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?
The amused smile that pulled across her lips as Ferris allowed her insistence and even repeated the word. The man could say any odd sounding word and she would likely find it adorable and stupidly be grinning at him.
She had it bad.
But then she raised a brow curiously at his statement and frown. “Is it that you need a new job, or you need to get yourself sorted so you can find it enjoyable again?” Not that she would judge regardless. Darcy had considered other career options herself, and she had days where she wanted to just walk out and turn in her uniforms. But, it was her income, have her access to all sort of useful information for her pack, and it allowed her to hike and enjoy nature more than most jobs would. So truly; she wouldn’t complain.
While she didn’t quite been matching him drink for drink, she did take a swig or four from the bottle when pouring his drinks. Pacing herself because she didn’t want to get too wild. Okay, so maybe… just maybe she did want that.
Ha, of course she did! His scent made her want to go absolutely feral at times. But she wasn’t a complete beast; and she knew when her friend needed to get something off his chest… despite his eyes lingering while she stretched. Why did knowing he enjoyed watching her make her ridiculously pleased? I mean, someone would have to be blind or hate her to not wanna watch when she stretched. Darcy wasn’t so vain as to go turning into an asshole, but she knew she was hot. And she put a lot of work into her body, it was toned and lithe and flexible…
She needed to stop before she excused herself for a cold shower. Maybe after Ferris left, since he didn’t seem all that keen on staying with her tonight.
Which only stung a little.
That dark left eye brow shifted upwards as he spoke and Darcy tried not to notice too easily how his heart rate changed. But it was the way he avoided looking at her that made her smile falter and her brow knit in confusion. And then he sighed and started. Darcy slipped her thumbs through belt loops as she waited for him to continue.
She wasn’t quite sure what she had expected him to say, but there was a mixture of relief (that this wasn’t something to do with his depression, so unlikely that his bruises were self inflicted) and something else she was used to feeling… envy. That someone else had gotten to enjoy him the way she wanted to. But she couldn’t let that show. They were just friends, and she was the idiot who insisted on ‘no strings’, it wouldn’t exactly be fitting for her to be upset or heaven forbid; hurt.
No, she was fine.
“Oh, that’s a tough one… can’t say I’ve slept with my neighbor… but I’ve got a complicated history with my pack Beta from before I became Alpha.” She gave a shrug, running a hand through her mess of curls as she moved to sit back down, though this time on the coffee table so she could face him as they talked. “Why don’t you want to go back home though? Did she get weird or clingy or something?” Of course she was curious.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 9, 2024 18:34:38 GMT
“A new job,” he said firmly. Though this more to avoid the implications of her ‘get hinself sorted.’ He was very aware of what that meant. Therapy, doctor visits, medications, time off, being bored out of him, more therapy. No thank you. “I should just quit. Brooks can handle the horses,” he said with a shrug. He had of course meant his job at the equestrian center. Entirely unrelated to the conversation about caring about people. But he was a bit of a mess at the moment, so many drinks in.
“She's not my neighbor neighbor,” he started to explain. Anything to avoid the real problem. “She's in a different building. But it's next to mine. In the same complex.” Maybe that was all obvious. He knew Darcy and Rhett still hung out. Assumed they still fucked. That wasn't his concern. And regardless of their personal relationship, they could still function around and with each other to lead their pack. That wasn't quite the comparison to how he felt about Halah.
Ferris watched her sit on the coffee table, creating space between them that he could only feel was his fault. Just because they weren't together didn't mean she had to be comfortable having his conversation with him. “Weird,” he agreed. He'd not given the woman a chance to be clingy. Well, unless being handcuffed to a bed for…longer than he could remember counted as clingy. He wasn't sure. “I…she was really hot,” he admitted, focus slipping a little as he took another drink. “Black hair, ivory skin. Exotic accent. Something eastern European or middle eastern maybe?”
“Anyway,” he caught her eyes and remembered himself. “She’s attractive but I was just helping her after she fell down the stairs and then…the next thing I know she has me handcuffed to her bed.” which sounded fun. He just…hadn't wanted it. Ferris had spent thr last weeks trying to convince himself he had. Hell, he’d called out of work just to sleep with a woman. He’d definitely wanted it. Hadn't he?
“No longer enjoying the work with the horses?” She inquired gently, wondering if this was something he had been considering for awhile or if he was just maybe needing a little change. Darcy wasn’t much for riding horses herself, not when they seemed to get uneasy from her scent. “Hey, if you do step away from working with the horses, maybe you can find something musically inclined.” She offered with a half smile, knowing she’d gladly tag along to see him play.
