olden times for Tommy

[oohforeshadowing]

The great country pile isn't their speed, really.

Double had their lovely house in London, bought and paid for by their adoptive father - a High Fae of some high regard, who'd been fretting about their lands and accounts falling into strangers' hands when he passed on. It was a heartrending story, of course, and Double was...well, positively delighted to be anything the old man wanted them to be. For the right price.

Shapeshifters have long since had a bad reputation for sliding into the upper echelons this way. They hadn't been in penury to begin with, by any means, but 'lovely house in London' money and 'vast estates with mining wealth and hundreds of rate-paying tenants' money is not the same by some order of magnitude.

The old man died peacefully in his bed, well over a century old, and left the manor house and everything that went with it to their sole heir. Who is going to sell it all, eventually, but it feels tasteless not to even let their 'father's' body grow cold.

They move in after the last of their furniture has been transported, and lets the housekeeper give them the tour. They cut quite the figure: long blond hair pinned up in curls, a jacket and blouse tailored tightly to a corseted waist, the snug high-waisted breeches favoured by most males. Their tail is the most exposed part of them and the woman they're following keeps eyeing it like she's not sure if it's obscene or not.

"...show you the stables, your grace," she says, as she walks ahead to the outbuildings.

"Ah. I suppose we ought."

Comments

[oohforeshadowing]

"I didn't give them a time to expect me back," they say lightly. "Best that they keep learning to adjust to me."

Besides, while they are unpredictable, they aren't unreasonable. They've not once appeared hours late for a reasonable lunchtime and been furious that there's no hot food on the table, for example. Their staff are only human.

[bleak_midwinter]

"If you're staying, then they ought to."

Though of course, expecting dozens of people to adjust to you is really something only one of their caste could say. He won't mention it.

They get to their stop jist after the first drops start to fall. "Hold on to me as you step off," he instructs, as he can't get off before they do.

[oohforeshadowing]

"Of course."

They hold onto his arm, carefully, and ease down to the damp grass - throughout which, thankfully, the horse is perfectly calm and still. They take a healthy step back while Thomas dismounts, all the same. No need to tempt fate.

Regardless, watching his body move and his limbs flex as he dismounts is very pleasant.

[bleak_midwinter]

"At least you know the most important rule," he says, as he dismounts and then goes to tie the horse to the nearest tree. "No standing behind the horse, ever. Never walk around the back, don't dawdle behind them, assume they're always ready to startle and kick."

He smiles at the horse - the first time they'll have seen him smile. He pats her nose and strokes a hand through her mane. "You're a good girl, though, eh? It'll just be a little rain, you'll be alright."

[oohforeshadowing]

The horse whinnies softly, shaking her head, and seems to settle under the branches as the rain settles in. It's not so heavy as to break entirely through the canopy.

"You have a lovely smile, Mr Shelby," Double says, and extends their hand to him.

[bleak_midwinter]

He hesitates at that, a little surprised, almost caught out at the fact that he'd been smiling. He takes their hand and leads them gallantly towards the small hideout.

"...thank you, Your Grace. That's a kind thing to say."

[oohforeshadowing]

"It's my pleasure."

The hide was built for the former Duke and his hobbies, so it's rather nicer than a number of structures like it - the floor is stone flags rather than compacted earth, and there's even some seating and a small wood stove. One could imagine a small hunting party using this as a place to while away a few hours during bad weather.

Double finds a striker near the stove and lights a candle, casting the dim interior in soft gold light. It makes their skin shimmer, the delicate scales looking even more inhuman than they do in sunlight.

[bleak_midwinter]

Somehow, Tommy likes it. It sets him at ease more than all the supers that look just human enough but aren't, and constantly lord it over them. Their green skin, the ears, the tail, it all makes them stand out so much that there's no doubt about what they are. And so far they haven't exactly been lording it over Tommy.

He catches himself looking, and quickly busies himself. He finds a chest with some roughspun blankets and takes them out to cover the wooden benches. As he putters around, he asks them:

"May I ask you something about shifters?"

[oohforeshadowing]

"Whatever you like, darling," Double says. "I won't take offence."

At this point, they probably can't. Shifters are a rare breed, and other supernaturals have the subtlety of broken glass when they're asking questions.

[bleak_midwinter]

"You're only the second I've ever seen, and first I've met. Are there not many of you, or does your kind prefer to stay elsewhere?"

Other places, other countries. Other realms, he doesn't know.

[oohforeshadowing]

"There's very few of us," they tell him. "And most of those few seem to prefer warmer climes. But you've maybe seen a couple more than you think?"

They sit down on one of the benches that Thomas has so thoughtfully padded.

"Some shifters will spend most of their lives in another form."

[bleak_midwinter]

"Why don't you?"

It's what he actually wants to know, since he has no investment in any of the other shifters he may or may not have met.

[oohforeshadowing]

"Because I like how I look, and I prefer to invest my energy elsewhere," they say simply, and then grin. "Why, did you have some requests?"

[bleak_midwinter]

He raises an eyebrow at them as he closes the chest again, snapping the lock shut.

"No, Your Grace. I think you should like how you look. I just wonder why the others don't."

[oohforeshadowing]

Double bites their bottom lip for a moment, teeth sharp against soft skin.

"I'm afraid there are some things about the Old Realms that it's best I not share, darling."

[bleak_midwinter]

Oh. That's interesting - he has to force himself not to look too interested, too curious. Curious people don't do well for too long around supernaturals, he's found, not when they start poking their noses where they don't want them to be.

"Of course," he says, quickly. "My apologies. I don't mean to pry."

[oohforeshadowing]

"It's alright, Mr Shelby, you weren't to know."

The tip of their tail taps the bench next to them.

"Please. Come and sit with me."

[bleak_midwinter]

He does so, fairly obediently, crossing his legs at the ankle. The rain is tapping cozily on the shelter's roof, the horse is happily grazing on some of the grass. It's very peaceful.

[oohforeshadowing]

Double smiles and leans into him just a little.

"Do you have a wife, Mr Shelby? A sweetheart over in town? Both?"

[bleak_midwinter]

"No, no, obviously not," he says, politely - though a little stiffly. "One might think you're asking with... a certain motive."

[oohforeshadowing]

"They might, mightn't they?"

Double touches his knee, hand barely resting there.

"I'd very much like to touch you, Mr Shelby."

[bleak_midwinter]

He shivers hard, not meeting their eyes, his hands flexing where he'd been holding on to the bench.

"I suspected you did." They're very subtle.

"Is this something you're used to? Dalliances with humans?"

[oohforeshadowing]

"Actually? No. If I'd even looked at a human a little too long, it would be halfway around the city within the day."

They don't think he'll believe them, but it is true.

[bleak_midwinter]

He looks at them now, looking a little flushed, but wary too. "You don't think anyone will notice this sort of thing here? Where there are fewer people, and far less happening to distract them?"

[oohforeshadowing]

"Oh, I don't doubt that they will," they say lightly. "What I have here and now is money and security such that I don't have to care about it."