fluxscape | Watch Out for the Reincows!

Entry tags:

Watch Out for the Reincows! | OTA

Who: Ronan Niall Lynch and YOU
What: WTF Driftcrest, gifts, bird perch, accidental dreaming, romance, friendship, dream creatures.
When: Backdated & Starting Dec 20th - 25th
Where: The Barns and anywhere around Driftcrest.
Warnings: Language, for sure. Possible intoxication. Loud music Ronan loves, but probably won't be appreciated by everyone. Will add as needed. Also, feel free to NOT watch the video for the music, it's very strange and not needed.

~*~

WTF Driftcrest

The morning of the 20th Ronan woke up colder than he'd fallen asleep. The floor was cold, the walls, the windows were frosted around the edges, and there was a chill in the air unlike the previous nights. Snow. The Barns was covered in snow. The Pig, the BMW, Adam's motorcycle. His first thought were the animals so he dressed quickly, dragging on layers and bitching about needing to pick up some winter gear. He'd also need to light the fireplaces when he got back to the house, but first he had to check the property and barns. Chainsaw followed him out and watched over him the entire time. It was very strange to find the barns already heated and everyone inside, with the exception of Drill Bit who was with Gansey most likely. Even the adopted animals that had found refuge on his property were there.

He thought about Tobias.

Bird Perch | For Tobias

Ronan had promised Tobias a safe place to stay at The Barns and here it was fucking winter, snowing for fuck's sake, and he hadn't done anything more than make sure the upper level door was open. He needed to make sure it was dry and warm, not too much snow had gotten inside, and it was an obvious invitation to the kid. So he set to work fixing the doors with a smaller opening, a bird door for easy access, and dragging up fresh hay. He built a nesting box and filled it up. Then he dreamed an all weather wind proof lamp that would burn bright, but not set anything on fire, to hang on a hook outside the small entrance. And just because he was a nice guy he painted a small sign with Tobias's name and hung that above the opening.

When he finished he remembered just how hungry he was and headed back to the house.

Watch out for the Reincows

That's when he saw it. A trail of small foot prints. And then another trail of not so small foot prints.

"Shit."

He hadn't given his dream much thought because usually when he dreamed something accidentally it was right there in his bedroom with him. Intentional dream things were where he put them in his dreams. And he hadn't been dreaming to create anything. He'd had control over his dream. At least, that's what he thought. But he followed the foot prints out across the property, tracking the lines and patterns where his dreams had gathered and split, before continuing on. Right towards town.

The only good news: the Reincows couldn't get over the fence and there were only five. The bad news: the small army of Abominable, but adorable, snow men could squeeze right through, under, or even climb over. They were only as tall as ducks, furry like bears, but shaped like snow men. No carrots, not top hats. But they could play music

"Fuck." Ronan ran his hands over his shaved hair and laced them at the back of his head. And then he started laughing.

Merry Christmas?

It had been a few days since the world had shifted once again and a cityscape had become mountains in the distance and town right out of a movie. Driftcrest had snow, snow themed activities, and everything a snowed in town resort could possibly offer. The guys with the flamethrowers on the walls was a little creepy, but they weren't aiming fire at the citizens so Ronan had just watched them from a distance. Even weirder were the people freaking out about a curfew and warning against being outside after 8 p.m..

With all the crazy shit you'd think he'd get used to random things appearing that weren't right out of one of his dreams. But this was something he couldn't complain or worry about. in fact, he was so very fucking grateful to whoever had sent them to him.

One gift had turned out to be ALL of the letters Gansey had written to him after he'd moved back to Gotham. It was a different world, a different lifetime, but it was an experience that had given him the courage he'd need to kiss Gansey and tell him everything.

The other gift was a flower in a vase despite the flower never needing water or sunlight. A dream and a gift from someone very important to him. He'd thought he'd lost it forever and while Adam had promised to give him flowers even after he'd broken Adam's heart, Ronan had wanted this one. And here it was.

