Always Wanting and Finally Doing [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

It must have been impossible to get lost if you wanted to get lost. No matter what the swan-dog had managed to find the proper path to civilization. He wasn't entirely sure if this was a good thing or not. However he had a plan... and he had a mission he couldn't fail.

"Can't you move faster?"

"No. My legs are too short. I'm tired. And I'm hungry. I know you've forgotten what all that means... but I am. And I want to go home." Honker gave a miserable honk as he tried to choke back the tears in his eyes.

"What are you? A weakling? Stop that!"

Honker choked as he flopped where he was. "Stop this! Stop that! Would you just leave me alone for FIVE minutes? I'm going to Tulgey like you asked!" With that Honker fell silent, noticing something in the distance. Houses. Those were houses! He suddenly bolted with no regard to Lythero was saying. They would have a place to stay... hopefully.

[Vyn]

Jovan was, oddly, alone.

He had just returned from his trip to the Court of Hearts only to find that his family had gone to Corvistowne after a little accident when Nico fell again. It wasn't the first time the fragile boy had broken something while trying to keep up with his siblings, even when Jovan was there, so he tried not to worry (and failed quite miserable).

So, in a last ditch attempt to distract himself, he went out to the market to get ingredients for dinner when everyone should return. Hopefully with Nico in one big happy piece.

Lost in his worrisome thoughts, Jovan barely noticed the strange pale blur dart past him toward a familiar door... His own. Slowly he edged up toward the swandog. "Excuse me? Hello..." He tilted his head a little, shifting the groceries in his tentacles as he searched through the little bag for the house key. "Are you looking for someone?" Jovan had never seen the swandog before, but that didn't mean that one of his siblings (or even parents) didn't know him.

[Kari Muffin]

Honker came skidding to a halt when he heard the other person's voice. His ears clearly perked and he visibly brightened in mood ten times. He gave a rather excited honk as he spun around to look at the person properly. His tail was wagging furiously.

"Hi! Hi! I'm really sorry to impose! I've just been traveling for a really long time and I'm really hungry and tired! I was hoping that someone would be home to help me or at the very least send me in the right direction!" Honker said in a rather quick paced way. Despite being older he still had that problem when getting excited.

Lythero growled. This wasn't a surprise to the eager swan dog, but his tail stopped wagging anyway. And then his stomach fell when Lythero just had to speak. "You're still an idiot asking strangers for help. Take what you need from the outsiders."

In a very way akin to having ones fingers in their ears, Honker promptly ignored the talking mass. He just hoped the other person with weird tentacle things would too. "Can you please help me out?"

[Vyn]

Jovan recoiled briefly as Honker's stomach spoke to hm, almost shocking the boy into forgetting what the pale mixed breed had said moments before. Everything had come out in a jumble as it was... Oh yes: had been traveling, was hungry and tired and needed help. From the look of him, badly so.

...And then that other voice, it had been a little scary but the boy himself didn't seem all too bad. He shifted a little, tentacles waving in anxiety before pausing all together. He really wasn't one to speak about oddities, was he?

"Hey, yeah... I can help you out with that." It took a bit to ignore the voice the way the boy had, but he would ask him about it once they were inside and he was eating. He unlocked the door quickly and pushed it open. "Come on in, I'm Jovan by the way. What's your name?" After he was inside, Jovan would close the door behind them and make his way straight to the kitchen. "My parents and siblings are out of the region for a while, but they'll be home for dinner so I have to cook... You can stay for dinner though, and I'll get you something to eat so that you don't starve to death while you wait."

As he spoke Jovan found himself quietly growing nervous though he constantly repeated to himself: What would mom do? Whatever was the most honorable option, surely, and Jovan was pretty sure that would include allowing a stranger to stay for dinner if he was as hungry and thin and upset-looking as this one. 'Without understanding, none of us would be here.' It was something she preached often when the siblings quarreled and Jovan had come to understand it more and more as he traveled.

[Kari Muffin]

"Thank you so much!" Honker said with his same excited voice. He practically bounced with every step. He moved forward as soon as he was given the sign that it was safe to enter. "My name's Peter. But everyone calls me Honker."

Honker didn't notice the nerves. He just noticed the nice cozy interior of the house. It was a pretty little place that reminded him a tiny bit of home.