Hell, she’d tag along with him for anything. Because that’s what friends did… right? You couldn’t go to Egypt and see denial this clearly.
Still, her dark eyes took him in as she listened, her fingers gently strumming along her thighs. Why she felt the need to move, she was embarrassed to admit. Darcy wasn’t naive enough to think he wouldn’t notice or be attracted to other women, but that didn’t make it easy to hear. Though the mention of her being foreign definitely made her recall if she’s ever met anyone around town like that.
“O-oh, well damn… that’s quite the turn of events.” Darcy couldn’t help the surprised look that took her face, Ferris didn’t strike her as the type to enjoy being restrained… but then again, maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought. Maybe that was why she hadn’t heard from him much recently, because he was entertaining other women. And she wasn’t upset, they were just friends after all. “Must have been a bit… intense, to cause that bruising on your wrists.” She nodded toward his hands, and tried to seem as nonchalant about it as she could muster.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 10, 2024 4:46:29 GMT
Ferris shrugged. “Maybe. I dunno,” he said, looking at his drink. This wasn't a well thought out plan, just something his drunken subconscious felt the need to express. Music though…that was an idea that hit a chord, so to speak. He just…hesitated to pull the trigger. Not because he got nervous but because he just figured no one needed to hear. “I'll think about it.”
He finished his drink and set it down on the coffee table. “Yeah. Not really my thing,” he said quietly, trying not to thinking about his wrists. “I don't do restraints,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Yeah…” Intense was a word for it. He felt…uncomfortable. Belatedly he realized she mentioned his wrists. Had probably noticed it a while ago and wondered what happened. He reached over and inspected the bruises on his right wrist, pushing up the sleeve. He felt embarrassed to be talking about this. Especially to Darcy. Ferris cleared his throat. “It's not a big deal,” he said, though not as firm as he would have liked. He had almost managed to push all of it out of his mind but now…he couldn't close his eyes without remembering. He didn't know how to talk about it, even if he wanted to.
The thought of Ferris playing music was quite an intriguing idea, but she wasn’t going to push… just gently shove.
As if, she didn’t do the ‘gentle’ bit all that well. Plus, she had a tendency to push boundaries with the man. He was her best friend and she loved him, even if that meant being a touch annoying and pushy. Or supportive of his pursuits… whether they be professional or personal.
“I mean, no judgement here if you just wanted to break from your ‘go to’ preferences. But typically, restraints require trust.” At least, in her experience. But then again, Darcy didn’t typically let herself get to the point of that familiarity and closeness. Hell, before Ferris she didn’t regularly see anyone. There might have been the occasional heated argument that led to some rather… well, rough sex with Rhett; but even those occasions had been few and far between. And ever since Ferris… the idea of someone else touching her wasn’t exactly enticing.
More like nauseating.
“Hey,” Darcy eased off the table and onto her knees beside the couch, reaching for his hand and if he allowed her to take it; inspected the bruise with gentle touches and an almost pained expression. One she tried very hard not to so obviously wear. “You struggled enough against the restraints to bruise; that doesn’t sound like it’s ’not a big deal’.” Darcy’s tone wasn’t one of accusation or scolding, but concern and care for the man she-
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but she felt her cheeks flush slightly as she cleared her throat, eyes dropping down. “You can talk to me about stuff like this Ferris, it’s what friends are for. And if something happened you weren’t okay with…” She trailed off slightly, not trying to assume exactly, but certainly implying based off his vibe he was putting off. There was something off about his scent… almost like a lingering salty undertone.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 10, 2024 6:02:32 GMT
Trust. He hadn't felt that at all. He had felt…something else. Something he couldn't explain but that had kept him there, with only a few requests to stop. He nodded, looking away from his friend. The discomfort inside threatened to fill him up and he pushed it back down. He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair.
Ferris let her take his hand and inspect the bruises. He watched her on her knees. His ‘no big deal' had been more of a dismissal, and end to the conversation more than anything. He knew it was a problem. He just would rather bury it. “Yeah. It hurt. She was into that, I wasn't. But I let her, so…whatever,” he said, tugging his hand away with a frown.
As she suggested he hadn't been okay with it, Ferris pushed himself up from the couch, stumbling a little with his first step and leaning on the arm of the couch. “I wouldn't have let it happen if I wasn't okay with it?” He cleared his throat, the words having come out as a question at the end and that wasn't what he meant. He was supposed to be strong. In control.
