Recent Posts

Aleksandr couldn't say he'd ever chased a dog for any kind of distance before, but he was fairly sure the ones that weren't used for racing only tended to run flat-out for relatively short distances. A mutant dog, on the other hand, might have been able to run for miles without slowing too much. He hadn't ever chased a mutant dog either, so there was really no way for him to tell. The snake man was fast himself, but he was no distance runner. He had enough speed and stamina to outrun most normal humans in a sprint, but even with all of his abundant muscle mass working for him snakes just weren't made for long distance pursuit.

He had gained on the canine initially, but when the mutt pulled that dirty trick and knocked the runner off his feet he'd gained himself a better head start. Aleksandr had been just close enough that he wouldn't have been able to swerve quickly enough to avoid the fallen man while still continuing on his current path. Even trying to stop short and curling back on himself he still managed to collide with the cursing man just hard enough to send him tumbling a few extra feet.

Offering apologies in between bouts of cursing in Russian he tried to help the other man back up onto his feet while the stranger also offered a selection of cursing in English. His assistance was understandably brushed off, but even if he understood the anger he was angry enough himself to engage in a short shouting match before the runner seemed to realize what he was yelling at and stormed of in a huff.

Fuming, Aleksandr turned his attention back down the path where the dog had headed. There was no way he'd catch up to him now and with so many scents in the air and the cold ground making it harder to leave paw prints it would be difficult to track the mutt down. Grumbling to himself he continue back down the path nonetheless, moving at a much more leisurely pace and trying to catch his breath. With any luck the fleabag had stopped to check the wallet once he'd gotten far enough away from the snake man and he'd be able to catch up. If not he'd try circling back to the pile of clothes like he'd planned earlier and hope the kid went back to fetch them as he hoped.

Not even two minutes had passed and this was by far one of the stranger meetings Aleksandr had gotten wrapped up in. He couldn't think of anything that might have prepared him for the sight of the kid stuffing the pilfered wallet into his mouth. His outstretched hand lowered a few inches in his surprise, his jaw working as if he wanted to say something but there just were no words to respond to that kind of action. Not that he would have had much time to reply anyway as the thief promptly disappeared and a dog took his place. Again unexpected, though it did explain the faint smell of fur he'd been tasting on the air.

The dog dropped, it's little tail nub made it's butt wiggle in an absurd kind of way, and then to took off. It took a moment to process everything that had just happened, but once the gears began turning in the snake man's head again a deep scowl settled onto his face before he took off after the furry criminal. He wasn't sure how fast the dog could go or for how long, but he was almost certain he could outpace the beast in the long run. Aleksandr's form sank, his torso hovering only a few inches off the ground as his tail lashed furiously and propelled him forward. He could outrun a human easily, but he'd never raced a dog before so this was going to be a bit of a learning experience for him. Either way he had the kid's scent and could track him for at least a short distance if he lost sight of him. If he had to he'd circle back to where the pile of clothes had been abandoned, figuring the thief wouldn't want to leave them behind before he tried to escape the park for good.

"You had better be praying I don't catch you!" he shouted in between hissing out a string of curses in Russian, "I eat things bigger than you for every meal!" Would eating a shifter as an animal still be considered murder? Probably, but only if he was caught right? Would anyone even be able to tell the difference between a dog and a mutant that looked like a dog? That was probably something to figure out once he actually caught the kid. He'd just have to bite first and argue the ethics of it before he unhinged his jaw.

It was cloudier than he'd anticipated, the time the sun was able to break through being much too short for his taste. Anything but cloudless days weren't to his taste, really. Uninterrupted sunlight was one of the purest joys in the world and it seemed that the world was conspiring against him to leech away not only his warmth but his happiness. Whenever the clouds passed by again to dim the light Aleksandr found himself getting crankier and wondering if the outing had been worth it at all. Stubborn as he was about his time outside he was really only doing himself a disservice by trying to get his body to tolerate the seasonal change longer than he should. It would take him hours to soak up enough heat back at his apartment before he felt comfortable again. It might be time to throw in the towel and start hunkering down until spring came back around.

He was so absorbed with his unhappy internal back and forth that he barely registered the creeping vibrations from feet slowly stepping closer. Lazily his tongue flickered out, tasting a faint scent of cologne with an undercurrent of dog fur. He paid little mind to whoever it was, unbothered by the occasional bold stranger that would venture closer to get a better look at him. He couldn't blame them, after all who wouldn't want a better look at such a gorgeous creature? Normally he'd turn up the charm and flash a smile or a wink but he was much too occupied with his twisting and coiling to be bothered with entertaining anyone that didn't engage him first. Sometimes it was too cold for even him to be charming.

