03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
Darcy gave a gentle nod, enjoying the funny ‘swimmy’ feeling to her head at her movements. Was this a healthy feeling? Probably not, but she wasn’t exactly in a state to complain or really care. Instead, she gave a half smile and just looked up to the ceiling as she listened to Ferris speak.
“You know, I wasn’t trying to be bossy… and you did tell me to tell you what I needed.” She grinned as she returned her gaze to him, watching as he cleaned her wound and quite impressed with how thorough he was being without causing her too much pain. But then again, perhaps it was the pain meds kicking in and the added alcohol on top of that.
“Well, joke or not; we’re alive and I’m not going to complain about that.” Darcy said with a gentle sigh, then furrowed her brows as she noticed his hands shaking. She handed him the bottle and gave a nod. “We like to keep bottled waters stocked up in case of emergencies, there should be some in the cabinet near the front door.” She offered with a sudden alertness in her eyes as she straightened herself back up and grabbed the bag with the stapler in it.
“If you’re feeling squeamish, you might not want to stick around for this next bit… why don’t you get a water and rest. I’ll help you tend to your arm when I’m done.” Darcy offered as she prepped the medical grade stapler, not thrilled at the idea of how this would hurt, but more willing to deal with this over trying to see her leg up.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 16, 2023 5:56:34 GMT
He had told her to tell him what she needed, not take five hours explaining her life story to get there. But he was exaggerating she was probably kind of high. More than anything he was glad to see her smile. It suited her and made it easier to pretend shit hadn't gone sideways.
He took another sip from the bottle and handed it back. He knew that wasn't going to help but maybe the placebo effect would. Ferris looked over at her, then toward the door out to the main room. That seemed impossibly far away. He pulled his feet up and lifted his right elbow to the sink to try and hoist himself up only to feel the world shift underneath him. He sat back down.
Ferris blinked at Darcy blankly. "You're joking, right?" He said flatly, but honestly wasn't sure. Cisco was right, he was bad at this. "I'm good right here," he pointed out, largely because he couldn'tget uo. He knew it was shock (probably not the medical kind) more than blood lost that had him feeling out of sorts. But regardless he couldn't stand up. Not to mention he was morbidly curious to see the stapler in action. And to be there if she needed a hand.
“Naturally, I mean unless you’d rather crawl to the cabinet.” Darcy said with an exaggerated shrug, but smiled and rolled her eyes. If she didn’t work quickly, she’d likely experience more pain as the meds wore off. Gotta love that quick werewolf metabolism.
She looked at Ferris with a bit more concern than before. “Are you sure you’re good, Felwinter?” Darcy asked between glancing through the instructions and prepping the stapler. She didn’t want to seem unconcerned with his own pain and wound, because she actually felt awful that he was even hurt in the first place. But she knew she could tend to him more quickly if she could just get hers to stop bleeding.
Darcy picked up her bottle of whiskey for another drink before she set to work with the stapler. It wasn’t the easiest to maneuver herself into a comfortable enough position to start applying the staples, but she was pretty flexible, and dammit was she determined. Darcy used on hand to help pinch the wound together, and the other to staple. It was definitely not an easy process, but she was going to make it work. And after some work, she managed to practically close the two largest cuts before pausing for more alcohol. “This is definitely not something I ever pegged myself doing.” She admitted through labored breathing, taking a second and longer swig as the pain meds seemed to have worked their way out of her system.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 16, 2023 17:09:11 GMT
It occurred to him that Darcy thought he said she was joking about something else, but he put it down to her being out of it. It was funnier to leave the matter alone.
"I'm fine," Ferris insisted. His fingers weren't quite numb on his left hand but they were getting there. That meant the tourniquet was working. The pain meant that, as Darcy had said, he was alive. Still, even taking slow breaths didn't aliviate the tightness in his chest. The man shifted his legs, right had on his left knee, left elbow on that to try and keep his arm up. He leaned forward and threaded his fingers through his hair, resting that way to try and keep it together.
