[Video] Week 40 - Thursday Evening

[wisdom_of_hounds]

[The video flickers on, water blurring the feed a little.]

Gods below... [A mutter and then Atticus is flopping over on his side to look down on the camera. He's shirtless, laying in the grass in the woods somewhere getting rained on but grinning so wide he must not care. Anyone that knows him will note that he's got his tattoos pressed firmly to the earth beneath him which accounts for the relief in his voice.]

So... uh... [And it takes him a moment to decide what's safe to talk about on the video. He's a little addled after more than a week in Nowhere.] How much trouble has my hound been causing?

[A smirk. Yeah he was going to sprawl out in the grass anyway but there's another reason he's on the ground.] Missed you too, Akito.

Comments

[video]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

[He should probably be glad she's even talking to him after that fiasco, really.]

I don't... mean to?

{Yeah, he does kinda disappear quite a bit doesn't he? Druids are busy guys.]

[akito]

If they're going to happen they may as well happen when I'm already all burnt.

[ he huffs irritably. why is everyone being such cautious jerks?? man. OBERON, ET TU? Akito disengages from Jack, shooting him another irritated look, before lunging at Oberon. ]

As if you could sit on me! [ he may or may not be tugging on Oberon's ear with his teeth. ] I won't let you play in the mud with me next time, if you try!

[frostedoverland]

No, you do it when you're fully healed otherwise you just make the wounds worse.

[He pulls the staff back when Akito gets all huffy and throws himself on Oberon. He gives Atticus a look.]

The dog is practically twice your size, of course he could sit on you.

[video]

[hypospraying]

So what happens that keeps you away?

[Video]

[tallymarks]

[Have a worried-looking librarian peering at the screen.]

Atticus? Where have you been? Are you all right?

[Action]

[frostedoverland]

[Genesis first notices the approach of something, her hearing catching the soft sounds beyond the rain. She straightens up and even looks for her materia, cursing softly as she realizes everything is back at the house. But soon, enough, she sees the large deer and it... speaks? Oh, wait, she recognizes the voice!]

Koz?

[Jack, on the other hand, doesn't react much as he figured out who it was. Who else lived in the forest and could change into animals?]

Which is why you should probably use your own ears and eyes, rather than listening to what everyone else says.

[wisdom_of_hounds]

Akito what!?

[He didn't have time to question it more because the spirit was wrestling... in the mud... with his hound. There was a brief thought that he needed to have his wounds cleaned and dressed not be rolling around in the dirt but spiris were notoriously resilient beings, even if cold iron tended to be the one exception to that rule. He was laughing hard when they finally ended up with another visitor and he rolled quickly to his feet.

He didn't think about it, instinctively he activated both his night vision and faerie specs, immediately looking for the threat. Paranoid? Maybe.

What he got was... not a threat judging by Gen and Jack's response but all he could do was tilt his head and openly gawk for a moment, even as he squinted against the bright glare of power.]

What... the...

[Video]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

[He's actually quite touched she's worried, considering.]

I uh... took a little unplanned detour. I'm good, though. Er...

I'm guessing you are one of the people my hound has likely been harassing in my absence? [Genesis, Belle, Akito and Christine were the most likely candidates, after all.]

[video]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

Different stuff... usually planned stuff. Going out collecting materials for my business, meeting up with people, checking things out beyond the mountains, y'know. This time I uh... took a wrong turn getting home.

[akito]

[ Akito is distracted by his play fighting with Oberon - enough so that he doesn't realize Koz is there until he's there and speaking and Akito immediately stops, then flits away into the air so that he can effectively hide behind Atticus. ]

[video]

[hypospraying]

Are you okay?

[She looks concerned, wondering if he met trouble and got hurt. She also realizes she knows barely anything about what he does in this time line because they haven't been talking. All she knows about him, she's heard from Genesis.]

I feel a little behind when it comes to interacting with you.

[fearguard]

Miss... Rhapdos was it?

[He smiles a little to her, nodding his head in greeting.]

Sadly Jack, I'm not omniscient I actually have to use communication networks to learn things about what's going on.

[His tone is light, though there's a flatness to it. He gives Atticus an amused look though.]

I'm a bit taller than the communicator makes me look, and yes; they're real.

[He's talking about his antlers and kind of vaguely entertained that Akito is hiding from him.]

