Life Through A Bottle. [open] -- KEEP

[Morrison Whelan]

Nothing like a good surprise to level out your anger. Though Nes’ back was still as straight and tense, her neck had relaxed now that her jaw had relaxed, so that her teeth were no longer clenched, her mouth might even be hanging slightly open. For a moment, he found her reaction ill fitting. At his age, he could have easily had a dozen children that were all grown by now, all looking to reconstitute their relationship with their father. But he realized that he wasn’t exactly parental material and any children he would have accidentally conceived would not know of him because he would have broken off contact with the mother. That was precisely what he had done. Now, he wished that he hadn’t done so, seeing as he currently had a murderous wolf after him, but you couldn’t change the past, so he’d just have to deal with it, which would probably meaning drinking as much as it took to knock him out. Not healthy, yet still better than more drugs.

As the woman moved toward Morrison, he tucked Meadhbh’s tags into his pocket, carefully stowing them away, and instead reached behind his neck to unclasp the chain that hung around his throat. Looking up to Nes once she had sat down, he pulled the pendant from his shirt then held in one hand, not turning his eyes to it, simply feeling its weight against his palm. "You don't sound happy about that. What's he like?" A dry smile curved the corner’s of the wolf’s lips, thinking, No shit I don’t sound happy about that., he held himself back from saying so though. “He’s just like me,” he grumbled, “and you know me; that’s not a good thing.” The only decent trait that he could imagine Sebastian having was loyalty, which also said quite a bit about how Morrison thought of himself. Sure, he knew that he could be down right loving at times, but the world didn’t see him that way, all they saw was a the defensive son-of-a-bitch that he kept wrapped securely around a far gentler personality.

Despite his thoughts, the wolf was still very calm, that was a good sign. For once, perhaps he and this human could have a civilized conversation and get somewhere meaningful without resorting to fighting. Now, that would almost take a miracle, or just tons of luck, which Morrison was in need of lately. "Where did you meet him?" The question struck him as a bit odd, who cares where they met? Well, if it had been by his apartment then it would have been a problem, though he could easily find it, as there were plenty of people that knew Morrison by face and name. When you got to being 200 it was hard not to meet people that knew about you in some way; acquaintances of his talked to their acquaintances about meeting, possibly, one of the oldest werewolves, it made you like a weird sort of celebrity.

“Out in Mayfair ,” he replied, tightening his fingers around the trinket he held, “I didn’t even know who he was at first, thought he was dead. Well, I’d hoped he was dead…” He realized that it made him sound like a terribly person and parent, wishing that your son was dead, but it was very true, he’d never wanted to have to deal with offspring, it was just far too much work.

[Nessarose Allens]

Just like him. Nes smiled a half-smile, it was understanding although it was also secret. Morrison could be a bastard at times, he was angry and irrational (he was just like her) but she knew he had another side to him, she'd witnessed it. He was loyal, caring and he felt the loss of his friends deeply. Ivian could vouch for that, Nes could vouch for that and Jeena could, also. If Sebastian was 'just like Morrison' then she didn't believe that it could be all that bad, she didn't believe that Morrison's child would just be the bad aspects, those aspects were not even truly bad. His kindness was just buried deeper than others. Despite the direction of her thoughts, she did not respond to this comment, feeling it best that she remained quiet. Less she say something that could be taken out of hand, or context.

The pendant in his hand held meaning, to her it did not look like much - merely a silver disk, but the way he held it and his intention to not bring his eyes to it let her understand. He was afraid of it, or its meaning. Or confused. She could never quite be sure. The finer art of reading emotion did not come easily to her.

She was taken aback by his words, it seemed that he was to. It was an odd thing to say, to wish (or hope) that somebody was dead, was there a reason for it? Nes shifted slightly, her weight moving to a different leg as she rested her elbows on her knees and her head on her hands. She watched him, there was no condemnation in her eyes; she was trying to figure out something to say. The amount of thought she was putting into her words was new, strange, she did not want to sound cavalier or thoughtless; Nes didn't want him to be angry at her. Not in her place. This place was not for anger, it was for peace, as temporary as that may be.

"Why do you wish him dead? I thought a s-..." She cut herself off partway through her sentence, she was going to say that she thought a son was one of the most important things for a father. It hit too close to home, her father had - afterall, abandoned both his children. Besides, she would never know what having a son meant, how could she assume that knowledge? The pendant in Morrison's hand caught her attention and she lifted a hand and cautiously touched it, it was silver, it was warm from his body heat. She only touched it momentarily before drawing her hand away. "Is that his?" He seemed uncomfortable with it, unsure as to what he should do with it, unsure how he should act.

