TIMING: Post February Full Moon LOCATION: The Pines / Clem's Apartment PARTIES: Cairn Woods (@cairnivore) and Clementine Navarro (@causefulmoon) SUMMARY: Clem wakes up naked after the full moon. She spots some clothes conveniently laid out on a rock like they're just for her. Cairn tries to get her clothes back.
Clem let out a soft groan as she came to, eyes opening slowly. She took in her surroundings, taking note of an especially large carcass with large chunks of fur and meat a few feet away from her. It took her a few seconds to recognize that the shape was inhuman, and a sigh of relief left her.
She could feel the blood, cold and congealed on her mouth and cheeks. She looked down at her hands, noticing it was there, too. Clem inhaled sharply as she got to her feet, immediately feeling the bitter cold dig itself into her skin. She wrapped her arms around her naked torso, shivering against a sudden gust of wind. With it, however, came the scent of burning wood. She tilted her head towards the smell, trying to make sense of where it could be coming from.
The sun blistered overhead, only warming Clem’s scalp. The rest of her felt frozen to the touch, skin rough with dirt and blood from the night before. After a few directional mishaps (thanks to the wind changing its course), she finally came upon the fire. It was at the mouth of what Clem could only surmise was a cave. How deep it was, she didn’t know, and she had no intention of figuring out. She stood still for a moment, as if a deer waiting for the snap of twigs, or the safety being lifted off of a gun. Aside from the crackling of the fire and the rush of a nearby stream, she couldn’t pick up anything out of the ordinary.
So when she saw the clothes drying on a rock near the fire, she took it as a sign. Clem hurried forward, turning the fabric of the sweater over in her hands. It looked to be about her size, as did the pants laid beside a pair of socks. Instead of holes, patches had been sewn over where the holes presumably had lived before. She wasn’t going to be picky. Couldn’t afford to be, even if she hated wearing anything brown.
She looked up towards the entrance of the cave (though, closer up, it seemed more like a den). Clem tried to wait to see if anybody would come out, pointing a finger (or gun), but as far as she knew, it was only her standing in the middle of the woods (naked).
So she left, careful to avoid getting blood on clothes as she made her way to the stream. The water would be cold, and it was probably stupid to even try and rinse off in the first place, but if she could at least get her face and hands, then she could get back into town without so much as a glance. Clem placed the clothes on a nearby rock, close enough to be able to keep an eye on them, but far enough away so that they wouldn’t get wet as she began to cup water into her hands, splashing it towards her face, scrubbing as hard as she could.
—
Cairn was usually careful, she knew better than to try and track over frozen water. As of late, her mind had been everywhere but present. This time it cost her some warm clothes, but next time? Cairn had to get it together. The ice had given in to her weight and pulled her in. The cold pushed in from everywhere, like little needles had popped through her clothes. A gasp followed almost immediately, pulled out of her body as the force of the cold spread everywhere.
Luckily the water wasn’t deep. Cairn waded through the water—it felt like she was moving through honey, ultimately getting back onto the ground. The breaths were coming out too quickly, her body fighting to stay warm. She hadn’t veered too far from the den, her home. She could make it back.
The clothes were already being pulled off by the time she arrived at the den. Her jacket plopped onto a rock. She kicked off the boots and headed deeper in. Wet clothing had to be gone immediately. Her breaths were still out of her control. Focus, Pebble. Panic leads to waste. She dried herself off as best she could and put on some base layers she had. Not the warmest ones. She paced around, needing to keep moving, flexing her hands and toes every so often to confirm she still had control. That the cold hadn’t taken them.
The fire was next and by then her breaths had already started to fall under her control. It was fine. Everything would be fine. She allowed herself to warm up, even heated up some water to help. She decided that would be enough for her day and put her clothes to dry against the fire and headed further in to rest.
Cairn woke up to the sound of something nearby. She remained frozen as she stirred, trying to gauge distance and source. It was close, near the opening. Maybe the fire had attracted something. Did she leave it burning? She didn’t dare move until the sounds stopped, until the footsteps faded.
