Young Writers Society

Eye of the Storm

@TheSilverFox and @LordWolf

Thytes Regulus and Lawrence "Bear" Thompson are no strangers to other worlds. They've been dumped into haunted diners, haunted castles (a bit of a theme here), and masquerade balls. Their mutual attraction has played second fiddle to the drama and danger of the situations they've ended up in, and they've had to return to their respective lives as a lion lord and a human magician when those situations ended.

This time, the lion, the witch, and their wardrobes find themselves wandering through a storm and ending up at a bar. Joined by companions - Lunis, an ex-assassin panther, and Francis "the Fence" Garcia, a werewolf working as a fence - there's nothing stopping Thytes and Bear from flirting with each other as long as they can.

Unless the staff and patrons at the bar have anything to say about it.

Bear observed this fact from the driver’s seat as Francis picked through the few pairs of fishnet tights and boots that sat in the back of the truck. Through some miracle of magical arrangement Bear had found a meeting place and time that fit for all parties involved. And with the parties that were involved...

Francis hadn’t let up on teasing Bear all day and the Hunter was getting rather tired of it. He was trying to find the right words to address Francis that advised him of the state of his clothing. Whatever would get the sentiment of “don’t dress like a slut” across to the werewolf that wouldn’t end with a stiletto up Bear’s ass.

The werewolf looked back at Bear with a far more menacing glance as he pulled the pink mini skirt down and adjusted the black leather choker around his neck. Bear, on the drive over, had objected to every part of this outfit, but Francis didn't care. If he was going to be taken along as a chaperone just so Bear could have eye sex with someone, Francis was at least going to dress up for some fun.

There was a plain gray blazer in the back of his closet and there was a non spiked crop top, but once again - where was the fun in that?

They returned to exchanging violent glares that were followed by a series of smug smirks. Each time Bear traced his hands, the thought of where those hands had been mere weeks ago flashed into Francis's mind. And it was counter balanced by each time Francis would bite on his lip and the gleaming fangs would be presented for all of the world to see.

A complicated continued until storm clouds began to rumble across the sky and bolts of lightning were falling to the ground. The location of the bar they were staking out continued to be ironic, but the presence of the storm was (as always) understandable.

Every time Bear found himself in the position to interact with friends, colleagues, and close acquaintances, there was always something happening. It had reached a point where Bear was determined to continue with his social schedule no matter what hurdles might lie in the road.

Bear suddenly noticed Francis's concerned eyes and tugged the two of them out of the truck. The time in the parking lot had been to settle his nerves, to toil the time away, and the avoid the embarrassment of Francis's outfit.

"Bear, where are we going?"

Francis was tugging back on his sleeve, stopping their march across the parking lot, and pushing boot heels into the loose gravel.

"We're going into the bar, Francis. Surely even you can figure that out?" He added a joking tone to the statement, while still realizing it was rather mean.
"I know that. I thought we were going to wait in the bar."
"We can wait just as well inside."

The werewolf let go of the hunter's coat, knowing there was no way to stop a man so far attracted to the vision of someone else. He followed Bear across the parking lot and waited for the inevitable string of mistakes to begin.

Thytes had found it a little difficult to leave the confines of his private villa. Which hadn’t surprised him at all; it wasn’t often that he wanted to wander out into the dark, into the raging thunder and lightning, without any company. It had taken him promising his husband some souvenirs and a bottle of wine before he’d let Thytes walk outside. Otso had wanted to have something to brag about, something to say that his husband had gone to another world (to the few people in their social circle who knew other worlds existed, of course).

Sheltered by rows of trees, he strolled along a gravel path, black umbrella in one paw. He could only see the adobe outer walls of the villa as lightning flashed overhead; otherwise, the rain obscured almost everything in front of him. He could barely spot the plots of flowers that separated the trees, or the bird fountain (water almost blown away by the wind) near the tree he stopped beside. None of it bothered him in the slightest. The lion hummed as rain splattered against his umbrella, waiting for the moment when, as planned, he’d be able to see Bear again.

