begging for thread.

max steele. twenty five, turned wolf. he says to me: it’s not quite the prison you make it out to be too bad you're selfish, too bad but true as is this cycle of you.

[samantha-everly]

“Maybe it was that way for me, too.”

“You too. Weird that we all found each other in this place.”

[max-steele-blog]

“Seems like that for everyone around here. Accidents.”

“The only weird I’m okay with.”

[samantha-everly]

“Why’d you decide to stop here?”

“Uh-huh, they are. Don’t want anything changin’.”

[max-steele-blog]

“Wrong turns, mostly. Luck, maybe.”

“Me neither. I like it the way it is now. So... you can trust me with whatever.”

[samantha-everly]

“You moved around a lot, right? Where were you from before all this?” Everything outside of Mistmoore seems like a whole continent away.

Sam gives her a small smile, and it takes her a moment to say something back. “Yeah, me too.”

[max-steele-blog]

"Yep. I did my share and maybe a little more. I lived in Connecticut.” 

“Good. Things are good that way.”

[samantha-everly]

“Sounds like they would be, when there’s so much more to do.” Killing, despite being a necessity, only makes up a small portion of her day. “You’ve met a whole lot of people.”

“You better,” she teases.

[max-steele-blog]

“Exactly.” She nods, reassured and grateful in her own way. “Yeah. Too many, maybe. And not enough all at once.”

“I think I’d be shit at hiding anything from you, so. No point.”

[samantha-everly]

“I don’t think it’s that.”

“Just remember it doesn’t gotta be just you.”

[max-steele-blog]

"Yeah. I didn’t think you’d hang around with someone like that.” She guesses that it’s a proud feeling lifting the weight in her chest, because there’s no other name for it. “They’re pretty boring, anyway. I’ve met a few. They’re all repetitive.” 

“Thanks. I’ll keep you in the loop, yeah?” 

[samantha-everly]

She’s never seen Danny as afraid, but maybe Max is right. He’s killing them for a reason, and maybe it doesn’t all belong to anger or caution or revenge. “Yeah. Maybe he is.”

“Just hope whatever this hunter’s doin’ doesn’t go too far.’

[max-steele-blog]

"If he’s not, there’s no point. If he’s not scared, it’s entertainment. And I don’t know how I feel if that’s the case.” 

“It better not. Otherwise I’m gonna have to clean up their mess.” 

[samantha-everly]

“Sounds like they’re just too afraid.” They want to get the monster before the monster gets them. “I mean, I guess I get why they would be.”

Sam has to kill people all the time to maintain her existence, and so do people like Danny. Max turns into a wolf on full moons, and she doesn’t know much about that, but she knows sometimes they hurt people. And who knows what demons do. “Dunno if that will ever change. At least you know some different ones?”

[max-steele-blog]

"Yeah. That’s what Danny’s doing, right? He’s scared of getting hurt, or someone else getting hurt? It’s the same shit in a bad cycle. Everyone’s afraid.”

She was, for a long time. Angry, too. “Yeah. Some people listen and some people make exceptions. I’ve met a handful of them, so maybe I’m lucky.”

[samantha-everly]

“I hope so. Don’t want anyone gettin’ hurt.” She’s come to know a lot of people in this town - and nearly all of them are something else.

And that means they could all be on some hunter’s hit list. “Uh-huh, I will. He’s done pretty good against them so far, I think. Guess you never know, though.”

[max-steele-blog]

“Hey, me neither.” Especially not Sam, or... people who make her happy. 

“Well, if he got caught once, there’s always a second time waiting around. That’s how they work.” She’s not sure if she wants to mention why she’s so familiar with it, so it stills in her stomach. “I just hate thinking that they’re doing all this without understanding the situation. But a lot of people do it ‘cause they don’t wanna understand. That’s hunters for you.”

[samantha-everly]

“Things are better now?”

“Alright. I’ll call him later and ask.” Since he mentioned something about not quitting cold turkey, Sam thinks there’s a chance that Danny might have some kind of clue. “I’ll tell you what he says.”

[max-steele-blog]

“Yeah,” she nods, not indecisively. “Shit’s good. Even this kind.”