[video]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

Yeah, I'm fine. [He shrugs a little, brushing it off... and immediately feels guilty about it. She deserves to know more but there are already too many people here that know too much about him.]

I... get that a lot. Sorry... [Once someone gets a glimpse of the bigger picture with him that's generally how they feel. Which is why he does his best not to let people know there *is* anything more to him.]

[video]

[hypospraying]

If you get that a lot, maybe you should work on amending it. I feel like I hardly know you at all.

[Her voice sounds a little disappointed.]

Maybe when you get back, we could meet for coffee or lunch.

[rhapsoidein]

[Well, at least she got it right. She nods back and stands up, brushing off some of the mud that got onto her clothes and legs.

Jack shrugs] Except there was already something on the network about his return and, like I said, you could have just used your own senses to figure it out.

[video]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

Just a charming young Irish-American lad [He flashes her a cheeky grin but sobers quickly enough.] Who thinks he's a lot more charming than he is, apparently.

Lunch would be great. Gimmie a couple days to get settled again and I'll come steal you away from the good doctor for an afternoon, yeah?

[wisdom_of_hounds]

[Atticus frowns at the whole group. There is something weird going on here and he doesn't get it. Which means he definitely doesn't like it. Akito's hiding behind him, Jack's... being slightly more confrontational than he's used to hearing from the spirit, and... his head hurts from just trying to look at the bizarre jumble that is Koz.]

It's not the antlers that are weirding me out.

[Half muttered. He shakes his head though, dismissing that conversation for a moment.] But, I feel like I'm missing something here. Guys... what...? [He turns a little to look back at Akito.]

[akito]

[ Akito can't help but flinch reflexively when Atticus' attention returns to him, and he retreats to Oberon instead. He leans in close and whispers in the hound's ear very quietly: if he was a donkey it would be more appropriate. ]

[video]

[hypospraying]

[She's used to charming. See: James T. Kirk for illumination on the subject.]

That sounds fine. Maybe I'll bake you a welcome back cake. Do you like cake?

[fearguard]

LIke I said already I'm not omniscient, I actually had to put work in to finding a small clearing in a large forest full of clearings that look nearly exactly the same.

[If Jack's going to be a jerk about things, Koz will be just as much of one. He sighs though, the amiable bit of amusement in his expression falling away.]

It's complicated, Atticus and not something I'm quite yet prepared to discuss with others. Though if those two wish to share they're more than welcome to do so.

[rhapsoidein]

[He wasn't trying to be confrontational, he just sort of... was. But when Atticus, more or less, called them out of their behavior. Jack shook his head.]

Nothing, it's fine. I'm glad to see you're okay, but I think I'm just gonna head out. [He gave Atticus a smile before taking off with a rush of wind.]

[Genesis looked rather uncomfortable, like she was intruding on something.]

Er... well, perhaps we should all get going? Being out in the rain can't be good for anyone.

[video]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

[He's way more charming than James T. Kirk, by virtue of hair color alone. You can't deny it, Christine.]

Who doesn't like cake? [He grins broadly at that. Food is the best way to win his affections after all.] You cook? Or... bake anyway? That's awesome. There's... really not a whole lot I don't like. In cake or just in food in general. Breakfast foods have to be the best though. Hands down.

[The polite thing to do would be to insist she doesn't have to but. Well... what man turns down food?]

[wisdom_of_hounds]

Wow... you sure know how to break up a party, don't you? [But he looks sheepish. Man he almost feels like he should apologize for Jack and Akito.] I feel like we just got caught out after curfew by a teacher.

[He glances over at Genesis though.] I don't know about them but I know you probably shouldn't be out in the rain and mud and cold.... in that.

[He laughs a little but really he's grateful for the mud because it lessens the potentially hazardous thoughts that would come with Genesis in wet, clingy, light pajamas clinging to him. And... y'know they should really see about starting some kind of sports team here now that there are other cities to communicate with. Maybe baseball.

right... Koz.]

That sounds like a story I'll wait to hear from you, actually.

[akito]

[ getting to his feet, then taking to the air until he's at the average eye level of all you tall people. ]

Um... I'm going to go check on Aura.

[ and... he takes off toward a quiet part of Atticus' house, where he stashed his kitten while her adult feathers grow him. srry Attikun ]

[video]

[hypospraying]

[Redheads do it better, right?]

I do, yes. [She smiles.] Maybe we should do breakfast, then? Or I could bake you cinnamon rolls. How's that sound?