“Nothing happened,” he tried again, this a bit more firm. He rounded the couch and leaned against it, gritting his teeth as his stomach rebelled against him. He met Darcy's gaze then, struggling. “I…” he shook his head. “What am I supposed to say? That I didn't want to fuck her?” Ferris laughed mirthlessly. Except I did. So much so I let her handcuff me and…and…” His grip on the back of the couch tightened and he felt like he might be sick.
The bruises made her lips turn down into a concerned pout. Her inner wolf wanted to rage, seeing that he was visibly injured during a shared intimate experience made her want to exchange some heated words with the woman. Namely because inflicting pain for fun wasn’t okay when the other person wasn’t on board. Darcy was all for people letting their little freak flags fly; but in safety. Like using safe words and respecting boundaries…
All of which seemed to be things the pair hadn’t discussed prior to his being restrained. And that was the part that made her blood absolutely boil. But his words and the way he pulled away his hand made Darcy drop her gaze and set her jaw slightly. She hadn’t meant to strike a nerve. She dropped her hands to her lap as she nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business how you chose to spend your time with your lady friends.” There was an almost bitter bite to her words as she shrugged and stood, picking up the bottle and debating on drinking some more.
“I think there’s more to it, but it’s your life Ferris… if you wanted to let someone do this to you; I’m not going to kink shame.” Darcy managed to say steadily, and glanced at the bottle in hand. Surprisingly, she simply made sure the cap was on and moved to set it on the bar.
She watched him as he moved, clearly affected by the alcohol. Darcy ached to just reverse the conversation and go back to being in his arms, snuggling on the couch.
But then she saw it, and her heart sank. It couldn’t be, right? She had to be wrong, as far as she knew there weren’t but a handful of sirens in the area, and they typically liked to lay low. Especially with the presence of vampires. “Hey, it’s okay.” Darcy walked around to the front of the couch, easing her knees onto it as she faced him and hesitantly extended a hand to gingerly run through his hair. “You’re okay here… safe here.” She assured him with a sigh, standing on the couch and easing to sit on the back edge of the couch, nudging his left shoulder with her own.
“If you don’t wanna talk about it, I’m not gonna force you to. But I have to ask… was there anything odd about this woman?” Okay, so she was phishing for information before she decided to talk and sound like a crazy person.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 10, 2024 20:33:29 GMT
When he opened his mouth to tell her she had nothing to apologize for and to play it off, she hit him with those words and the words that escaped him were instead, "Fuck being inclusive. I didn't want someone to do any of it to me." His grip tightened on the back of the couch and his gray eyes didn't leave hers. Ferris took a heaving breath as it settled in.
Why it took Darcy standing there, honest to God telling him she wasn't kink shaming him to figure it out, he had no idea. It had been like some part of him was fighting against the idea. Of course, he was capable enough to not let someone take advantage of him, that went without saying. Except...maybe it didn’t. The realization of what had happened made him immediately defensive.
He couldn't quite put the word there. But he knew what it was now. Knowing made him feel worse about himself.
Darcy's hand in his hair brought him back to where he was. Leaning on her couch. She was seated on the back of it now, trying to comfort him because she seemed to understand that word too. Ferris shook his head but didn't manage to say anything for a moment. It wasn't okay. She couldn’t understand. Not without judging him, probably.
"Odd?" The fire chief sounded like he was talking from very far away. It didn't sound like his voice. He hardly sounded present. "She...Darcy...the entire fucking thing was odd." He growled the words harshly and regretted it, but he still did not want to admit to anything out loud. Ferris didn't pull away from the couch or her touch, aching for something familiar. It was difficult not to be defensive though.
While Darcy was just trying to ease any potential frustration from him, she seemed to strike a nerve. And her heart sank, the gnawing feeling in her gut growing more persistent as her gaze dropped from his for a moment. How did she bring this up without sounding absolutely crazy? It was one thing for him to accept werewolves and hellhounds, being that he’d been face to face with both. But how did she bring up another species of supernatural creatures without sounding like a lunatic.
Especially when all she wanted to do was be a source of comfort for him, especially if she was right in her thinking. “Ferris… it’s okay to admit you didn’t want something to happen. Sometimes there are other factors at play that don’t make sense, but don’t try to convince yourself it was ‘okay’.” Darcy’s voice was soft and… something else. It wasn’t disappointment, but something else… sadness?
The bite in his tone made her hand falter in his hair and she let it drop to her lap as she bit her bottom lip for a moment, gently nodding as she seemed to be trying to think of what to say next. “D-did she ever… um, sing to or at you?” okay, so now she was asking something very specific, and probably sounded a bit crazy; but she needed to know. Otherwise, what point would there be in telling him anything further? Without meeting the woman for herself, it would be difficult to tell. Though, she could go for a walk and put her nose to work. Scents didn’t lie. And if there was a siren around the apartments, she would know what to look for.