It wasn't until he felt the warmth from an errant hand brush up against one or two of the tails attached to his head that he really started to pay attention. The touch was only just barely there, but for someone so accustomed to seeking heat even a gentle graze in such chilly weather caught his attention. No doubt someone had reached out in curiosity and hesitated only for the squirming tails to coil just widely enough to collide with them. It wasn't unheard of for especially brave individuals to invite themselves to touch his tails, though they usually aimed for his body rather than the ones on his head. He couldn't say he cared for their lack of manners, but he usually let it slide. With such a tease of warmth this time though, and so briefly, he found himself feeling a little less forgiving.

"Is rude to touch without asking," he snapped out, turning his upper body over to locate the offending individual only to find the young man already starting to make a determined retreat. The snake man gave a huff and very nearly turned himself back around when he caught a glimpse of a familiar object it the kid's grip. His own hand quickly raked through the tails near the base of his skull, finding that he'd lost his grip on his wallet. The chill must have let his tails go just numb and slack enough that he hadn't realized it had been left loose enough to slip away from him so easily. Aleksandr simply stared after them man for a few more steps, floored by the sheer audacity of the action before his temper really flared and set him in motion.

As sluggish as he was feeling with the chill settling into his muscles he was still quick enough to close the distance between the two of them, coming up beside the stranger and turning sharply to circle in front of him. "It is not right to take things that are not belonging to you," he chided, his tongue sliding out in agitation as he held his hand out for his wallet. "I suggest you give it back."

The steak and cheese was a good choice. Aleksandr had tried it once or twice but found the burgers to be just a little bit easier to handle than the shredded meat. Supposedly steak and cheese sandwiches just weren't the same without the bread, either, but it was a bit much or him to try to chew. The burger was definitely the more rewarding of the two, not that he would complain or felt that he was having to settle. He wouldn't keep coming back if he thought he was getting the worse end of the deal.

The waitress came and went with more flattery heaped upon her by the snake man as she struggled not to let it overwhelm her. Sometimes he just liked to see how quickly he could get them to blush or stumble over their words, his own private, harmless game. His head turned mostly back toward the young man across from him as he was addressed, though most of his attention lingered a moment more on the waitress as she retreated to the kitchen to start filling the order. Once she was out of sight he turned his gaze back to his lunch companion.

"What to do depends on what you are wanting to do," he began with a shrug. The city was packed with different places and activities that could cater to nearly everyone if they knew what they were looking for. But he supposed a stranger from out of town, so to speak, may not even know that much. "I most like the park for spending the day. There is good space for sunbathing and lots of people to watch. But there are also many bars and clubs, coffee shops, book stores, theaters, museums. It will be easy to be keeping yourself busy until you can get back home."

"Reverse pickpocket?" The phrase didn't sound familiar, but it was always possible he'd come across the term before and simply forgotten it. Pickpocketing wasn't ever really much of a concern for Aleksandr anyway since he hardly ever had pockets to pick. Still it wasn't too hard to figure out what the young man meant when he clarified the discovery of a handful of unfamiliar cash in the wallet. So he'd gotten money instead of losing it. Interesting.

"This is a bad thing?" he asked, crossing his arms and cocking a brow at the young man's confusion. Extra cash had never been a complaint that he'd heard before. Once he got over the shock of the discovery Aleksandr was sure Benji would be rather overjoyed at the gift. A pocket full of spending money was a bit of a blessing for someone who was lost. "Now you will be able to buy many maps and many meals." Maybe even find a hotel room for a couple of nights depending on how many twenties were stuffed in there, which would buy him a little time to try and figure out his dilemma with some level of comfort. "This is good thing. But you are maybe wanting to put the wallet away or the reverse pickpocket might be reversed again."

With barely a cloud in the sky the sunlight felt amazing. It had lost the intensity of the summer heat, but it hadn't quite slipped fully into the cold light that lasted throughout the winter. The heat lamps and space heaters back at his apartment just couldn't compare. There was no truly satisfying artificial replacement for the real thing. It was going to be a difficult few months until the warmth returned again in the spring. He might just have to laze around until sunset to make the most of the day.

Aleksandr was just starting to doze off under the warmth when he felt the distinct vibrations of feet stomping closer quickly followed by someone demanding that he leave. He first opened one eye lazily, locating the shoes of the angry individual before rolling onto his back and stretching, lavishing in the feeling of a warmer patch of grass that the movement had found. "I was not seeing a humans only sign on the gate," he replied languidly, opening his other eye to gaze calmly up at the unhappy face of his new acquaintance. Being accosted out in public was nothing new for Aleksandr and he'd long since gotten used to the hostility of some strangers. Mostly it was entertaining and just a little bit sad.

"Is not very polite to be shouting at people," he continued, slowly beginning to curl his tail up under himself and sitting up so he could recline against the coils. "You will be bothering the other people in the park." At the very least the kid would start turning heads and drawing attention. The snake man was used to attracting attention, but when someone started to get aggressive that was when things tended to get a little dicey. Most people tended to put their heads back down and ignore confrontations, but there were always a few nosy people that tried to escalate the situation in one way or another. As long as at least one of them remained calm then hopefully they'd be left alone.