2023.07.01: The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
On her way home from work she encounters Barksdale
IC Date	July 01, 2023 & July 05,2023
IC Time	Nighttime
Players	Barksdale, Evelyn_Carter
Location	Roads of Prospect and Evelyn's Home
Spheres

Date of Scene: July 01, 2023 & July 05,2023 Participants: Evelyn and Barksdale Location: Streets of Prospect and Evelyn's Home

As Evelyn is making her way home after a long day at work, the streets are quiet and dark. The surroundings familiar enough she is comfortable and yet its late enough that there is a bit of edge.

Be it planned or happenstance, Barksdale catches the scent of the young woman and positions himself to 'naturally' intercept.

Evelyn's guard is down, as she walks along the sidewalk, admiring the beauty of the city, the sounds of the night, and how quiet it is becoming. Her thoughts imagining the history of the city she has come to. Her blue eyes taking in everything curiously. She is humming a melody that seems to be stuck in her head. She is carrying that same bag that holds her most prized possessions in it, that should she need to run, she can. She is used to that, but hopes here she does not have to. Tonight those thoughts are furthest from her mind as she continues the walk to the suburbs. She doesn't mind the late night walk.

"Hello." Comes Barksdales smooth low voice as he draws closer. "Nice night. Isnt it?" he says with a glance around before letting his gaze settle back on her.

Evelyn stops in her tracks, cursing herself for letting her guard down as he draws closer. Her blue eyes clearly full of suprise. If he could hear her heart racing, he could tell that it sped up at the surprise of him coming towards her. She tries to recover, by counting random numbers under her breath, and offers as warm a greeting as the startled woman can offer. "It is a nice night for a walk." She smiles as she looks up at the dark sky. "It is good to see you again, Mr Russell." She is if anything polite even when clearly startled.

"It is a nice night." Barksdale begins as his gaze sweeps up and then back down to her. "But a beautiful young woman such as yourself shouldnt be alone in the streets. Alot of dangerous men about." he points out. "Perhaps some company?"

Evelyn thinks about it for a moment, considering the man she barely knows but is also supposed to be meeting in a few days for dinner too. Even in the dark he can see a blush rise on her cheeks and she seems to be a bit shy about that. "You are far to kind, Mr Russell. Thank you, that would be nice actually to have some company on the way home. I hope it is not an inconvenience for you?" She tilts her head, looking at him thoughtfully as she begins to walk with him.

Barksdale falls in step to her side, "Not at all. I was just out for a walk, by luck I found you didnt I?" he says smoothly. His voice that hint of a rumble in it. "So. Tell me about yourself? Other than I need to show you the jous of steak."

Evelyn smiles as he falls in step beside her, "Aside from the fact that I am a librarian, and have an instatiable appetite for books." She thinks about it a moment, and sighs softly, and looks down at the ground in front of her a moment. "I just moved here recently hoping for a change of scenery and a place to settle. I have never lived near the beach before. And I love music, it is soothing and good for me, and helps sometimes quiet all the chaos in my head. I love to walk in the night and meditate too." His voice is soothing in its depth too. "Please tell me about yourself Russell?" Hoping not to just talk about herself.

"Oh Im not that exciting." Barksdale rumbles a hand moving to gently brush the small of her back. "The beach? Perhaps we should get you in a bikini soon." he jokes lightly.

"I work in asset acquistion and protection. Often in talent. Everyone wants the best people." he rumbles. "Chaos...sometimes maybe the chaos needs to be embraced." he wonders. "That ...energy, like a bolt. Do you ever revel in it?" he wonders.

Evelyn closes her eyes and stiffens at the gentle brush to the small of her back, and depending on his hearing, he may have heard the sharp intake of break, and the way her heart began to again beat faster. "No..bikini." She says full of dread. Clearly she tries to gloss over the topic and move on as smoothly as she can. "Sometimes you have no choice but to embrace the chaos. Sometimes it is to much for me though, as nice as it can be to just live a little."

"Tell me more." Barksdale requests simply, the hand to finger tips and then no longer touching her. The hunter patient.

She seems to unstiffen but only a bit when the hand is withdrawn, not that she doesn't like the contact, it is just she is afraid of it. "What do you want to know?" She stops and looks at him curiously, her hands behind her, just trying to keep them at a safe distance to keep from triggering something that could wind up being dangerous for her. "I lost my parents when I was little to an accident, that I somehow managed to survive, so I grew up with my grandmother, until she passed away. So it is just me."