WTF Driftcrest Part 2

Ronan can be found anywhere around town so this is an open prompt and you can feel free to start a thread with cocoa, snow, ask him about the Abominable snow men playing questionable music he's trying to catch, find him in the mall, the hotel, but not the water park because he doesn't do water parks. He will need to buy some winter gear so there is clothes shopping and even gift shopping for the boys in his life. He can also be found standing around watching the walls and the guards. Good luck and have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gansey still felt awkward living at the Barns. Part of him thought that he should move out even if he knew that wouldn't do anything but make Ronan stubborn or more sullen. Instead he kept to himself mostly except when Ronan dragged him away from his models and research.

Or when the cold drove him away from the room on the ground floor that had become his improvised office. Drill Bit trailed behind him, acting more like a puppy than a goat, prancing around him as he checked the house, staring in wonder at the snow and making sure everyone inside was warm and safe.

Of course, Ronan was gone. Out checking the animals, he assumed. Knowing that Ronan wouldn't think of himself, Gansey wrapped himself up in what might pass for winter gear, filled two thermal cups with coffee, and grabbed a stocking cap that belonged to one of them, knowing Ronan wouldn't bother with such a thing despite how cold he had to be. He closed the door carefully behind his pet goat, and headed out into the snow.

Following the footsteps leading away from the house, he soon found Ronan. Heard laughter that reminded him of summers at the Barns when Niall was there to spin tales for them and Aurora was there to listen to remind them to be home by dinner time. Jesus, he hadn't thought he'd hear that ever again.

Smiling as he caught sight of Ronan and he realized he'd been right about Ronan's lack of headgear, he grinned when he saw the... reincows?

They reminded Gansey of the highland cows he'd seen in his travels, but with tiny antlers. They looked like something out of a children's book. The cuteness of them delighted him. The fact that Ronan had dreamed them made his chest ache with happiness. "Did you dream up a tiny sleigh for them too?"

Ronan was still caught up in the joy of his creations and the imagined chaos they could unleash upon the town when he heard Gansey's voice and turned, dropping his hands, but still smiling. Another delightful surprise this morning.

"Something for Drill Bit to ride in?" He trekked back through his footprints to stand in front of Gansey. "I'd kiss you, but my lips are frozen." Like his nose and ears. He didn't mind. The barn was all set for whenever Tobias visited -- he would go make sure the kid was doing okay -- and all the animals were safe and warm.

"Is this for me?" He accepted one of the coffee's just as one of the Reincows came up and headbutted the back his leg. The others moved closer, mooing and checking Gansey out. "You missed the tiny Abominable snow men escaping over the fence."

"I hadn't thought of that, but she'd probably sneak onto the sleigh." Just like she snuck into Pandora whenever Gansey's back was turned. If he hadn't somehow managed to convince her not to ride in the Pig, he'd find her in there as well.

He almost flushed at the mention of a kiss, still not used to being able to kiss Ronan, afraid Adam might see. But they were alone except for the reincows so he leaned in, giving Ronan a quick kiss that proved that his lips were cold.

Handing Ronan the cup instead of answering, he placed the hat on his boyfriend's head once he had a free hand. "Can't have the rest of you freezing."
He momentarily thought of how Ronan had looked before, dark curls and eyes filled with laughter. The hair was missing, but his blue eyes were almost as bright as they'd been during their week of living other people's lives.

Once he had to only worry about his coffee, he held his hand down at reincow height so they could sniff his fingers. "Abominable snow men? Tiny ones? Did you watch Disney movies before bed?"

If his eyes were bright before, they were intensely smoldering with the urge to kiss Gansey again. He liked this new development in their relationship and he was so very happy he'd taken the leap for a second chance he knew deep down he wouldn't get again. And he knew exactly how he'd like to warm them both up once they got back to the house.

For now he settled on burning his tongue with coffee.

"No Disney, just happy dreams that got away from me." Ronan rubbed at one of the cows heads and took Gansey's free hand in his. "We're going to have to think of new names." he looked back at their newly dreamed kids and started back towards the house.

"And figure out how to catch a dozen or so wild snow men while we make breakfast."

After hiding his feelings for so long, it still felt strange to allow himself to kiss and touch Ronan. To see his eyes darken with something that Gansey had never thought Ronan would associate with him. He'd been called 'brother' so often that he'd never thought another role would be possible. Until now.