Immediately, she got up and inspected the entrance. Someone was here. And they took her clothes? Her breath clouded in front of her as she inspected the footprints in the snow. Human. Or at the very least a human form. She reached for her pama’s jacket and followed. Maybe this was someone who needed help. They certainly helped themselves. Cairn could have let them be. But she needed those clothes.
The trail led her to a nearby stream. Cairn crouched, low, as she neared, able to see someone by the bank of the stream. Her eyes scanned the area for anyone but found nobody. Just her clothes off to the side. She moved silently, quickly, hands gripping onto her clothing when the other turned around.
“Why don’t you have clothes on?” Cairn asked, not at all bothered by the nudity. She knew it wasn’t normal to be naked out here not because of any shame surrounding nudity, but because it was cold and that made you vulnerable. While the clothing was in her hand, she found her grip softening. “You’re going to freeze to death.” She tossed the clothing toward them.
—
Clem was poised in such a way that it was starting to make her lower back ache. Was this what it felt like to be getting old? She was only twenty-one! A small panic bubbled in her chest at the thought as she continued to submerge her hands in the water, rubbing as hard as she could against her nails. The water was cold. The kind of cold that made it hard for her to flex her hands as she pulled them away from the steady stream. She blew on them, which arguably only made it worse, having contact with the cold air that settled around her. The wolf, despite being a wolf, was so not an outdoorsy one. Camping was out of the question as a kid, her dad citing that there were too many things that went bump in the night, and she fucking hated bugs, so it was always a no go for either of them.
In school, however, they’d been taught a few different means of survival if past the point of no return. But Clem had found it largely difficult to remember any of the lessons. But she figured the warmest part of her body was under her armpits, so she stuck her hands there, shivering. She sat down on a rock, staring at the moving water, clearly too entranced to notice somebody was walking up on her. Having animalistic hearing should’ve been the easiest thing to get used to, but somehow, she still missed cues, not realizing what she was hearing.
She jumped to her feet, turning around. The blood on her mouth had flaked off, but some remnants remained, up by her nose. Her hands were mostly clean, aside from her fingernails. Clem shivered in response to the comment made by the stranger, and she awkwardly caught the sweater as it was thrown to her. She pressed it against her chest, not yet pulling it over her head. “It’s yours?” She looked down at it, then back to them. “Fuck.”
She didn’t have room to feel guilty, because the person standing across from her was right, she was going to freeze if she stayed unclothed. Clem pulled it over her head, noticing it fit surprisingly well, if only a little loose. “I- I’m sorry.” Her teeth chattered lightly as the late winter cold burrowed into her. “Really rough party,” Clem finally said after a moment, “something about getting close to nature, you know?” She could probably lie and say the blood around her mouth was from eating raw meat; a ritual for whatever cult she was going to make up.
She wasn’t ashamed of being a werewolf; the opposite, in fact, but how many people should know that about her? How many people even knew they existed? How many people would believe her?
—
Cairn hadn’t meant to startle the other. She had a tendency to do that. She remained still aside from tossing the clothes over. She was no threat to anyone who was no threat to her. Although… was that the case for this stranger? Despite the smell of the stream water, Cairn got the slightest hint of metal in the air. Blood. There was a darkened red crust by the stranger’s nose. A nosebleed?
“Party?” Cairn had heard of that, sure, but had never been invited to one. Did a party need to have more than two people to be considered one? If so, her pama and her definitely had things they celebrated. Like winter’s first thaw. Now, though, it would be her second thaw since her pama had passed. Her second thaw with no one to celebrate with.
“I’m Cairn.” She introduced herself, finding that most people seemed to relax when she did, when they knew what to call her. She was still figuring out what people wanted from her, but found watching people, especially online, was the way she'd learn. “How did you end up with no clothes?” Cairn asked differently this time, wanting an answer. It was cold. Even if you were celebrating, surely you would remember to remain clothed in winter.
—
“Yeah, it went on really late last night. I lost track of time, and some stupid fuck stole my clothes, so.” She didn’t release the hold she had on herself, but she tilted her chin down as if to motion towards her current state. Clem knew it was easier to get away with white lies when there weren’t that many details attached, but she couldn’t help but go in depth; after all, she stole this person’s clothes.