"And the voices?" Barksdale asks not even looking to her, keeping the pressure off but his pressence felt. His powerful and primal pressence, the soldier for Pentex.

+roll stamina
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Evelyn rolls Stamina(1) (1 dice) vs 6 for 0 successes.
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Evelyn was not good at lying, and was not about to try as he brought it up. She stops and looks up into those light amber eyes. What does he know, she can feel a tightness in her chest, and tries to fumble in her bag for her inhaler. Though he may not know what she is doing reaching in her purse. She is clearly afraid of something and he can hear a wheezing in her breathing.

Barksdale turns now and just gazes at her with those amber predators eyes. Silence. Watching. How easy it would be to break her physically, but he does not. He just stares and waits. His pressence like an added pressure as she troes to find that inhaler and compose herself. +roll stamina
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Evelyn rolls Stamina(1) (1 dice) vs 6 for 1 successes.
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Evelyn finally finds her inhaler and takes in a deep breath, quietly counting in her mind, trying to feel for her airway to start to open again, and when it does she is frozen there, trying to figure him out and the look of fear is unmistakeable. She would not get far if she tried to run, not in her condition it would just cause her airway to close completely and she knows it. Her mouth dry, her heart beating like deep base drums in her ears and his staring at her, like boring into her soul. Finally she offers quietly, "T can't stop them." She just shakes her head how does she explain ghosts and spirits she can see and hear. How does he not think she is completely crazy.

Barksdale nods slowly, "And what do they say to you? These voices?" he wonders with a low rumble and a smirk he cant help but begin to spread across his lips.

Evelyn looks around for a moment, when she sees a small neighborhood park nearby, and carefully takes a few steps to it, just to find a tree to settle beneath, because this is not going to be an easy conversation to have. She is not going to run. She sits down, wrapping her arms around her legs and offers softly, "So many things Russell. Sometimes it is hard to listen to just one, but sometimes they are louder than another. Sometimes they tell me how horrible I am. Sometimes they try to get me to do things. Sometimes they talk about how they can feel my fear." She just shakes her head, "It's okay if you think I am crazy. I would think it too."

"We all have a bit of crazy in us." a pause, "For some it is louder than others." he murmurs as he kneels before her so he is closer to her level. He is large enough he is probably over her, "What do they tell you to do?" he asks.

Evelyn is starting to feel small again, insignificant in the grander scheme of things. She closes her eyes and just listens, to something that no one else can hear but her. "You have a bright spark in you. Don't you want to make it burn brighter? Is what I hear sometimes. Sometimes, I hear voices pleading for help. Some of them telling me..You are afraid of yourself. You are afraid of me." She gently puts her hands over her ears, it is a futile attempt to block out the voices, and slowly she swallows and tries to look into his eyes again. "Sometimes I don't just hear them, but I can see them too." Who would believe her, certainly he doesn't.

Barksdale nods and then he wonders, "How would you make your spark burn brighter?" he wonders curiously. "Fear. Fear is a useful tool. It can make sure you respond carefully and if you are the one causing fear...well that is useful too."

Evelyn shakes her head at the questions, she is afraid, terrified. So much so she is trembling. "I can't. Please don't ask." Her voice is a whispering plead for him not to push her. She is trying to hide her secrets and finding it harder to keep what little bit of herself hidden.

+roll manipulation + meditation
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Evelyn rolls Manipulation(3) + Meditation(1) (4 dice) vs 6 for 1 successes.
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->
+roll willpower vs 10
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Evelyn rolls Willpower(5) (5 dice) vs 10 for 1 successes.
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

+roll stamina + meditation vs 7
<---======##====================[ Dice Roll ]=====================##======--->
Evelyn rolls Stamina(1) + Meditation(1) (2 dice) vs 7 for 1 successes.
<-------------=============++++++++++++++++++++++++=============------------->

Evelyns terrified and scared as she looks around on the ground. He is pushing her and then she gently creates a small clearing between them. Stacking up a small pile of twigs. concentrating on it, half expecting for the flame to erupt in both of their faces, but instead she holds out her hand between them, a small flame starts to come to life between them. She looks a little tired from the use of her power and she falls silent, just leaning her head against her knees.

"Wonderful."

Barksdale says of her power. "You are magnificant." the dark man rumbles out with a smile. "Dont let anyone make you feel otherwise."

Evelyn offers softly, as she looks up at him, shaking her head. "I wish I felt about it like you do, Russell. I am so afraid I will hurt someone. I have and I never meant to. I just wanted him to leave me alone."

