[PRP] Too True for Tabloids [Completed]

[Snoofington]

Who: Konstantin, Alfons, Ezekiel (Snoof), Henry (Neon)
Where: Ezekiel's home clinic
When: Early morning, during a meeting with the first patient of the day
Weather: Overcast but no sign of rain

__________

It had been a few hours since the green haired doctor had awoken and he looked prim and proper, ready to face the day. He was just waiting on his assistant to arrive, now, before he would declare the business open.

The business, as it were, was stationed within Ezekiel's own home. He had fashioned the living room into a professional space, typically used as a waiting room while one of the guest bedrooms acted as a private or operating room, of sorts. Major surgery was a no-no and he requested that they see a more conventional hospital. The living room was carpeted, had a long fish tank beside one window, and most of its colors consisted of browns and muted reds. The walls were wooden planks, dotted with various frames showing off his forms and degrees, as required. It branched off into a kitchen that was once walk in but now had a door, while another door lead into the hall that held the guest bedroom, a bathroom, and yet another door that was locked--his bedroom.

What could vaguely be considered a uniform consisted of a black pea coat with a rolled white cravat, black slacks and shined black shoes. The one indicator that he was actually a certified medical and mental doctor wrapped around his right arm, a white strap of cloth and a small, red cross emblazoned on it--the universal medical symbol.

Only recently had he required the assistance of another, having gotten along just fine on his own but one of his patients in particular had begun eating up a lot of his time and there were a great deal more patients complaining of stress or illness that had to be taken care of; that was where Henry Knight came in, whom Ezekiel was currently waiting on. He was punctual, Ezekiel knew that, so he never had to wait long before things were able to get started.

Already, though, there was a knock on the door and he would have to begin the day slightly earlier than usual. That suited him fine, though, if it was just one person he wouldn't really require any help, especially since it was the first patient that day.

"Come in, come in," he jovially greeted them as he opened the door, waiting for them to enter before closing it, "Please take a seat on the couch and get comfortable. I just need to fetch a pen and paper." This patient was new and he was certain his green hair wasn't looking very professional--that was always the immediate reaction to newcomers--but he hadn't had a patient that didn't come back yet, unless they were out of problems, so that had to say something about his bedside manner and work ethic.

He returned with the quested items and sat them on a reclining chair in front of the long sofa, the two pieces of furniture facing each other and separated by a clear glass coffee table. "Would you like anything to drink before we begin? There's ice water, milk, a bit of ale and lemonade," this was usually how he started every appointment, to try and get them to be a little more comfortable, at ease. Going to a new doctor was hard enough without them being uptight and rigid.

That imagery reminded him of a certain someone.  

[NeonMace432]

The woman sat across from Ezekiel's seat, distracting herself from his strange hair and unprofessional appearance. She knew she shouldn't "judge a book by its cover," like her mother had always said, but it was hard to do at a time like this. This guy apparently knew what he was doing, looking along his wall, but why wasn't he dressed for his job? Then again, he is a home doctor.

"N-no, thank you. I'm fine."


Not too much further. Luckily, the difference between Henry's place and Ezekiel's house wasn't much and it was definitely walkable. The sky was clear and the sun was bright, a great day for work. Maybe afterward he'd be able to go to the park or something.

He shouldered his bag as he rounded the corner to his employer's block. Henry stopped as he watched an older woman enter the house. Was he late? He pulled back his sleeve to look at his watch. He couldn't be late, he didn't have to be there for five more minutes. "Early birds..."

Knocking on the door before turning the knob, Henry smoothed his green and black hair back with his free hand. "Hey, Ezekiel. Sorry to interrupt... oh, hello, ma'am. He's getting ready, I take?" He disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, coming back out with a chair for himself. He pulled it up to the end of the glass table, sitting with his arms propped over the back of the seat. "You must be new. I'm Henry Knight," he made a mocking grimace at his surname, "but you can call me Henry. I'm the shrink's assistant."

Very informal introduction and more crazy hair. This must be a very laid back "office." At least this man's hair was slightly less eye-popping. The woman began wringing her wrists, hesitant to reply. "I-I'm Julie Reinolds. This is my first time here, yes."

"Very nice to meet you. I'm sure Ezekiel will be out in a few."  

[Snoofington]

Ezekiel heard his assistant enter, right on time, and poured another glass of water for his charge. She didn't want anything, but he had certainly been parched and he was sure Henry would be after the walk over.