It would be so much easier if he was crazy. He'd had a mental breakdown before, he could have another. But he didn't feel the same hopelessness and pointlessness. This was insanity and panic. Ferris didn't know how to process insanity or panic.
He watched Darcy contort a bit to use the stapler. The firefighter wasn't the squeamish sort. He didn't mind blood in the slightest. Mostly he felt useless, sitting there while she struggled, but he knew he would only be more of a hinderance with how shaky he was. He winced each time she added a staple. "You reckon that hurts more or less than a needle?"
“Just let me know if you start feeling feint, I need to keep you alert.” Darcy said firmly, taking one last drink before picking the stapler back up and starting in again. The process was slower now, as she was feeling it all and she didn’t enjoy feeling the staples pierce through her skin, though it definitely beat the alternative of bleeding out.
Surprisingly, Darcy was already starting to feel more like herself again, though definitely sore and feeling slightly hazy. She’d need to eat something to shake that feeling, but eating wasn’t exactly on her mind. Instead she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming out curses as she tried to quickly add another staple. She resisted the urge to throw the stapler as she opted to set it down for the moment and just take a few calming breaths. The wolf in her hated that she was putting herself through this, but she also knew it was the best option to limit any more blood loss. Darcy looked back over to Ferris, an odd curiosity in her eyes at the scent in the air coming from him. Try as he might to insist otherwise; he was not fine.
But, Darcy didn’t want to pry and cause him any further discomfort. So she slowly picked up the stapler and gave a slow exhale as she listened to Ferris’ question. “Honestly, I prefer stitches. But then again, I haven’t had to give myself more than a couple at a time… are you thinking stitches or staplers?” Darcy gripped the stapler and put it back against the wound on her thigh and closed her eyes as she squeezed the stapler. But she didn’t just do the one, she sucked it up and forced another two staples into her thigh.
Having adequately sealed her wounds, she set the stapler down and grabbed the whiskey bottle, taking a few long pulls as she let her body get it’s bearings once again. She shook her head and exhaled slowly. “Okay, let’s get to mending your arm.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 17, 2023 1:35:03 GMT
Ferris was too uncomfortable to sleep, watching her finish the rest of the staples. He hummed a noncommittal affirmative to her note about fainting. He didn't feel like he would, as long as he stayed sitting down. Which meant he had probably lost a significant amount of blood, but nothing dangerous. So yes, physically, 'fine' seemed a good approximation, if a rather low bar.
He's watched her take yet another swallow or two, yet she didn't seem all that bothered. In fact, from the look of it she was in active pain again. That pill she'd taken had lasted a matter of minutes. Something that if he took three and a half would knock him out in an hour. He considered offering her another, but he got the feeling the whisky was her comfort blanket, so to speak. He wasn't going to judge. "Stitches." Mostly considering she had just built up a personal vendetta against the stapler and he didn't want to get between that. "You should bandage that again. Don't wanna ruin your pants." The ones that had a massive rip in them and that she had cut off. It was funnier in his head.
Instead of acknowledging Darcy's suggestion that it was his turn, he simply looked at her a moment. "I'm not crazy, am I." Although phrased like a question, his inflection on the sentence when down rather than up. It was more that he was resigned to the fact that he wasn't crazy, that there was a lot more going on in Sweetwater than even the vaguely strange fires and a missing girl, that no amount of pinching or slapping would bring him back to a reality where he didn't have to witness a wolf's body contorting into a young woman and that he wouldn't have to suddenly be aware of things going on around him that might have some other supernatural cause. That those cause would be a lot less benevolent than the werewolf Ranger Darcy Vance.
Darcy already could tell she planned on spending tonight at home with her favorite liquors of choice, and probably a large take-out order. No way was she fumbling around and wasting time trying to cook for herself tonight. This was also the first moment she realized that her cellphone was in her bag, still out in his truck. If anyone had tried calling her, they’d be annoyed to hear her obnoxious drunk laughter before realizing they got her voicemail. Oh well, she’d tend to the issues at hand in order of most pressing. And currently, Ferris needed her attention.
