introductory mingle: SAMPREMI

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Sampremi Celebration
when: March 8th - March 15th
where: In several different locations in the downtown area of the Inhabited City.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

sampremi celebration

In the days leading up to March 8th, new residents may notice advertising around the city, everywhere from digital screens to paper flyers pasted on blank walls, featuring the name of the spring holiday in celebration of new beginnings, new love, and lust: Sampremi. The advertising mentions that there will be street festivals set up at various locations throughout the week and lists where the market will be set up on each day.

street market

The main draw of the holiday is a roaming street market that features special treats and street food that can only be found during Sampremi, a bustling bargain market with any kind of goods you can think of, and fair games that allow a person to win a prize for that special someone.

i. street food

One of the major draws of the festival is the special street food that can only be obtained this time of year. Almost everything you can buy at the Sampremi Festival is meant to be shared - whether it's one piece of meat on two sticks or desserts baked with a narrow part in the middle for convenient tearing, everything is built in twos. The stalls sell everything from cups of soup, sandwiches, roasted or fried meat, deep-fried vegetables and cakes, dumplings, donuts, bagels, turnovers, and anything else you can think of.

Many of the savory dishes are based on the meat of a particular fowl native to the moon Riverview is situated on that has a taste and texture halfway between chicken and duck, cooked to be spicy (ranging from very mild to throat-burning). Many of the desserts are based around a fruit native to the moon that is spherical, red-orange, and has a light sweet taste that is similar to a combination of mango, pineapple, and strawberry. Both ingredients are considered to be aphrodisiacs. Of course, the foods aren't actually aphrodisiacs and any effect is purely placebo.

ii. fair games

The festival features an entire row of fair games ranging from very high-tech games featuring virtual reality and neon holograms to extremely old-fashioned games with darts and balloons or balls and glasses. The games all have prizes in various shapes and sizes, with the standard stuffed animals, but also with goods and special items donated by any business in the city; ranging from tiny prizes to huge and expensive ones.

Due to the nature of the holiday, many of the stalls are set up to cater to winning a prize for your partner, and due to the nature of the Quarantine, a lot of them involve aiming or other aspects of pretending to fight.

iii. shopping

Originally, the part of the street festival that involved an actual market, with stalls and booths set up with goods, was aimed primarily at romantic trinkets like flowers or jewelry, gifts intended to be purchased for a loved one. As time has gone by, however, this aspect of the market has increased, with many businesses participating, though the emphasis is still on small businesses and anything relating to local culture rather than booths for any of the larger more corporate businesses.

There is still plenty of jewelry to be found, for sure, mostly handmade and artisan, but the scope of the Market has widened immeasurably. The Sampremi Market is an excellent place to find specialty foods, clothing, jewelry, art, or other goods that were originally native to cultures on other planets in this reality, or other realities altogether. Many residents in the city use the market to share their unique cultural goods and traditional dress with others.

iv. adult

In a side alley of the Sampremi Market on any day, one can find an area roped off with a red silken cord, attended by members of the Perimeter Guard in casual dress who will ID anyone entering to make sure they are 18+. Once characters are permitted entry, they will find all of the adult offerings that the market has to offer.

Since Sampremi is, historically, a celebration of lust and physical love, the adult offerings are all set up to cater to two or more people of any sex or gender configuration. One can find an adult or sexualized version of almost anything that's featured in the main market, from fair games to adult goods to street food laced with actual aphrodisiacs (there are always warnings for food spiked in this way to avoid accidental consumption).

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to set up headers for a communal floor, or threads open to roommates for the purpose of getting to know each other. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set at the Sampremi Festival, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit (left to right): Theo Prins, andreasrocha @ tumblr, hrormir @ deviantart, nkabuto @ deviantart

navigation

Comments

[rouxgaroux]

The relief he feels at being recognized, at being known, is a palpable thing. Derek knows who he is and right now that's everything he needed. The friendship and bond they'd formed in the Complex is important to him. Alcide doesn't usually get along with other wolves. Derek isn't like the other wolves he's known. He excepts the hug, clapping Derek on the back a few times before pulling back and looking him over to make sure he's okay.

Unlike Derek, Alcide had tried and tried to use his abilities, to keep them sharp. That's why it's so easy to fall back into them now, scenting wounds or any kind of trouble with his friend. Right now, all seems well between the both of them and he's thankful for that.