And this is where Barksdale can be such a bad influence. "Then he deserved it." be pauses, "You cannot use it indiscriminately. People will try and do bad things, but if someone is tryinf to hurt you...you have every right to use your power to protect yourself." it sounds so reasonable.

"I once met a young woman that studied an unusual religion." he begins. "Like any religion it has a god. And this god. Now this god was scared and imprisoned, and it realized it would never do anything without power. So it created a spirit of power and named it Masstrac, and Masstrac had a great geeen dragon with powerful fire to wipe away its enemies and to protect and fight for the god. This was good. Noone could keep the god against its will ever again...and this spirit of power served masterfully." he rumbles.

Evelyn offers softly, "I never.." She shakes her head, "I would not. It attracks to much attention. I never know who to trust. My friends are all gone, dead. Killed because of me. The closer I get to someone. I try not to. If I don't, maybe they will stay safe." She does stop to listen intently to his story though, curious about the story about the God, clearly full of questions but that isn't the point of the story. "I did not even know I could hurt him, it was anger and fear that I felt and then he was screaming and there was nothing I could do to stop it. All I could do was run?"

A hand reaches out to her knee, "You did the right thing. If he tried to hurt you, and then to run and protect your secret." he agrees without fear. "You are like that spirit of power...and you just dont know how to use it yet. Because you are afraid, and thats ok." he assures her.

Upon the touch, she'd get bit of feeling about the man. At his core, he is a creature of lust. The urge that turned him from Gaia to the Wyrm. Strong will, strength of purpose and control tight on the beast within, but always simmering bellow is that lust. Impressions that he is loose in his idea of asset protection, more...a soldier. Strong, important?

That touch to Evelyn sends a wave over her, the feeling of lust, the strong will and strength, all overwhelming her, her mind losing itself in that feeling, Her heart racing, pounding in her ears like thunder, A small trickle of blood falling from her nose. "I..I.." She doesn't look well at all. She looks overwhelmed and confused, disoriented..She looks like she might even pass out, right before she does.

"Hey, you are ok..." Barksdale begins as he reaches to try and wipe some of her blood away, using his shirt for lack of anything else. When she passes out, his nostrils flare and simply drink in her scent for a moment. "Hm." he rubs his thumb over her cheek to see if she stirs, "I should get you home." he decides.

Evelyn didn't answer, it is hard to answer when you are passed out. She whimpers lightly at the touch to her cheek, but does not stir. She is at his mercy and whatever he decides to do with her.

"Hm." Barksdale rumbles to himself and then bends down and picks her up with only a hint of a grunt at the effort. His nostrils flare and he begins to walk. "I'll have to get you off the street....we would hate for someone to think the wrong thing now wouldnt we?" he says with a hint of that primal growl.

Evelyn is light, just about 110 pounds really, and as he picks her up, her head leans against his chest. She is unaware of that he is doing, what he might decide to do, just leaning against him soaking up his warmth at the moment. There might be a slight whimper from her from the pain in her head, but there is no resistance from her. Thankfully it is late enough most people are already settled in for the night, and unaware of him.

Her home found, he steadies her and goes through her purse for the keys. Assuming they are found he nudges the door open and carries her within. A pause to look around and he then brings her to the couch in the main living area to lie her down comfortably. Lust. His desires flare for a moment as he gazes down at her and looks her over from head to toe. "Such a delight." he declares.

Then slowly he begins to circle around the home to look around some. He doesnt dig in anything yet, but he does /look/ around, pictures, etc.

There are other scents in the home, he might smell three others here, but there are no personal pictures of her own here, almost as if she is a visitor here. Her clothes are hanging in the closet, and there are some books in the second bedroom, that have her scent all over them. Most of them titled with psychic abilities, pyrokinesis, psycometry, theories of psychoportation and telepathy. Anything she has been able to find, or the owner of the home has been able to find has her scent on it.

After a brief look around he heads to the kitchen, first to get an ice water for when she wakes, then to get himself a beer if possible. Just making himself at home. "This wont do." he says to her not that she can hear him as he sits at her side, and strokes a hand along her hair a moment. "Passing out like this? Weakness? No you will need to be stronger if you are going to be a spirit of power to protect your god."

There are a few beers in the fridge, not the kind that seem to fit the psychic, but maybe one of the occupants of the home. No she seems more like the wine type, but then again when he sees her, she mostly seems wound tighter than a trapped animal about to bolt, ready to run, to protect herself from harm. She is slowly starting to stir, burying her head into the pillow, not sure she wants to open her eyes yet or even wake up.