"I'm grateful that there hasn't been Night Horrors, but I didn't expect something this happy." He wanted to think that he might be partially responsible for that, but he didn't dare be that egotistical about Ronan's happiness. Squeezing Ronan's fingers, he marveled at the easy PDA between them. "Do they get the usual type of names or something more holiday-related?"

Walking beside Ronan, Gansey tried to imagine the snowmen. "I'm not letting you watch Christmas specials anymore."

"You haven't heard the music my minions are spreading so lovingly across Driftcrest. You might prefer the night terrors." Ronan teased, drinking more coffee and admiring the blanket of snow covering The Barns. "I'm in a good mood so maybe holiday-related. Snowdrift?"

This was nice. Something out of an old dream he once had back when sunshine warmed his face and they both laughed like there was no tomorrow. Or one of their all night video chats when he had hair and Gansey once laughed so hard his face turned a glorious shade of red. He rubbed his thumb over Gansey's fingers, brought them up to his lips.

"I missed you last night. Maybe tonight...light the fireplace...make some cocoa...watch something a little less scary than Christmas specials together."

Edited 2020-12-27 04:47 (UTC)

Music? Gansey gave Ronan a look of pure horror. "Did you unleash the Murder Squash song on Driftcrest?" He couldn't stop himself from imagining angry villagers with pitchforks trying to invade the Barns. All because of that God awful song. "They'll run us out of town somehow."

He wasn't sure if they could since they were stuck in a pocket dimension, but anyone who heard that song would consider it.

Memories of Gotham and Henrietta tangled together as they headed back to the house. Gansey stepped carefully because of snow and curious reincows that wanted to investigate everything around them and get attention from their dreamer. Flushing slightly despite the cold, he tried to resolve Gotham Ronan from the one that now held his hand. It was difficult since the more they were together the more Henrietta Ronan seemed to let go of the past.

"I'm sorry." He'd wanted to stay but insomnia and nervous energy made it impossible to be in one place. It'd taken hours for him to settle down enough to work on one of his miniatures. "Are you sure that we should? I don't want to make things awkward for Adam."

"A better song and, yes, they probably would if they could." Ronan already knew how to quiet the music, but he wasn't in a hurry to do anything about his little army. "Let them have some fun first."

He continued to kiss fingers, warming them up a bit.

"You don't ever have to apologize to me." He understood and knew where Gansey had gone, it wasn't personal. "Things are going to be awkward for a while, but I've already talked to Adam. There isn't anything more I can say. It's up to him now. And you."

But he didn't elaborate on that. Just kissed fingers.

"I'm terrified of your idea of a 'better' song." Usually their differences in personality weren't a problem, but Ronan's taste in music offended everyone around him. The possibilities of what songs dreamed creatures might play would be worrisome... if Ronan wasn't kissing Gansey's fingers.

That was too distracted to allow him to dwell on Murder Squash or any other atrocious song that Ronan might love.

"Yes, I do. I should have stayed." Even if his nervous energy might have driven the both crazy. He should have at least attempted to stay with Ronan. "How did the talk go?" Probably terrible. Adam probably hated Gansey now. "I don't know what I could do to fix this."

At least not while Ronan kept distracting him, but he doubted that he could think of something even without Ronan's PDA and the wayward thoughts that it caused.

Ronan laughed. No one liked his music. Maybe Adam didn't mind it as much, but he doubted even Adam could handle an army of snow men playing the same song over and ago until he figured out the secret to quieting them.

"I know you can't always stay." Just like he knew there was nothing more he could do. He wasn't changing his mind and he wouldn't be told what to do or who to love. "There is nothing to fix. All you two have to do is talk. You didn't do anything wrong and neither did he. But this isn't about me. Just talk to him."

Ronan stopped walking, squeezed Gansey's fingers, held them to him chest.

"When you met Adam I hated him. I was jealous that you had found someone else. I also hated that I liked him. I hated everything except you. I was an asshole and you didn't change your mind about Adam and Adam didn't run away from my bullshit. You loved him then and you love him now. I told him how I feel. I also told him to talk to you. What happens between you two won't change how I feel. It won't change my mind." He kissed Gansey this time, cold lips and coffee breath, because he was absolutely certain of what he was saying and what he was doing. "I feel sad that I hurt him, but I don't feel guilty. And neither should you. I want to be with you."