Cairn wasn’t a name she’d heard before, and while maybe now was not the time to comment on the uniqueness of it, she felt she had to. “That’s a sick name. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with that name.” How many times had Cairn heard that? Plenty, probably. Clem bit the inside of her cheek, then deciding to pull on the pants she’d picked up, too. “My name is Clementine, but I go by Clem.” It was give and take, wasn’t it?
Then, the old age question pushed into the space between them, making Clem’s tongue feel too big for her mouth. “Well, I mean, when you’re… doing things, you know? They just.” She made a gesture with her hands, as if to show that they went poof. She should probably apologize. Yeah, that… was probably a good idea. “I’m sorry for taking your clothes, I just– I’m– it’s fucking cold, and, I don’t know where mine went.”
—
Stole her clothes? So now here she was stealing Cairn’s. It should’ve made Cairn angry or at least annoyed, but all Cairn saw was someone who needed help. And… Cairn wanted to help. Her pama always assured her that nature needed to run its course and to not interfere. Universe and nature had its plans, trying to stop it would only make a fool out of you. But… Cairn didn’t like that idea. And her pama wasn’t here to see Cairn disobey.
“Clem,” Cairn tested the name with a nod, watching as the other slipped the clothes on. She noted how they fit, not too different from how they fit on her. At least she was warm now. They were warm. And Clem didn’t take pama’s jacket. But now Cairn was left with clothes that really weren’t suitable for prolonged exposure to the elements.
“Will you… give them back?” Cairn needed them. Most people, she’d noticed, were always wearing something new. Rarely did she see people wear the same outfit day after day. She didn’t even know where people kept all that clothing. Somewhere in their home, clearly. She tried to recall what Riley’s bedroom looked like, but it was dark and she hardly was paying attention to the room. But, she had gathered people had multiple changes of clothes, while Cairn had few.
“I can… walk with you. Home. Or wherever you have other clothes.” Maybe Clem didn’t have a home either. Maybe she had… an apartment. There were subtle differences to these words. It wasn’t something Cairn cared to unpack at this moment. Instead she slipped her hands into her pockets, the cold was starting to bite through them as she forgot to grab her gloves.
—
Clem was astonished by the number of situations she was getting herself into. There was a way to avoid them all completely, but somehow, she was still embroiled in them, mistakes or not. At Cairn’s question, Clem let out a breath. “What? Of course I will! I like, I mean, I don’t know where I am really, right now, but I was going to definitely figure out how to get them back to you.” That part wasn’t a lie, but part of her had hoped that whoever she’d taken the clothes from would just forget about them.
Then again, Cairn didn’t seem the type to have a whole wardrobe of clothes for the picking, and Clem immediately felt guilty, but she pushed it off. It wasn’t her fault that this person had put their clothes on a rock to dry, right? For the picking! Of anyone who decided to walk by, for that matter! The cold was beginning to burrow into her toes, too, so she quickly pulled the socks over them, leaning against a tree.
“I… have no fucking clue where we are right now.” She knew how stupid she must look, but she’d deal with that later. Clem straightened up, folding her arms over her chest again, tucking her fingers into her armpits. “But uh, if we can figure out a way to Worm Row? Yeah, we can do that, and then I can give your stuff back, and I don’t know, give you like, a few more pairs of socks or something.” She had a couple pairs of her dads still, and they weren’t that big, but they were warm. After a beat of silence, Clem cleared her throat. “Do you… live out here? Or are you just camping?”
—
Cairn gave a brief nod, accepting Clem’s word. She was lost. That was easy to do in the woods. It wasn’t the first time she came across someone lost. Most times Cairn would point them in the direction to the nearest tree line, at times she’d walk them there. Especially at night. She knew the safest path from the den to town and for the most part it’d been consistent. That was important. That was why she liked it. If she moved shelters, especially mid winter, it could prove even more dangerous. Fatal. She knew the area. She had scouted it prior to settling. It was safe enough.