She gave a nod at his decision to be stitched up and took this moment to grab ahold of the first aid kit and begin locating the items necessary for tending to his gash. She couldn’t help but chuckle at his comment about not wanting to ruin her pants. “You know, I think they have more character now… they’ll make a great conversation starting outfit, after I get them washed.” Darcy peered back at Ferris with a playful smile that definitely seemed more like herself, and continued to rummage through the bag. Gathering gauze, medical wrap, tape, and the suture kit.
After finding a bottle of alcohol in the bag, she poured it on her staples wound before taking a roll of medical wrap and a few gauze squares. She arranged the gauze squares to cover the wounds on her thigh before she set to work wrapping it securely with the roll of medical wrap. It was uncomfortable, but at least the wound was clean and covered. Try as she might, Darcy couldn’t help but stop and stare at him after he spoke again. This time, everything finally seeming to be hitting him… she didn’t envy him one bit in this moment.
Darcy couldn’t begin to imagine what he must be thinking or feeling. How she had just destroyed whatever ideal or ‘normal’ existed for him the moment she shifted back. Or was it the moment she carried on the hiking trail with him? Her gaze dropped down and she took a few moments to chose her words. “I wish it were that simple… that I could just laugh it off and tell you that you’re ‘crazy’, but I’m not going to insult your intelligence by trying to lie to you.” Darcy secured the wrap with a piece of tape and did her best to adjust her leg without grimacing too much as she moved to her knees and used the counter to pull herself back to her feet.
She stepped around Ferris, slowly moving, but moving nonetheless. Darcy retrieved a water bottle from the cabinet, and made her was back to the bathroom, offering the bottle of water to him. “What I will do, is apologize. I truly am sorry Ferris…” She washed her hands at the sink, glad to be cleaning the blood and dirt from her skin, and not quite sure how to look at him in the moment. Not only did she get him hurt, but she shattered whatever perception of reality he had known. “I never meant for you to get hurt, and I especially didn’t mean for you to find out about me, or things like me… like this.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 17, 2023 12:16:39 GMT
Ferris snorted faintly. 'More character' was certainly another way to put it. Her smile gave him the information he had been looking for though. At least she was okay. Her wound still looked pretty bad but if the werewolf wasn't worried about it, he wouldn't.
"You could laugh it off as me having a mental breakdown," he pointed out. Only Darcy knew what he had seen. Ferris wasn't exactly begging for a way out if the situation. He didn't need to be lied to to function. He could handle it. It was more that he wasn't sure why she didn't try to cover it up. Instead she had admitted it and threatened him and seemed quite keen to tall about it until he stopped her. "Why? Why not?"
He leaned back against the cabinets as she returned and accepted the water, unscrewing the cap awkwardly with one hand and forcing himself to drink. Ferris simply shook his head at her at least third apology. "My arm will be fine." As for the rest of her apology, he avoided mentioning it, but he didn't accept it because he didn't believe she hadn't, in a way, wanted him to find out. Not him specifically, maybe but someone.
Darcy gave a heavy sigh as she shook her head, she didn’t truly know enough about the man to make any such assumptions about his mental health. “Are you prone to mental breakdowns?” She half scoffed as she rummaged back through the medical bag once again to find the scissors.
“Because… well,” Darcy felt her frustration rising as color crept into her cheeks and she scooped up her bottle of whiskey. “For fuck’s sake, I don’t know.” She exhaled, moving back out of the bathroom with a little more speed to her pace, locking her jaw to refrain from whining as she grabbed a chair and brought it to just outside the bathroom door. She sat down, flicked the lid off her bottle and practically chugged a quarter of the bottle without pausing to catch her breath.
The burning of the alcohol was always a welcomed feeling to her body, plus it was helping her nerves. Right now, she wanted to just break things. She wanted to break the stapler, throw the bottle of whiskey into a wall and trash the place. But she wouldn’t. This was one of her safe havens, her place of work. Where she could hide away and pretend to be as normal as everyone, well; almost everyone else in this town. Instead, she heaved a heavy sigh and avoided direct eye contact with Ferris. Because she felt ashamed.