"I don't know if talking can fix this." It didn't seem like it could. Every time he tried to talk to Adam about something serious, they ended up fighting. His fingers tightened around Ronan's as he thought of the scene at the hospital. Of the terrible things he'd said. All of Gansey's things in one place and now he had what Adam had wanted most.

He almost pulled his hand away, but Ronan pressed it to his chest, stopping Gansey's motion.

Gansey was lucky that they had stopped since if they'd been walking, he probably would have tripped over his own feet. "I didn't find someone else," he protested. There had been no thoughts of replacing anyone. He loved Ronan, rough edges, grief and all. He'd never considered leaving Ronan or finding someone else less abrasive to be his friend. "Yes, I love him but that doesn't mean I love him."

The words felt like they were a lie, but he wasn't certain if they were or not. He'd spent so much of his energy alternating his attention between keeping Ronan whole and the quest that he'd shoved everything else into some dark corner of his heart so he could keep his attention on the most important matters.

Returning the kiss, he was tempted to deepen it or to step away. But he never really could move away from Ronan. He'd never been able to resist Ronan. He'd been able to lock his romantic feelings away, but not his love for him. "I should feel guilty. He should have your love."

"Maybe you're right. The two of you rarely ever say what you really mean to say to each other when it comes to real emotions." Ronan had to come up with a way to get them in the same room, get them talking, and defuse any sparks that might get in the way.

He was glad Gansey didn't hesitate to kiss him back and held his coffee off to the side so he could pull Gansey into him, letting go of his hand to wrap his arm around his back, holding him close. he pressed their foreheads together and watched him with warm affection.

"I do get a fucking say in all of this despite what you or Adam think. Adam knows where I stand and how I feel so let me make things clear here and now. I'm not choosing you over him, this isn't about loving him less or loving you more. I am here with you because I fell in love with you long before I met Adam and I fucked that up when I had a chance. And then I got a second chance to be with you, find out what I was missing, and I'm not losing you again." It hurt to say this next part, but it had to be said. "If you decide you can't be with me then I'll respect that, but don't do it because you think it will send be back to Adam where you think fate or destiny has decided I belong. He's not a second choice or a back-up lover I'm keeping tied to me just in case I fuck this up."

"He's going to say that I stole you or that you're just one of my things." Of all the topics that they'd fought over, that had hurt Gansey the worst. He'd never thought of his friends as possessions. All he'd ever wanted to do is help them, protect them from the dangers in their lives, but those around him saw it as greed. "You're not one of my things. I've loved you almost since we met." That was one trait that he shared with the other version of Gansey.

Letting out a slow breath after the kiss, he tried to gather his thoughts, still the emotions that he should have been able to keep carefully controlled.

"You didn't fuck it up, Ronan. You were hurting. If we'd tried back then, it would have failed." At least that was what Gansey had told himself every time he'd wanted to offer Ronan the truth. "Can you imagine how much worse the fights would have been if we'd been dating?" They would have destroyed each other, tearing each other apart until they were both in shreds.

Resting his free hand on Ronan's lower back, he knew what he should say. What the right thing to do would be, but he'd never been able to resist Ronan. Morals and Ronan couldn't always coexist. He might be a homewrecker, but he couldn't stop himself even if he knew it was wrong. "I'm not leaving you. I don't think it'd be possible for me to leave." At least not while Gansey was alive. That might change after April. "I just wish there was a way to have this without anyone getting hurt."

"Yeah. But the making up would have set off fireworks." Ronan teased lightly, understanding the emotions and the truth of it. he knew he was a fucking disaster and that was the biggest reason he hadn't acted on his feelings. but he did regret not acting before, when things were bright and everything was happy. Maybe it would have made a difference for both of them, maybe it wouldn't have made any difference.

No. He would have destroyed Gansey and their relationship more than he had when they were just friends.

"Just promise me when you two do talk, be honest about your feelings, don't shut him out and don't let his hurt and anger make you say things you'll regret." If he could get them in the same room, make the same promise, then he had hope at the very least they would all still be friends in the end. He kissed Gansey's forehead. "I wish there was a way."