“Thanks, Sam. Might come in handy.” Even outside sources could contribute to answers she might otherwise not find. “And tell him to watch his ass, would you? Some hunters don’t fuck around. I’m sure he doesn’t either, but still.”

[samantha-everly]

“Why’d you want to take it back?”

Sam shrugs. “Killing them.” She’s never known any like Max does, so it doesn’t faze her. “He told me just a few days ago that he might back off, but he could still know somethin’.”

[max-steele-blog]

“I don’t know. Last ditch decisions. I didn’t think it all through.”

“Fuck. I guess we all get off somewhere.” It’s not like she hasn’t killed for what happened to her. Everyone’s working their way around--and she thinks if he’s coming around to stopping, maybe it’s okay that she doesn’t stick her nose in for once. “Go for it, if you think he can help. Maybe he will.”

[samantha-everly]

“You did?” Usually Sam doesn’t bother thinking about who she was from before she can remember, but she can’t imagine that she wanted this. But being a wolf and being a dead girl are very different choices. “Glad the hunters you know still understood.”

“He had a bad time with them I think.” She doesn’t know any real specifics. “He doesn’t want to them to hurt anyone else, so he knows.”

[max-steele-blog]

“Yeah. I tried to take it back, but you know the rules.” 

“He doesn’t want them to...” Hurt anyone else? “So what’s he doing about it?” She guesses they’ve all got their own codes, but there’s still others here she has to look out for, two of those being hunters. “Well, okay. If you think he knows what they’re up to, you can ask.”

[samantha-everly]

“Guess so.” Sam’s features are some sort of mix of curiosity and worry. “Do you wish you weren’t like this?” Comparing being turned to a tragedy makes it sound like that, anyway.

“A friend.” She doesn’t know if it’s a secret Danny wants to keep, but she trusts Max. “Danny knows about this stuff.”

[max-steele-blog]

"Do I? No. I asked for it. Wish it hadn’t happened the way it did, but y’know. I don’t wish shit was different.” Not all the time, anyway.

“Oh. Julien’s little brother.” Weird. “What’s he know about hunters? Aren’t they something else?”

[samantha-everly]

“Is anythin’ always?” Max was turned, she was turned, even Danny in a sense. They weren’t always what they are now.

“Guess it makes sense.” She doesn’t like the idea of someone out there laying down traps, or keeping an eye out. “I could ask someone if they know anythin’, or if they could help, if you want.”

[max-steele-blog]

"Yeah. I can think of a couple. Hunters just have an easier time hearing about a tragedy before biology.”

“Whadd’ya mean? Who’s ‘someone’?”

[samantha-everly]

“None of ‘em care that you’re a wolf?”

“Prob’ly like what you said.” A trap to see who it would bring in. “Who’d you find it with? Another wolf?”

[max-steele-blog]

“I wasn’t always. They get that, I think.” 

“Yeah. It was two of us--two good noses. Maybe that was the point. They knew we’d go looking and whoever they found there was only there for a reason.”

[samantha-everly]

“You know a lot of the hunters here?” Sam didn’t know there were still a lot.

“Huh. That stuff grows out in the forest anyway, right?”

[max-steele-blog]

“A lot of hunters in general.” 

“Yeah, but it wasn’t there before. I followed the scent and it was still fresh--so someone put it there. What I wanna know’s why.”

[samantha-everly]

“Don’t do too much by yourself. Wouldn’t want somethin’ to happen to you.” Sam isn’t so sure what she’d do if something did.

“What kinda trap was it?”

[max-steele-blog]

“Yeah, I won’t. Thanks for offering. Shouldn’t be too bad. I know a lot of hunters and they might know some of them.” 

“Wolfsbane. Just a pile of it. It’s so weird, and I don’t get the point. Scare tactic, I guess. Or to sniff us out.”

[samantha-everly]

“They drink stuff?” It’s something else that will have to be written down. Hunters have all sorts of tricks, and it’s always made sense to Sam why Danny doesn’t like them. “Yeah, I’ll stay away.”

“What are you gonna do? D’you need help?”

[max-steele-blog]

"Yeah, and it’d be a real bitch to get caught before anything’s sorted out.”

“I don’t know. Take a better look around--see if I can find anybody who’ll listen. I might later, but for now it’s just getting a game plan. I’ll keep you updated, though.”