He had even taken the time to dress up in something more casual – a black T-shirt, a red skirt (stretching from his waist to his ankles), and sandals. Thytes had been told he was going to meet up with the others at a bar, and he hadn’t been quite sure how to pick informal clothes. Fortunately, Otso could. The wolf had even found a soft skirt that reminded the lion of his usual robes.

So Thytes wasn’t particularly alarmed as mist seemed to swirl around him, nor he was he surprised when the rustling of leaves or the crunch of gravel beneath his sandals started to fade away.

He was, however, a little caught off guard by the dark figure that barreled towards him.

“Where are we?” Lunis growled, darting under the umbrella, his paws gripping onto Thytes’s shoulders. “Why is it so cold and rainy?

The lion blinked, then glanced back at Lunis. “Why are you not wearing a shirt?” the lion said, after a pause.

Lunis was wearing his black shorts, a few holders in the waistband containing bottles of what Thytes guessed, and sincerely hoped otherwise, was his poisons. “Look, it was perfectly sunny outside,” the panther growled. “And I’d gotten my fur combed and everything, and then a storm just came out of nowhere and-“

The panther sneezed. Thytes glanced back again, this time to catch how drenched Lunis was. Water dripped off of Lunis’s whiskers, ran down his chest, made his paws feel cold to the touch. Slipping off his blazer, Thytes handed it back to Lunis, letting it drape over the panther’s head.

“Thanks,” Lunis said eventually.

Thytes didn’t respond, mostly because of the sounds and smells that started to poke at the edge of his senses. The thunder and lightning returned, joined by the scent of asphalt (bringing back memories of another world he hadn’t been fond of), different gravel under his sandals, and the hints of metal, alcohol, and fumes.

He found himself in one of those parking lots (he wasn’t quite sure if that’s what they were called, but it sounded right). Light shone out through the windows of the bar, barely cutting through the rain that hung around him and Lunis. It did, however, catch the silhouettes of a couple figures making their way across the lot.

The lion’s heart skipped a beat. He started walking in their direction, Lunis still holding onto him as he waved. “Bear!” Thytes called.

Francis strutted beside Bear, watching how the man fumbled when the lion started waving to them. To converge into one group, their parties had to make it across the parking lot and dodge the few motorcycles making a break for it before the rain picked up again. It was an event to watch everyone struggle while Francis continued in his pace at a definite strut.

Beside him, Bear was becoming very aware of how awkward this entire situation would be. He thought back through the decisions that brought him to this point and wondered why he had chosen his ex as a chaperone.

The werewolf was likely to sabotage his chances at success.

He had returned the wave from across the parking lot, but chose not to say anything until the groups came into closer contact. So much could go so wrong so easily. And Bear wanted Thytes experiences on this planet to be rather pleasant.

"Bear, let's stand under the porch roof while we wait."

Bear became suddenly aware of the werewolf's presence, brushing off the fact he had been daydreaming and getting drenched by the rain.

"Oh. Of course."

Francis pulled the two of them beneath the tin roof, listening carefully to the rain drops making impact. Out of the corner of his eye he was watching the approaching group, but pretended his entire focus was on the diner menu before him. To be fair, a lot of the focus was on the diner menu.

If Francis was going to have to sit through Bear having eye sex, he was going to do two things. One, he was going to flirt endlessly with Thytes's companion. And two, he was going to have an enjoyable meal.

Getting across the parking lot proved mildly daunting. Beyond pointing his umbrella in the direction of an uncooperative, ever-changing wind, Thytes also had to take care not to run into any of the people on vehicles who appeared very interested in leaving. And would flip off Lunis when the panther yelled at them. Ugh, hopefully Bear or Francis didn't hear any of that; the last thing Thytes wanted to do was to make them uncomfortable.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Thytes and Lunis to reach the porch roof where the others had been waiting. The lion closed his umbrella, taking the time to shake off some of the water droplets clinging onto him before wrapping Bear in a hug. "It is so good to see you again!" Thytes said, setting his paws on Bear's shoulders and leaning back to get a good look at him. "How have you been?"