“I know where we are.” Of course Cairn did. Her eyes met Clem’s and she didn’t bother vocalizing anything else, just pivoted and headed toward town. They were a bit off path, but a few turns and Cairn would set them back on it, almost guaranteeing a safe and quick walk to town. A sharp breeze blew past her cheeks and her shoulders hunched on instinct, bracing. They’d have to move fast. Faster they left the forest, faster they got to Worm Row and faster Cairn could get her clothes back.
Wait, Worm Row? Cairn stopped walking then and looked over at Clem. She was the third person she’d met who lived there. It was the third residence she had visited that was in Worm Row out of the small handful she had over the past year. Interesting. It could mean nothing, but Cairn wondered if it did. The chill returned, signaling Cairn to continue. “Socks are… good.” At the very least Cairn could use the extra fabric to patch up some holes. “Not camping,” Cairn answered and kept walking, letting a beat of silence fall. “I live there. I’ve been to Worm Row. I have… a friend there.” Was Riley a friend? Was Emilio? Cairn really didn’t know until they referred to her as such.
—
Maybe if Cairn didn’t look the part of a woodsy liver (yes, that was the correct term!), or a lumberjack, sans the plaid, then Clem would’ve been a little more doubtful, but it was obvious from the way the den had been set up Cairn was used to things out here, especially in the way that Clem wasn’t. Was she a terrible werewolf? For not understanding nature? Or did it make her unique? She wasn’t sure, and obviously Cairn wasn’t the one to ask, anyway.
“Oh. Cool. Great, I mean,” Clem gave her a not-so sarcastic thumbs up with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. The sun might’ve been beaming down on them, but it didn’t make it any less chilly, and the water nearby was only making her that much more cold. At least the feeling in her hands was starting to come back.
It seemed like Cairn was ready to go, so Clem hurried to follow after her, wincing at the feeling of old snow squish beneath her feet, the water seeping through the fabric. She’d have to deal with it. If she started to complain about socks she’d stolen, then she’d look like an idiot. “Yeah, I fucking love socks. They’re great. I mean, they keep your feet warm, they can be a rag in a pinch.” She shrugged, walking alongside Cairn. “Oh. Really?” It surprised her. She’d thought that maybe Cairn had been into some kind of survival show situation, but that was clearly not the case. “A friend in Worm Row? What’s their name?” It was probable that Clem didn’t even know them, considering how many residents the neighborhood held, but it was worth a shot, right?
—
The sound of wet fabric sloshing and squishing caught Cairn’s ears and her eyes flicked down between them. The socks had obviously absorbed the moisture in the ground and now Clem was walking in it. Cairn knew how uncomfortable that must have been. She mentally calculated the time it would take to get into town, the path she was going to follow and how someone like Clem would handle it. It wouldn’t be the first time Cairn was barefoot in winter, but she knew that Clem being uncomfortable would bother her more than her own bare feet against the cold ground.
“Here.” Cairn squatted and began unlacing her boots. She slipped the first one off along with her sock. Then the next. She swallowed and clenched her jaw to hide the reaction of her bare skin meeting the cold frost. She handed the dry socks and boots without a word. Silent, yet it was clear this was not a suggestion. Clem was going to put them on. Once done, Cairn stood up and took her first step. It was uncomfortable, but Cairn could do it. The cold wouldn’t bite. Just sting.
Oh, name. She needed to name someone. Cairn hesitated, what if Clem knew them? What if Clem knew they weren’t friends? “Riley,” She mumbled, hoping the name would be lost to the sound of the stream and the wind and maybe it could be passed off as someone else. Someone Clem didn’t know. Then, she thought of Baz and how they knew Jenny and the way they lit up when she mentioned her. “Riley.” She repeated herself, her voice cutting through them, steady and clear.
Cairn couldn’t remain idle however and knew she had to move. Maybe it was the fact the cold was numbing her feet, but she moved through the forest with ease, with the careful knowledge of someone experienced in a forest's twists and turns. As they neared the treeline by Downtown, one could hear the sound of the tires against the asphalt, signaling their steady approach into civilization.
