rather than never

Dr. Indigo Lucroy | 40 | Werewolf "To refuse the bounty of his right hand for the hunger of his left."

[laurencelosthishead-blog]

“I’m not quite sure I heard you.” His fingers fidgeted with the frayed cover of Cold Mountain, which he owned for years but never could manage to finish. He wasn’t sure if it was the romance that pained him or the woes of a Confederate soldier that deterred him. He hoped leaving his home for the cafe would force his mind to focus. Having no such luck, Laurence’s attention was not focused on the person sitting adjacent to him, and what he believed to have been a question. “Sorry, I’m afraid my head isn’t in the right place right now.”

[theindigolucroy]

“You don’t smell sick.” Indigo muttered to himself. The odor wasn’t much, but the wolf was now sensitive to the bacteria considering how it took over the town and he’d started research not long after the vampire massacre. “Do you have a friend who’s ill?” In that case, Indigo often found himself distracted to though he was also the sort to escape through black text on white paper.

[theindigolucroy]

adrianbelluci:

He laughed. Unless the illness were something magical that infected those non-humans, Indigo wouldn’t be strapped down to a hospital bed. Good, it was something he didn’t like picturing. “There is also my home, pretty big, comfortable beds, could get you a live-in nurse.Heck, I could be your nurse if you wanted.” That would be a terrible idea, but he would spoil his wolf. Adrian stayed quiet for a moment. What Indigo was saying was true, and this conversation was much too serious… “So I shouldn’t trust you?” His eyebrow quirked upwards. He smirked while nudging the wolf with his elbow. “Promise to make it quick? Stake in the heart. And don’t miss,” he joked. The vampire gave a small chuckle and shook his head. “You’re right, of course. I feel like… I don’t know, a kid? I probably shouldn’t go anywhere alone or go to Fang Hang.”

Indigo leaned back some and cast a neutral gaze on Adrian as the vampire developed this hypothetical situation all at once. He swiveled a black pen he kept on his person atop the table and seemed to be considering the idea. Playfully. “You may not have a day of formal training, but you are good at taking instruction.” When Adrian wanted to that is. Anyone else who dared nurse the wolf while he lay bare and vulnerable might end up crushed between his rows of teeth. The smallest of smiles were sacrificed as Adrian teased and nudged. Damn child... yet he was far older than Indigo. Only in years. “Killing you would be one method of keeping you safe.” The scientist considered aloud. Indie tilt his head to the side slightly. “That would be wise.” Adrian, wise? He waited to hear more...

[theindigolucroy]

adrianbelluci:

Once the mess was gone, Adrian rested his hand on the back of the wolf’s chair, basking in the warmth his skin naturally gave off. “I’m glad you’re in good health, I’m not a fan of hospitals,” it was the smell, he was sure “and if you were sick we would have to go visit one.” At the mention of news, the vampires eyes looked down at the newspaper. There it was again. “Crazy stuff huh?” he said as if it were nothing. He looked back towards Indigo. Adrian moved his hand from the chair up towards the other man’s hair, caressing it lightly before letting his hand swing back down to his side and take a seat in the empty chair. “I wonder how they even did it? I mean… Vampires aren’t weak, ya know?” 

The uptight werewolf wasn’t much for juvenile stunts, but he couldn’t contain a small ‘pfft’ toward the very idea. "I actually will never experience illness.” Partly because of his pure werewolf lineage and another because he was obsessed with leading a clean life. After Ashenvale that practice had grown more intense. He had his pride to consider and needed good practices to back up the big talk. “I hate hospitals just as much, staying at home or a private lab would be better anyway.” Adrian’s touch to Lucroy’s pitch black hair brought the calmness back. There was always something to prove, but the initial shock factor and this current reality hanging over the doctor faded away painlessly. Was it the dog nature in him or something else? Whichever, Indigo was finally relaxed again and all attention was on the vampire. Funny enough, Adrian’s question was the last to strike Lucroy’s curiosity. “That is a puzzle.” One he had no answer to. For once. Black eyes look over Adrian as if the vampire were that very puzzle he’d mentioned. “With that knowledge; you shouldn’t trust anyone right now. Not till the murderer is caught.” Murderers? Indie despised speculation...