Lunis, in the meantime, walked over to the werewolf, following his eyes. "Is that some kind of menu?" the panther said, squinting at it. "I can't read it, but it better be - I'm hungry."

A glance at the panther, followed by an immediate second glance, had Francis stifling a joke about felines and water. It felt in very poor taste for the way they had struggled across the parking lot. Though on the other hand, Francis wouldn’t have recommended Thytes to wear a skirt with this level of humidity.

If it weren’t raining, the hair placement situation would be very different.

The panther was now looking over his shoulder and carefully studying the menu. When Francis heard the remark about being unable to read it, he gently maneuvered the panther’s jaw, and turned him towards the illustrated children’s menu.

“Maybe this will be easier for you to understand, honey pie.”

It displayed a scene of crabs and tomatoes, giving a fair summary of what might be offered in this place.

Bear did a double take at how casually Francis manhandled Lunis. He trusted in his friend having the situation under control as he returned Thytes’ greeting with a very mild embrace.

It was already awkward enough.

“I’ve been - well it’s been rough lately. But it is very good to see you again.”

It was more than alright to make it worse.

Lunis didn't quite know what to make of Francis turning the panther's head to look at another menu. Not many people had the guts to do something like that. Still, Lunis didn't want to go against a wolf as big as Francis, and the pictures were a little more helpful. Well, a little.

"Why is all the food talking?" Lunis said, squinting at the menu. "And what's this about a pie? Does the pie talk? I don't want my food to talk."

In the meantime, Thytes kept on fussing over Bear. "Oh dear!" the lion said, still holding onto Bear's shoulders. "Has anything happened to you as of late? Do you need any help?"

Bear didn't quite know how to answer Thytes' question.

Ever since Bear and Carter had opened up their service area to infinity and beyond, their cases were getting weirder. Regular dealings with average ghosts and pissed off demons was slowly spiraling into intergalactic peace conferences and rendezvous with aliens of all shapes and sizes. It was an entirely new experience for a few good ole boys from Alabama.

And their life back on their Earth was getting tougher. For a multitude of reasons.

But Thytes didn't need to know that.

Instead, Bear just accepted the paws on his shoulder and sweetly said, "It's nothing you need to worry your head over, just the standard troubles of being a hunter and a lawman."

The lion backed off a little and Bear motioned for the two of them to take a look at the menu. Francis was standing about two inches too close to Lunis, but Bear didn't feel like getting beat up this early in the evening.

"Bear!" Francis called out. "We were just taking a look at the menu and this fellow here has posed an interesting question."

Francis took a quick wink at Bear before turning back to the panther and saying, "I expect it's just a cartoon. If anything in our pie starts talking, we'll have to fill out a complaint to the Health Department."

He turned about on his stiletto heel and asked, "Bear, what do you think about the pie talking?"

Bear blanked out a little, keeping a steady stare on Francis' back as they walked into the diner and started searching for a free booth.

Hng. That wasn't an answer; that was what someone said instead of an answer. An obvious attempt to hide something less than comforting. Still, Bear sounded reasonably confident, and this was supposed to be a break for him. Thytes didn't want to ruin Bear's good mood by prying into his personal life, and so the lion followed him into the restaurant, Lunis closing the door behind them.

Lunis walked alongside Thytes as the others searched for a place to sit, which made it a little easier for Thytes to hear the panther mumbling about talking pies.

"Are you alright?" the lion said, looking over at Lunis.

The panther looked away. "I don't think Francis takes me very seriously," he grumbled.

Thytes set a paw on Lunis's shoulder. "I do not believe he means anything by it," said Thytes. "It is a rather strange and unique occasion, and I suppose that is how he is finding some amusement in it. On that note..."

Thytes tapped Bear on the shoulder. "Would you rather I pay for our meal?" the lion said. "I was not quite sure what currency you have on this planet, so I brought a small amount of gold with me. Will that do?"

Bear looked at the small change purse Thytes had drawn from somewhere about the folds of cloth hanging over the lion. He thought of letting Thytes pay the bill. It would be a kick to see how the waitress reacted to the lion balancing the check by laying a lump of gold on the table.