Everything had shifted again, but Adam was comfortably bundled up against the snow and cold. There was a lot that was weird about their new location, and he was half determined to throw himself at the mysteries so he would have something to do when he wasn't working or puzzling over his personal problems.

Things felt very festive and winter-like though, until he came within earshot of some music that was...definitely not festive. It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at and when he did he squinted at the snowmen. Catching sight of Ronan, he squinted at him, too, as he put two and two together. His first question was why but that was quickly answered with the obvious; it was Ronan.

"Do I even want to ask?"

Because Ronan was Ronan he had not only purchased new winter clothes to avoid freezing his ass off, he had also found a jolly red jacket and cloth bag. Or dreamed them into existence. The back of the jacket read Merry Fuck-mas! and he was currently trying to tempt one of the little snow men with treats from the bag. Behind him one of the Reincows trailed along pulling a sleigh with a wooden crate that already held one Abominable snow man.

He and the snow man looked up at the same time, but Ronan was faster and caught the little shit before it could get away.

"You already know the answer." He smirked, making his way over to Adam while the little snow man chewed on the beef jerky Ronan had given it as a distraction.

Edited 2020-12-27 01:33 (UTC)

Ronan was Santa Claus. He really was. He even had a sleigh and a 'reindeer'. Somehow, the sight made Adam love him even more. Even if he wasn't going to say it, because he hadn't talked to Gansey yet, and nothing had been solved. But they were still friends, no matter what.

"You don't know what I was going to ask," he said, eyeing the snowman. "How many of them are there?" That hadn't been what he was originally going to ask, but it occurred to him now, as he thought about these tiny terrors and their questionable music. They were kind of cute, though.

"Ronan. What have you done now?" Ronan used his best impression of Declan and handed Adam the snow man. "Don't stop feeding him or he'll start playing music again."

Instead, it purred slightly in happiness and looked up at Adam. Ronan smiled softly at them both.

"At least a dozen. It was an accident, but a good one. I had a good laugh over it." And now he had to be the responsible one and find them all before they got hurt or caused some serious mayhem.

Edited 2020-12-28 20:35 (UTC)

Taking the snowman, he blinked down at it. He hadn't expected them to purr, and that definitely made it cuter.

"It's pretty obvious what you did," Adam said, giving the snowman a little pat. "No one else would end up with snowmen like this. Are all of them running around?" Did Ronan have any of them under control? Except the one in the sleigh and this one.

"All except these two." Ronan pulled out another piece of jerky and fed it to the one in the crate. The Reincow got a chunk of carrot. He rubbed her head and neck.

"Apparently, they eat almost anything, but the jerky keeps them busy for a while so no music."

He watched Adam and the little Abominable snow man for a moment before opening the crate so Adam could put it inside.

"I'm working on an idea to turn one of the barns into a permanent winter wonderland for them, but first I need to find them all."

"So we've got our hands full." It was 'we' now because Ronan's problems were Adam's problems. At least, this one was. "At least they should be easy to find." Once you were within earshot, anyway.

Bending down, he put the snowman in the crate, patting it on the head before straightening up again.

"That sounds nice. And better than a lot of alternatives."

Ronan would hate himself if something happened to them, or any of his dreamed creatures. He gave them life, he was responsible for them. So a winter wonderland to keep them happy and safe was the best he could come up with at the moment.

"We don't have to rush around town, let them have their fun first. Let's get some cocoa and start searching."

There had been no doubt in his mind Adam would come with him and help and he was happy to spend time with him. It wouldn't be the same, but it would be okay so long as the three of them were together. It would be even better if Noah could be there with them and he still hadn't figured out why Adam didn't remember Noah. Blue had remembered things Ronan couldn't wrap his head around.

Adam nodded. "You mean let them annoy people," he said, but he was teasing. Though he was pretty sure it was also true that the snowmen would annoy people with their music, he was already becoming endeared to them because they were Ronan's.

"Cocoa sounds good," he added, leaning down to rub the reincow's adorable head. The reincow was endearing by the sheer fact that it existed.

Ronan gave Adam a smirk that said it all: Fuck yes!

He gave the two snow babies another treat to work on and started towards the coffee shop, the fur family following along happily.

"What are you doing out here in the cold?" He glanced at Adam's hands, making sure they weren't cold and giving Adam trouble like he knew they did in the winter.