"You too." He admits, although it feels like an understatement in a way. It is damn good to see Derek. It was also necessary. Alcide shakes his head, looking down to the floor for a moment and back up to Derek. "Buffy and Zee aren't here. Haven't seen Katniss or Prim either. Just you. You're the first." But seeing Derek does give him renewed hope that the others might get here, maybe are here now, or eventually will be. "I'm on the fifth floor, some huge communal room with a bunch of strangers. Where'd they put you?"

[duelo]

Derek smirks a little, realizing how heavily they're both understating their relief at finding one another. In the Complex, one was only as strong as the people with whom one surrounded one's self. Not having Alcide, Buffy, and Katniss here had taken more of a toll than he's going to admit and he can only assume that Alcide feels the same way. One thing they've learned about one another is how quickly they grow attached to the people that matter to them.

The smirk falls away again, though, with disappointment when Alcide goes on. Zatanna hadn't really mattered much to Derek beyond the fact that she meant something to Alcide, but he's upset to hear that Buffy and Katniss may not be here. And, by extension of the latter, Prim. His brow creases a little and he looks back at Alcide. "You think this is where people end up, really, when they get arrested? Because I don't know about you, but I remember getting hauled out of bed but that's kind of the last thing I remember."

Maybe if Alcide was arrested for treason as well, then they've found a common thread. Knowing the girls, they won't have to wait long for them to show up if committing and being caught for committing treason in the Complex will get them sent here. Everything is treason in Alpha Complex, but Katniss and Zatanna, at least, had exactly no fucks to give about it and without Derek and Alcide, Buffy was sure to lose it looking for them. Prim might be the only one safe from it, but maybe not even then just by virtue of being Katniss's sister and, therefore, an assumed accomplice. If this is where treasonous "clones" go, then it's only a matter of time and they'll all be back together again, anyway. Right?

"Same thing for me, except I'm on the first floor. There's a little girl on my floor; can't be more than twelve or thirteen years old. So there's more to it than just the Complex. I don't remember seeing anyone in there any younger than Prim and Zee," he says, frowning.

[rouxgaroux]

"If it is, we should've gotten ourselves arrested a long time ago." The joke is well intended but it falls just a little bit flatter than it should given the lack of others of their makeshift pack. He would give anything to have Zee and Buffy here with them. And because he cares about Derek and had started getting close to Prim, he would give anything to have Katniss and Prim here too. He hadn't really had a chance to get that close to Katniss, but for Derek, he wishes it.

Finally, Alcide shakes his head. "Nah, I think this is something completely different. No indication that this is anything to do with the Complex." No bots. No Computer. No sign of the protests and rebellions targeted at them for simply existing. And...

"And I have my wolf. You have yours too." Alcide can feel it. They have their wolves and all that goes with it. "Don't think for a second the Computer would've given us that." No, this is something completely different. The more Alcide thinks about it, the more sure of it he is.

"Man, my room is filled with people who already know each other from wherever they're from except for two or three of us." Meaning he's outnumbered and he feels it. "It's uncomfortable as hell." That's Alcide, being completely honest as always. He's trying to get to know them though... so that's something. "I was just thinking about finding a way to get rid of this jumpsuit. You wanna come with?"

[duelo]

Laughing a little, Derek cocks his eyebrows and clears his throat. "Yeah, no shit," he agrees. But Alcide does have a point, he realizes a little belatedly. Why would they have back the wolves if this is what being arrested in the Complex is? Wouldn't they just keep those parts of he and Alcide repressed? What had their reasoning been, anyway? Besides, like Alcide pointed out, they're clearly not in the Complex. For one, they're able to go outside into the fresh air. Not something they could've accomplished in the Complex. Derek isn't even sure there was an outside, back there.

"Yeah, I do...and that's a good point. If they would've, I can't figure out what might've made them, anyway. First couple of days was a bitch, by the way. Sometimes I still feel like my ears are ringing. I forgot how loud everything can be, man. I got rusty. Three weeks and I got rusty...that's just lazy on my part," he says with a frown.

"Mine is just a bunch of people; I don't think most of them know each other and I sure as hell don't know any of them. There's a little kid in mine. She can't be maybe twelve, thirteen years old at most. And she doesn't stay there all that often. I wonder if we'd get in trouble if we just...moved. You know? To another room. Or rooms. It's not like there's clearance levels here, as far as I can tell. Which, you know, means that I just look like I broke out of prison or something," he groans. "So yeah, I'm absolutely in. The sooner I can get real clothes on, the better."

