Chapter 9: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
The dull light of morning streamed in through the metal blinds and struck against my eyelids. I groggily winced at the realization that I was awake.
'Urgh, morning already?' I griped in thought, the memories of last night still fuzzy.
My eyelids slowly opened, taking in the cramped space of the room. The room was brighter now that the dull sunlight was entering through the window, yet the ever choked skies smothered the sun's true radiance. Not that it mattered to me really... Lower LA was quite an eyesore for some, so perhaps the lack of sunlight was a blessing.
I smacked my lips together, tasting the awful morning breath that stuck to the inside of my mouth. I groaned sleepily, wiping my eyes as I shrugged the sheets off me. I was shirtless, wearing nothing but my dark cargo pants. My undershirt and stolen patched jacket were draped at the foot of the bed in which I lay.
The memories of last night began to resurface in my mind. I had entered in a partnership with a fairly domineering wolf girl, with an attitude the likes I'd never seen.
'Holo...' I thought, the image of the girl's smile flashing in my head. After entering in a partnership with her, I decided to crash here. However, I didn't get much sleep that night.
'…who even snores that loudly?!' I noted sourly before sighing.
Just what was I getting myself into?
I slowly rose from the scratchy sheets, stretching for the ceiling as I ascended. When I sat up I noticed the bed opposite me, it was a mess. I remembered it was the bed Holo had claimed.
'So she was up already?' I noted, beginning to crawl out of the bed.
I planted two feet on the floor, scanning the room for her, yet found no sign of the wolf anywhere. This was until I noticed the door to the room was ajar. My eyes widened with panic as the pieces began fitting together. What if someone saw her ears and tail?!
'Crap! How in god's name would I explain that to Nora?' I thought, picturing how the shepherdess would react to seeing a naked superhuman wolf girl waltzing around her shelter. I didn't want to find out.
Quickly grabbing my jacket and stuffing my arms through the sleeves. I was out the door, frantically looking up and down the hall, searching for any signs of the missing wolf.
"Where the hell did she run off to?" I hissed under my breath, beginning to walk towards the shelter's lobby.
"I see someone's up early, you're a heavy sleeper you know?" I heard a young woman tease from behind me.
I spun around to see Holo's fanged grin. I jumped from her sudden appearance, letting out a small gasp, much to the wolf's amusement.
'When the hell did she?!' I thought with fright.
"Jesus. Don't creep up on me like that!" I snapped.
Holo mealy giggled. "My apologies, if I knew you scared this easy, I wouldn't have dreamed of it." She mocked.
I glowered at her, before grabbing her roughly by the arm.
"Hey! What are you-"She protested, before I dragged her inside the room and slammed the door shut.
Holo pulled out of my grip once inside the room, a pouting frown marring her pretty face.
"What's with the temper? I didn't pit you as the irrational sort!" She wined, softly rubbing at her arm. I suspected she was hamming it up...
'Another one of her games...' I griped.
"I'm supposed to teach you about the outside world right? So you can survive it? Well here's Rule one. Don't go wandering off without me." I dictated sternly.
Holo's pout turned into a look of disbelief. "Are you seriously going to do this to me?" She groaned.
"Rule two. Don't stick out and make yourself a target for others." I continued, ignoring her complaints.
"A target for whom exactly?" She spat in annoyance.
"Anyone who'll be willing to take advantage of you. If you draw too much attention to yourself, you might end up back in that lab at Wheaten… or worse."
Holo's pout quickly fell, her white tipped ears falling flat against her head. I felt a little bad for bringing it up like this, but it had to be said. It was the truth after all, whether she realized it or not.
"Then how should I blend in exactly?" She sighed, glancing her gaze away from me.
I stroked the graying hairs of my chin for a moment, my eyes tracing Holo's soft supple body. The room's subtle lighting highlighted her slender figure, and caught her hair just so to appear like cascading strands of gold. She looked warm in the light. Inviting.
I coughed as I tore my gaze away from her, switching to stare at the corner of the room.
"I guess clothes would be the first thing." I stated, trying to think rationally.