Nes flicked a strand of black hair behind her ear, pushing it out of her face. It didn't obey her, and merely flicked back in front of her eyes as soon as she moved her hand. After the second attempt she left it alone. It wasn't really worth it. Her curiosity about 'Sebastian' was amazing, not because she thought it odd that Morrison should have a child, but that he seemed so torn up about it.

[Morrison Whelan]

"Why do you wish him dead? I thought a s-..."

Morrison’s eyebrows lifted at this in an expression of ‘Yes, continue,’, until he noted the look upon the woman’s face and glanced down at his hands. Clearly she had meant to say son, but why should that pull at her emotions so much? Surely she wasn’t old enough to have a fully grown son, unless she’d had a kid and he had died, though that still seemed unlikely. Perhaps it was simply something to do with family, and as much as he would like to know what was going on inside her head, it wasn’t the time to pry, he had brought of the subject of his own family, so that was where it was going to stay. Plus, he suspected that if he did ask Nes about the hardships of her past, she’d tell him to leave.

“I suppose I never wanted to deal with him,” the wolf frowned softly, loosening his grip around the disk in his hand, “and I was feeling hard done by his mother.”

His eyes shifted back up, expecting some sort of frown on her own part, yet she was no longer looking up at him, but at the pendant he held. Interested in her own curiosity, he let the disk itself slip from under his fingers so that she could easier touch it before she so suddenly pulled back, as if the warmth of it surprised her. In truth, the heat the metal retained flustered Morrison a bit as well. When he’d been handed it by Seb, it had been previously around the other man’s neck, therefore been warmed up by his body heat, and hadn’t really lost any of that since then, seeing as the wolf kept it on at nearly all times.

"Is that his?"

“It was mine at first,” he muttered, lifting the pendant up a bit on its chain so that Nes could read the M.W. etched into the metal. “I gave it to his mother when we had been dating, and she gave it to him…” He paused now, pulling the necklace back to himself and securing it around his throat. “…on her death bed.” Morrison sighed heavily, running a hand over his face before dropping it to his lap and looking up to Nes, straight into her eyes. “I just don’t know what to do now, my son is worse with his anger than I am,” A slightly worried expression came over him and he took a deep breath through his nose. “I mean, I feel guilty as hell for leaving his mother, but he won’t ever listen to me, he’s just set on killing me.”

The wolf pulled in another deep breath and stared down into his lap, forcing his face to a more neutral expression as he realized that a look of fear was creeping into his eyes. Fear over being murdered by his own son, yes, but also over asking Nes for advice in a way. He was never one to open up to people so much and always tried dealing with problems by himself, yet now that he had so much piled up in his head, he couldn’t sort it all out. It would be wonderful if the woman could offer him some sort of help, a way to get Seb to calm down enough to talk civilly with him perhaps. It wasn’t a sure fire way to keep the man from coming after him, but at least he could have a chance to explain himself, and hopefully not be sarcastic about it like he had been last time.

[Nessarose Allens]

It was easy sitting here with him. Who knew that she would end up feeling that way, there was no obligation, no force, it was simply it. She sighed softly, the sound almost inaudible. Below them the sounds of the city could be heard, yet it didn't seem to matter up here, they were above it all. She frowned softly at his words, but it was not in contempt, it was merely an expression that showed she was trying to justify things to herself; she was trying to understand Morrison and his motifs. Damn, she was trying hard. "So to punish his mother you would wish your son dead?" There was no accusation in her words, merely asking for clarification. Nessa had a fucked up view of mercy and revenge, even to her that seemed a little miscalculated.

His initials were etched into the metal, clarification that it had once belonged to him. The Morrison she knew didn't seem like the type to own such a thing, hell she had no idea what Morrison was like other than how she knew him. Even then he was constantly confusing and suprising her. His sudden request, his need for advice took her by suprise, but not as much as the momentary look of fear that crossed into his eyes. Nes watched him with her head tilted, concern filled her eyes. She hadn't seen him like this; afraid, she'd seen him angry, distraught, confused, sad. But never this, never fear.

"I-", she paused, not knowing what she would say. Nes edged closer, resting a hand just by his foot. She took a deep breath, if there was something she knew how to do, it was capture werewolves, but that had always been with the help of hunters. And their methods were not exactly humane, as much as he said, she didn't get the impression that Morrison truly wanted his son dead. "Where i work, we have a... solution that can sedate a wolf... but not kill it." This was so difficult to word, and she had to be careful about what she said here, Morrison wasn't the only one she had to protect. "If you could get it to him; you could sedate him then get him somewhere that you could just .. talk. Without interruptions." Her voice trailed off into silence and she glanced at the ground again, inspecting her hands. She didn't want him to get angry at this suggestion, she truly wasn't trying to do harm. Which was strange, any amount of time ago she probably would have sided with Sebastian, just so that Morrison would be dead. It suprised her that she did not want him dead anymore, at least, not by anyone else's hand.