She didn’t have to reveal herself to him. She could have ditched her clothes and just left him with a mystery. Or she could have found a way to knock him unconscious, change back without him seeing her and just convince him he didn’t know what he was talking about if he tried to mention finding her clothes and such. But no. She chose to reveal her werewolf nature to him. And now she felt like a completely asshat. What right did she have to make that call? To break down those comforts anyone who wasn’t aware of the supernatural seemed to possess?
“There have been so many times I wanted to share this secret with people who didn’t know, but I never gave into that selfish want… until now.” Another sip from the bottle, and continued refusal to look in his direction. “I don’t have a good reason as to why, and nothing I say can make it better or justify the decision… it wasn’t well thought out, it was selfish and I’m not going to lie and say that I wish I could take it back, because I…. Don’t.” Another drink followed by a heavy sigh, fingers tracing along the bottle with a surprising level of gentleness.
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through, and for that I am sorry. But… I’m feeling such a relief and freedom I’ve not had since moving to this town. And I know how selfish that sounds, but fuck it; I choose to be selfish here.” She set the bottle down and looked over to him, then his arm. “And if you don’t hate me too much, I’d like to fix that arm up for you.”
last edited Nov 17, 2023 15:00:54 GMT by Darcy Vance
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 17, 2023 20:25:42 GMT
"No," he grumbled quickly with a heavy sigh. He was letting his anxiety get the better of him. He reached up to massages his temples, still leaning against his other hand. Blood was starting to seep through the bandage and through his sleeve, leaving a stain on his worn dark jeans.
Ferris simply looked at the ranger as she confessed to not knowing. It seemed a natural enough reaction that he at least felt there wasn't some larger plan at work. He didn't much believe in fate as it was. He wasn't sure what to make of her simply leaving. One moment she was collecting suturing supplies and then next she was looking for...a chair. He watched her sit at the doorway and drink and collect herself. He took a breath and managed to scoot himself around to the wall so he was near the first aid kit, sliding it closer with his foot so he didn't have to sit in the blood splatter Darcy had left behind. If she needed a drink right now, then he could help himself.
He tugged his jacket off as she spoke about wanting to share, wincing silently as some of the dried blood made it stick. But he had to stop short with the tourniquet. He wasn't prepared to take that off yet. He collected some gauze and bandages, but it looked like Darcy had the suture kit proper. He let his head hit the wall with a soft thud, sighing as she apologized yet again.
"I don't think you're selfish, Darcy, I think you're lonely." He understood wanting to be seen for who she really was. That conflict between what you showed off to other people and what was on the inside and just hoping they accepted at least one version of you, ideally the real one. "Look, I know men have more blood than women so I can afford to lose more, but if you're done, I'd very much like to stop bleeding on the bathroom floor." Perhaps it wasn't quite a 'pity party' she was having so he didn't say as much (but with the amount of alcohol consumed, it was certainly a 'I don't want to feel feelings party').
Darcy set the bottle of alcohol down and muttered under her breath a few choice curses as she moved to stand and looked back at Ferris. She didn’t need to see him to know he’s started to clean his wound, the mixture of antiseptic cleaner and his blood was heavy in the air. “Lonely or not, making that decision for you wasn’t fair.” She sighed, wincing as she lowered herself back to her knees as she looked at the makeshift tourniquet on his arm. She didn’t want to dwell on the feelings that rose with his statement, in fact; she’s rather avoid acknowledging any notion of her ’loneliness’ altogether.
Darcy rolled her eyes a little at his comment about wanting to stop bleeding on the bathroom floor. Then fought back a slight grin and chuckle. “It’s not often I hear a man complain about ‘bleeding on the bathroom floor.” while it wasn’t the most clever pun, it certainly made her own smile visible. She cleared her throat and moved closer to his arm, she used the tweezers to debride the wound as best she could without hurting him too much. She put on a pair of gloves, then lifted the surgical grade needle and nylon, threading the needle and looking to Ferris with a raised brow. “Ready or not.”