Her ears perked back up at this. "Clothes?" She repeated, beginning to eye her naked body up and down.
"Yes, I think Nora has a couple spare garments she leaves for the poor. I'll see if I can borrow a few in your size." I explained, beginning to eye her figure once again, purely to estimate her size. As my silver eyes ran up and down her figure, it finally twigged in my mind.
"Hey... where are your bandages?" I asked, a little surprised.
Holo blinked, before stroking the areas of her skin that were once bandaged, now completely healed.
"Oh, those? I tore them off, they were itching" She replied nonchalantly, and I began to wonder where she had dumped her bandages.
"But your wounds? They're healed?" I muttered in astonishment.
Holo shot me a dazzling smile. "Oh those were nothing, believe me when I say that I've recovered from far worse." She replied in a light tone of voice.
'I guess she's more superhuman than I thought.' I noted in my head,
"Like what?" I blurted aloud.
She glanced away, "Perhaps... we'll leave that for another time..." She muttered, before snapping her gaze back to me.
"In any case, weren't you bringing me clothing?" She said in a somewhat aggravated tone.
"Er... right." I replied, beginning to head for the room door.
"I won't be too long, just stay here and wait for me ok?" I asked, expecting her compliance.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you say." Holo groaned, waving me off with a hand.
I glowered at her. "And Rule three. Don't touch anything." I added flatly, opening the door.
"Are you quite finished?" She huffed, clearly irritated by my nagging.
I sighed, as I exited the room and shut the door behind me with a soft thud. I stood alone in the hallway, listening to the soft sounds of footsteps below me. I headed towards the staircase, intent on searching for the clothing I had promised Holo. As I turned to move down the staircase, my path was suddenly blocked by a pair of concerned dark brown eyes. I flinched in surprise as Nora gasped.
"Lawrence!? You startled me." She exclaimed, somewhat breathless.
I quickly recovered myself. "Morning Nora. Sorry, I didn't know you were there." I apologized rubbing the back of my neck.
Nora smiled at me. "Its fine, I didn't hear you come in last night. So I was coming to see whether you made it back."
I felt a slight redness bloom in my cheeks. "You were... checking up on me?" I uttered in surprise.
Nora nodded sheepishly. "Yes... Sorry, did I offend? I didn't mean to." She admited timidly and I felt my heart beginning to melt.
"No! No, it's fine. Just... unexpected is all." I chuckled awkwardly, feeling pretty touched by the shepherdess' concern for me.
Nora sighed in relief. "That's good. So, to clarify. You will be staying here then?" She asked.
"I said I would. Didn't I?" I grinned with a shrug, holding myself to my agreement.
Nora beamed. "In that case, there's a few small things I wouldn't mind your help with around here.
Would... would you be so kind?" She pleaded, putting on the most uncanny puppy dog eyes I'd ever seen.
My mouth sprang into action. "Of course, it would be my pleasure."I said with
a grin, realizing only far too late.
'Dammit' I thought, 'how the hell does she do it?'
"Fantastic! I really do appreciate the favor Lawrence." Nora trilled happily, softly clapping her hands together.
I was quick to respond. "Well, could we do a favor for a favor?" I asked.
Nora blinked, her face beginning to fall. "What kind of favor?" She asked.
"Well, I'm looking for a spare set of clothing for the girl I brought to you last night, I don't think she has any clothes of her own. Do you think you could help me out?" I asked with the most innocent smile I could manage.
Nora nodded. "Of course, I was actually going to bring her a few sets of clothes myself, I tend to keep the shelter stocked with old clothing and blankets. It'd be no trouble." Nora said warmly.
"Whatever you've got would be great." I replied with a smile of gratitude.
"Um, do you know her size at all?" Nora queried.
I stroked by beard in thought. "Size eight maybe? Honestly I'm not that sure."
Nora shrugged. "I can get a couple of sizes and see what fits best." She suggested, pivoting on her
heal and descending down the flight of stairs.
"I'll be back in a second." She called over her shoulder as she disappeared somewhere on the lobby floor.