"Sometimes... force is needed to get someone to listen to you. To hear things they don't want to." She shrugged, attempting to play off the seriousness in her voice with a cavalier action.

[Morrison Whelan]

Nes was trying so very hard not to be inconsiderate or harsh, and though it didn’t quite suit her, Morrison appreciated it. Some how, through shear will it seemed, she wasn’t even being sarcastic. Her question about him wanting to punish Seb’s mother, Cassidy, didn’t come out negatively either, it was simply a question of explanation on his part. Still, the wolf didn’t answer, not so sure he knew the right thing to say that would fully express what he was thinking. In the past 17 decades, he hadn’t thought of his son for more than a moment at a time and now all of these old thoughts and feelings were creeping on back. He supposed that part of him had wanted the boy dead so that Cassidy would feel guilty for leaving him as suddenly as she had, despite the fact that he had always acknowledged that he had driven her away. Not that any of this mattered anymore, at least to no one besides Sebastian, but he didn’t still wish the other man dead. There weren’t any people really that he wanted to be dead, not being the most vengeful person, if anyone deserved to be killed, it was the leech that had killed Meadhbh, but that needed to be put behind him. The living warranted more than the dead, didn’t they?

"I-", Morrison glanced up at Nessa at her pause, wondering what sort of thought process she was going through. I… Was she about to suggest going after his son herself? He was sure that she could be able to track him down, but he wasn’t so sure that she would be able to hold her own against him, seeing as she was practically helpless when it came to fighting himself. But no, she didn’t seem that idiotic, and she would try to kill him, at least he imagined that she would. The man didn’t want Seb dead though, injured maybe, so that he couldn’t attack or run away from a conversation, but not killed. Never that, unless it was a life or death situation for Morrison.

The wolf’s head dipped a little at the woman’s suggestion of sedation and glanced over to Nes’ hand by his boot. He wasn’t too keen on this drugging idea, feeling that it was a bit too excessive, and it wouldn’t exactly gain any of Sebastian’s trust, which he desperately needed. Yet, there wasn’t much else he could think to do besides hoping that the next time to two met, the other wolf could be somewhat calm and just listen a little. However, this scenario seemed highly unlikely, when they next met up he had a sinking feeling that Seb would have a gun on him so that his revenge wouldn’t be too drawn out. Morrison would have to make sure that he had his pistol loaded at all times now so that it wouldn’t be just a big hunk of metal, as it was today.

"Sometimes... force is needed to get someone to listen to you. To hear things they don't want to."

With a sigh, Morrison leaned forward a bit, resting his arms on his crossed legs. “This sedative,” he said, looking up to the woman’s face, “it can be injected right? I don’t think I could get him to accept any food from me, not that he’d be in the mood for it. Well, unless I got Jeena…” Trailing off, he shook his head then sat back, rubbing at his eyes. “No, that’s crazy, I shouldn’t need to kidnap my own son to talk to him.” He closed his eyes shut tight for a moment, pausing in his words, before turning his head to the sky. “But I do, fuck.” Blinking now, to clear his vision of little white dots that had come on from staring at the rather bright clouds above, he looked back to Nes. “Could you just get me enough of the stuff to knock him out for, say, an hour? Just in case…” A fat drop of water suddenly landed on the back of one of the man’s hand, but he ignored it, this place, up here above the city, was too nice to be run out of by a bit of rain.

[Nessarose Allens]

She'd never been so conscious of her words and actions before, usually she did and said whatever she felt like, without regarding how anyone else would feel. Although she knew that had it been anyone but Morrison sitting there, she would be as harsh and emotionless as ever. It was the fact that she actually gave a shit what happened to him which made her realise her actions. Nes was trying her best not to offende him, if he became angry then it would not be because of her. She hoped that her new sober state would allow her not to respond with her own anger. It was ... interesting, being sober for more than a day. It was not entirely unpleasant, but she'd resigned herself to the fact that she could not last this way.