Allowing his introduction, Ezekiel entered after the two had become vaguely acquainted and apologized to the woman for the wait, setting the two glasses down in front of himself and Henry before sitting down. Resting the writing pad in his lap, he flicked his wrist gracefully with the pen and began writing, "Miss Reinolds, my name is Doctor Sykes. As you can tell, we're a bit less than visually professional but I assure you we can help you. We do need to know, first, if your problem is medical or mental, and how major it is." Naturally, only an idiot would come to him with a major medical problem instead of going to a hospital or the apothecary located in the Aimes wilderness, and though she was unsure and stuttering, he doubted it was a dangerous procedure she was going to ask of him.

No, his bet was placed on mental, women usually came to him with worries of being over worked or unsure if their significant others were being faithful, perhaps terrible dreams they had been having, things of that nature. Or they could be like Alfons and have some neurosis that was only there to begin with because of their own social shortcomings. Either way, this would be good practice for Henry.

He scribbled down when she responded with, listening closely but watching his penmanship and only straightening his posture and looking her in the eye again when he was finished writing.  

[NeonMace432]

"I-it's nice to m-meet you, Mr. Sykes." Julie replied hesitantly, watching as the doctor handed Henry his glass of water. She then began pouring her heart out to the doctor and his assistant. Over-working, exhaustion, family problems... the list went on and on.

Henry listened intently as Julie explained her work and how hard it seemed her boss had been driving her. He knew she was here for help, but to him, she almost seemed to be a hypochondriac. Everything seemed to be wrong with her and it almost bugged him a little.

Scrutinizing wasn't his job, though. Helping others is.

Despite actually paying attention, Henry had a horrible habit of not taking down notes, which he sometimes would get a lecture over, but it was just how he listened. His mind was almost like a typewriter itself, and writing anything down would just distract him from listening.

Julie did find it rather odd that the boy wasn't writing, but it must have been normal since the doctor hadn't said anything against it.

"So, what do you think it is, doctor? Over-working...?"  

[Snoofington]

Ezekiel didn't respond right away, carrying on with his nodding and writing a few seconds after she had asked the question. He cleared his throat when finished, held his clipboard up and looked over what he had written thus far; she worked a respectable job but it didn't pay very well, it didn't help that she was a woman and they were always paid less, her husband seemed apathetic and inattentive, wrapped up in his own business but this merely sounded like he was having an affair to the doctor. The two children she had, vastly different in ages but still both very young, were apparently devil's spawn and the woman had no peace.

Being over-worked was only the start.

"I do recommend a vacation, Mrs. Reinolds, but not a conventional one..." he tapped his chin thoughtfully, leaning back in the chair which creaked loudly from the motion, "Your biggest problem seems to be that you don't speak up enough. You're not assertive because you don't want to feel like you're complaining so you keep all of your stress and worries bottled inside; you're passive aggressive, you see. If you keep it up, you'll explode, either in a fit of depression or rage."

Just the facts.

"I'm going to suggest that you ask your boss for about a week off, but get more if you can. Don't just stay at home in that time with the kids, though, but try to initiate spending some time with your husba--" a loud series of frantic knocks on the door interrupted Ezekiel and he stopped speaking, frowned, and then abruptly stood and went for the door.

Only one person could be that stupid to blindly interrupt a session, regardless of how early it was. Looking through the peephole, his suspicions were confirmed; Alfons. However, he wasn't alone... Beside him, much shorter, was someone covered in a cloak or sheet. His forehead met the wood of his door before he moved back and opened it.

"EZE--!"

"Before you say anything, I'm in the middle of a session. Go to the back room, I'll send Henry in with you." his eyes zeroed in on Alfons' companion rather than the blonde; it was hard to discern anything about its appearance due to the sheet, it was nearly covering the person's face and the shadow made seeing any features impossible, it was long enough so it dragged around their feet and they were holding it very tightly around themselves.

Alfons paused while stepping inside, double taking at Ezekiel, "Henry?" and then gazing around the room to see a woman and a man. His eyes widened with horror, teeth gritting so hard he felt they may crack. Hands grabbed onto the smaller form's shoulders roughly, directing it in front of himself and marching to the back hall as quickly as possible. In the process, the sheet kicked up and on top of the light brown carpeting padded two black paws, decidedly canine and large.

"Henry?" his boss waved for him to follow them, closing his eyes with furrowed irritation as Alfons slammed the door shut as loud as he could. "I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs. Reinolds, that was an... old associate of mine... I apologize."  

[NeonMace432]

Julie nodded as Ezekiel gave his explanation, listening attentively to his advice. The sudden ruckus at the door nearly made her jump from her skin as she clung to the couch. Once Ezekiel got up to answer the door, Henry stood to check if the woman was alright.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. This is the first anything like this has happened since I've been around. I assure you that this isn't regular..."