[theindigolucroy]

adrianbelluci:

Things were becoming a bit too hectic for the vampire’s liking. Burnings? Really? And as easy as it was to scoff at what happened, it was slightly frightening. There was a target on his head now. Perhaps he should leave for a while… The thought quickly left his mind the moment he looked through one of the windows and saw Indigo. Adrian stopped walking and smiled. A small chat with the wolf would help. Just as he stepped inside the bakery, a ceramic mug fell to the ground, breaking into pieces. “You’re so clumsy,” he teased the other man before helping him pick up the pieces. “You okay? This isn’t… A symptom is it?”

To hear Adrian’s voice was other worldly. It had just been too long and far; time spent overseas for research. Growing. There were phone calls, but more traditional letter writing too. Poetry. Through scrawled script Indigo could practically hear Adrian’s voice. Perhaps the wolf was merely crazy (wouldn’t be the first accusation) but there was no question that an impact had been made on ‘stone-cold’ Indigo Lucroy since meeting the vampire. He had been on his mind, as he often was when Indie had a rare slow moment to himself as he did now, so the voice didn’t grab his attention immediately. Indie smiled to himself, bashfully, embarrassed, and when his head finally rose up the good doctor was even more-so. By chance, it was actually Adrian. And Indigo had been smiling to himself like a loon. Both eyes opened wide and he awkwardly flattened his lips into a straight line. “Uh...” Stupid. “No, no. I’m completely in good health.” Indigo said sharp, matter of factly, and his gaze was downcast again with brows furrowed to bring back a sense of control. His head wasn’t in the clouds, never would be--to an outsiders knowledge. “--and I’m not clumsy, this was just--... I’m... reading the news.”

[theindigolucroy]

thaleiamaris:

Thaleia worked with careful, precise motions to pick up the sharp shards of ceramic. The sugary goodies filled in the bakery almost always lured in kids whose parents let them run a little too loose, and so this sort of thing was almost a daily occurrence. Luckily, the mug was a small one, and the pieces were cleared in seconds. “No, please, don’t worry about it,” the mermaid refused, picking up the edges of the paper that the shards were placed on. “This gives me something else to do then wipe the counters down for the 5th time today.” She let out an easy chuckle while she stood up, one hand grabbing the make-shift paper bag. “Please, enjoy that while I’m gone,” Thaleia nodded to the croissant on the table, “and don’t say no. I’ve got so much leftover food, it’s unbelievable.”

Her refusal made Indigo want to kick himself, but the excuse stirred a smile out of him, for some reason... He smiled and breathed a short chuckle. “More dignity than hanging your head over a smart phone.” Of course everyone did that these days. Indie wiped his lips with the small napkin square and realigned his back to lean composed with pride. Both thick brows rose on his forehead when the pastry was offered. The werewolf could smell the authentic butter and taste the flakes on his tongue from that sensation alone. He was stumped, and she hushed him before Lucroy could be polite once again. “O-of course.” The wolf stammered, another rare phenomenon. After a moment of quiet, he gingerly reached for a curved corner and broke the shell. It took a second hand to tug off the pale bread layers from within. He popped it in his mouth and enjoyed the flavor more than he might have had he purchased it on his own. The worker knew how to bring customers back, which made the quiet afternoon suddenly more depressing.

[theindigolucroy]

thaleiamaris:

Thankfully, Thaleia’s symptoms had all cleared before they could get any worse. With a majority of her staff sick, the mermaid was on her own most days; not like it mattered, though, with the bakery having less and less visitors as the sickness spread throughout the small town. There was one, however, who was sat outside the bakery, taking sips from a mug of plain coffee that made the slow day somewhat more bearable. She was on her way to his table, a complimentary croissant on a small, white plate, when she witnessed the mug shattering. Thaleia placed the plate on the table and kneeled down to help the man. “Be careful,” she commented as she helped pick up a few pieces, “I don’t think the hospitals have much room for someone who needs their finger stitched.”

