bakerstreet | Stray

Stray

S T R A Y

Taking in strays is, all in all, an understandable vice. The dips in between their ribs, those large and forlorn eyes, they can help you forget the claws and the teeth and the danger lurking beneath fur. But the habit's a knife edge; your efforts may not be rewarded with kindness (animal instincts aren't discretionary) and you may get bit despite what you've overlooked. A stray doesn't care about pity. All it can know is survival.

These warnings apply to strays of the more human(oid) sort, too.

But what may even more perilous with this type than any drawn blood is what you can get when they grow to trust you. You can earn their undying loyalty...or their love. Either from such a wild thing is a precarious path to go down, if you allow yourself to do it.

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ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ — Who's that? They're no ordinary passersby! Were they in an accident? Are they foreign? ...should you approach them?

ʀᴀɪɴ, ʀᴀɪɴ, ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ — The elements make this night no time to sleep out of doors.

ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ — Cuts, broken bones, injuries all of sorts...you have to stitch them back up, then make sure they don't get any

ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — It's all you can do to show gratitude to the person who took you in. Fix them a meal, care for their house, whatever you can do once you're able.

ʙᴀᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — FUCK THIS PERSON AND FUCK THEIR COUCH. You didn't ask to be brought here. Let them clean up after you, you don't even care.

ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴍ ɪ? — How you got into this situation is a mystery. Even more of a mystery is your identity, and why the person you were would be so displaced.

sᴇʟғʟᴇssɴᴇss —

ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ — If you've been injured badly enough or can't remember all too well, you might have to relearn a good deal. Luckily, you have a helping hand.

sᴄᴀʀs — Scars from the encounter that lead you here or scars from prior, you don't want them to see either. You still have your secrets to keep.

sᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ — Ugh, your house guest is so stubborn! They always get up when they should be resting, have the worst habits, and completely disrespect your home! You'll get to them, one way or another. Or you'll throw them out. You don't want to, but you will.

ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ — Bad memories or nightmares wreck you; your host and nurse comes to your side unexpectedly.

ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʟᴀsʜ — The person who's taken you in is from a different culture or lifestyle than you, and adapting is harder than you thought.

ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ — Think learning about a new culture is hard? Try being a different species. Can you keep your little eccentricities at bay for the good of your station?

ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜsʏ — Now that your emotions towards your caretaker/host/jailer are softening, you're finding yourself unusually jealous of those in their life who were close to them before.

ɴᴇᴡ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs — You never thought you'd have fun after all that's happened, yet such simple gestures as a picnic or a movie make all the difference.

ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ — You love them, this person who's taken you in or this person you've found. It's not a pity or a thankfulness, it's love, and you know that now. What you choose to do with this information is

ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ — Suddenly, the person who's been so nice to you finds out that the two of you have a history. You killed their loved ones or caused something terrible. How can they forgive you?

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ — So much has been done for you. The least you can do in return for the one who helped you at your lowest is make sure they never have such a low point.

ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ — Anyone in the way of getting to you will be destroyed, and that includes the person you're staying with.

ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ — You've been given a home, maybe which you've never had before. You don't want to leave.

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ — Not only are you living with them, but you're starting a proper life with them.

ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ — All secrets are laid out on the table. You've decided to tell about your past and what lead you here.

ʀᴇᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ — What you've done and who you are is so heinous, they want nothing more to do. You're to leave their home and leave them alone.

ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ — It doesn't matter what they've done. You've opened your home and your heart to them, and nothing's changed.

ᴘᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ — All things must come to an end. No matter what you feel for each other, it's time to leave. Hopefully, you'll see each other again.

ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ — Come what may, you've decided to stay at your new home with the person you love. Now, it's safe enough to do so.

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

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Alfred can tell the boy has sustained injuries by the way he has his weight shifted slightly off one leg and the way his arm curls around his waist, but a dark alley is no place to offer medical care so instead he decides on plan b.

"Well I don't know about you but a fight always makes me hungry, there's a diner around the corner. You feel like joining me for a burger?"

Sakura's eyes narrow at the offer, like he's looking for a catch in there somewhere.

"What do you want?" There's no such thing as a free lunch, but also, that's not a no. He's ready to set aside dignity for a good meal.

"A burger and possibly a cup of tea if they have it." He says and turns away from the young man to start heading towards the diner, figuring that if he wants a free meal he will follow. And if not, that's his choice.

Sakura hesitates, and then follows, limping somewhat and trying to play it off as much as possible. A burger is protein, that'll be better to heal on than an air sandwich. And in a public place like a diner, it's unlikely the old guy will pull anything too overt.

The diner is small but cozy and once inside it seems that Alfred knows a lot of the servers, he nods at one of them and leads Sakura to a table near the window. Figuring that the young man will want to keep an eye on everything, inside and out.