I moved over to lean on the railings, looking down on the lobby floor. I watched as two men, dressed in haggard clothing and carrying large rucksacks leave a single room key on the lobby desk. They shuffled over to the large wooden door of the shelter, opening the door with a loud creek. One of the tattered men turned back to give the lobby a final look, before stepping out onto the street and closing the door behind him. Leaving without saying a word. There was something in the men's eyes as they left, it was a glimmer, a small spark. It was something that they had been gifted with during their stay here in the shelter. It was hope.
My gaze lingered upon the door for a little while longer, wondering if they'd ever make it back to the shelter... or if fate had something else in store for them. I began to descend the flight of stairs myself, the wooden steps creaking loudly underfoot. As I crossed the last step, I realized that Enek had taken up his usual post of guarding the lobby, always keeping a close eye on things. The automaton's gaze was now upon me, wagging his tail as I approached him.
"Hey Enek, see anything unusual?" I asked him, some strange part of me expecting a reply.
The dog like machine continued wagging its tail, his visual sensors recognizing my familiar face. I left the dog to his ever vigilant watch, wandering aimlessly around the lobby as Nora returned, a bundle of clothing folded neatly in her arms.
"Alright, I think this should be enough. She was staying in room twenty five wasn't she?" Nora inquired, a small smile gracing her lips. I figured she was just happy to help out.
I returned a smile that paled hers in comparison. "Yeah, I'll get them to her right away." I replied, moving in to take the bundle off the young shepherdess.
Nora pulled away, skeptically raising her brow. "No, it's quite alright, I can take them to her myself." She stated firmly.
I felt a small flush of panic as Nora began heading for the stairs. I had to think of a viable excuse, I couldn't let Nora see Holo for what she really was. I have no idea how she would react.
"Don't you need to get back to running the shelter? You don't have to trouble yourself on this." I exclaimed hastily while following her up the stairs.
Nora shot me a glance as she moved up the stairs. "It's no trouble." She replied curtly, reaching the top.
'Shit, shit, shit, shit!' I seethed in my head while I quickly covered the distance between me and her.
Ducking underneath her I managed to get ahead of Nora, blocking her path.
Nora was startled at first, but her face quickly fell to a look of confusion.
"Lawrence? What's the matter with you?" She asked, concern wavering in her voice.
I put my arm up across the hallway.
"I... um..." I stammered, glancing over my shoulder to room twenty five.
"Holo." I stated evenly, beginning to formulate a plan.
Nora's mouth dropped slightly in confusion.
"I'm... sorry?" she muttered, raising her brow.
"That's... that's her name Holo." I explained a little unnerved. Worried that I might not convince her.
"I thought you didn't know her name?" Nora accused, beginning to suspect something.
"Well, that's the thing. When I returned to the shelter last night she approached me and we started to talk. Although she didn't remember much that had happened to her, she did remember her name." I explained.
Nora's expression turned to a look of realization.
"Oh I see, the poor girl." She muttered with concern.
I nodded. "She seemed very shy around new people, I don't know what could have happened to her. Perhaps I should bring her the clothing instead, given that we're already acquainted. I think it would be easier on her." I said with the best look of worry I could muster.
Nora glanced down at the clothing. "Well... I wouldn't want to cause her any distress." She muttered.
"I'm sure you don't, which is why I'll simply give them to her and nothing more. Honest." I said softly, hoping that it would be enough to convince her.
Nora continued to stare at the bundled clothing a little longer before she handed them over to me with a sigh.
"Alright Lawrence, but just give them to her. And make sure you keep your eyes shut." Nora scolded, a flush of red creeping across her cheeks.
I chuckled nervously, "I will, don't worry about it." I said as Nora turned to leave.
"Once you're done with that, could you come down to the laundry? I could really use your help." She cooed innocently, putting on the puppy dog eyes once again.
"Yeah, no problems." I replied with mirth, before the realization set in.
"Thanks Lawrence, I appreciate it." Nora giggled before rushing down the stairs.
