up in the air || OPEN

[JESSE ROSS DALTON]

i've been up in the air lost in the night

Normal. It felt like things were finally starting to get back to that for Jesse. Or at least as normal as one could be after learning you had been turned into a werewolf. The last year and a half had been an absolute roller coaster and it seemed like most of it had been downhills and sharp turns. And just when he'd finally started getting used to the ride life had thrown in a loop dee loop in the form of a pretty, dark-haired girl name Leila, someone Jesse never thought he'd get to see again. Just why his long time girlfriend from back home had come to Manuka he hadn't known but seeing her had changed everything though he could say this time it was definitely for the better. She'd certainly been caught off guard at first at seeing him since she thought, as did the rest of his family, that he was dead and the whole werewolf thing had been an obvious shock. But she'd proved to him all over again just why she was the girl he'd fallen in love with by not only choosing to believe him but staying with him with the mind set of helping him however she could.

Since then the two of them had fallen back into their relationship right where it had been the day he had supposedly 'died'. He'd moved out of his much too small but super cheap apartment and she'd done the same and combined their resources to rent a small but nice enough little apartment together. So far things had made it through life's little obstacles without any major hiccups. His changing every full moon was the biggest adjustment seeing as he tended to feel not only more easily agitated but stressed over the whole issue of not remembering what he did or where he went. In typical Leila fashion though she handled it with a calm and caring attitude, making it as easy on him as possible. Always thinking of other people first that was Leila. He really couldn't imagine his life without her. The year apart had been the worst of his entire life and now that she was back with him things were suddenly so much brighter despite all of the changes.

So for now they were content, catching up on all of that lost time as often as they could. Both had jobs that kept them fairly busy but they still managed to find plenty of time for each other as well as enjoy their own individual pursuits. Leila had always been big into photography and Manuka was proving to be the perfect place to pursue, even as just a hobby for now. Jesse wanted nothing more than for her to be able to do it full time as a career which had always been her dream. Someday hopefully that could become a reality. He would do whatever he needed to ensure she got a chance at the very least. After everything she'd given up for him just by staying. Today was his day off from working at the McCreedy Ranch and he was taking advantage his free time since Leila was working at the coffee shop until that evening by getting in a jog. He always had enjoyed working out and keeping in shape, something that was even more important now it seemed.

The park was perfect for that particular activity seeing as it had a cement path that ran in a one mile circle through it. He'd just completed two circles around it and after stopping for a short rest was about to repeat that when a furiously barking ball of fur ran towards him. And literally it looked like a mop, curly brown hair covering the tiny dog that apparently considered itself some sort of attack animal as it lunged at Jesse's shoe and started yanking on one of his shoe strings. Chuckling, he watched it with an amused expression. "Well hello to you too buddy," He remarked, an eyebrow quirking upward as he glanced around for a possible owner but didn't see anyone else around or appearing to be chasing after it. "So what's the story you get loose or you all by yourself huh?" He questioned out loud before scooping the little dog up in one arm where it proceeded to try and get as close as possible to lick his face.

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[VAEDA SOPHIA WAY]

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Vaeda walked along the sidewalk with her friend’s dog that she was watching while she was away for a job interview in Seattle where she’d be head of a clinic. The two didn’t really know each other very well, but both worked at the animal hopsital together for a month now, so their relationship had only started. The girl, Amber, was really quite nice and Vaeda liked her, and Amber thought highly enough of Vaeda to let her take care of her dog. Today Vaeda had decided to take the dog on a long walk through the park since it had been cooped up in her apartment all day while she was at work. He seemed pleased to go out and even more so when he saw that they were going to the park.

It had been a few days now since she had really let herself think. Only days ago had she and Derek officially broken up and she had kept her mind busy enough to where she wouldn’t think about it too much. Now that she wasn’t at work and had no one around to talk to it was all she could think about. She had just felt too much guilt over everything she had done and thought that it was better that they break up. Derek didn’t deserve to be treated like shit, and that was exactly how she had treated him. She only wanted him to be happy and Vaeda didn’t think it was possible for him to be happy with someone who would actually be good to him and not cheat on him. She wondered if he would ever forgive her. Vaeda loved Derek with all her heart, but that passion was gone between them and she wasn’t in love with him. The latter half of their relationship was filled with guilt and dispair and it wasn’t something she wanted. But she did want to be friends with Derek at any cost. If he’d have her as a friend at least, she’d take the chance in a heartbeat.