—
The last thing Clem deserved to do was complain, but was that going to stop her? Absolutely not. She made passing comments, up until it was obvious that Cairn had gotten tired of it. Or maybe, just maybe, it was out of kindness. She looked over at them as they began to take off their boots. “What? No! They’re– I literally stole your clothes, and you’re giving me your shoes now?” How did that make any sense? Her mouth hung open slightly, noticing the look in Cairn’s eye, then relented. She pulled the boots on, wiggling her toes against the room at the front of the shoe, but made no move to complain further. “Thank you,” Clem muttered, clearly guilty.
As she pulled the boots on, Clem looked up as Cairn said a name. Reaching back to earlier, she shook her head, ready to speak. It was lost on her that maybe Cairn hadn’t meant for her to hear at all. After a few beats, Cairn repeated the name, this time loud and clear. So, she decided to respond this time. “I’m not sure I know any Riley’s actually. I mean, I might, but like, in passing, you know?” She offered an uncertain smile, but noted the way Cairn’s face lit up at the mention of Riley. If they were anyone other than a thief and the stolen from, she might have pressed a little more, but overall, Cairn seemed like the type to keep her words short.
By the time they reached the lip of town, Clem’s fingers had gone numb again, and a breath hitched in her throat. “Holy shit, you really do know your way around.” She cast a look towards Cairn. “You know, I probably should’ve like, maybe… been a little more careful. You, too. Who knows what the fuck is lurking in the woods.” (It was her, she’d been the one lurking.) There were a few mouths into the downtown area, all of which branching towards one of the paths they were currently on, and Clem quickened her pace a little. She knew she probably looked ragged, and Cairn probably didn’t look any better (with no shoes), but she didn’t care. She desperately wanted to brush her teeth and give Cairn her clothes back.
—
“I know.” Cairn answered, simply. While short, her response carried an inflection meant to reassure. Clem couldn’t know that Cairn was meticulous when it came to her routes. Couldn’t know that Cairn knew some of the safest paths in the woods. They weren’t entirely safe, of course. Especially at night, but… people weren’t too far off from animals. They too liked some predictability, routine. She just had to make sure she knew what an animal’s routine was and ensure the two never met. “I usually take this path to town.” A beat. “But, you’re right. Careful is good.” She didn’t want to discourage that.
They emerged onto the street, Cairn took in the sight of a car that passed by. The driver hardly noticed them, instead focused on the rectangle at the front of the car—dashboard, she remembered Jenny telling her. She was finding that she missed the car rides. They felt safe. You were inside, but got the freedom to see everything outside as you passed by. The driver sipped from a cup and sped away, a breeze following the vehicle. It sent a small chill throughout Cairn’s body. “Do you… know how to get home from here?” Cairn asked but continued to walk, not wanting to stop and let the chill seep into her bones.
In the case Clem didn’t, Cairn knew how to get to the library and other common points that may give Clem some clues on how to get home. Or they could look up her address in the library. Cairn had gotten the hang of how to print. Maybe she could get the chance to show someone. Then again, no one would be interested in seeing any of her advancements when she was still trailing behind when it came to a majority of people in town.
—
Cairn didn’t seem that worried about what could be deep into the green, and while Clem had no intention of hurting Cairn (and she was sure Cairn had no intention of hurting her), wasn’t there still the age old warning of stranger danger hanging over their heads? It was too late to analyze that in a way that made sense, but Clem had to wonder how many weirdos Cairn might be helping out of the woods, especially those covered in night-old blood.
A car passed by, not bothering to look in their direction, and Clem had half a mind to flip them. Wasn’t it a pedestrian’s right of way? She looked over at Cairn as they questioned whether or not she knew the way home, and she nodded. “Oh, yeah. This is like, my specialty now.” She gave a reassuring smile, forcing her gaze from flicking down to her feet, covered only by socks. Maybe she’d give Cairn more than socks as thanks. Handwarmers, maybe a couple pairs of gloves, a hat…
“We have to go this way.” She pointed to the east facing street, “and then we need to go south.” She could lead the way now, and so she did. Clem motioned for Cairn to follow her, not bothering to react to the people who clearly looked at them with disdain for the way they were dressed. It was another thirty minutes from the heart of downtown to her apartment, and eventually, they arrived. Between the silence, Clem had fought the urge to ask more about Riley, and decided to ask about what Cairn liked to do other than live outdoors.