I let out a heavy drawn out sigh as I stood alone in the hallway, the old bundled clothes bunched tightly in my arms. Slowly I made my way to room twenty five and with much difficulty, I shifted the clothes over to my left arm. I went to knock against the wooden door when is suddenly flung wide open.
I blinked in shock as a delicate hand grabbed me by the jacket and pulled me inside. I exclaimed as I stumbled forward, taken completely by surprise by the mischievous wolf girl. I caught myself before I collapsed on the floor, spinning myself round to see Holo closing the door behind us.
"What the hell was that for?!" I hissed.
Holo chuckled to herself. "Honestly, a man like you falling for the charms of a woman like her. It's rather amusing." She stated with a smug grin, deflecting the question.
"W-what are you talking about" I stuttered, trying to blow her off.
"That shepherdess, Nora was it? She has you completely under her spell." She chuckled dryly.
I tore my gaze away from her, a small flush of embarrassment beginning to form.
"It's not like that." I muttered.
Holo smirked at me, reaching up to touch her white tipped ears.
"These ears tell me otherwise." She giggled.
I clenched my teeth, before throwing the bundle of clothing at her. The wolf jumped in surprise as the mass of clothing hit her squarely in the face, showering her with garments.
"Nora saved my life, I owe her a debt I doubt I can ever repay. That's why I'm willing to help her out." I sneered at the wolf, angered by her cocky arrogance.
Holo pulled the clothing off her face, looking down at an old smock with sickly distaste.
"What… are these?" Holo muttered, an appalled look crossing her features.
"They're the clothes I borrowed from Nora." I explained, confused by her reaction.
Holo reached for her nose before clasping her hand firmly down upon it, her luscious tail going rigid.
"They reek." She gagged.
An amused smirk tugged at my mouth and I had to hold in a sadistic chuckle. "Well you're going to have to wear them whether you like it or not." I teased, folding my arms.
Holo's ears fell flat against her head, a pleading look beginning to cross her features.
"Do I have to?" She begged softly, a small pout upon her lips.
My eyes became steely as I spoke. "What was rule two?" I muttered.
Holo glared at me. "Cad." She griped.
I finally convinced Holo to pick out a set of clothes for her to wear. She went with the ones that didn't cause her nose to wrinkle too much. After struggling with a baggy cotton nightgown for a short while, Holo was now fully clothed.
"Well…" the young wolf girl asked, spinning around.
I was finishing up getting dressed myself, refitting my black boots and redressed in my undershirt and patchwork jacket. "Well what?" I griped, slowly looking up at her.
"… How… do I look?" She asked, sounding a little self-conscious.
I eyed her up and down. She wore an old white night gown that ran down to her bare feet, and had enough breath to hide her tail from view. Beneath the cottony material was a pair of shorts, I had suggested she wear those for modesty reasons.
I gave her a small smile. "Respectable." I stated, before looking at her ears.
"Although…" I muttered, before moving over to where my hooded jacket lay, picking it up and tossing it to Holo.
"Here, put this on over the top." I said, watching as she stared at the jacket for a moment before slowly fitting her arms through the sleeves.
I moved over to her, the discarded clothes now re-bundled in one of my arms. With a steady hand I reached for my jacket's hood and pulled it over Holo's head, covering her wolf ears perfectly.
"There." I stated with a satisfied grin. "I think you'll be able to pass yourself off as an average human." I joked.
Holo shot back a small smile. "So long as I hide my ears and tail you mean." She replied curtly.
I rubbed the back of my head.
"Heh, yeah. I think you get the gist of it." I muttered, beginning to head back towards the room door.
"Anyway, you just stay here for now, I won't be too far." I explained, intent on returning the unused clothes to Nora. If I waited too long, I'm sure she'd grow suspicious and start looking for me.
Holo scowled at me. "Absolutely not." She retorted, annoyance clear in her tone of voice.
"Wh-what?" I stammered, somewhat surprised by her sudden outburst.
"I wish to go with you. What better way to assess this Nora character then meeting her first hand?" She explained with a small smile.
I rubbed the back of my head once again, unsure if it was a good idea.
