The Necropolis [Conway]

[Kari Muffin]

The smell of food was what woke up the wolf. His nose twitched at the scent of good and freshly cooked treats that he got so rarely when he was forced to from place to place. He slowly opened his eyes before accidently rolling off of the chair.

He hit the floor with a unhappy, "Oof." Mildly disorientated he sat up with a confused whine. Brushing the sleep out of his eyes he made his way to the kitchen, still in animal form.

It wasn't until he saw the Jackal that his brain actually decided to engage. "Good morning," he said with a yawn. Changing back into his human for he peered over the Queen's shoulder. "What are you making today? Is it something spicy?"

He still sounded fairly tired, but he looked far more well rested than he had when he arrived. And he looked remarkably cheerful compared to his arrival. His tail would have been wagging if he had been in any other form.

[Vyn]

Javaid had to stifle a chuckle at the combination of a soft thump hitting the floor and Conway's disgruntled 'oof'. It would appear the smell of breakfast had done the trick of rousing Conway.

When the Joker appeared, Javaid smiled warmly and his tail wagged. Conway sounded rested and cheerful this morning as well, which was wonderful. He'd been a little worried to hear Conway sounding so downtrodden when he'd first arrived but, but it would seem a good night's sleep had done the trick. He had done a lot of traveling to get there, so it made sense.

"Good morning, did you sleep well? You passed out in that chair last night and I couldn't get you to budge." He grinned back at the wolf before nodding and returning to the breakfast he was tending. "It's spicy, but I tried to make it on the mild side to be sure I don't kill you on your first day back."

[Kari Muffin]

"Oh yeah, I slept fine," Conway said. A hint of a blush was on his face. He honestly hadn't meant to fall sound asleep. At least he had slept well, and far better than the previous night. "Sorry about that. I haven't slept very well for a few nights."

He leaned against the counter net to the Jackal so he could watch. The food smelled fantastic, and looked fantastic. It was good to be back to this place. "That's thoughtful of you. Sorry I'm such a push over when it comes to spicy food." It was going to be a long while before he built a tolerance to something like that.

It was nice to have a home. And it was nice to get to know it. Conway was actually excited about going to the market. He hoped that he would get used to the surrounding area so he would be comfortable enough to make trips to the market by himself.

When the day arrived Conway found himself waiting for Javaid at the door. For some reason everything seemed... tense.

[Vyn]

Javaid had been doing his best to contain his concern over the trip.

The very last thing he wanted Conway to see was that he was falling apart inside with nerves. He didn't want Conway to see him as someone flawed and weak or, worse yet, as a madman. He'd tried this once before, a long time ago, and simply couldn't get himself out of the gates without the fear building back up... How could he imagine it would be different now?

Javaid clutched his staff awkwardly and managed a smile for Conway as he arrived at the door. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He was... contained... but for how long? He could feel the fine trembling trying to rise up his spine and a hint of shortness in his breath but he kept looking to Conway as the reminder of why he was doing this.

Conway deserved to see the Market, to be apart of their homeland... So why was Javaid having such a hard time. "Are you ready to go?"


Mehdi knew they were coming, a note had arrived via Ma'at not too long ago, and he mused over the piece of parchment for a long time in disbelief. Conway had managed to get Javaid to leave the house? Or, well, attempt it... He had to wonder, did Conway really know what he was getting himself into? Probably not.

Perhaps he should head that way and see if he was needed...

[Kari Muffin]

Conway had dealt with panic attacks before. He had once seen June's full blown reaction seeing another wolf. It was the reason why she only ever saw or knew about his human form. Of course, even though he had seen it he had no idea how to "fix" something like that.

He was terribly ill prepared to deal with what was coming.

The man perked a little when he saw Javaid. The man looked all right, though there was still something off about him that Conway couldn't place. "It's no problem," he said with a smile. After all it wasn't like they were in a hurry. They had plenty of time to get where they were going.

"Yes, I'm ready," Conway said cheerfully. "So after we go to the market are we meeting Mehdi? I can't remember what we decided."

The Joker took the first few steps towards the gate. He automatically assumed that Javaid would be following him.

[Vyn]

Javaid bobbed his head slightly, following after Conway through his heart thundered awkwardly in his chest. "Mehdi will actually be meeting us in the market since... well, I've never been to his house before." The jackal blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. In front of him, the gates loomed with a sudden ominous intensity that nearly made the jackal stop in mid-step.