“This is my apartment.” She pointed to the door that was facing the outside. It was on the first floor, with no inner hallway to speak of. There was an old, decaying plant frozen over that, as she lifted it up, a glint of bronze caught her eye. She swept the key up into her hand, and inserted it into the lock, opening the door. She turned towards Cairn, “come on in!” Clem was quick to remove the boots, fussing with the laces, and eventually leaving them in a small wad from the knot she couldn’t get undone, then dashed to the bathroom to grab a towel, and then to her room to grab a pair of thick, fuzzy socks.
—
Cairn found herself at ease letting Clem take the lead, silently approving the way the other knew her cardinal directions. She had never gone the path she was being led down. Instead of meeting it with apprehension, Cairn allowed the weight of hesitation to be chipped at with trust. She often wondered if her pama would have approved Cairn’s decision to enter society instead of staying away. Cairn had no regrets. She also had very little answers. But she had hope. Hope would have to suffice for now.
As Clem fiddled with her door, Cairn looked to each side, noting the absence of others on the street. The street name found a slot in her mind—she’d have to check a map and see where this street rested in connection to the other street names she had picked out in Worm’s Row. Was Riley’s street nearby? Emilio’s? When people showed you where they lived… did that mean you could see them again? Without an invitation? There were so many questions and she found herself uncertain who to ask.
Her brows lifted momentarily at the invite, but relaxed back into place as she accepted, walking through the threshold of Clem’s apartment. Already the floor of the apartment felt warmer than the ground outside, something Cairn appreciated. “Do you… live by yourself?” Or did she have an animal roommate like Riley and Emilio? Curiosity sometimes took hold of her and Cairn thought of what it would be like to find companionship with an animal. She just didn’t know how to do that. Maybe two wild animals couldn’t coexist.
—
At Cairn’s question, Clem poked her head out of the door from her bedroom. “I’ve got a ferret! His name is Gecko.” He was probably asleep, but if he wasn’t, she’d show him to Cairn, or at least let her see him while he slept. She always felt bad about waking him up out of nowhere, even if when she did let him sleep in her room back when he lived in her room with her, he had no qualms about waking her up at any given time.
She swiped a pair of brown fuzzy socks (a pair that had been stuffed into her bottommost drawer), and changed out of Cairn’s clothes quickly. Clem decided that brushing her teeth wasn’t as rude as not brushing them, so she went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, as well as her toothbrush. The toothbrush stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she approached Cairn with her articles of stolen clothing, as well as a towel and a fresh pair of socks. “I can wash these for you, if you want.” She pointed towards the socks that Cairn wore, as well as the ones she had peeled from her own feet. “It might take a bit, though.”
She paused, then held up a finger with her free hand as she continued to scrub at her teeth, the taste of mint favorable over the blood now that she was within human space and mind. “Hold on.” Clem didn’t wait for a response from Cairn before she was dashing off to get a pair of insulated leggings she wore when she wore skirts in the winter. If Cairn’s clothes fit her fairly well, then Cairn shouldn’t have had any issue fitting into them, either. For good measure, she grabbed another pair of socks and a pair of gloves she had forgotten about. MCR was written in red text overtop of the black fabric, but Clem figured Cairn wouldn’t care too much. “I have a hat somewhere too,” Clem said as she set the items down next to the brunette.
The guilt from her thievery had been building up during the walk, and so she stood there, looking a little out of place in her own home as she brushed her teeth in an attempt to appease Cairn.
—
Ferret named Gecko? That was another thing people did with animals. They named them. A name more than what they were. A dog named Perro, a cat named Zuko. Her pama had told her the weight names carried. The power. It was why Cairn was called pebble and sprout—to Cairn these were her names as any other. But in moments like these… when she was faced with the way people interacted with animals—their pets—loved, yet owned she wondered when the power turned into something used to recall. Something easy. Something to make the small animal look up. Pebble. Sprout. Cairn.
