[Worm]

HALCYON

Hal didn't quite understand what happened on nights like these. He felt his hair ride up his spine and then, nothing. It'd been happening since he was about thirteen. Now, at twenty-six, he was waking up in someone else's home. He sprawled out, looking at his paws. Wait, paws?

He jumped up, his claws scratching against the linoleum floor. Was it linoleum? He started licking the floor. Nope, not linoleum. Wait, what's wrong with me? His tail wagged nervously back and forth as he sniffed around the foreign home. It smelled oddly familiar though...

[sylvanSpider]

Ashlynne Glass

Ashlynne, from deep sleep, sat up suddenly, every hair on her arms standing on end. Her waking didn't stop the noises, however. She wasn't dreaming. Running her hand over the half-shaved side of her head, the first thing her mind went to was I'm getting robbed again? She pulled out her gun from under her pillow. Unfortunately, this kind of thing was entirely too common, but she was ready. She'd been through this before.

The door to her living quarters (if they could be called that, that is, if this was "living") flew open was she kicked it open cocking her gun, "Alright. Drop whatever it is you've picked up. I worked hard to get to where I am, and I'm not about to give it up." Seeing who the perpetrator was, however, she froze, eyes wide. I have a goddamned werewolf in my living room...

[Worm]

HALCYON

Standing on his back legs, he now towered over the incoming threat. His hackles raised again from his head down to his tail. He looked down at his massive paws, remembering who he was again. A beast. He growled at the girl, fangs dripping with viscous drool. A scar across his cheek highlighted his clouded eye. Next to the cloudy one was a bright yellow one, piercing through at the woman. He knew it was her house, but she had a god damned gun pointed at him!

[sylvanSpider]

Ash~

Ash lowered the gun immediately, seeing it. That distinctive scar trailing down his cheek, the whitened pupil. There was one human who she'd seen before who had it--one that she'd only seen at the restaurant. Revelations, her go to diner, had the most colorful cast of characters employed she'd ever seen, possibly the most colorful being that of Halcyon. "Is...is that you...? Hal? Hal, right?"

[Worm]

HALCYON

What did she call him? He extended his nose, sniffing in her direction. Yes, she was quite familiar. He whimpered, unsure of how to react. He backed up into a corner and growled again at the girl, feeling intimidated in her domain.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash

There was a whimper, that's good. He might recognize me...Maybe. Ash crouched down, deliberately putting herself at a lower position than the wolf, gently setting the gun down and putting her hands up, "Look, see? I'm not going to hurt you. I work at the diner you usually work at. You know, I take up the booth closest the kitchen and get coffee refills for a couple hours at least twice weekly? That's me...My name is Ash."

[Worm]

HAL

He growled one more time before snatching up a bag of bread in his paws. He squeezed past the girl once she put her gun down and made his way for the window. In one fell swoop, he made it out of her shoddy apartment and onto the cold, midnight grass. He howled on his way home.

When he awoke, he was not so happy. Naked, again, a bag of half eaten bread and a bed full of crumbs, again. He sighed into his pillow. "Ugh. Work."

[sylvanSpider]

Ash

Ash stood there, chest rising with every ragged breath as she watched the creature slid, liquid fur, out of her open window. She could hear the howls as they grew more distant and slowly she made her way to the window, closed it, picked up the gun and slid it under her pillow and collapsed on the bed.

She barely slept that night.

[Worm]

HALCYON

It was strange, ever since he'd started sleepwalking, Hal never felt rested. He stood in the shower, but he didn't feel like he was in his body. Sure, he scrubbed, but this was just muscle memory. Inside his head, all he could think of was this voice that seemed to call out to him. It said his name. It sounded like someone he knew but he couldn't place it.

It was 3:00 PM and he was actually on time for work today. Bags under his eyes, yesterday's jeans, but no frown on his face today. He felt okay for once. Despite the gurgling stomach. He wasn't sure how he managed to down so much food, but working at a diner seemed to spoil him. He didn't make much, but his apartment wasn't worth a dime anyways. As long as he could eat, he was more than happy.