Why was this such a big deal? Conway was here, he was safe. The jackal picked up his pace, keeping next to Conway now. Really, if he weren't a full grown man he might have been inclined to hold Conway's hand but as it was he was very much an adult and such a thing would probably have only served to make him appear more ridiculous.

"He intends to give us a nice tour of the market as well, since he knows all the best stalls."

Talking about it wasn't helping. Suits. He relished every step on safe ground, thankful to his ancestors for the vast expanse of their territory. Still, they were drawing closer by the second and before long they'd be outside.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway half paused in midstep at Javaid's confession. He had never been to his friends house? That seemed a little off. When was the last time Javaid had actually left the Necropolis? Had Conway bothered to ask...?

No, no he hadn't and now he was a little afraid to.

"That sounds great," Conway said as he continued towards the gate. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Javaid. Should he ask or should he keep it to himself. "So... I know you said it had been a long time since you were out of the Necropolis. But... when exactly was the last time that you stepped outside of the gates?"

It was a little late to ask, but better late than never. He had remembered that Javaid's parents had died when he was eight. And after that he had shut himself off from the world, but he didn't think that Javaid had actually been locked away since he was eight years old. That would be impossible right?

[Vyn]

Javaid flinched away from Conway as his cheeks lit up with embarrassment. Oh suits, really... how could he explain this? He rubbed the back of his neck and clutched a little more tightly to his staff. Why was it getting so hard to breathe? He swallowed and stared at the gates as they came closer and closer with each step. The world was out there and...

"I was... uhm, ten. I was ten when I last went to the market." He bit his lip, his ears flattening back a little as he glanced back at Conway. "I was closer to... 13 when I last went out.. there..." The anxiety that had started with the death of his parents had only gotten worse with time.

When he was 10 he'd run into an Outsider living in Hisstor while in the Market. The unusual woman was just visiting and she'd walked right up and pinned him in a conversation. That was the last time he went back there. However, up until his possession by the Scarab, Javaid had been fine with leaving the actual Grounds... Afterward, though, everything came to a standstill.

[Kari Muffin]

Oh dear. That wasn't what Conway had expected to hear. So it had been years since he had stepped outside of his home? Quite a few years... though he didn't know Javaid's exact age. He wasn't going to ask right now.

"That's... a really long time to be cooped up," Conway said as he looked back at his friend. His eyes were slightly narrowed in worry as he watched him. He didn't look right. Was he breathing heavier or was it just his imagination?

The way he was talking didn't seem right. Conway mentally cursed himself, turning around so he could face the other man though he continued to walk. Maybe if he continued to talk the Jackal through this everything would be fine? He could only hope. "So you haven't been to Mehdi's because you met him after you were thirteen? And uh... is there any particular reason you haven't seen the outside world since you were that young?"

[Vyn]

So Mehdi hadn't told him? Well ...that was awkward wasn't it?

"I'm not cooped up," which was his response to Mehdi whenever he insisted that Javaid was, "I have the whole Necropolis and that's a lot of room to roam." And it was safe. It was his.

When Conway turned around to face him as he walked, he would notice the jackal's gaze absently flitting to the gates over and over again and yes, a subtle but noticeable increase in his breathing. Inside his chest, Javaid's heart was beating like the wing's of a hummingbird and he was starting to feel increasingly faint.

He resisted the urge to whine but he couldn't keep from trembling. The talking was helping, though, and his darting eyes slowly managed to fix solely on Conway regardless of his intense embarrassment.

"I... I seem to have developed Agoraphobia after my parents died." He was blushing so feverishly he swore his fur would catch flame. "It got worse over the years and the distances I was comfortable going... shrank. After the possession... I haven't uhm, I haven't been able to leave the grounds." That was when he was 14, Javaid was just past 23 now.

A whine finally escaped him, very soft and almost inaudible. "I've always wanted to start.. going out again." They were passing through the gates, and Javaid's gaze left Conway to watch the great stone arch pass overheard. In all technicality he was out.. out in the open. His gaze shot back to Conway and the hint of panic that had been hidden in those deep eyes would have increased to a very noticeable state. "Research would be a lot easier... if I could see more ghosts." He could barely hear himself over his own heartbeat. "It's just... not safe."

Suits. Why had he decided to do this!? What would Conway think now that he knew what a fool he really was?