Vaeda sat underneath an oak tree and loosened her grip on the leash. The dog had been panting heavily for a while and seemed to want a rest. Luckily, being a werewolf, she was able to talk to the dog, so she understood. Vaeda closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the world around her. She smelled familiar smells and new ones, too. There were always new smells out there and sometimes they were better than others.

Suddenly she felt the leash being yanked out of her hands and she gasped. She saw the dog running quickly away from her. Vaeda sprung up and started after it. It seemed to be going straight for someone she knew, someone who was also a werewolf. “Jesse!” she exclaimed and ran towards him. “I see little Pumpkin here has taken a liking to you,” she grinned and scratched the dog’s ears. She had met Jesse when he first got to Manuka. They instantly hit it off and became friends. She hadn’t seen him in a while due to the constant drama seeming to fill her life, but she was glad that she had run into him now. Jesse was a good guy and pretty much one of the sweetest people she had ever met.

faded • we need friends, mhm • outfit

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thanks stark

[JESSE ROSS DALTON]

i've been up in the air lost in the night

Jesse had always been an animal person. Heck he'd been able to ride a horse almost before he could walk. And along with the horses there were numerous dogs, a few cats, a ferret, a couple of hamsters every now and again, chickens, ducks and two or three rabbits. Suffice it to say they had something of their own personal little zoo going on most of the time. There was almost no way you couldn't love animals if you grew up in the Dalton household. In his mind not having animals around was actually really weird. Aside from his family and Leila that was one of the things Jesse missed most about home. The apartment he'd called home for about a year had seemed so empty and quiet. He'd thought about getting a goldfish just for shits and giggles and to at least have something that made him feel normal again.

He'd been worried about what he might do to it though. Or any pet really. He just didn't trust himself anymore and that was probably the worst feeling in the entire world. Leila suddenly showing up had changed everything though. For the better in just about every single way despite the face that he was still worried about ever hurting her in any way. Just having her there with him gave him a sense of comfort and that old self confidence he used to have in abundance was starting to come back. Slowly, but returning all the same. He honestly wasn't sure how he had managed to not go crazy that year he was away from her. There was something about knowing you had someone beside you who not only believed in you as a person but would never give up on that person that made you feel stronger no matter what you were going through at that moment.

There weren't really that many people on the cement path so far and he hadn't seen anyone with a dog so the furry little guy's appearance was slightly unexpected. He was a friendly fella though despite his throaty little barking fit upon first coming over to attack Jesse's shoelaces. The little collar around his neck suggested he definitely belonged to someone though and he imagined whoever the dog belonged to would be coming along soon, unless of course they weren't aware he was missing just yet. Seeing as he was a little ball of energy Jesse didn't dare put him down just yet for fear of him running off again or worse run into the parking lot and tangle with traffic. He didn't have to wonder long though about where the pup came from though, his head coming around at the sound of his name being called out by a familar voice. Vaeda Way. Goodness he hadn't seen her in what seemed like forever.

A wide smile spread across his lips as the girl sprinted over towards him. "I think he fell more in love with my shoelaces," He remarked with a chuckle, glancing at the happy dog whose whole body seemed to be wiggling with excitement as Vaeda reached out to scratch his ears. "He yours or you just dog sitting?" He couldn't remember her ever talking about owning a dog but once again he was reminded that he hadn't seen her in a few months.

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[VAEDA SOPHIA WAY]

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A lot of people in Manuka had pets. Vaeda was jealous of them all. She had longed for a pet since she was just a baby. But because she wasn’t allowed to have one (and because when the full moon came around and she wasn’t sure if she had killed anything that night) she liked to help strays whenever she could. When she wasn’t working or at school or hanging out with friends, which she had few of by now, she was out about around town. By now she had gotten thirteen stray cats a home, five into a no-kill shelter, sixteen dogs into good homes, and three into the same no-kill shelter. By now, she was friends with everyone at the shelter. She liked helping the animals find somewhere that they would have love and comfort instead of thinking of them alone and scared on the street where they had no food. It was terrible and heartbreaking and whenever Vaeda thought about it she felt a little sick.

