever flesh by his neck wasn’t covered by a thick claw. He was hit in the back of the head- hard- before he could sink his long elongated, sharp teeth into his first target. His head rocked forward from the force, but Jain responded by merely tossing the first man into the second like a shotput. He wanted distance between them now, the first man’s blood dripped from Jain’s hand as the action of tossing him had effectively ripped flesh, sinew and artery away from his neck.

Jain was upon them quickly, biting and tearing with reckless abandon and furious snarls. He didn’t care who he was tearing into, more for the action and for payment for his interrupted sleep than for food. It was a hollow mauling, not minding the stench of ripped stomachs and bowels tainting precious organ meats he would have favored if hunger inclined him to enjoy.

He knew he didn’t have time to mutilate as he so wished- the house was full of potential victims, some perhaps arming themselves or running. There were vehicles outside, though Jain figured local law enforcement in a town this small no doubt closed when the sheriff felt themselves too tired to carry on their shift. He pulled back from the gored men, front and face painted with blood glistened in the minimal light of the room as Jain moved to take his leave and start on the rest of this family.

[hobbis-thereforyou]

Hobb breathed out in apparent frustration, and the men at his side flinched from his displeasure.

“Here, let me” he murmured, holding hands out, and within moments a knife was set into one hand, another well-saturated handkerchief in the other. He tucked both into pockets, letting the chemicals leak through his pant leg to his skin if they would.

The boys had guns, were ready to shoot to kill, but obviously he didn’t want that. Such a waste.

He knew it when he entered a dangerous zone even before they told him; it smelled too good. Not just blood and viscera but man, something fundamental and human that he enjoys, even if he hates the idea that at least one of his sons is dead now.

He tsked loud, into the room. He won’t be there still, he’s moved on. Okay, let’s follow.

He stopped, indicating that everyone else should follow at a distance; stalked forward.

“Stranger, this isn’t very polite. I offered you a night here. You killing my sons?”

He was close.