Adam was wearing gloves today, keeping his hands as protected from the cold as he could.

He shrugged as he fell into step next to Ronan, glancing over his shoulder at the reincow. "I was looking around," he said. By which he meant he'd been trying to do some snooping and investigating, which had turned up nothing so far. "This is the third change we've been through."

Ronan smiled a little over Adam's gloves, satisfied his hands were safe for now. There had definitely been changes, some more obvious than others. Some more painful than others. But they were together. Adam, Gansey, and himself. He looked back at their growing family.

"This one is the creepiest. And that's saying a lot considering we've met a forest who can read our thoughts." He glanced at Adam's hands again, remembering that night. "Can you still feel Cabeswater?"

"Your night terrors are pretty strong competition on the creepy scale," Adam said.

Quiet for a moment, he shook his head. It was so easy to forget how different things were until he was presented with evidence of it. "No. I haven't been able to feel Cabeswater for a while." Sometimes, he really missed the forest. It had been his first love, even if it hadn't been human.

"I know how to fight my night terrors." Not the complete truth because they had killed him more times than he could remember, but at least he knew what to expect and clearly being dead in his dreams didn't make him dead in his bed.

"I'm still trying to figure out how I can dream here. Unless it doesn't matter where I am. Maybe it has nothing to do with the ley lines. My dad went on long trips all the time." He wished, more than anything, that he could ask his dad about all of it. "When I dreamed the Pig I realized why Cabeswater had disappeared." But that was it. Dream energy, if that's what it was called.

"If you can't feel Cabeswater does that mean you're free of the deal you made?"

Adam made a quiet noise. It was still easy to sometimes forget that Ronan hadn't experienced the same things Adam had, even though it'd been made abundantly clear on multiple occasions. Of course, Ronan was still fighting the horrors; he hadn't made peace with them yet.

"I don't think you need the ley line to dream," he said. "It just makes what you do easier." The ley lines made a lot of things easier, but he knew they weren't necessary.

Biting his tongue, he took a deep breath. "I guess it does." He wasn't going to get into how Cabeswater was gone, not this time. Explaining it to Gansey before had been enough for him.

Ronan stopped at the door, hand on the handle, inhaling the cold air and side eyeing Adam with suspicious affection, "It's kind of annoying how you think you can hide things from me."

He opened the door for Adam and handed him his wallet for the cocoa.

"I'll keep watch on the kids."

This conversation wasn't over.

Was he really that obvious when he was omitting information? Sometimes he was just so tired of explaining things that had happened and being treated like a different person for the things he'd been through. Or that what he said was just his version of events.

"Okay."

Taking Ronan's wallet, Adam stepped inside to order a couple of hot cocoa, mulling things over while he waited for them. Carefully picking up the cups when his order was ready, he headed back out.

Ronan was draped over the cow rubbing his hands through it's furry coat. He smiled when Adam came out and took one of the cocoa's from him. It was good, nice and hot, burning his tongue slightly in his eagerness to taste it. He was watching Adam over the top of his cup and licked his lips after.

"Gansey has a great imagination and belief in the unbelievable. But he's not a Dreamer like I am. So it's harder for him to believe this place isn't just trying to make him happy by giving him you. You're different. Softer around the edges. More open and happier."

He took a more careful sip of his cocoa and started walking.

"I know you're holding back something because I've been watching you since the day Gansey introduced us."

Adam almost warned him that it was hot, but he had a feeling that wouldn't have stopped Ronan anyway.

He had a little trouble believing that bringing him anywhere could make someone who wasn't Ronan happy, but he wasn't about to argue on that subject. They'd already done so much arguing recently; it was on his list of things he was tired of.

Blowing gently on his cocoa, he fell into step next to Ronan. He might have been happier and more open, but he was still worried about a lot of things and that was why he kept them to himself. A handful of things had already felt like they'd been twisted around. Things that had once made him happy, things he'd been certain of.

"I only keep things from you because so much has happened. You and Gansey haven't taken it too well so far." He took a careful sip of his cocoa. "I can tell you about Cabeswater."