As the hushed conversations among the different people went on, Henry was interrupted by his boss. Apparently he was to take the newcomers into the other room. Then what? He could tell that this Alfons wasn't happy about being sent to the back with him. Not at all. The smaller of the two, though, did catch his eye. Was Alfons hiding a child under the sheet in this weather? Surely he or she must have been burning up...

"Right away, Ezekiel," he stood once more, motioning to the two in the doorway towards the other room, "this session will only last a few more minutes. Is there anything I can get for you? Snacks, a beverage...?" The last part of the question had obviously been directed at the small one being forced ahead.

Henry opened the door to the back room, allowing the two to enter before himself, shutting the door quickly behind them.

"My name is Henry Knight, you may just call me Henry. It's nice to meet you, mister Alfons and guest."  

[Snoofington]

Henry Knight?

Who the hell was this guy? Ezekiel had never mentioned him before and now all of a sudden he was there, apparently working for his doctor since they were examining a woman together, at least that was what the scene had looked like to him.

In the midst of the man speaking to the two of them, Alfons' companion was fidgeting and huffing, now behind the blond man. It was definitely hot and uncomfortable under the sheet and the wolf child wasn't keen on it in the slightest. He collapsed on the ground, rolling on his back as he tried to take it off but only succeeded in digging his claws through the white fabric--he was cocooned. The abrupt noise made Alfons jump away, back hitting the nearest wall, and the dark child's bright yellow eye peeked out from one of the holes, looking for Alfons but landing on Henry instead.

Surprise, confusion, and then caution; his brow furrowed and his motions became more erratic, slicing and tearing up the blanket with a blind fury he had only displayed the night before when killing that... thing.

"Stoppit!" Alfons yelled, finally aware of the situation and he dropped down to the ground, incapacitating the boy with his arms. He growled, snarled, and wheezed, labored breathing. The newspaper editor was terrified that if he didn't calm down, this beast child might kill this man and then rampage his way out of town.

With the pressure of the man's arms around him, the child stilled but remained defensive, teeth visibly gritted into a low snarl though no sound came forth besides his breathing, chest rising and falling as though he had just spent the last few minutes running a mile. Alfons' relief was overwhelming and he sighed, hunching over. The child didn't flinch, eyes locked on Henry. He didn't smell like a threat but he was new, different, and definitely not Alfons.

One couldn't be too careful.  

[NeonMace432]

Ripping. Snarling. What... had this man brought in?

Henry backed away slowly as the boy tore up the sheet and his guardian pinned him down. Was it an animal? Wait... animals, at least not the canine type, didn't stand on their hind legs... His interest peaked once the child had settled down, tattered sheets still wrapped around its small frame. Werewolf...?

Wait, wait, wait. Werewolves weren't real, they're just some monster made up for stories to give little kids when they misbehave or want to be told scary stories. This couldn't be real. Henry began to wonder if he had been hit by a vehicle and had been put in a coma or something. He shook the thought away, that wasn't likely. Then again, neither was what was in front of him.

It wasn't hard to tell that the child noticed him there.

Slowly raising both hands, palm outward, he tried to reassure the child; to let him know he wasn't going to harm him. "It's okay, little fella'... I won't hurt you," he said, slowly reaching a hand to help free him from the torn up sheet, stopping just before so that he could get approval from the boy, "can you speak?"

This was exciting. What if it could speak? He almost wished that he had known about this longer. Hopefully it was friendly. What was there not to like? A child and animal in one?  

[Snoofington]

Alfons was frightened and so was the boy; when Henry tried to reach over, the boy flinched and leaned back against his guardian, face still partially covered by the sheet but now both eyes were visible and some of his matted black hair peeked out.

"Can you speak?"

Definitely not.

Alfons tightened his arms slightly, repositioning before turning to Henry, "He can't," the man stated simply, "At least... I don't think he knows how." He certainly looked capable of speech with how humanoid he was, and he definitely had a set of working vocal chords so the only reason he wouldn't be able to was a lack of mental capacity, if such was the case.

The boy opened his mouth, leaning forward abruptly and snapping at the sheet still in front of his face, breaking the remaining fabric so his entire head was free. He shook off, wild hair going every which way, black ears twitching until they found a place they wouldn't be tickled. Lower, his feet continued to shift nervously, some blue fabric now visible--very loose pants--but his black paws were still unhidden, one of his most distinguishing traits.