The expression on his face told her clearly that he was not impressed with her druging option. He never was a fan of drugs - the reason why she'd been so concerned to see him high, and so the option of druging his son was not one he would consider lightly. Nes also saw from his face that he was seriously considering the idea, it was why he looked so tormented. Of course, that could just as easily be for an altogether different reason. It was uncomfortable, but a solution needed to be made, maybe not today. But Morrison needed to know all the options. Besides, Sebastian would not become addicted to the sedation, it was not meant for that, it just took the edge out of their will. It was required for interrogation, not death.

At first she did not respond to him, allowing him to work out the confusion and annoyance in his voice. He didn't want to drug his own son; but she would be more worried if he did. Just as she'd been worried when Morrison had said he wished him dead, not so much for a man she did not know but for Morrison, whom was essentailly loyal to his friends. Why not his family, too? His request made her look up, catching his eyes for a moment to make sure that he abdolutely and honestly knew what he was getting himself into. That stuff was strong, like ... really strong. She would only need to give him a small vial, and she would only give him enough to be used on Sebastian. They hadn't tested it on a human bloodstream, but it could be deadly, and she didn't want him testing it and finding out what was in it. It wasn't that she didn't trust Morrison, she might ... but she could not jeopordize the safety of Atrum.

"When do you need it, and i'll have it by then." Her voice was quiet. A few stray raindrops fell on her head and she glanced toward the sky with an almost scowl on her face. If there was one element she hated more than wind, it was water. Especially in the form of rain. She only ever went out in the rain to buy drugs, an odd habit which usually only meant the desperate were out. Which meant she could get them cheaper.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison glanced down softly, away from Nes' gaze, and crossed his arms, as if against the slight rain. The look upon the woman's face was so similar to his own that it was unnerving. Either, she was reluctant to actually give him the sedative, afraid perhaps that it would give up the secrets of the company she worked for, or she simply wanted him to think this over a bit more, so that he wouldn't end up doing something that he would regret later. If it was the former, then that was a bit silly of her to be thinking such things, he was merely part of D.O.G.S research and not even the division that helped with weaponry and such. The latter, however, was a bit more reasonable. The wolf didn't want to essentially kidnap Seb and he'd definitely feel terrible about it for a while after, but it felt necessary, lest someone find himself stabbed to death one morning.

"When do you need it, and I'll have it by then."

The man turned his eyes back up, staring over at Nessa through too long, un-styled bangs. "I have no idea when I'll need the stuff," he sighed, lifting a hand to push his hair out of his face, "I could bump into him tomorrow or in a week. See, I told him to check Clerkenwell for whoever it was he was searching for before I knew that person was me." A soft frown found its way back onto his lips, slightly angry with himself for not being more careful that oh so fateful evening. Yet a nice steady drizzle of rain had started to fall, distracting him from his self-sabotaging. Why did it always rain when Nes was around?

Taking a deep breath as he was trying to calm himself, he tilted his head up so that water spattered his face. After a few moments he looked back to Nes and noticed that she didn't seem overly pleased by the rain. "Let's get inside," he told her, wiping at his wet face without much effect and getting to his feet. With a soft grunt, he stretched out his stiff legs, having not moved them from their crossed position for a good few minutes. Now that he felt better, a bit more limber and assured that he wouldn't slip of the ladder on his way down, Morrison shot the woman a smile before heading over to the staircase. He hesitated for a second, aware of how slippery the steps would be, yet he'd have to get down some way and it was either the stairs or falling. Stairs felt like a safer choice.

Finally back on the ground, though it had taken a might longer because the metal underfoot had been slick, the wolf could breath a sigh of relief. Heights just weren't something he could easily deal with, it was the one thing he was sure could kill him, and that was a frightening thought indeed. However, he tried very hard to not to show his prior uneasiness or current and sudden relaxation; it was an ego thing, that was all. Though, he was not opposed to having Nes lead the way, which he let her do, falling behind her as the moved back onto the proper sidewalk. At the moment, Morrison really only wanted to be back home or at one of his favorite bars, but he had a hunch that the human wouldn't enjoy either of those options so it was best that she choose where they took refuge from the rain until it passed over them.

[Nessarose Allens]

She did not mind the rain so much; it refreshed her skin when she was high and feeling hot, however now that she was sober it merely felt good. Although the dampness of her clothing reminded her she'd have to find somewhere dry to sleep, instead of the rooftop like she'd originally planned, it still felt good as it kept her alert and awake. It didn't seem as if either of them would get much sleep tonight; Morrison, because he was freting over what would happen to his son and whether or not he would be killed and Nes? Well, she was still too preoccupied with the reality of Kaleb being in town. The same country was too close, always too close.

"I could bump into him tomorrow or in a week. See, I told him to check Clerkenwell for whoever it was he was searching for before I knew that person was me."