With that, Darcy’s gloved hand moved to press the skin as close together as she could manage, then she set to work with the sutures. She was by no means an expert, but her work was neat and precise. She aimed to close the wound with as few stitches as necessary, for quicker healing and easy removal.
Darcy’s brow furrowed as she focused on her task and she made no effort to converse as she tried her best to cause minimal additional stress to his arm as she worked. Darcy bit her bottom lip in concentration as she added the last three stitches and leaned back to check her work. “That should do it, I believe it’s safe to remove the tourniquet now that you’re all stitched up.” She said with a nod, tossing the used suture kit and picking up a few gauze squares to bandage the wound.
Darcy had considered working in the medical field at one point in time, but didn’t have the time to commit to the years of schooling. Plus, she enjoyed drinking more than most deemed acceptable, so she when with environmental science and became a forest ranger. Than seemed to make more sense in the long run. She gently, but firmly wrapped the wound and secured it with some tape before moving to help loosen the tourniquet.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 18, 2023 3:15:42 GMT
A nearly empty bottle of whiskey drank mostly by one person begged to differ about said person's loneliness. But Ferris didn't feel he knew the woman enough to say any more, certainly not well enough to suggest there might be better ways to cure those feelings. Not to mention it would be hypocritical of him.
Ferris both understood and didn't understand what she was trying to say. Why would she be bleeding on the floor specifically? Something about women's menstrual cycles, but that didn't seem like a normal problem to be having. "Maybe you should talk to a physician," he noted, only realizing as he looked at Darcy and her smile that she was joking. He braced himself, holding his arm up so she could help clean the wound up. He grit his teeth and kept the pain to himself, though he had to ball his hand into a fist to stop from shaking. "Ready," he grunted.
It was hardly the first time he had had stiches, but it was probably the first time without any local anesthetic or pain medication. But he really didn't want to use what was in his truck. There was Tylenol at the station he could use later if he needed it. He took slow measured breaths, looking away at first, but slowly coming around and watching her work. "You've done this before," he noted. "You should pick up embroidery," he added, harkening all the way back to their conversation about hobbies. That felt like such a long time ago now.
"Thanks, Darcy," he said as she rewrapped the wound and remove the tourniquet. "Nice to feel my fingers again," he said. Even if they were a bit tingly as he got normal feeling back. Ferris pulled his arm against his chest and massaged his hand. He probably should still go to the urgent care later but it was much less pressing right now. The mess they had left on the bathroom floor was another obstacle, but he wasn't good for much at the moment.
He glanced at the nearly empty whisky bottle as he reached for the water bottle and drank more, still feeling a bit lightheaded. "So...about that dinner..."
Darcy didn’t comment on his missing the joke and just let him realize it on his own. She stayed focused on the stitches and trying her best not to add any more pain than he was already handling. She couldn’t help but smile softly at his comment, and then chuckle at the recommendation.
“Damn, that’s a good one.” She managed out between laughter and taking a calming breath. She simply gave a nod at his thanks as she removed her gloves and pushed herself up. Already steeling herself to the pain in her leg. It was manageable, and she could handle it. It wasn’t even the worst situation she’d ever been in. Though, the car accident when she was a child shouldn’t count because she was much more ‘normal’ then, being that she had yet to have her first wolf transition.
“Dinner… would you settle for a rain check and a serving of whatever I can throw together in the kitchen?” Darcy asked with a slight shake of her head as she began repacking the first aid kit and resisted the urge to break the medical stapler, instead just repacking it and taking the items one at a time to the supply closet. She was definitely moving around more easily, but her stomach was about to start making some awful gurgles to protest her lacking food.
Werewolves were always hungry. She usually kept snacks and such in hand, but her pack was still in his truck. Then again, this was her place of work, she always had snacks tucked away in her desk too. Darcy stepped around to her desk and grabbed out a protein bar, practically swallowing it whole. “I also have protein bars in my desk.” She called out as she grabbed a Swifer wet jet from the cabinet of cleaning supplies in the kitchen. She made quick work of getting any bloody spots from the main room, as well as wiping down the filing cabinet from her dirty and bloody hand prints.