Instead, he led Thytes over to a booth while explaining, "I don't think that will be an accepted form of payment here. But depending on how long you're staying in town, Francis and I know of a lot of good pawn shops."

There was some very obvious confusion in their eyes.

Francis had sharper hearing than most people might imagine, but had already noticed Lunis's very obvious discomfort. If it were anyone else in any other situation, Francis would have spent the rest of the conversation trying to provoke him. This panther had an innocent charm about them - and it was one Francis didn't feel right in taking advantage of. At least not entirely.

Once they were seated, he further explained pawn shops by adding on, "Pawn shops are a legal way to hawk something. Versus my own profession of dealing in items that haven't been obtained under the most legitimate conditions."

A glare was sent across the table by Bear. The lawman studied the menu while taking in his surroundings and sending up a silent prayer for the situation.

"Oh," Thytes said, sliding into the seat next to Bear. "It seems a tad peculiar that a restaurant would be hesitant to accept gold, but I suppose it would be rather an inconvenience, given that lumps of gold are not typically a standard form of currency." He frowned, peering down at the menu that had been left on the table in front of him. "And I would certainly not mind spending plenty of time here with you, depending on how the weather wants to cooperate."

Lunis, who scooted away from everyone else and stared out the nearest window, pushing his menu away, rumbled. "Is that a fancy way to say you're dealing with stolen things?" he said to Francis. "What kind of stolen things? Anything interesting? I don't know many thieves, but they're all pretty boring."

"You know one thief," Thytes said, after a pause. "And he only steals by force of habit."

"Yeah, and he's super boring," Lunis said. The panther never took his eyes of the window, or the storm that howled on outside.

Francis was saved from a need to flirt by Lunis’ fascination with the fogged up window. The storm outside was steadily building and Francis could understand being focused on this subject. It was as beautiful as it was nerve wracking.

A bit like the panther Francis found himself sitting beside.

“I am a bit of a thief, but I’ve nevwr known any thieves to be boring.”

From the other side of the table, Bear was slowly going over all of the boring thieves he had dealt with. And it was very clear that he and Francis had different perspectives on people. Maybe Francis would have been more interested in that perp’s explanation of which credit card designs were prettier.

Still it was better than a perp being a perv.

He turned to find Thytes still holding a piece of gold while the lion also observed the menu. It might end up being a bit difficult to explain some of things considered to be standard food in this region of Earth. The key lime pie would be far easier to explain than the concept of grits.

“Thytes, is there anything on the menu that interests you? Or anything I can help you with?”

Thytes shook his head. "Thank you for the kind offer, but I mostly understand the menu?" he said. "The quantity of fried food is rather interesting, and I think I would like to try some of it - it is considered something of a delicacy in my world. Oh, and I believe someone else at this table might need more assistance than I do." As he spoke the last sentence, he nodded his head in the panther's direction.

The panther in question was now preoccupied with leaning a little closer towards the window and talking to Francis. "Nah, thieves just do one thing - steal things and make money off of it. And I don't have anything for them to steal, unless they really like poisons or knives. Which they don't, weirdly enough."

The urge to pull the panther away from the window passed through Francis’s Head multiple times. He hadn’t expected such an insult on thieves to come from someone else with an obvious element of danger. And he was soon questioning the worth of the knives, if Lunis so expected them to be stolen.

If only he had brought a spare jeweler’s loupe.

Bear saw Francis following the panther’s gaze out the window, and coughed in attempt to bring them both to attention.
“If it’s alright, I’m going to call the waitress over to get our drink order and then we’ll decide on what to eat.”

He nudged Francis’s foot under the table and asked, “Lunis, is there anything on the liquid side that interests you?”

Not even bothering to look away from the window, Lunis said, "Whatever gets me drunk the quickest."

Thytes tried not to smack Lunis upside the head. The lion had just wanted to flirt with Bear, but no, the panther had to go and insult Francis's job, sulk around, and be belligerent. Ugh, someone had to take charge here. "I think he would like the bloody mary," the lion said, looking over at Bear. "And, personally, I might as well have a sherry."