002: Ring ring, phone call for Mrs. Harvelle

[runboyrun]

Open because Stiles can't work the comm properly yet.

Uh... hey, is that Ellen?

[Behold Stiles' most charming smile. Which is actually pretty darned charming, considering how much practice it's gotten with getting him out of sticky situations.]

So, I was talking to a guy who said that talking to you would be a good place to start if I was looking into learning how not to get my ass kicked. Because not gonna lie, that would be useful information for me to have, considering my history.

I'm Stiles, by the way.

Comments

[justrunsasaloon]

[Ellen can't help a chuckle.]

No, probably not. Never met the man. I know the boys ran across a few pagan gods a couple of times.

[Probably not helpful.]

[runboyrun]

Great. Great. Everything evil is real and everything good is actually an asshole.

[He thunks his head into his hands. It's a lot to take on board, and it's feeling like a whole lot of bad news.]

[justrunsasaloon]

[She reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder.]

Disney, and a human need to find good in everything, changed all the old tales, where they were warnings, fables meant to teach, into things that are meant to make people feel safe and secure.

But.

[She taps his shoulder and then points around.]

There are ways to protect yourself. That's why you're here, right?

[runboyrun]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right.

[He offers up a wan little smile.]

[justrunsasaloon]

[She pats his shoulder.]

Don't worry. Come on.

[She grabs a piece of chalk out of the kit under the bar.]

Symbols first, then we'll work on your ability to decapitate things.

[Smirk. Now, she's messing with him.]

[runboyrun]

[He makes a little half-gag face, which is too exaggerated to be real, but the pale cast to his face is authentic.]

Or we can just stick with symbols and I can let my big, tough buddies do the decapitating...

[But the whole reason he's here is so that he doesn't have to rely on Derek and the rest of the Pack to keep him safe.]

[justrunsasaloon]

[Ellen stops. She looks at the boy and puts a hand on his shoulder.]

Stiles, if you step into this, it'll never be the same. there will always be that worry that this is something more than it seems, that it's supernatural and not mundane.

[She shakes her head.]

No one would think less of you if you stepped back and walked away. I sure as hell wouldn't.

[runboyrun]

[He looks back at her, and for a moment there's no pretense. He doesn't act like he's okay with this.]

A year and a half ago, a werewolf bit my best friend. Since then, I've seen people get bit, people go missing, and an honestly staggering body-count. I've lost people to this. Friends. People who didn't deserve it. And you know what? I'm in. People won't stop dying because I chicken out and go hide under my covers. But maybe if I get stronger, they just might.

...I don't want anyone to die because I was too stupid or clumsy to take care of myself.

[justrunsasaloon]

[Ellen knows that hunters get into the game young. But she hates it. Her baby girl had seen the harsh reality at a young age. Ellen wants to protect all of them.

Sighing, she pulls the boy into her arms.]

Not gonna lie, kid. You're gonna lose more. But maybe not as many as you have before.

[runboyrun]

[And Stiles... hugs back. It's nothing like being hugged by his mother - she's all muscle and smells like whiskey and gunpowder where his mother had smelt like lavender - but it's comfort nonetheless, and he basks in it.]

...Yeah, I'm starting to get that. But like I say, if I can stop at least some people dying - or at least make sure it's not because I'm tripping over my own feet...

[justrunsasaloon]

[She chuckles and pats his cheek.]

Son, you're twenty years and thousands of miles from stopping tripping over your own feet. Hell, I'm not sure I'm that old yet.

[She turns and opens the door to the living quarters that she and Jo have carved out of the back of the bar. There are jars and bottles of things. A few gallons of holy water line the walls. There's a line of salt to step over to get into the rooms.

Ellen walks past the shelves and pulls out a notebook she'd managed to find.]

Here, this has most of the warding symbols. I keep it around so that others can use it, maybe protect their friends.

[runboyrun]

[He stares unabashedly at all of the odds and ends, but he's at least smart enough not to touch. Which is largely due to the inevitable slapped wrists he got whenever he tried poking at something on Deaton's shelves.]

That... wow. How long did it take you to learn all these?

[justrunsasaloon]

[Ellen snorts, pulling out the rosaries she's put together. Give her time and she can put together symbols of most of the major religions. It's old habit.]

I grew up doing this. Learned how to make holy water when I was thirteen. Bullets when I was fifteen.

[She shrugs, and hands him the rosary. It's a simple thing of knotted twine, but it'll do the trick.]

I started learning about symbols when I was in pigtails. They were all over the house.

[runboyrun]

Wow.

[He looks at her with a whole new level of respect, taking the rosary and looping it over his head.]

Thanks. So... This isn't gonna be a summer class, is it? Sort of a lifetime of learning thing?

[justrunsasaloon]

[Ellen smiles just a bit sadly.]

There are things I don't know. Things that I'm just learning. If you'd asked me three years ago, about angels, I would have told you they didn't exist. Not in the hunting sense. Now? I know they're out there and not real fond of them.

[She shrugs.]

You stop learning, you die.

[runboyrun]

[He huffs a sigh.]

Yeah, I just- I'm totally on board with the lifetime of learning. You should've seen me when my bro got bit, I was a one-man Google machine. But I don't know if I'm gonna be here for a week, a month...

I wanna learn as much as I can, while I've got the chance, you know?

[justrunsasaloon]

Came to the right place. I'll teach you what I can. If you can't find me, then my daughter Jo will give you a hand.

[She wants to say the boys, but... well, Jo will have to be good enough.]

C'mon. Let's get started.

[runboyrun]

[His serious expression melts away, mouth twitching up into a grin.]

Please, let's.