He grabs a menu and passes it towards Sakura once they've had a seat.

Sakura accepts the menu, grimacing at the prices for a moment. Yeah, Alfred's buying, but there's a reminder there that this isn't stuff he'll normally get to have.

"I'm serious, what I asked before. What do you want? From me, I mean." What will accepting this meal cost him?

"I want you to hurry up and decide what you want to eat." He says dryly and motions for one of the waitress to come over and take their orders, intentionally cutting off anymore of Sakura's resistance to his kindness.

The waitress is a woman in her forties, plump and cheerful and she smiles at Alfred.

"Hiya, doll. Got some company with you this time hrm?"

"Lucky me."

"Want your usual?"

Alfred nods and the woman turns to Sakura.

"What can I get you, hon?"

"Uh. A burger. And fries?" There's a hesitation, and a sheepish glance toward Alfred before he decides to be incredibly, amazingly greedy. "And...a vanilla milkshake. Please."

He's never had a milkshake before.

A small smile lifts the corner of Alfred's mouth and he nods at the waitress, she smiles in return and goes to put their orders in.

"Vanilla hrm? I took you for a chocolate fan."

Oh, good, it seems he isn't about to be bitched out for ordering something 'extra' for himself.

"I wasn't sure. I...haven't had many milkshakes in my life." Which he does at least seem to realize is a weird thing to admit. His gaze drifts out the window briefly.

"Well then you're in for a treat, they make really good ones here." Alfred says, watching the young man carefully but with no judgment in his eyes.

"You're fairly new to Gotham, aren't you?"

Sakura wrinkles his nose at the question.

"What makes you think that?"

Like, Alfred's not wrong, but he doesn't like the idea that he's been obvious about it. He didn't know where to go, when he slipped his foster family's (mostly-metaphorical) leash, and the big city seemed like it might have more opportunities.

"You just have the look of someone who isn't used to the harsh nature of this city." He says just as the waitress comes back with his cup of tea and Sakura's milkshake.

"So where are you from originally?"

"Nowhere. It's not important." And then, as a dark thought crosses his mind. "You can't make me go back there."

He glances at the door, as if ready to bolt if Alfred tries to tell him otherwise. The threat of returning to whence he came looms larger in his mind than the milkshake now in front of him.

"Calm down, mate." Alfred says calmly and adds a splash of cream to his tea. "I was just trying to make polite conversation."

"Myself? I'm originally from England, East London specifically."

"I had wondered about the accent."

Sakura finally takes a sip of the milkshake, and his eyes widen with delight. He seems like he might drain the whole thing immediately, maybe give himself brain freeze in the process. This is, in fact, not just a ploy to avoid the question. A soft, awed 'wow' comes out of him reflexively.

"Easy does it." Alfred warns when he sees how Sakura is sucking back that milkshake and shakes his head a little, "You don't want to make yourself sick on it."

Looping back to the previous topic he continues, "I came to Gotham to work for a man I met in London. He was born and raised here so I had a guide of some sorts when I arrived, you have any friends in the city yet?"

"No, not really. But then, I didn't have any friends before, either." He shrugs like that's no big deal, like not having friends is fine, really.

~~Like he's not at all yearning for the human connections he's been denied all his life.~~

"Well now you have one." He says and extends his hand across the table, "I'm Alfred Pennyworth."

Sakura gives that hand a long, wary look before slowly reaching out to take it. His hand is cold from the milkshake glass.

"Haruka Sakura. It's...uh. It's nice to meet you?" Like he isn't quite sure he's got the right script for the scene. He's torn between experience and the ghost of hope at how this encounter has gone so far.

"Nice to meet you too." He says with a genuine smile as he shakes Sakura's hand gently, letting it go after a moment so he can pick up his tea and have another sip.

"So what brings you to Gotham?"

"Seemed like an okay place to be. Better than where I was before."

It's complicated. Here, at least, he is free. Not living in a shed and treated like his foster family's dirty secret. But...

...it is Gotham. And he's just this side of homeless.

"It's certainly an interesting place, but it can be very dangerous as well." To say the least, after all this is a city where criminals don't just rob and steal. They create elaborate riddles or kill people with plants or fear toxin.

"It's obvious you know how to fight but that doesn't always save you."

"Well. Fighting's all I'm good for."

This kid is not equipped with other methods of conflict resolution yet. He might be screwed if the rogues actually get ahold of him.

Alfred's face softens and he shakes his head, "I highly doubt that. You seem rather clever too."

Stray

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ooc: sorry for the wait, I'm sick XP

you're worth waiting for. feel better!

Still sick but feeling more human

Human is a step in the right direction!

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Heya, you feeling better?

Still not 100%, this dumb cold is just hanging in there

Jesus. I'm attaching some soup to this reply.

Aw that's so kind of you

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