Holo's face quickly fell to a timid pout, her eyes seemingly growing to the size of dinner plates.
"O-or do you t-think, that my s-shyness would get the better of me?" She stammered.
I flinched at her sudden change in disposition, to which a wolf like grin appeared on her lips.
"Honestly…" she mocked.
"Heh, heard that did you?" I chuckled awkwardly.
"Do not underestimate me Kraft Lawrence. I could very easily take advantage of you." She said with a seductive wink. I felt my face turn red and my eyes widened with shock, deeply flustered by her words. Holo's face fell quickly.
"I merely jest." She added flatly.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Alright fine, but you better not stray too far." I grumbled.
Holo danced over to me and leaned in. "Yes, yes, I understand. You and those petty rules of yours." She giggled.
I sighed again. 'God, I hope I don't regret this...' I moaned in my head.
We ventured out into the hallway, I took the lead while Holo followed behind. Moving through the hall and down the stairs without any trouble. I figured the other guests were still sleeping. Upon entering the lobby, Enek watched us with great interest. His eyes gleamed as he stared at Holo, his nose twitching as he picked up her scent.
"Tch…" Holo uttered, staring back at the black and white automaton. I was quick to hurry her along.
We began walking down another hallway that connected to the lobby. The wallpaper was in no better condition than the hall upstairs. As we walked, Holo's ears would often perk up upon hearing a noise, causing the fabric of her hood to ruffle softly. We rounded a bend and were halted by a flaking wooden door. I pushed it open with a creek to reveal a rather small laundry. Inside were two washing machines, both rather old models and hooked up to a large drainage pipe that ran through the concrete floor, large washing baskets filled with damp clothing were scattered throughout the room. In the center stood Nora, neatly sorting through the piles of clothing and separating them into various sections. She turned around upon hearing the two of us enter.
"Ah Lawrence, glad that you ca-" She cut herself off when she realized Holo had accompanied me.
Her look of realization quickly turned to a kindly smile.
"Miss Holo, was it? I hoped you slept well. I'm Nora, the shepherdess that runs the shelter here. Umm... we met last night if you remember." The young blonde said warmly, moving towards us with a basket of clothing in hand.
My gaze flicked to Holo, and beneath her hood I spied the corner of her lip curl up in a tiny smile.
"Yes, thank you for taking me in on such short notice. I am in your debt" She replied with a refined tone, sounding like some sort of aristocrat.
Nora reeled back slightly, surprised by Holo's response.
"O-oh, it's no trouble, I'm always happy to take in those in need." Nora stammered, her grip on the basket tightening as her cheeks began to flush.
Holo giggled. "You certainly are a kind and humble shepherdess, you must be quite proud of your dedication." She cooed with a sly grin.
I narrowed my eyes at the wolf. 'Is Holo… taunting her?' I thought, beginning to tire of the wolf's antics.
"N-not at a-all… I um… I work in the grace of god, I have no need for pride." Nora replied, squirming under the wolf's gaze.
"Oh? But running this shelter all by yourself, and at such a young age no less. Surely you must feel some self-gratification." The wolf mused, her gaze alight with a wild animalistic glow.
Nora's eyes widened as she stared at Holo in utter disbelief. I decided to intervene between the two, to prevent any further escalation.
"So, Nora. You had something you needed help with?" I asked with a slight cough.
Nora blinked before turning her attention to me, she looked as if she were emerging from a trance.
"Huh? Oh, yes. I need those clothes to be hung out to dry." She explained, nodding her head at a couple of large baskets lying upon the concrete floor.
I gave her a soft smile. "Alright, just these two?" I asked, reaching down to pick up one of the white baskets.
"Yes, thanks Lawrence I really appreciate it." She smiled in response.
Holo then jumped in with a snickering grin. "I shall assist as well, it's the least I could do to repay your kindness." She said, glancing up at Nora.
The blonde shepherdess paused for a moment before speaking. "… Alright, thank you."