She was glad that she could be there for her friend so that her dog didn’t have to be boarded up for the duration of her trip. It also gave Vaeda the excuse to try out having a pet at home. Even though her apartment complex didn’t allow pets, she had gotten special permission to keep the little puppy for the week. Since Vaeda was a model resident and had never had a complaint about her and had always paid her rent on time and in full, he gave her the green light. And she had had so much fun with Pumpkin that when her lease was up, she had decided to move complexes to one where she would be allowed to have an animal. It wasn’t too terribly far off either, so it would be sooner rather than later. Even thinking about it made her excited and giddy and she just wanted to jump around with excitement.

Seeing Jesse was another thing that made her excited. Jesse was one of the sweetest people she knew and he had always made her laugh without trying to. When he had first arrived in Manuka and didn’t know anyone Vaeda had done her damnedest to try to befriend him. It had worked eventually and the two were now fairly good friends. His girlfriend had come to Manuka as well though—or was it his ex? She couldn’t quite remember. All she knew was that once she arrived, they were inseparable and Vaeda didn’t see much of him after that. But she was really glad that Jesse had someone that he could be with and be happy with. Everyone deserved that kind of love.

With a giggle she looked down at her fellow werewolf’s shoelaces where the dog was nipping and biting now instead of just staring and shaking with excitement. She reached down and pet his ears and pried him off of Jesse and stepped back. Once his attention averted shoelaces it was on a passing butterfly that landed on top of his nose. Vaeda almost squealed with excitement at how completely adorable it was. With a smile she replied to Jesse instead of taking out her phone to take a picture. “Just dog sitting,” she said. She couldn’t help it—she took out her phone and snapped a picture. She’d send it to her friend once she got home. Vaeda put her attention back on Jesse. “So how have you been?”

faded • we need friends, mhm • outfit

[/style]

thanks stark

[JESSE ROSS DALTON]

i've been up in the air lost in the night

Jesse was sure he and Leila would add a furry friend to their house hold at some point but for now just the two of them was enough. Their apartment building allowed pets but truth be told they were both just making enough at their current jobs to pay the bills. Bringing a dog or cat or even something smaller like a rabbit was still not something they could afford. Soon though that would change hopefully since he was getting more hours at the ranch where he was working. The owner really liked him and seeing as he'd grown up working on his dad's ranch and knew all the ins and outs not only as far as the horses were concerned but the ranch itself he'd proven a valuable asset so far.

Still money was tight for now. He was happy though. Happier than he had been since he'd first arrived here in the city. Living paycheck to paycheck wasn't as difficult when you had someone to share all the other ups and downs with and he wouldn't change a single thing. There was absolutely no one else he would have wanted to go through life with than Leila, poor or not. She was always positive and up beat despite the fact that she often dealt with difficult people at the coffee shop day in and day out. She'd also put her dream of being a photographer on hold too, a fact that bothered him but he planned on one day putting to rights. She'd given up quite a bit just to stay with him and there was no way he would ever be able to put into words how much that meant to him.

Before Leila had found him here he'd met Vaeda and in her had found a wonderful friend. Who also happened to be a werewolf as well. Not just any werewolf but a member of the Way family, who just happened to be one of the most powerful werewolf clans in the city, not that he'd known that at the time though. She'd taken him under her wing of sorts and helped him really learn how to get a handle on the whole turning bit. He owed her a lot and seeing her now struck a slightly guilty chord in him. The little dog at his feet was having a hey day playing around with the shoe laces until it's attention was caught by something else, a butterfly. Amazingly enough the insect decided to land square on the little dog's nose and Jesse gave a surpised little chuckle. Vaeda was grinning as well, informing him that it wasn't her dog she was simply watching it for someone.

Fortunately it stayed there long enough for the girl to snap a picture of it on her phone. Probably not something that would likely ever happen again. Glancing up from the cute little scene playing out by their feet, Jesse smiled as she asked how he'd been doing. "Good, real good. I feel bad I haven't stayed in better touch. Been working at McCreedy's ranch for a few months now and that's going pretty well," Tilting his head slightly he turned the question back on her. "How have you been?"

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