He starts to move toward the exit and realizes he doesn't actually know where they should go. The things he'd seen at the celebration were a little more...loud...than the types of clothes Derek prefers to wear. "What I wouldn't give for one of my Henleys and a pair of jeans right now, holy shit," he mutters to Alcide as they make their way back outside. "...hey...did you say, before, that you could—" Derek pauses as they're passed in the hallway and waits a few seconds until he's sure they're not being overheard before he lowers his voice to continue, "—did you say that you could go full wolf when you transition? And you can control when you do it?" he asks, lifting his eyebrows with interest. They talked about it when they first got to know one another, so he can't remember. "Because if you can, why don't we just go sleep in the damn woods?" They could have each other's backs and be off on their own. Seems like a win to Derek.

[rouxgaroux]

"Yeah, was like sensory overload." In the very literal sense of the words. At first it had been overwhelming if just because he'd started to forget what having all the 'extras' of being a wolf felt like. He never quit trying though, and maybe that's what made him adjust so quickly. He'd always been trying. "But it's easy to fix. Comes natural." He knows Derek knows this, but he's trying to show support, camaraderie, etc.

Kids are here. That's a revelation, Alcide realizes. This place can't be all that bad if kids are here and he realizes now that he's seen a couple of them. Why the existence of kids seems to take the edge off of the place, at least in an immediate sense, he isn't sure, but he does.

"Man, I don't really care if it's allowed or not. If you're game then so am I." His one conversation with one of his roommates had left him with more questions than answers. And the fact that the group of them knew each other and were 'saving the world' together back home - well, yeah he isn't so sure about all that. He feels on the outside looking in, which is par for the course with him back home. That hadn't been the case in Alpha though, with Derek and Buffy and Zee, and he prefers that.

As they walk, Alcide listens and nods, the idea so damn appealing he can taste it. "Yeah, there's nothin' but full wolf for me. No in-between. And I could do it anytime. Screw this place. We'll go after we find some decent clothes." Alcide pauses and asks someone passing by. That person doesn't know. He stops another then asks again. They give him some directions that he takes in with a nod then returns to Derek. "I know where to go. This way."

[duelo]

There are no other words for the sensation, really, so Derek just gives Alcide a sage nod of understanding. Sensory overload, quite and painfully literally, yes. "Thankfully," he agrees. "I'm not going to lie, I'm a little worried about the next full moon, though. I only missed one, but sometimes that's enough to make a guy forget to find his anchor. ...what's it like for you on the full moon?" he asks. It's important, because...well. If Alcide can keep his cool on the full moon and stay in complete control of himself, Derek might actually need a little help this first one, just to be safe.

"Hell yeah, I'm game," Derek replies. Anything that allows them some semblance of freedom after nearly a month of having nothing but oppression? Derek is on board for that. Hearing Alcide agree that he'd be just as happy to stay out in the woods is a relief. "I can go half, but I'd rather obviously go full if we're going to do that. It'd be a nice change, being outside and surrounded by woodland creatures over people we don't know," he laughs.

Derek's quiet as he waits for Alcide to ask directions and once the other man has them, Derek is ready when he is. "Perfect. Not that I'm going to be able to keep them on if we're going out there, but it doesn't hurt to take them along. ...you know, honestly, it might be more than a little cathartic to shift while I'm wearing this stupid ass jumpsuit, seeing as how when I shift back, it'll be lost to the ether. No better way to shake off the Complex than that, right?" he asks, only half-joking.

They walk together toward the town and Derek's quiet for a moment, still taking everything in. When he does speak again, it's quietly. "...you know Buffy, Zee, and Katniss's scents?" he asks, looking a little embarrassed. "Because I don't. I couldn't...it...I don't know, I couldn't keep them when I tried to memorize them. It's like they just didn't stick." If one of them has the women's scents, though, then maybe all is not lost and they can find them. They've got to be here somewhere, don't they? He's hoping so, anyway. Even if just one of Buffy since she, at least, is important to both of them.

[rouxgaroux]

It's a valid question and Alcide can kind of understand why Derek is asking. They've talked about how they're different kinds of wolves before, but never so in depth. There was just enough of a camaraderie in the fact that they were wolves, like finding like. Now, they need to make some clarifications on that. "Full moon's the only time I really feel compelled to shift. I can still go without, but it'll make me uncomfortable and pissed off. But I'm still me, aware and in control. What can I do to help?"