"Look, this is why I needed to speak with Ezekiel, not some assistant," always the kind one, Alfons was, "Something happened a while ago and now I've got this kid...". The man paused, looking down at the wolf child who gently wriggled against his grasp, still seeming unsure of Henry.

"...He saved my life."

At the peak moment of sincerity, the door flew open again and Ezekiel stomped through with a look of anger he had never graced Henry with, "Good job, Alfons, I think you just lost us a continued customer. What the hell is wrong with you--" and then his eyes locked onto the highlight of everyone's day, the wolf child. The doctor pressed back against the door and slowly slid down to the floor, unable to articulate or even blink for a few moments.

"...What... is... that...?"

The boy responded with a withered growl, wriggling violently until he was positioned comfortably on his hands and knees and out of Alfons' grasp, shredded sheet barely on him any longer. All he had on him was the over sized blue pants, far too big for him and obviously a pair Alfons no longer wished to associate with.  

[NeonMace432]

As the child tried to move away, Henry pulled back his arm. It was obvious that despite his own intentions, the fact that the child was unfamiliar with him would make things difficult.

Just like a puppy.

The fact that he couldn't speak disappointed Henry, but there was a chance that the young pup would never be able to speak, given the fact that he was part canine. Alfons' attitude towards Henry hadn't fazed him, though he generally disliked any negative actions, he was too interested in the boy. Something about him made Henry just want to even pet him.

As Ezekiel made his entrance, his anger did catch Henry's attention. This was new. He'd never seen his boss act like this. Nor had he seen him fall apart like he was as he slid down the door. Even he didn't know what to make of the kid.

"Looks like a Werewolf, boss," he said with a slight smirk, reaching his hand for the small boy to sniff before trying at the rest of the sheet, "What's his name? If he has a name, at all..."

His curiosity and interest kept growing stronger. Alfons' disinterest in the child almost rubbed him the wrong way. Understandably, he might not be the most appealing child, but he's a child none-the-less.  

[Snoofington]

Ezekiel sputtered at Henry's response, staring at him with a look of utter insanity. A werewolf? Honestly? His eyes returned to Alfons, wary and confused, but the blond man had no answer for him, only a story that would come later. For now, he was too preoccupied with how the boy was going to deal with Henry constantly pushing himself closer. Could he not take a hint?

A name...

It hadn't crossed his mind, but no, the boy didn't have a name yet, not at all.

"I, uh... haven't had time..." the honest truth. Who would have time when you were being hunted down by some ravenous beast in the middle of the night and patching up a child's wounds that very morning? It had only been an hour or so since sunrise when Alfons had bandaged up the boy's leg. That was probably why he wasn't putting a lot of pressure on it and opting to stay on the floor rather than stand up again.

The boy was staring Henry down, watching his eyes, his hand, his proximity. There was no threat that he could smell but he was still so unsure. Thankfully, the new man entering the room wasn't trying to get attention from him, so he could relax, but he didn't seem very pleased with his guardian. When Henry had been paused, hand outstretched, for almost an entire minute, he finally leaned forward the slightest bit and sniffed.

There was no danger. No threat. No harm would come to them. He tentatively maneuvered himself to sitting more like a human, pant leg rolling up awkwardly due to its size and revealing the bandage on his wolfish ankle, the injury he had sustained while bursting forth from the bottle, being born and saving Alfons' life in the very same instant.

"Okay," Ezekiel sighed, leaning forward and resting his head in his hands so the rest of his words were muffled, "Please, explain this to me... What the hell is it... where did it come from... why did you bring it here?"

Alfons recalled Ezekiel's words from months ago, that he didn't have any other friends. It was true. "I don't know anyone else..." Dodge briefly came to mind but he would only blow it out of proportion and maybe try to write a story of the poor thing for the paper, Alfons couldn't abide that. "Do you remember when I came to you with that bottle? And then you stayed at my house for a week, and then we saw the bottle had eyes?"

At first, Ezekiel seemed annoyed, but when he got to the part about the bottle having eyes, his own lit up with understanding. "...You're not telling me--"

"Last night, a monster broke into my house. It... it was definitely from Deith Forest, it was one of the things Dodge and I saw fighting. Maybe not one of those specifically, but it was the same kind. It destroyed my house, and... the bottle," he was laughing now, "The bottle had been in my mattress. My mattress! I was sleeping on it the whole time... It... it exploded, or something, and the thing was killed. I went to check, and there he was... amidst broken glass." Alfons turned to look at the boy, then, who now seemed as enthralled with Henry as Henry was with him. Of course Henry was at a loss as to this story, he hadn't been present for any of it and likely wouldn't follow, but that was the boy's story of origin.