He might have heard the gentle footsteps of the shop owner as she approached, but Indigo caught himself... distracted. A head space he wasn’t comfortable filling--less so years back. The werewolf had little to fear with his incredible abilities and yet after reading that article something haunting stuck with him. Lucroy watched the woman expertly collect the pieces as if this sort of thing happened on the regular. She took care and Indigo found it easy to focus on the motions and her words. “No need to worry about that.” He replied, uncertain of her case in that same respect. “I am sorry.” The words laid out one by one, calculative, but Indigo felt it more genuine and respectful to apologize without a lazy drawl. “I will pay for the damage.”

[theindigolucroy]

Indigo sat beside the wide display window of Rockin’ Rolls Bakery. Outside, where the air was fresh and warmed the born werewolf’s already heated skin. The quiet public streets of downtown Klamenth Falls finally allowed the professor to enjoy his vacation in peace, but the tragic reality of this infection and Monday mornings bold headline made any attempt to relax impossible. When vampires had been mercilessly burned and one in particular stood at risk. Forgetting his own strength and grip on the half-full mug of black coffee, the handle crumbled in that moment leaving the cup to clatter over and spill. “Shit...” Lucroy hissed under a breath. This wasn’t a first... but it had been a great while. Something familiar to the wolf was getting to him. He laid out the paper and set to collect the fractured ceramic.

[theindigolucroy]

coramathers:

“Doctor?” Cora restated, an eyebrow quirking up. There was something that piqued her interest, and might give some insight to the man before her. “That sounds pretty interesting. A doctor of what, may I ask?”

“Biology. I favor the study of cells and DNA.” He said in the most basic of terms he could. “What sort of work do you do in town?”

[theindigolucroy]

[theindigolucroy]

coramathers:

“Hmph, I guess it is,” Cora agreed, arms folding over her chest as she eyed the man. There was a moment of silence as she scrutinized him. After she had finished, a smirk formed on her lips. “Cora Mathers. And you are?”

Her criticism was on full display. The wolf appeared numb toward the once over. No one quite embodied the saying ‘one’s own worst critic’ like Lucroy had in the past. “Doctor Indigo Lucroy. I’m on vacation.” He forced a short hapless grin.

[theindigolucroy]

coramathers:

“Me?” The demon reiterated with a playful smirk. “Oh, I don’t think I’ll buy anything. I pretty much have everything that I need,” Cora insisted, knowing that she’d never make a deal with those little buggers in a million years. Instead, she planned to take advantage of their unfortunate presence to get some entertainment, and possibly a fresh meal. “What about you?” She asked the gentleman. “Is there something you’d spend a coin on? Something you desperately want?”

“I’ve long learned my lesson on the crime of picking forbidden fruit.” Indigo confessed. He could smell the air without raising a nostril, and felt a certain energy from the other. Nothing honest he could rely on. She was in fact different. “I too own all I could care to have. ... How dull for us.”

[coramathers]

“What an exciting time of year,” Cora remarked as she saw an interaction between two girls on the street squealing over the bottles of various-colored liquids in their hands. The demon knew all too well what kind of game imps loved to play, and she herself couldn’t help but join in by sending more ignorant fools their way. “You know, I hear those imps have got some pretty remarkable stuff.”

[theindigolucroy]

An elderly man by nature, Indigo truly despised all the chatter spreading about town. Everyone was positively distracted. Enough that the old professor wanted to slam a hefty text book down on some table to bring back the peace an quiet. However, Indie wasn’t aware that this sort of spirit was the common sort and the state in which he had entered town was that of fear and even depression. This was his first ‘vacation’ so the born wolf shrugged aside his selfish impulse to explore... the new. “And what do you plan to waste a coin on?”

[theindigolucroy]

adrianbelluci:

The vampire scoffed at the request. “You mean so you can take half credit for this fantastic present? After I slaved away picking it out?” In truth, it was a last minute gift. After all, Kennedy had everything she could ever want. He figured she would enjoy a weird present from a life-long friend. “How very unfair. This thing cost me millions.” Lies, he got it from a thrift store. But as he told the werewolf this, he had elegantly added Indigo’s name to it and placed it precariously on top of another gift. Adrian watched the present for a moment, making sure it wouldn’t fall, before turning his full attention to the wolf. He gave the other man a grin “You owe me, lupo.”

Indigo’s resolve quickly felt challenged by Adrian’s exaggeration. Remarkable how some things never changed. The wolf heard the faint scribbling and felt accomplished while stuffing his nose deeper into the awfully scented book. “Millions. Really?” Indigo finally looked up, angled both eyes toward the stack. “What’s inside?” It meant more to hear the vampire call him by such a simple name in person rather than phone. “Well... unlike you, or the birthday girl, I’m not worth millions.”

[theindigolucroy]

@adrianbelluci

Indigo failed at acting natural the moment he plucked up a stray Vogue magazine and flipped through it while standing beside a growing tower of gifts for Kennedy. The pages didn’t hold his interest, nor did the visual onslaught of varying wrapping paper folded around each box. Only the vampire who pressed his own gift atop the stack kept Lucroy focused on something nearly as frivolous and silly. “What’s the harm?” Indigo whispered, voice rising in cadence. “Just scribble my name under yours on the tag...” The werewolf had no clue what to buy the girl who owned everything... so decided against doing so even after her generous invitation got him to town.

[theindigolucroy]

kennedylucchese:

“You actually came.” Kennedy said with a smile, pleased but surprised that Indigo actually accepted her invite. Sure he came earlier than planned but knowing the wolf was in town was going to ease her mind in the next few months. “Of course, it’s a vacation like I mentioned.” Taking a step forward she didn’t wrap her arms around him like she would have with her other friends, instead kept her space and offered him a smile. “I want you to relax, enjoy your vacation, that’s all Indie. Oh and perhaps get drunk tonight for once.”

Both hands shrugged into his black trouser pockets and the wolf-born creature took in the quiet scene. “It’s not a proper birthday without at least one surprise.” He replied in a sarcastic manner. That, among many reasons, was why Indigo kept his own date of birth a secret. The nosiest of people could find the public record, but it didn’t mean nearly as much if such knowledge wasn’t earned from Lucroy’s word alone. His dark eyes were ready to take in this town, but the guests this evening would have to be his first taste of the place. Outside of what he’d read in newspapers or scarcely witnessed via television. First hand observation was far more relevant and accurate to a scientist. “I have a feeling my first vacation will cover all of the bases you have set for me, but considering what I am and who... alcohol fails to effect me.” He left his monstrous ways behind along with pride and ignorance, but Indigo always understood the importance of keeping a clear head. There was no honor or reverence to be found in the word ‘drunk’. "Let’s share a cup of your finest to kick off the night.”

[theindigolucroy]

aliciadelmar:

“Mmm,” Alicia nodded her head as she listened to him. She gave a thoughtful expression as she laced her hands together in her lap. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I sometimes come to these things, more for others than for myself.” She admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked around the space and shrugged. “It’s a beautiful party, and everyone looks wonderful and they are having fun but…I don’t know. I feel a little out of place.” 

Had Indigo known more about this town he might have asked who in particular she pandered toward. For the time being, that was none of his business, so he kept his nose out of such territory. He took more pleasure in listening anyway. “Time taught me it’s a... ‘supportive’ gesture. I’m sure those who know you are happier to say you came in person rather than spirit alone.” He faintly scratched his right brow before nodding gently in the stranger’s direction. “There’s nothing wrong with being different... unless the idea makes you feel depressed.”

[sweetnesskarlagonzales-blog]

Alicia had found a quiet corner of the party. She was enjoying herself, the music, the dancing. It was all very lively and fresh, still she had moments where she needed time to herself. She wanted to be a little reserved. So here was where she stayed, at least for a little while. She noticed someone approach and she gave a small, somewhat timid smile. “Are you enjoying the night?” She enquired, hoping to make small talk. 

[theindigolucroy]

“Remarkably so...” He replied, a simple visitor in a town filled with others like him--yet completely set apart. “Few close friends I have are hard pressed to get me out for such events. It is pleasant and quiet here, mostly...” Perhaps just this isolated corner he shared with a fellow guest fit the description. He’d long strayed from the festivities. Answered a couple emails, finished three nourishing glasses of iced water, took in ambience. “And you?”