"Then i'll have it to you by tomorrow." Her answer was simple, yet she kept her eyes trained to the ground. If Sebastian could find him at any moment then she would simply ensure, that did not happen. Nes still wasn't sure how much she ought to let the friendship between them grow, yet the fact remained that she owed him her life ... it was the least that she could do.

The rain was becomming to much, there was a limit to what could raise the spirits and what could dampen them. Breifly, she scowled at the rain. Morrison must have seen this, of course he did, for it was not long after that he offered for them to take refuge inside somewhere. She followed his lead and stood up, allowing him to lead down the stairs. It was never a good idea to descend them when they were wet but they both held on and managed to - at least for the moment, reach the footpath safely. As soon as she was off the ladder she heaved it up so that it was off the ground. Cringing slightly at the grating noise it made, she led off.

Her path for a few meters was aimless as she tried to decide where to go, indoors was the best available option and she weighed up all her decisions before finally deciding on the coffee shop she had been in earlier. It was always open after hours and sold a brand of coffee that she found particularly satisfying. The coffee was enough to keep anyone awake, and that is what she was aiming for. The walk was not too far and after a while she pushed open the door, resisting the urge to wring out her clothing in the doorway; she'd have to hope the night air would dry them off.

Nes made a beeline for the table toward the back of the room, she'd have to assume that Morrison would follow her. She sat down and sighed, offering him the menu. "I guess, since we're on the subject of forgotten pasts ... i owe you an apology for the other night." It wasn't hard to know what she was talking about, the reason she was sober now, the reason she'd been avoiding her house and everyone she knew. It all stemmed from the same cause - Kaleb. "I know you think i'm crazy... er. But that's not just it, there was someone that night and they did break into my house. That's not an easy feat since nobody is supposed to know where i actually live." She shrugged, stopping as a waitress came over to take their order. She was in for another long night, hopefully less eventful than the ones before it.

[Morrison Whelan]

Of course, when given the choice of a place to take shelter from the rain, Nessa headed straight to the coffee shop that Morrison had seen her in earlier. It was just familiar to her and he was sure that it felt safe, which he supposed she lacked now. It really was the same with him; he'd have liked to go home. But since he lived around here, nothing ever seemed too strange or foreboding because he saw it all every day, even if he never seriously investigated every inch of the town. Just glancing around to note what was where was enough for him.

The shop was cozy, as most were, and it was dry, wonderfully bone dry. The wolf didn't mind being wet when he was still out in the rain, but once inside, it started to get very uncomfortable, especially since he was wearing jeans that liked to chafe the skin when the material was wet. He felt the urge to strip right then and there to help himself dry off, yet as always, he was sure that no one else would appreciate that, least of all Nes. Thankfully, he could take off his jacket, which had protected his shirt from getting a single drop of water on it, so at least half of him wasn't drenched.

Following the woman straight to a table at the back of the room, as he would have done himself, he slipped off his coat, holding it out in front of him like a matador's cape so that he wouldn't get any more water on his body. Then just before he sat down, Morrison placed the garment over the back of his chair. Once he finally did sit, he let out a grateful sigh, loving actually having something to rest his back and not being forced to cross his legs and slouch forward. This was all good enough for him and he didn't feel the need for any food, so when he was handed a menu, he just set it back down, placing a hand over top of it as he leaned back in his seat.

"I guess, since we're on the subject of forgotten pasts ... I owe you an apology for the other night."

Morrison blinked a few times, eyes lighting upon Nessa's face. She was apologizing? This was quite a surprise, since he had locked her up, drugged her, and taken off her pants, but he had helped her, even if his methods were a bit twisted. Still, she had barely cooperated with him the entire time and then Meadhbh... He smiled tenderly and nodded softly in response to her apology, his throat having closed up at the remembrance of his friend, though he was rather thankful for the woman's words.

"I know you think I'm crazy... er. But that's not just it, there was someone that night and they did break into my house. That's not an easy feat since nobody is supposed to know where I actually live."

The wolf's expression changed in a moment at this, the smile falling away and a slightly confused/worried look taking over his eyes. He wasn't so sure that right now was the best time to discuss this person that frightened Nes so much, but he did want to express his concern for her, and try not to be forceful or hostile about it.

"If you need somewhere to lay low for a while," he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on top of the menu on the table, "you can stay at my apartment. It's large enough that you can have your privacy when you need it and Iivan's not going to be back for another weeks or so." He let the suggestion hang in the air and shrugged softly, not knowing if he really wanted to take Nessa in, but sure that he would do so if she needed it.