He really missed home. Too bad Zane would never let him be part of the family again. It was only because of Lythero though. Otherwise he would have been readily accepted. The little swan dog wobbled for a moment, remembering that he was in fact tired and a little bit dizzy from not eating for... a few days? He didn't have much money left to buy proper things and simply had to eat what he could catch.

And he couldn't catch much with his loud annoying "friend."

Lythero growled again.

Honker profusely apologized as the mouth started spouting a variety of colorful Tulgey insults.

[Vyn]

Jovan was happily moving around the kitchen within minutes, happy to hear Peter's voice filled with such excitement. He looked happy, so Jovan felt he'd done the right thing. "It's no problem. Mom always says you should always help those in need." Even if they didn't turn out to be as kind as you hoped, you should give them the benefit of the doubt and never regret it.

Soon the groceries were put away in their proper places and Jovan switched his attention to getting some snacks out for the swandog... Only for the... thing... to growl again and begin spewing some rather unfriendly sounding terms.

Jovan quickly got the feeling that he was glad he didn't understand.

"Uhhhh... I don't mean to be rude... but Honker? I think you have a ...little... explaining to do?" Jovan had tried to ignore the foul-sounding second voice that Peter appeared to have, but he wasn't having much luck anymore. His skin was crawling nervously and occasionally his tentacles would writhe in a display of his overall uncomfortable feeling.

[Kari Muffin]

The whole level of awkward went up in the room as Honker gave the boy a rather horrified look. He wanted him to explain? How could he possibly explain this properly? And what about the boy.... he had tentacles.

But then again they didn't exactly talk to him, did they?

"Well... to be perfectly honest with you, he's the "demon" General from the War of the Second Wall. Before he was skinned alive he swore that he would come back to complete the war, and well... I happened to put on his skin and ended up with him sticking out of my midsection." Honker gave a small and rather pitiful honk, "So now that you think I'm crazy and a monster I should probably get going."

Lythero was clearly visible protruding from the swan-dog's stomach as he turned to go to the door. The stupid bastard just had to ruin everything for him.

Lythero was quite satisfied with making the swan dog miserable.

[Vyn]

For all that Jovan had been exposed to a great deal in his life and, for the most part, prided himself on being rather composed regardless of the situation he was nevertheless caught off guard when Honker began his explanation.

It showed readily on his face for the first few seconds by by the time Honker was calling himself a monster he was quick to abolish it.

"Wait, no! Honker, I didn't say anything about leaving! I just... wanted to better understand what was going on, and... that was a good explanation for it." He hesitated, looking a little stumped. "I don't think 'sorry' sounds appropriate for what you're probably going through, huh?" Jovan was still trying to understand just how well he understood what Honker was going through but it was nevertheless an entirely troubling situation. He wouldn't want a demon stuck to his stomach...

"I can still make you food if you want to stay..." Whether or not Honker was crazy, he didn't seem bad even if his stomach sounded rather foul. Mom would better know what to do when she came home, though.

[Kari Muffin]

Honker was too confused and tired to properly understand the situation. How could this person honestly want him to stay when Lythero had destroyed the illusion of normalcy so thoroughly?

He could feel the tears welling up and spilling over as he looked at the mixed breed. "Really? You're still going to let me eat? You're not going to kick me out and then call me a monster?" He whimpered, looking particularly miserable with his ears flopped over and his tail between his legs.

He couldn't go home, and he had no place to stay but outside. That was fine but... what would happen when he got to the Wood? Would people let him stay with them? Or would he be out cast there too? He tried to brush away the tears of worry, and only felt them get worse.

"I'm really sorry. I should just go."

Lythero remained deathly silent.

[Vyn]

Jovan hesitated and then smiled gently, trying hard to keep himself composed despite the weird and awkward they were experiencing. "Really. I couldn't throw you out for that." He wiggled his tentacles for emphasis. "See, I'm different too, and so is my mom and my siblings. H.P. has face feelers and Nico has four eyes and Kyri has rocks and tentacles like me." He wasn't sure if that was very reassuring, but he was trying.

He inched closer, wondering what the scary mouth might say, and offered Honker and affectionate pat on his back.

"Please don't leave cause of me... Mum says to always be nice, no matter how different someone is... And I'd be doing everyone a dishonor if you left 'cause I made you feel unwelcome."

He supposed if Honker still wanted to leave though, it'd be wrong to make him stay even if he still felt bad.