Darcy paused the cleaning to look in a few of the ‘lost and found’ duffle bags. She needed to change. Her black crop top was mostly fine, but her leggings were another story. “Want to try and find something less, well; blood soaked to change into, or are you good?” She called out from a room off the backside of the cabin, being alone she took this moment to gently remove her ruined leggings. It wasn’t an easy task, but she finally managed to take them off, Darcy tossed the ruined leggings into a trash bin by the back door before she grabbed out a pair of dark green bike shorts. She took her time stepping into the shorts and pulling them up, wincing slightly as they applied pressure to her left thigh’s bandages.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 18, 2023 5:04:58 GMT
"Calling an audible works for me," the fire chief agreed with a nod. He wasn't particularly in the mood to be more social. Food though, he could get behind. Still, he stayed on the floor while she packed everything up and then returned to start cleaning. By then he had moved toward the counter and used it to haul himself up. He washed his hands and wet his face, which helped him feel a little better. Honestly, so too did Darcy's very normal mundane actions. Packing, mopping, talking about cooking, these were things normal people did. It was reassuring that her being hungry probably didn't mean eating him.
"A protein bar sounds great," he admitted. He worked on easing himself out of the bathroom finally and back to the main room, collapsing into the nearest desk's chair with a groan. He was still impressed she was walking on that leg. "I'm alright," he said. When it came to clothes, his jacket was probably done for with the torn sleeve and caked blood. But his shirt was in one piece, if a bit of a mess and with some small blood stains. Same with his jeans. He polished off his own protein bar while she moved to the back room to change, presumably.
It was easier to keep himself together when there was a goal to accomplish or someone else around. Alone, even for a moment, that became a lot harder. He leaned forward, right elbow on his knee, head in his hand. He wanted to ask her so many things, now that they were both okay, but he sort of dreaded learning more, at least right now. Between the bear attack, the wolves, the general stress of his and her injury, the entire werewolf thing, and the blood loss, he felt he was doing alright. "I need another cigarette," he groaned to himself, though he was loath to get up just yet. "Find some new clothes?" he called.
Darcy was relieved he was down for postponing dinner. Hell, she wouldn’t blame him if he never agreed to see her again after everything today. But she hoped he would see her again. Was she really just lonely and seeking validation from outside of her pack? She shook the idea form her mind as she put the duffel bags away and slipped back into her hiking shoes. They’d need to be thoroughly cleaned as well, but for now she’d just deal with it.
“I did.” Darcy called out as she stepped back into the main room and gave a pathetic attempt at a twirl, awkwardly trying to turn on her right leg, but not quite able to completely lift her left leg. She chuckled as she stepped toward her desk and pulled a black and white flannel out of the bottom drawer. She tied it at her waist and looked to Ferris with a raised brow. “Do you want me to get your cigarettes? I left my bag in your truck and should probably get my phone anyway.” she knew if she didn’t respond to her pack members, they’d have a full blown wolf hunt taking place within the hour.
Darcy bent down to pick up the lid to the whiskey bottle and returned it. She twisted the lid shut and set the bottle on her desk, not even bothering to acknowledge how much of the liquid she had consumed. Her metabolism worked insanely fast, so it took a lot of alcohol to really get to her. Which is why she didn’t even bother drinking the weak shit. But metabolism issues aside, Darcy clearly had a drinking problem. She moved to put the chair she’d retrieved earlier, back to where it went and set to work cleaning up the rest of the bathroom. Even pulling the trash bag and replacing it.
When she felt like the only blood she was smelling was from his clothes, she knew the place was truly tidied up again. Darcy put away the swifer and paused to check kitchen cabinets. “So, we’ve got an assortment of Mac n cheese, hamburger helper and canned beef stew, which one strikes your fancy?” She asked as she returned to her desk with a raised brow.
The rest of their time together spent in mostly idle chit-chat as she prepared food before they went their separate ways for the day.
[End of Thread]
last edited Nov 19, 2023 13:15:59 GMT by Darcy Vance