The idea that he could Alpha Derek and make him fall in line if he needs to is prevalent in his mind. Wolves are wild, but they also have a code of their own. If your Alpha wants you to stay put, you stay put unless you're ready to challenge for Alpha. But Alcide doesn't want to offer that up unless he has to. He isn't the kind of guy who wants to Alpha if he doesn't have to even though that bloodline and power runs through his veins. And Derek is a friend... he worries that that dynamic might change something he doesn't want changed.

Outside of that, just the idea of running for the sake of running is so damn appealing he can barely stand it.

"You lose your clothes when you shift?" Alcide is curious, since his just fall to the ground. It's why he usually gets naked before a shift if he can. In a way though, it's liberating to talk about all of this with Derek, now that they can shift.

"I know Buffy and Zee for sure. I could probably pick out Katniss." He could definitely pick out Prim. Katniss, he was only close to when they'd danced at that ball thing they threw in Alpha. He was always trying though, so he thinks if he smelled her he'd trigger something familiar like he had with Derek. "There's a lot of new smells here, kind of helps find the more familiar ones... like you." Meaning he smelled Derek before he realized he was here. Only wolves would probably find that not at all creepy.

[duelo]

Derek's brow creases a little in thought. There are some things that are similar between the two of them in that, but largely, it sounds like Alcide has a better control in a general sense. Derek has to work for his. It's become second nature, at this point in his life, but he does have to put forth the conscious effort not to hunt. "Keep me away from people?" Derek asks more than says, running a hand through his hair. "Where I come from, we never have to shift and we don't necessarily feel compelled to do so by the full moon, but the full moon does awaken a bloodlust, like this deep-seated need to hunt and turn or kill people. Since only the Alphas can turn people and I'm not an Alpha, that means my instinct is to kill.

"We have to consciously remind ourselves of our human side on the full moon to keep that at bay and when there's constant exposure to the full moon, every full moon, it becomes easier. For me, it's practically reflex to find my anchor to humanity and I'm fine, but...if we miss a full moon, as in we're kept somewhere that we can't feel it's pull — like the Complex where there wasn't a full moon at all — then...it knocks that rhythm off kilter. Missing one full moon in twenty-seven years, I probably won't have too much of a problem, but since I'm doubting we're going to be able to find ground-up mountain ash for a human to lay lines to keep me contained just to be extra safe, then I'd really just...like the insurance policy, I guess? If you're fully aware and in control, maybe just make sure I don't head into town or...you know..."

He doesn't want to hurt anyone, but to say it out loud makes him feel like a monster trying to hide the fact that he's a monster and Derek spent so many years trying to shake that perception that saying it out loud feels like a small defeat. Derek is currently feeling about ninety-nine percent sure that he can squelch that bloodlust just as easily as he always does, but the one percent is enough for him to want to make sure that there's a plan B to take him out of commission temporarily if he's wrong.

"You're bigger than I am like this, so I'm going to assume you're bigger than I am as a wolf and if you naturally have total control, then if you can just...make sure I stay put until morning, I'd really appreciate it." That's about as close to saying 'don't let me hurt anyone' as he's willing to go, but the sentiment is there and he has no doubt Alcide will understand it.

Switching gears without really switching gears is kind of nice, though, admittedly. This is the first time they've actually discussed the similarities and differences between their werewolf states. "When I full shift, yeah, they're on me and then I'm a wolf, but when I come out of it, they're gone," he says, shrugging. "Found that out the hard way the first time. So ever since, I've just kind of stripped down before I shift so that I don't have to walk through the warehouse district naked to get back home from the preserve. I bought an abandoned apartment building back home, a while back; sunk my whole inheritance into it and took up residence in the penthouse loft on the top floor. Mostly, I took it because it was out in the middle of nowhere, but it was kind of nice that it was located within a walking distance to the nature preserve, so I could go out and run in the woods whenever I wanted. No one ever really noticed; no one goes up there anymore," he says, shrugging.

He realizes after he stops talking that now he's just sharing parts of his life with Alcide, independent of the fact that they're both werewolves and a part of him isn't sure he ought to have. Not because he doesn't trust Alcide, because he does. But because he's not sure they're that kind of friends. Maybe they're just friends because they got stuck together in that goddamn Complex and they happened to be sharing a room while also both being werewolves. Maybe that's all it is. Derek doesn't like to think so, but he doesn't know for sure, so once it dawns on him that he's sharing like they're just...normal friends, he stops talking, scrubbing his chin and mouth with one hand before letting it fall back to his side.