Clem coming near broke Cairn out of her thoughts and she accepted her clothing with open hands. At the mention of the socks she became aware again of their uncomfortably wet nature. “Okay.” Cairn answered, unsure what Clem meant by washing. Of course, she could do it herself but her acceptance rested on finding out what Clem was going to do. She didn’t get a chance to ask a follow up question however because Clem walked away. Cairn glanced down at her clothes, realizing it would be best to put them on if she was going to head back out into the cold.
Clem returned with more things. Cairn’s brows furrowed slightly, eyes moving from the clothing in her hands to what she had brought her. Then they moved to Clem, understanding slowly forming in her head. These were for Cairn. She was being given these. Cairn didn’t know why and her lips parted to speak, only to close as she was uncertain what to say. She had to make sure. “These...” Her eyes trailed down to the clothing beside her and then flicked back to Clem, “are for me?” A familiar feeling stirred in her chest, a quickened pulse, each beat warming her. “Thank you.”
What now? Would Cairn just turn around and walk back to her shelter with everything? Is that what Clem was trying to do? Trying to get her to leave? Cairn’s eyes scanned the apartment, taking it in, before settling back on Clem. “Can I stay inside?”
—
Clem blinked. “Yeah, it’s for you. All of it is.” Her words were slightly slurred as she spoke around the toothbrush in her mouth. She looked down at the pile of clothing she’d come up with, then she remembered the hat. “OH!” Quickly, she made her way to the bathroom, finishing up with brushing her teeth, then returned to the living room. She grabbed the hat that was wedged between the wall and an old box full of figurines and old video game cartridges. “Here.” She slapped it against her thigh, shaking out the dust. It wasn’t that bad, and it looked like it could probably fit Cairn’s head. She pulled it from the brim, stretching it out, closing one eye to imagine what it’d look like on Cairn, and then at the other’s question, she dropped her arms to her sides, hat still stretching out. Oops!
Though, she had to say something, didn’t she? “Uh, yeah!” She meant it with more enthusiasm than she had meant it, and so she cleared her throat. “You can sleep here, if you want!” Stranger Danger alarm bells didn’t ring in her head, and besides– even if Cairn wanted to steal anything, there wasn’t a whole lot for her to take. If she tried to kill Clem, well, Clem would just wolf out and eat her. Besides, living in that den when it was this cold outside seemed like a fucking nightmare. “You can shower, I can make some food– or wait, do you like chili cheese fries? I can get us some of those.” Fuck. Her phone.
No, she had left it here. She knew the full moon was coming and wore clothes that totally sucked. But next time, she’d need to pack a bag. “I’ll get you a new towel.” Clem smiled at Cairn, dashing to the bathroom. “You can stay for however long you want!” She called out to the other, poking her head back out. “Do you like lavender soap, or vanilla?”
—
Sleep? Cairn hadn’t considered that. The only other place she’d slept at was Riley’s and well, this wasn’t Riley’s apartment. This place was strange. Clem was strange. But Cairn had been alone in her den. And she was so tired of being so. Maybe some strange company was worth the risk. Maybe there was really no stranger company than her own and if someone was willing to accept, if only for a moment, she wanted to take it. But Clem had said: ‘however long you want!’ Which meant it was entirely up to Cairn to decide when to leave.
I like that.
The onrush of questions was usually enough to get Cairn to sink down inside of herself until it passed. Until she could think. It was overwhelming, but this time, Cairn braved through it. Shower. Cairn had never had one of those indoors, but she had heard of it. She enjoyed washing in the streams but it definitely wasn't the easiest to do in the winter. Chili cheese fries? She knew those words individually to gather it was some sort of food, but she wasn’t sure what the combination of all three would be. “I want to try chili cheese fries.” There was always going to be something Cairn had yet to experience, maybe that was the whole point of this sort of thing. Living. Experiencing every new thing you could.
“Lavender,” Cairn answered. A familiar choice still didn’t hurt. However—“What… is soap?”