"Gansey will be fine. Just give him some time." Ronan bumped his arm against Adam's, careful not to spill their cocoa's. "When we got here you had lost your shit and then came home in a brand new junkmobile. Noah had saved my ass from a night terror only to disappear and leave me alone with another night terror. I dreamed a whole new Pig after killing the love of Gansey's life. Shit happens."

He worked on his cocoa, finally starting to drink it without burning his mouth, sniffling a bit from the cold, his nose turning red.

"Let's break all the time traveling rules. Tell me about Cabeswater and something I don't know about you. Yet."

Hadn't Adam been in a near-constant state of losing his shit for quite a while? It'd felt like he'd been, at least. He was also pretty sure he'd already broken all of the rules of time traveling when he'd first arrived here, but now he was going to make sure they were thoroughly broken, he guessed.

"Well, Cabeswater's gone. It doesn't exist anymore." He remembered what he'd told Gansey a long time ago, that it was up to him when he told Ronan about being destined to die, and Adam was trying not to spill those beans, but it was going to be more than a little hard. Ronan had asked about Cabeswater, after all.

And something Ronan didn't know about him yet- "And I'm psychic even without Cabeswater," he said quietly. "I thought I lost everything when it died, but I didn't."

Fuck. Ronan stopped for a moment, staring ahead at the invisible image only he could see in his mind. Cabeswater. He'd been so sure he could fix it, bring it back. He'd clearly failed. An entire magical forest that was possibly older than written history was just gone.

"Fuck." He shook his head lightly and continued walking and then stopped just as abruptly, looking at Adam. "I fucking knew it. How exactly is it different without Cabeswater?" He sipped his cocoa and started walking again. He had questions about Kavinsky and Cabeswater, how things had turned out, but he wasn't sure he was ready to hear how he fucking failed to save a sentient magical forest from being destroyed by a greedy, selfish, drug addicted asshole.

Adam shook his head a little. It wasn't Ronan's fault, but Ronan didn't know that. "I'm not as strong as I was with Cabeswater, but I can still scry." He still wasn't sure if he'd always been psychic or if Cabeswater had unlocked some kind of potential in him, but he embraced it all the same. "And I can enter your dreams," he added, watching Ronan out of the corner of his eye.

Losing Cabeswater had been like losing a part of himself, or the love and support of a close friend. Before, it was like he hadn't really lost anything at all sometimes, with Ronan at his side. But then other days he felt the loss more than some. It was hard to replace something that had been inside of his head, even if that something had been dreamed to life by Ronan.

Beast hadn't meant to wander this far onto the property. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure whose property he was even on right now. He was sure he'd passed a gate at some point. But the fresh layer of snow had buried all the scents around him, making it easy to get turned around.

He liked being out in the cold weather, completely unaffected by it covered as he was in a thick layer of fur and his cape. He was currently half-crouched next a tree, watching some animals nearby. It looks like he definitely wandered onto some sort of farm.

Chainsaw found Beast before Ronan did. She'd circled above the tree and then glided down to stand in the snow carrying shiny ribbon Ronan had given her to play with. She cocked her Raven head and walked right up to him without any fear, setting the ribbon down like an offering.

Ronan trekked up through the snow in search of her, eating a veggie and egg burrito. He had gotten himself a nice cozy snow jacket, was wearing the knitted hat Gansey had put on his head earlier that morning. He was also being followed by a couple of goats, named Kickass and Spitfire, wearing sweaters, 5 Reincows he'd dreamed just that morning and hadn't named yet, and a regular highland calf named Anvil.

He had seen some weird things in his life, mostly in his dreams, but this was something or someone new, and he didn't remember dreaming them.

"You lost?"

"Oh!" Beast turns around when he's addressed, steam escaping his mouth and nose with a startled snort. He's not vicious at all and in fact seems a bit more afraid of Ronan than the man would be of him. "Um, yes, a bit. I can't smell anything right now and got a bit turned around." He seems a little sheepish. He's usually much better at finding his way around.

He blinks and rubs his eyes as he spots the Reincows, wondering if he's seeing things. Then he sees goats in cute little sweaters and definitely thinks this all just some bizarre hallucination. ".......What are those?"

With a nose like that Ronan found it hard to believe this guy couldn't smell anything, but he kept that comment to himself and imagined Gansey scolding him for his rudeness. That make him smile a little.