Derek nods and smiles a little when Alcide replies. It makes sense that he'd have a better sense of the other two women than Katniss and it makes Derek feel lesser. It isn't Alcide's fault that he put forth extra effort to cling to those abilities whereas Derek just admitted defeat and sulked about it. It isn't Alcide's fault that he'll be able to protect his women better than Derek could protect his, given that Derek couldn't find Katniss in a crowd right now unless he saw her, while Alcide could sniff his two out. It's frustrating in a way that reminds him of the way things were between he and Peter before everything went to shit. Back when Derek's biggest problem with Peter was that Peter was better at being a werewolf than Derek had been. ...Derek had still been in high school back then; it was a long time ago. Realizing the parallel makes him feel kind of small in a humbling sort of way, rather than a crippling one. "They have to come...I mean, right? We're here. That can't be a coincidence," he points out, scratching the back of his neck as they move out of the celebration and deeper into the town where the shops are located. "We just have to be patient." Derek isn't really sure who he's trying to convince.

"Is that it?" he asks, nodding up ahead to a little shop that looks like, from here, it has mannequins in the window. "I kind of hope so. I'd way rather just get the clothes and go out in the woods. The sooner, the better. I've been missing being able to stretch my legs. I haven't dared do it here yet because I was still adjusting to the sensory overload and learning the lay of the land, but if I don't have to do it by myself, then I've at least got a second nose and set of ears in case I miss something, you know?" Safety in numbers; strength in a pack.

[rouxgaroux]

Learning about the kind of wolf Derek is, learning about what he has to go through each time, Alcide can sort of understand. Wolves without Alpha blood in them in his world have a harder time distinguishing between that wildness of the wolf and their humanity. But then again they still have the power to make their own cognizant choices. Sometimes the pack "hive-mind" can influence them too. They have no bloodlust, really, not like what Derek is describing. And they can't turn people through bite so there's no point in it unless they're bound for destruction or defending themselves.

Alcide finds himself thankful for both his Alpha blood and that he's never had to deal with that bloodlust or need to procreate. He also really wants to help Derek in any and every way he can - even if it means using his Alpha blood to do it. Knowing this now, he can see why Derek hadn't been so keen to get his wolf back as Alcide had been in the Complex.

"Hey. You're not alone. I'll do what I can." And he hopes that Derek knows that that means he'll do whatever it takes. "I just don't want you to think of or act differently with me if the dynamic of me makin' sure nothin' bad happens includes me goin' all Alpha on you. It won't change how I am in this form. I don't want it to change you or mess with you or anything like that." He stops just short of saying 'what happens as a wolf, stays as a wolf'. But the point stands.

Alcide thinks they are that kind of friends if the situation lends itself to sharing. Maybe another difference between their types of wolves. Alcide can get very emotional around the full moon and is emotional by nature of just being a wolf. His emotions can turn on a dime. And Derek sharing some of himself, showing Alcide that kind of trust, yeah, it means a lot to him. He wants to know Derek even more than he already does. "Maybe we should eventually stash some clothes out in the woods just in case - for both of us. Used to have some hidey-holes back home just in case."

Alcide thinks about that. He and Derek are here. Others from Alpha have to be here too. Right? "Yeah, unless they were sent to another place, through another portal. We just have to keep an eye out... get our sense back in top shape. I found you cause I smelled you." Which, would be hilarious if said to anyone else. But it's normal for them, he thinks.

He nods and they head toward the shop. Inside there are all kinds of clothes. Alcide wants to grab the first thing he sees, a plain white tee, anything to be out of the jumpsuit, but he stops himself. He'll look around as they talk. "We'll make this quick enough 'cause I'm right there with ya."

[duelo]

Derek nods, giving Alcide a look of appreciation. He really thinks this will be fine, but it's so much better to be safe than sorry. Derek likes it here so far. The last thing he wants is to unintentionally make it an especially dangerous place for everyone else. It feels like Alcide has lifted a huge weight off Derek's chest. He smiles a little, shaking his head and holding up one hand passively. "I'm not worried about that, man. If I lose myself — which I don't think I will, but I'd rather be on the safe side — you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm not going to hold that against you," he promises in an attempt to assuage his friend's worry.

The idea of just leaving some clothes out in the woods is actually really appealing and Derek's expression, eyebrows lifted with honest interest, shows it. "I did, too, in the preserve back home," he agrees. "I like that idea. So...buy a couple of outfits while we're here, then," he says with a smirk.