"I would have been killed, eaten, if it weren't for him."  

[NeonMace432]

Once he saw that the young pup was relaxed, Henry pulled back his hand and smiled. The little guy knew that he wasn't going to hurt him. He placed his hands on his knees and applied pressure, pushing himself up.

"Well..." he paused, thinking over his words carefully, "you are going to name him, right? I mean, the little guy saved your life!" He gave the child a wink as he propped himself against the wall. From the way the man talked, he wasn't about to get rid of the kid, despite how obvious it seemed that he disliked the boy.

Whatever this kid was, he was something special. Part of Henry wished that he could take the pup home, himself, but he knew that wasn't about to happen. If only he knew Alfons better, he'd be able to see the child every once in a while. Something told him that there was a slim chance that he'd ever see him again.

"So what do you think?"  

[Snoofington]

"Of course!" Defensive, gut reaction. "I just... um..." Alfons' bravado died there and he slumped forward, staring between Henry and the boy.

The Dust child looked back at the man he had saved, tail wagging slowly against the carpet. A name was essential; just like with Ferdinand, he couldn't keep calling him "he", "the boy" or other various and generic pronouns. No, he needed something his own, something one of a kind. A name that was strong and represented him well and exemplified his unwavering loyalty.

Alfons sat in silent for a few minutes, staring at his savior. When Ezekiel was certain that his brain had shut down, he opened his mouth and just barely uttered a vowel before his patient's hand was whipped in front of his face. A silent order for him to cease immediately.

"...Konstantin?"

A more excited tail wag confirmed it.

It was then Ezekiel's turn to have his brain shut down as he stopped moving at all, eyes wide. Alfons had smiled. "Konstantin?"

"Konstantin." More tail wagging.

Konstantin adjusted his position on the floor to keep his injured foot from getting too much pressure and looked back at Henry. He was the only one who hadn't said his name yet and he wanted to hear it. "...Kon..." his sharp teeth shown through in a pleased grin. Alfons could have fainted right there, Ezekiel pressed himself violently back up against the wall.  

[NeonMace432]

What?

He actually talked?

...the pup actually talked.

Excitement welled up inside Henry as a large grin spread across his face. He was here for, apparently, the kid's first word. And his naming, for that matter. How awesome was this? Proof that beast men actually existed! Henry wondered what else could be out there if this young boy was sitting in the same room and even speaking!

"Konstantin! That's a great name!" Kneeling down, again, Henry reached his hand out to the boy as if an invitation. "I think Kon's got the right idea, though. Great nickname!"

Regardless of whether or not the boy would offer it, Henry stood back up, leaving his hand outstretched for the boy. He smiled down at him, as if to prove that no harm would come of him.

The reactions from the other men in the room amused Henry, probably more than it should have. Hell, he probably should have been acting the same instead of being as excited as he was. He'd never seen Ezekiel react to anything the way he had seen him act today. First angry, and now it looked like he was going to blow chunks.

"Hey, Kon, do you think you can say my name? I'm Henry!"  

[Snoofington]

It wasn't quite that Ezekiel felt ill, but he felt his entire sense of self drowning in a sea of improbability. Of course strange things existed in the world, they weren't just stories, there was proof; monsters in the Deith Forest, centaurs and fairies in Whi, but one thing he had never counted on was being face to face with anything remotely similar to them, much less a beast child born from a bottle that Alfons plucked out from the most dangerous region in Amies.

"Good. Konstantin. Lovely," the doctor huffed as he got to his feet, clearing his throat. Why was Henry so enthusiastic and not bothered by this situation in the slightest? It was as though he had just found his Eden. Ezekiel took that moment to exit and fetch himself some water.

Alfons paid his departure no mind and neither did Konstantin, other than a passing glance. Henry was a far more interesting individual to the werechild but even as he took Henry's hand and stood, he glanced to Alfons for approval.

"Hey, Kon, do you think you can say my name? I'm Henry!"

He looked quizzically up at the man, tilting his head slightly. "Kon?" Too much, too soon, perhaps.

Beside him, Alfons strained. After nearly dying, just naming this boy had left him feeling... good natured. Happy, even. It was so odd for him, who constantly grumped about every little thing but seeing this beast child-- no, seeing Konstantin happy seemed to bring his own mood up. Such a strange feeling. "Go on, Konstantin. Go play with Henry," in the mean time, he would have a sit down with Ezekiel. As long as they didn't leave the house he would be fine.

"Kon," he said again, his voice having a sturdy sureness to it. Yes, they would play, just as Alfons wanted them to and it would be fun!