"Come on now." Barksdale rumbles to her. "You cant bury yourself in dreams all day long now." he demands of her lightly.

Evelyn winces at the headache, and squints at the light as she slowly starts to wake. Her eyes starting to open more. "Just a little longer? Please?" She yawns and brings her hands up to rub at her eyes. "I can try." She tries her best to start to push herself up. "Russell, what happened?" She is confused to see him there.

Barksdale offers the water first and explains, "You passed out. It seems my company is too much for you." he teases her lightly, amused by it all. His laughter light but low, a bit dark like a predator that cant hide all of his nature.

Evelyn gratefully accepts the glass of water from him, and takes a sip as she listens to him explain. She atleast smiles at his laughter, making light of it all. "There was..is something about you. Definitely overwhelming." She tries to remember, to clear the fog, pulling her legs up and takes a deep breath. "I am afraid sometimes I am not very good company. It can be difficult to get close to me." She looks a bit sad at that, "It forces me to keep others at a distance. Since I was little, with my grandmother." She looks down at her necklace. "She knew and she tried to make me feel better about it."

"Strength of will wont come from shying away from it." Barksdale tells her. "Like any muscle it needs exercise. To be flexed, used or you will be weak." he says matter of factly. "You are close with Syndia." he points out.

She can't help but listen to him, and his commanding presense and she knows he is right. "If I use it though.. it will only attract people to me, who want to hurt me." She offers softly. "I know..it will." She says slowly and then thinks about his question about Syndia, "I am trying to be, but I am even afraid I will hurt her." She tilts her head at him. There is much confusion in her features, and she shakes her head.

"I will protect you from others if I must." Barksdale says, "That is what friends do, help each other. I am sure you can help me in some way later." he shrugs.

"Tell me about Syndia? Your relationship." he asks.

Evelyn shakes her head and whispers, "Russell, I would always help you, but I don't know that I could handle if anything happened to you. I can't see a friend hurt again." This is definitely a struggle for her. Even when he asks about Syndia it is hard for her. "I know I love her, and She is very kind to me and I know she loves me. I am just unsure about a lot and sure she deserves better than me. The first time she took my hand, I was suprised, "I could touch her hand and at first I felt tiredness from her. It was not overwhelming." She sighs softly. "It confused me and at the same time was a welcome relief."

"She is very beautiful. Smart. Something there..." he recalls of how she looked after using her power, calling to his lust. His voice a primal growl of desire hinted in the back of his throat.

"You wont hurt me. I am not so weak." Barksdale explains. "I survive. I come back stronger."

Evelyn isn't so sure but she has felt like this a long time so it is hard to convince her otherwise. "She looks at Russell though and grins seeing how he talks about Syndia, "You are attracted to her." Even without her telepathy, just the way he looks, she can tell. "I will not be the one to hurt you, if I can help it Russell." She offers softly.

Barksdale laughs, a true low laugh. "I am attracted to many." Barksdale points out. "Life is meant to be lived. I live it." a pause and he shrugs, "I enjoy fucking beautiful women." be says lewdly without shame.

"Dont sell yourself short. Id have plenty of fun with you." Barksdale taunts her a playful smirk joining that rumble of animalistic desire that any normal badboy may habe but his is laced with a garou's true animal nature.

Evelyn looks at him still confused and shakes her head, "You see what you want to see, the cover of the book, but not is underneath. I don't think you would be attracted if you saw more Russell. I know. I have seen the looks of disappointment before. I think I rather like this friendship we are building more than seeing the look that look in your eyes."

"Perhaps." Barksdale concedes as he eyes her. "But I have seen monsters. You are not that." he grins and replies. "Not yet, but maybe someday if we are lucky. My firebreathing dragon." he teases.

Evelyn shakes her head and laughs, "No I don't think I am a monster, just marked by scars of a life hard fought for." He could already see some on her arms and legs that peak a bit from beneath her clothing, where skin shows. She reaches up to touch his cheeks and then remembers and thinks better of it, pulling her hand back to herself, sighing to herself. "You like beautiful women though. Let me just stay as I am."

"Scars dont ruin a woman. They map our experiences." Barksdale says as he rises and begins to the door. "We all have scars. Some emotional, fuel for our fire, some physical. Displaying our glory." he adds, "Goodbye Evelyn.

Evelyn watches him with her arms around her legs again, still holding that cup of water she almost forgot about and smiles to him, "You are sweet Russell, maybe some day, Thank you for being here for me tonight. This was the last thing I expected. Good night."