"My kids." He snorted, amused. "This is Spitfire and this is Kickass." He pointed at the goats and then at the calf, "Anvil." And then at the Reincows that looked like Anvil, but actually had antlers. "We haven't thought of names for them yet. I'm Ronan. This is our farm, The Barns."

"Did you just arrive in Driftcrest?" He thought of Tobias and his flipflops and booty shorts. Definitely an interesting place to live so far. Lots of different types of people to meet. He took a bite of his burrito before Kickass stole it from him.

"......Interesting names." That was rich coming from a beast named Beast but he was still going to judge anyway. Who named an animal something like Anvil?

"Not exactly. But I don't leave the house much." Not hard to see why. Not everyone was as understanding when they saw a giant monstrous beast as most of the people Beast had run into were. There was usually a lot more screaming, running, and throwing things at him.

"I bet you get a lot of 'grab your pitchforks and torches' when you step outside."

They are the best names ever so Ronan doesn't even feel the need to defend them. And he's seen a lot of shit since discovering one of his best friends was a ghost and Cabeswater was a magical forest that could make your thoughts real. Sometimes he missed home so much it hurt. A different kind of magic than this place.

"What made you decide to risk the mobs today?" The goats chased each other, headbutted each other, then raced over inspect the newcomer.

"Oh, you've met the villagers that live near my town?" That's his attempt at a joke. Beast has never been anywhere close to the small, provincial village that Belle came from but he had heard enough from his lady friend to know they were not an understanding lot. If they knew about Beast, they'd likely rile themselves up into an angry mob to kill him. They were French, it was kind of their thing.

"It was such a nice day out. I thought not everyone would be willing to brave the cold and the snow, so there would be less chance of running into anyone." He hadn't up to this point so Beast may have been onto something there.

Funny enough to get a slight smirk out of Ronan. At least the guy had a sense of humor with an edge of sarcasm he could appreciate.

"I have pitch forks, but I save them for the hay. You don't eat goats or cows do you?" Ronan asked curiously before taking a huge bite of his burrito. Better to finish it before it froze. He watched the goats sniff and nibble at the guys fur and clothes then leap into the snow for another round of snow tag. they were small enough still to nearly disappear in some place only to pop up again. it was amusing as hell to watch.

"Only when they are well-roasted and covered in a sauce," Beast said, though something in his posture as he shifts from back paw to back paw speaks that he's a bit uncomfortable with the question. Hunting, killing, and eating animals was a symptom that had become more prevalent the longer he was a beast and it wasn't something he liked to think of too long. The urge to hunt something down and eat it raw hadn't happened since he'd been here but it was still present.

Beast held out a clawed paw for the little goats to sniff. They'd come up on their spindly little legs towards him, occasionally butting him on the side to see if they could knock him down. They had about the same chance of knocking him down as cracking open a boulder but their attempts amused Beast nonetheless.

"Okay. So...first rule at The Barns is no eating my animals." Ronan looked the guy up and down, satisfied it was understood since he was actually being kind and gentle with the goats. "But if you stay for a meal I'll make sure there is something roasted and covered in sauce."

He was a vegetarian and only ate fish on occasion, but Adam and Gansey both ate meat so it wouldn't be weird to have it at a meal. Having a large furry man-beast might be weird, but who was he to judge. All of his animals were brought to life by him, pulled right out of his dreams. Adam could talk to forests. Gansey could talk anyone into doing anything.

"Do you have a name?"

"I think I can follow that rule just fine." He could rein in his instincts enough to make sure he didn't end up eating any of the animals that resided on the farm. At his heart, he still was doing his best to remain a man and not an animal.

His little round ears do perk up at the mention of a meal and his tail swishing back and forth gives away how much he appreciates the offer. "That is generous of you. Thank you. I am afraid I am not much of a cook myself." When he did eat in a more civilized manner back home, it was his servants who always prepared the meals.

"You can call me Beast." A bit on the nose there but he hadn't gone by his human name in many years.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Watch Out for the Reincows! | OTA

Reincows

Re: Reincows

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Part 2

Re: Part 2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

WTF Driftcrest

Re: WTF Driftcrest

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject