empathicfault | IC Inbox

I mean, I can't say I'd be upset if he were to have a week of being terrified and lonely.

But I'm also an inmate, so...

[ He shrugs, packing up a bag, before looking at the camera with seriousness. ]

I don't think you're a bad person, Malcolm. I think you're a good person who's been kicked around a few times too many. And you're having a hard time reconciling things.

I’m still salvageable if I didn’t want to put the knife through his stupid face, right?

I think you'd still be salvageable even if you did. Look at me- apparently the Admiral still thinks I'm salvageable, so you're just fine.

No worries, okay? [ Small, encouraging smile. ] I love you. We'll go run, you can get all your restless revenge-energy out in a real forest.

[“I love you”, he says, and the twist of pain and anger seems to melt off Malcolm’s face some.]

I’ll meet you to disembark?

See you soon.

[ He doesn't take long, having packed an extra couple of (his own) shirts, just in case Malcolm wants a bit of an emotional security blanket. He's also got the money he was given, just in case they decide to do anything after the forest. He pats his dogs and tells them to 'be good,' even if neither of them need the instruction any longer.

And he's up on the deck shortly, looking out on the docking ring sweeping over them. It's certainly a different view. ]

[Malcolm is waiting for him, already a wolf, holding a note in his mouth. It says ‘Can you get my money out of my pants on the floor of my office?’ He also wants to have it in case he has time to do some shopping before coming back here. But wolves don’t have pockets.]

[ Will laughs, surprised, at seeing Malcolm's wolf form on deck. He takes the note and glances at it before smiling and patting Malcolm briefly on the head. ]

I'll grab your stuff, sure. I hadn't thought you'd be changed already. Good idea.

[ It doesn't take him long, and he folds the clothes neatly before putting them in his backpack. The money goes in a separate spot, under the rest of it- might as well make pickpocketers go through his whole damn bag if they're going to try and swipe cash.

Before they head off the Barge, Will stops Malcolm in whatever way he needs to. He bends down so their faces are at the same height and just leans his forehead on the soft spot between Malcolm's ears. A interspecies hug, if you will. It's also a bit of calm before they both get into the station, before they start running. ]

I'm glad we're doing this. Let's go find that forest, eh?

[Malcolm’s tail wags and as Will stands up, he butts his leg gently with his head. He would love to.]

[ Will smiles in response and lightly scratches between Malcolm's shoulder blades before they get moving. They disembark and there's some navigation and more time in the inter-ring elevators than either of them would care for. But it's kind of worth it to make it as far out from everything as possible.

As they finally step out, the enormity of the outer ring hits Will, as does the lower gravity. The forest is more normal-looking than he expected, even with the occasional too-big salamander noticeable on a tree.

Will takes in a deep breath and lets it out. ]

...wow.

[Malcolm looks up at Will and tippy-taps restlessly. Running time? Time to run?]

[ At the sight of Malcolm bouncing, Will lets out a happy gutteral yell that could sound like a 'yeah,' if one was attempting to put a word to it.

Before he's even stopped yelling, he's taken off from their spot next to the elevator, onto a mostly-cleared path. Malcolm will surely be faster than he is, he won't mind if Will gets a bit of a head start, right? ]

[He loves it in fact. He races after Will, nipping playfully at his heels as he catches up.]

[ Will should probably be more concerned about a wolf- even one that's a friend in shifted form- nipping at his heels.

But he isn't. It's Malcolm, after all. They're only having fun. And maybe there isn't a sun above them, but there are sun-like lights, and the forest itself is very real. And Will feels almost like he's floating with this gravity. He laughs as Malcolm easily catches up and keeps pace with him. ]

Go on, I know you wanna...

[ He's nearly breathless as he says it, but he knows Malcolm can speed ahead. Will wants to see it. ]

[Malcolm likes running with Will, too. Being near him. Smelling his presence. He looks up, sidelong, tilting his head a little. But he only sees exhilaration in Will’s eyes. Encouragement. Excitement. He headbutts Will’s leg - though not hard enough to throw him off his stride - then takes off ahead, jumping over branches and dodging around trees like a grey blur.]

[ Will actually lets out a real whoop as Malcolm takes off. He runs a little further ahead. But he eventually slows down to lean, hands on his knees, as he watches the grey blur zoom in between trees and through the rough.

They'll have plenty of time to run together soon, but seeing Malcolm use his energy and power to its fullest extent is all sorts of satisfying, too. His dogs are fast, but this is something else. He laughs happily as he walks in the vague direction of Malcolm, ready to get sideswiped or approached again at any time. ]

[Malcolm does, indeed, lose him, then has to double back and pick up his scent again. Then he spies him and dashes out of the brush to jump straight at his chest with the aim of tackling him onto his back.]

[ Malcolm surprises him and Will lets out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a yelp as he indeed falls backwards. He hits the dirt without too much trouble, and- wow, wolves are quite large, aren't they? He notices as Malcolm's paws seem to engulf his shoulders entirely.

He grins. ]

You got me.

[Malcolm hunkers down on him, shifting back so he can rest his chin on Will’s chest and look up at his face.]

[ Will smiles back at him, looking slightly shy. And he reaches up as much as he can to encompass Malcolm in a hug. ]

Just remember, you're not always going to have such an easy time of it...

[ He says it fondly, as he rubs at what he can reach of Malcolm's chest and back. ]

You really are beautiful in both your forms, you know.

[In what is both a very Wolf and Man Malcolm gesture, he tilts his head before leaning it into one of those scritches. A little rest for a moment. The best kind before he carefully - almost gingerly - lifts himself off of Will and headbutts his leg.

Come on. He wants to show you something.]

[ Will can see the wolf and the human in Malcolm at all times, it feels, but he always loves it when he sees some sort of tic or behavior on both versions. The scritches continue happily until Malcolm moves.

He's sitting up by the time Malcolm headbutts his leg- and being well-versed in the language, Will smiles and starts pushing himself up to his feet. ]

All right, all right. What's up?

[Malcolm dashes off in the direction he’d come from, but not so quickly that Will can’t keep up.

He leads him through the forest until the space ahead of them opens up into a pond and Malcolm wades right, watching the water, then ducking his head in before running back to Will with a fish in his mouth, not clutched tightly enough to kill it. Its tail flicks. He sets it down at Will’s feet and then looks up at him, pleased with himself. Look! Fishing!]

[ Will follows until they find the pond. Just as he's realizing there's signs of fish in it, Malcolm grabs one out of the water like he's at a grocery store. Will stares at the flopping fish with an almost disbelieving chuckle. ]

That- that was amazing! Perfect form, and it's... [ It's still flopping around on the ground. ] Oh, we're gonna have a good time here.

You mind if I throw it back in? I assume that's why you were so careful.

[Malcolm looks at him, then points his snoot towards the pond. Yes. Put it back in. Please.]

[ Will wouldn't have minded making a trophy dinner out of it, but he knows that's not really how Malcolm thinks about these things. So he nods and scoops up the fish, sliding it back into the water with a practiced hand at these things.

It's nice to watch them slip away back into the darkness of the water, too. ]

I would've figured the fish would be more...farmed, here. Nice to know there's some wild ones.

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