Derek nods, thinking. He can't really look for the people that are important to him via his werewolf senses even though he has them, now. He hadn't had them in the Complex and he'd neglected to try in spite of the loss. Katniss and Buffy, he'll just have to look for them with his eyes and hope for the best. They've got to be here somewhere. They have to. If there are others here — he and Alcide, so far, and potentially a few others, although he hasn't really looked — then they've got to come. He's already feeling like a giant piece of himself is missing without them. He can't feel like that forever. And, for Alcide's sake, he hopes that he finds Zatanna, too. She means a lot to Alcide, much the way Buffy means a lot to Derek. "Yeah, that's something that's going to be easier for you than for me, at first. I've got the senses now, but..." his voice trails off and he shrugs, not feeling terribly interested in repeating himself, especially since Alcide already knows; Derek had gotten lazy.

As they move into the shop, Derek doesn't waste a whole lot of time perusing. The first thing he goes for are a few pairs of jeans. "The sooner, the better," he agrees with a grin, snatching a few t-shirts and long-sleeved shirts off the rack. They might not necessarily be Henleys, but they look similar enough. It only takes him a few minutes to grab a handful of outfits and then he's ready to go, but he stays close to Alcide, waiting for them both to be all set. "All right, ready when you are. Let's buy this stuff and go for a run. I'm dying to," he says, making his way toward the register. It's been too long. He needs to stretch his legs.

[rouxgaroux]

It's a relief, really, knowing that Derek can take it. Maybe, deep down, he'd already known that. But the reassurance of the fact is helpful. And with that out of the way except for the concerns of 'what if they're wrong when the time comes' Alcide is more than willing to give it a go. If it fucks anything up between him and Derek, then he'll have to work to fix it. Because either way, he'll be damned if he loses Derek's friendship.

"Yeah, we can get some cheap stuff - plain tees and some jeans." Surely they have cheap items that Alcide and Derek wouldn't mind - ah yeah. Alcide pauses at a stack of different colored V-neck tees. He picks up some and shows Derek. "Like these. Then it don't matter if they're out in the woods."

The two of them shopping. Really, it would be funny if it weren't such a necessity with the dumb as shit jumpsuits the Complex made them wear. Not only do they stick out like sore thumbs, but it just reeks of the Complex, a place Alcide wants to forget... the place, not the people. He shifts from almost amusement at their shopping to so palpably missing Zee. If she doesn't show, he knows the loss will ease with time. Right now it's very real and very present.

Lucky. He's lucky, he reminds himself. Derek is here. That's enough. Others could be too. He's not alone.

"I'll keep an eye out." He assures Derek, knowing that his friend will catch up soon as far as their senses go. "Or, you know what I mean." He'll use those senses.

While Derek's grabbing the henley look-a-likes, Alcide grabs a few plaid western shirts. Then he grabs one of the henley look-a-likes too. This will do. He's never needed a lot of clothes. Following Derek to the register, he grabs a pair of sweatpants and a tank on the way too. "Me too. I'm just gonna be glad to get out of this jumpsuit." He knows Derek will be too.

The check out goes smoothly and they're back out pretty quickly. "We can drop these off in our rooms and I'll meet you at the South gate?"

[duelo]

Derek agrees with a nod as he starts to pull a few more cheap t-shirts — he steers clear of the V-necks, if only because they scream Peter at him — from their racks and shelves. "I appreciate that," he says, acknowledging with another nod that he understands what Alcide means but is intentionally not coming right out to say. "I'll let you know, too, if I see or hear anything about Zatanna or Buffy."

As they approach the register, Derek laughs a little, glancing at his friend. "Tell me about it, we look like we just broke out of prison," he laughs, rolling his eyes. Technically, they kind of did, come to think of it. The Complex was its own special kind of hell, and as they were unable to leave the Complex as far as anyone could tell, that made it an effectual prison, even when they weren't locked up for treason.

Once they move out of line again, Derek starts to lead the way to the door. "Yeah, that's perfect. Give me maybe five or ten minutes and I'll see you then, man." He's a lot more excited to go for a run with someone who can run properly with him than Derek is willing to actually let on where other people can see, but he knows that Alcide can smell it if he's aware of chemosignals the way Derek is. "I'll see you in a few," he tacks on after they've made their way to the housing building. He'll just slip into his shared-by-entirely-too-many-people room, drop off the things he isn't going to stash in the woods, and head back to meet his friend. Thank God, he thinks to himself, for small favors. Having Alcide here is going to make this whole thing a lot easier a transition to make.

For now, he's going to wait at the South gate so he can stretch his legs properly for the first time in almost a month.