Before Holo could open her mouth again I hurried her out the door as quickly as I could, while Nora attended to the rest of the unwashed clothes. The both of us carried a basket each as we walked through the shelter, heading up the stairs to the second floor and down the corridor. At the very far end was another stairwell, this one leading up to the rooftop. We began our ascent.
"Okay, what the hell were you playing at back there?!" I snapped at her once we were out of earshot.
Holo blinked. "Why? Whatever do you mean?" She cooed innocently.
I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean. You were deliberately baiting Nora, weren't you?" I growled.
"My, my, aren't you a protective one." She chuckled with amusement.
"Quit messing around. You've got some nerve acting like that!" I grumbled.
"And you a short temper." She shot back with a giggle.
I gritted my teeth and dug my nails into the basket. Holo slipping under my skin as easily as a needle.
Holo smirked at my reaction before letting out a sigh.
"Honestly, you are such an easy mark." She muttered.
"But to answer your question, I was merely testing her boundaries, nothing more." She continued calmly.
My anger began to dissipate as I glanced over to her.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Holo's gaze shifted to me as a small smile tugged at her lips. "You were wondering how she manages to corner you into running her errands. Were you not?" She replied with the slightest bit of mirth.
My eyes widened. "How did you-" I was cut off as the wolf girl continued.
"I said I wanted to assess her… well, my ears detected nothing but the deepest sincerity in her words. She possesses a very earnest and humble soul, one that compels a man like you to see her smile. That is why you assist her, no?" She said in an almost hypnotic voice that seemed to deaden the rest of my senses.
I stared dumbly at her, utterly speechless. I had never thought of looking at it that way, but when I thought about it. I was indeed dazzled by Nora's smile, it was almost always the first thing I noticed about her…
'Could that be it?' I pondered with a frown.
After a long moment of silence Holo spoke up once again.
"You don't have to answer..." She muttered before adding. "She is easily intimidated however, you'd do well to look out for her." She mused with a small smirk as we reached the top of the stairwell.
I let out a sigh of defeat, before a small helpless smile danced its way across my features.
Before us was a heavy metal door that led up onto the roof. I strained with the basket in my hands to open the door, while Holo watched in amusement. I finally opened the door as it let out a long drawn out screech. We stood on a narrow concrete roof, Staring up at the surrounding high rise buildings of Sector Five and the smog choked skies that loomed above. The roof of the shelter was fairly barren, save from a few air ventilation ducts and a long washing line that spanned the length of the roof.
In a short while I began pegging up the damp clothes as Holo sat upon one of the ducts, swinging her legs gently below her as she stared up at the high rise and mega structures that surrounded us.
A silence had been lingering between us for some time. I decided to break it, hoping it would make the time go faster.
"So… what you did back there? How did you learn to read people like that?" I asked, continuing to peg the clothes upon the line.
Holo turned her head, a little surprised by the sudden conversation.
"Oh, that? When I was isolated, I'd listen to those who kept me contained. Despite my feelings of hatred towards them, I knew I was surrounded by intelligent minds. Whether it was small talk or an ethical debate, they'd often provide an interesting insight, no matter the subject. I guess, I just picked it up from studying them for so long." She said with a shrug.
My silver eyes locked with hers. "So, none of them knew you were listening? No one spoke to you directly?" I asked, distracted from the task at hand.
Holo went back to staring up at the concrete and glass that pressed down around her.
"There was one… she was kinder then the others. When we were alone, she'd talk to me… nothing special, just talk." She said, seemingly a thousand miles away.
I listened in silence as she continued talking, never breaking her stare from the grey skyline.
"At first I hated it, I wanted to tear her throat out. Just to shut her up. But as she talked, the more I found out about her. Her dreams, her passions, her fears…everything. In turn… I grew fond of her. She was possibly the closest thing I could have considered a friend." She muttered with a small smile.
"What was her name?" I asked softly.
Holo turned to face me, her eyes locking with mine. "Her name was Marlene… Marlene Crosswire." She replied and my eyes widened, remembering the dark haired lab assistant that was ruthlessly gunned down before me.
"I hope she fairs well…" I heard Holo mutter, staring off into the distance once again.