As he walked in, his boss tapped him on the shoulder. "Ey Hal, don't go so heavy on the drinks tonight. I heard you stumbled out last night." Jefe rubbed his back and continued towards the kitchen. "You're on barfront tables. Be good or be careful!" His voice echoed throughout the kitchen's clamor.

[sylvanSpider]

ASH

Ash woke too close to noon for her comfort but the previous night's rest proved to be less than fruitful. She couldn't place when she'd actually drifted off into a restless sleep, but it came to her only after what felt like hours of staring at the ceiling. No matter, Hal's shift generally started in the afternoon's so she could make it. Fiddling around with her coin purse, she gave it a quick shake and hearing a small jingle, she knew that she at least had enough for a coffee. Good enough.

She was out of breath from half-running when she stepped into Revelations with reddened cheeks and slid into her usual spot.

[Worm]

HALCYON

Hal took his notepad from the counter and made his way past the kitchen. There was a voice in his head, and it was saying his name. He couldn't quite place where it was coming from. "Long night buddy?" One of the cooks blurted out over the sizzling of stoves and fryers. "Ah, you could say that." He tried to force a chuckle. Then he saw her, the girl who always got coffee in the corner. And for the life of him, he couldn't remember her name. He swallowed hard, and walked up to her table. He brushed his hair back from his face and made sure to tuck in his shirt before approaching her.

"You need some coffee, sweetie?" He smiled, his normal jagged way.

[sylvanSpider]

ASH

Ash offered her brightest smile, which admittedly, wasn't that bright. She was a punk through and through, and the most radiant of smiles couldn't change the scars she had on her face, her chipping nail polish completed with the chewed off look, her clothes strewn with rips and tears. In another time, another place, she might have been pretty. "Sure do. It's almost as if I'm a regular, eh? Hal, right?"

[Worm]

HALCYON

Hal let out his hyena laugh, as the cooks liked to call it. It didn't sound like a hyena, but Hal reminded them of one because of his dingy looks and late night habits. Which, he wasn't too sure he even had. When she said his name, it rang in his head a couple extra times. He shook it before he could respond. "That it is. I'm shitty with names." He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing lightly.

"I'll go grab your coffee after you remind me what to call you." he huffed with a guilty smile. Holding up his pen and paper, Hal wrote down his number. He felt compelled to give it to her once he brought back her coffee. He wasn't sure why, but something about her voice felt strangely familiar and comforting. And usually, he just followed his gut.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash

Ash grinned, leaning back in her seat. Hal was the only one in the diner who never bitched about her hogging up a booth buying only a cup of coffee. He was the only one who didn't look at her sideways when she came in straight from her job as a mechanic. So, when he asked her name she didn't hesitate with the truth, " It's Ashlynne. Folks at the shop just call me Ash. You can choose either."

[Worm]

HALCYON

"Ash! That's right! I knew that." He smiled, backing up towards the kitchen now. The smile didn't leave his face. She was a grungy girl which he felt strangely drawn to. He was never the type to court model-esque women or people out of his league. Most of the time they were boring and shallow. Besides, he'd be waiting his whole life for a ten. He was more like a four or five. He was lanky, and scarred. At least he was tall.

He grabbed a clean white cup and a pitcher with fresh coffee. One of the cooks whistled at Hal from behind the counter. He wiggled his eyebrows when Hal made eye contact with him. He had to laugh it off, used to the ongoing banter.

When he got back to Ash's table, he put the cup down and then the pitcher. And then, he put down the ticket paper with his number on it. His name was scrawled on top with a simple "hit me" under his number. "Talk to you later?" He grinned, his missing tooth only slightly unflattering. "Let me know when you need a refill." He winked and began waiting the other few tables he was assigned to.

[sylvanSpider]

Ash~<3

Ash could hear the unbridled laughter from the other room where she sat and, figuring she was the brunt of the joke, smirked. Of course, she had no way of knowing this for certain, but if she could see how Hal looked at her, it could only be assumed that his coworkers also could see it.

Her eyes followed his hand and seeing the digits looked up to him with a wry grin. "Sure thing. Hey, I'm gonna be here for a while, and I've got a lot of coffee, so if you find that you have time for a break, you can join me here, yeah?"