“I’m just trying to help.” She gently assured him, letting her hand gently brush along his cheek, dark eyes filled with a tenderness that would surprise even her. And as much as she wanted to pull him in for an embrace… she worried about him. If he had fallen victim to a siren, she didn’t want to force any physical contact on him.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 11, 2024 0:52:14 GMT
He took a deep breath. The whiskey was a blessing and a curse. He felt a bit all over the place and not like himself and he didn't like it. Especially because he could tell he was upsetting his friend. She wasn't who he was frustrated at, he was frustrated at himself. He grimaced and shook his head again, but to be honest, he hardly heard her, try as he might to pay attention. What other factors? He'd let himself thing with the wrong head and then...well, he wasn't sure how he'd let it go so far.
He took another breath as Darcy pulled her hand away. The loss of contact and her tone reminded him he needed to keep things together. He was the first responder, after all. He'd helped a few people through this same sort of trauma. Not here and not in a while. But he should know better. He didn't even think that maybe, sometimes, he didn't have to be his own shield. He could at least let Darcy help.
Her question was a welcome distraction. He blinked, though his tone still was a bit distant. "Uh...yeah? Kind of?" If he was being honest, while he remembered it, the man hadn't even thought about how strange it was. Even now, he didn't quite register the act as anything strange. Thought her question did have him wanting to go over the encounter in his head, another part of him was afraid to delve deeper.
"Right, sorry," he said softly, not having meant to snap at her like that and perhaps feeling even more guilty what with all the alcohol. He massaged his temples and turned toward her, settling a hand on the couch on either side of Darcy. He looked down at the floor, hair hanging in front of his face.
Was it very fair of her to be prying while he was drinking so heavily; not really. But she needed to know how to help him, and without the alcohol she had a feeling he wouldn’t ever talk about it. And he needed to. Even if he didn’t realize it yet.
She also tried not to take it personally when he was snapping at her, she knew he wasn’t upset at her. But that didn’t make it any easier to take. Darcy knew she didn’t deserve the tone or attitude, but she’d take it any day over not having him here.
Thankfully, her question didn’t seem to strike him as too off the wall, and his response both gave her a bit of relief, and awaked a deep seated rage. What sort of person took advantage of people without any qualms about it? And someone who had literally done nothing but work hard to keep this town safe! She set her jaw for a moment, trying to decide exactly how to proceed.
“Hey…” Darcy pulled him closer to her and wrapped her arms around him for a tight hug. “This wasn’t your fault… you couldn’t have stopped what happened even if you wanted to.” She told him with a serious, but gentle tone as she gently rubbed her hands against his back. Her heart broke for him. Any previous experience she had with Sirens had been wonderful in comparison to his.
“I-I have to tell you something, and I know it’s going to sound crazy, but it will help you make sense of everything that happened to you… at least, I really hope it helps.” Darcy said softly, not quite ready to let him go, but she needed to say it. So, slowly, she released him from the hug, but she kept hold of his hands in hers, resting her forehead against his shoulder for a moment.
“H-Have you ever heard of Sirens?” She found herself asking suddenly, not sure how else to bring it up without just throwing it out there.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 13, 2024 4:24:55 GMT
He wasn't really looking for a hug, but he supposed standing like that, so close to her, it was only natural for her to give him one. Ferris supposed he didn't not want a hug. Still, he merely stood there, letting Darcy pull him against her, not really sure what to do with himself. He didn't exactly believe her, but he knew what she was getting at. Knew that was what you were supposed to say to someone who had had consent taken away from them. But if he admitted to that then...
"But I could have," he insisted quietly. He wasn't incapable and he didn't really like the implication that he wasn't capable. But instead of pulling away he just frowned. As she continued but didn't let him go, he wondered if she was the one in need of a hug from him so he relented and wrapped his arms around her. "Darcy," he said calmly, "You're a werewolf. And I came face to face with a hellhound in the woods. You gonna tell me there are fuckin' vampires in the town cemetery or something? Because I won't find it crazy." The words were flat and just as devoid of humor as when they had first met. Ferris looked down at his hands in hers
Popular culture would have him believe sirens were some sort of sea witch with a vendetta against men, luring them into the ocean with promises of sex. He raised an eyebrow at her wordlessly. Ferris had a feeling he understood, he just didn't want to. It took everything in him not to pull away. He didn't want to do this right now. Ever.
So, maybe she needed the hug more than he did. And she felt a bit guilty trying to ease her own personal woes, especially when her friend was seriously going through something. Something he wouldn’t fully understand or come to terms with if she didn’t help unpack details for him. Even then, there was no guarantee that he would accept what she was saying. And in typical Ferris fashion, he seemed to realize her need for the hug and wrapped his arms around her.
Damn, she loved him.
And of course he was being serious, and she tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. “I wouldn’t say the vampires stick to the cemeteries, but that’s a topic for another day…” She trailed off slightly, no longer so much worried about keeping him protected from the knowledge of what else what put there, especially not if knowing could help keep him safe in the long run.
“Aside from werewolves, and yes; even vampires… Sirens also exist.” She exhaled slowly, pulling away from from the embrace to look at him and make sure he could see the sincerity in her eyes. “The ones I’ve met were pretty awesome, friends of my mother’s that helped me get out of Europe when I was fifteen. But, that’s not the point here. ” She gave a gentle shrug of her shoulders as she tried to decide what to say.
“Sirens use their voices, typically in song form; to lure people into a trance. When under a siren’s influence, you will do anything they ask. Especially if the siren is particularly skilled in her song… Ferris, I-I think your neighbor might be a siren.” Darcy knew how crazy it sounded, but… she hated seeing her friend like this. He deserved so much better than to be blaming himself for something he had no control over.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Jun 14, 2024 21:09:17 GMT
Ferris was, in typical Ferris fashion, not being serious at all, despite how much his tone sounded like it. To hear the woman, a werewolf, so casually discuss that vampires were in fact real, and they weren't use some undead wandering cemeteries (of course they weren't, he knew what modern vampires were like and if real ones were half as similar, they were more interested in the living than the dead), made his blood run cold in his veins. Because he did believe her, especially in a moment like this. It was information he had no need or desire for, now or ever. "Or never," he said quickly. "Definitely a topic for never," he repeated distantly, trailing off as Darcy collected her thoughts and continued. So too did he do his best to file that information somewhere deep where he didn't think about it.
His grey eyes stayed on hers as his friend pulled back. He didn't fully understand though, shaking his head. What did sirens have to do with him? And even more so, what did her experience with them have to do with anything? Was she trying to say the woman he'd...met had been a siren she knew? "No, it's not, what are you trying to say?" he said, tone confused and with the air of someone keeping his emotions in check and refusing to swear even though he really wanted to. Ferris swallowed down further questions as she explained something he knew to be fake as though it were real and he felt himself tense, in both his shoulders and elsewhere. Especially as she finally connected the dots.
He took a deep breath, silent for a long moment and simply looking at her. "Just another reason not to go back to my apartment," was all he said. His jaw tightened and he stepped back from the couch just enough to remove himself from Darcy's personal space and then sit down on the floor with his back to the couch, leaning back. He stared at the wall but wasn't really seeing it, instead replying what had happened that day, trying to figure out if this changed anything at all. His hands subconsciously rubbed at the bruises on his wrists. It didn't change anything. Not really. Not after the fact. Even if she could force him to do anything she wanted, she couldn't feel his feelings. He'd still been the one to enjoy when she did things to him that he shouldn't enjoy.
"Ferris, look at me," Darcy's voice softened, her usual commanding presence taking on a note of deep concern. Her dark eyes bore into his, filled with a mixture of frustration over her situation and worry over his mental state after such an encounter. "I'm trying to tell you that the woman you...met, she's not just some ordinary person. She's a siren. Their song, their allure, it's not something you can just shrug off. It's not your fault."
She eased off the back of the couch and stepped around to lean against the wall so she could face him, her movements deliberate; like a predator trying not to spook its prey. "Sirens, they manipulate your desires, twist your thoughts until you can't tell what's real and what's not. They get into your head, Ferris, and they make you believe it's all you. But it's not. You're stronger than that, I know you are."
Darcy took careful steps forward, kneeling beside him, her hand reaching out to touch his face, but stopping just short, hovering in the space between them. "You didn't deserve what she did to you. None of this is on you." Her tone was reassuring, but she had a sinking feeling that there truly wasn’t anything she could say to get through to him right now. And that… that broke her heart. She had no way of knowing just what he went through, unless he decided to open up to her, and Darcy had a drinking feeling that wouldn’t happen. He was more likely to do something reckless than voluntarily share this experience… even with her.
Her fingers finally brushed his cheek, a tender gesture. "I'm here for you, Ferris. Always. Whatever happens.. You don't have to carry this alone." She paused, her expression softening further. "And you don’t have to go back to your apartment, o-or stay with me… I can take you to the station house if that’s what you want or need. I just… want to help." Darcy moved to stand, aiming to give him space if that’s what he needed.