Realistic or Modern Midnight Crisis

[Vampunk]

Nothing ever seemed to happen in the town Samantha "Sam" Harrington called her home, or at least for the last twelve years the 29 year old Mechanic had lived in the small rural city.
Twelve years that went by slower than she had thought, with every day just falling into the same monotony as the last one, as one would come to expect from the type of town that only had three bars, one church and plenty of people longing to do something...bigger in their lives.

Unlike Sam who had moved there for that very reason.
Life was slow there and nothing ever seemed to happen, and she liked it, she had enjoyed spending a large portion of her life in the quiet countryside rather than in the big city.

And yet recently she had been feeling like life wasn't exactly going like she had intended.
She had chosen to live away from large groups of people and keep to herself, which left her with a precious few she called her friends.

And even then most people were somewhat hesitant in approaching her.
And it wasn't only due to her snarky attitude and somewhat gruff demeanor. Even her appearance was somewhat imposing. Standing over six feet tall with a rather muscular build and a messy mane of chestnut colored hair adorning her head.
Her dark brown eyes and her default expression of a judging frown not really helping either.

And yet most of the people in the small community did think of her rather fondly.
The somewhat gruff mechanic living at the edge of the town, near the local forest.
Yes, there was the occasional rumor and gossip going around about her and why she left so far away from the rest of the city and where she actually worked. And she had to chase away nosy kids off her lawn every halloween, wanting to see the wolfish lady that lived all alone.

And maybe that was the reason why she had felt that live wasn't going anywhere.
She was living in a secluded house with the only family she had still living overseas in europe, making the older ladies urge her to finally settle down and get a family of her own.

A suggestion she really didn't take to heart.


Until she received a letter from her late uncle.
A letter that made her spill her coffee when reading the somewhat short message written in his wavy handwriting.

He had, without even asking her beforehand, promised a lady that was very close to him, that she would be able to take her offspring under her wing.
And they were underway, leaving her with just about 3 days until they'd arrive at her doorstep.

Cursing a deceased uncle wasn't exactly something that would help given her current situation and so it was that Sam spent most of the days following that cryptic letter working overtime in her garage and spending late hours at the local bar.

Wondering why on earth her uncle would make her take care of someone else's child.
But grumbling wouldn't help and her doorbell being able to ring every moment Sam leaned back into her large armchair that took up most of the space in her living room, brushing a strand of thick hair out of her face, keeping her dark hair in a messy bun as she let out a sigh.

"Why on earth did he think I of all people would be the best suited for this kind of job...Ugh..."

 

[IG42]

Mathias stared sullenly out of the window as the cab bounced along the rough road, he had gotten a lot of practice at staring out of windows over the last few days. Being shipped halfway around the world like piece of unwanted furniture was frustrating enough but being told he would have to live with a stranger from now on had been enough to make him run off and refuse to speak to anyone for nearly two days.

Rolling down the window a little he leaned into the wind ignoring the chill it sent through him, he hadn't ridden in a car for long since acquiring his 'condition' let alone flown anywhere and he chose to blame the queasy knot that twisted in his gut on motion sickness rather than nervousness.

Rubbing his hands together he looked at the back of the driver's head, the man had made a few tries to make conversation but hadn't got more than four words out of the boy the whole way. Now however Mathias thought about asking the driver about his new guardian but he quickly looked away when they made eye contact in the rearview mirror.

Fidgeting in his seat he returned to his new favourite past-time as the gloom outside grew deeper. After a short eternity Mathias dozed off, he had barely slept since being packed off and it showed in his unkempt hair and clothes along with the deep bags under his eyes.

Eventually the car pulled up and the driver gently nudged him awake. Getting out stiffly he looked out at the strange house, in the dark against the backdrop of the night and the forest it reminded him more than he would like of stereotypical witch houses or haunted mansions from stories.

Lacking anywhere else to go Mathias quietly thanked the driver before picking up the small suitcase and backpack he had been allowed to bring and nervously approached the house. Standing on the doorstep he hesitated for a moment then scowled as he rang the doorbell.

 

[Vampunk]

​

Taking a sip from her whiskey, Sam leaned back into her armchair, crossing her long legs as she contemplated whether she should just write a letter to her parents, asking if they knew someone suited to be this kid's guardian.

Raising her glass towards the dim light of her living room the sound of the doorbell ringing echoed through the empty hallways of her home, making Sam let out a drawn out sigh as she put the glass on the table and brushed a strand of messy brown hair out of her face.

"Yeah, yeah, coming..." The mechanic grumbled as she maundered over to the doorway, adjusting her plaid shirt before opening the heavy oaken door as her brown eyes met the youngster at her doorstep.
Raising an eyebrow Sam examined the boy as her athletic frame towered over him, something that had always helped her scare away trick and treaters during halloween.

Yet as her brown gaze came to linger on the dark-haired boy Sam realized that this time she wasn't simply going to be able to shoo them away. She had a responsibility towards the youngster and just standing in the doorway, saying nothing wasn't going to help.

Letting go of a soft sigh Sam scratched the back of her head as she leaned back against the door.
"Hey, I assume you're Mathias, right?" Sam finally spoke, resting one of her strong hands on her hips as she thought if it was rude to not ask him if he wanted something to drink...realizing that she hadn't even invited him in.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Sam by the way, guess I'm your new guardian, huh? Come in." The brown-haired mechanic mumbled, stepping back from the doorway to allow Mathias to enter her home, the smell of grease, alcohol and the remaining scent of a late dinner filling the hallway leading deeper into her lair.

 

[IG42]

Shuffling his feet nervously in place Mathias' gaze snapped up at the sound of movement to glare at the closed door, scared to death and uncertain about his future he might be but he was going to make it abundantly clear to whoever opened that door that he wasn't happy with the situation.

Then the door opened revealing the dark stormcloud of a woman looming over him, pushing down the urge to take a step backward he met her gaze with his scowl intact though his lip trembled violently until she broke eye contact and leaned against the door before speaking to him and checking who he was. Snapping out of his stiff pose he took a couple of tries to find his voice. "Y-yeah...I....yeah." He floundered nervously.

Abruptly his new guardian introduced herself and stood aside and invited him in, quietly hefting his bags Mathias cautiously stepped past Sam into the house and wrinkled his nose at the combined scents but found his stomach growling at the whiff of food in the air, it had been several hours since he had had the chance to eat and he hadn't had much appetite during the trip. He away sheepishly before looking up at her uncertainly.

 

[Vampunk]

​

Realizing that her current lifestyle of staying up late in the evening, eating on a whim and overall being rather reckless and somewhat messy in how she lived would have to change drastically in order to house Mathias, Sam exhaled slowly, raising an eyebrow at the sound of the young boy's growling stomach.
Looking down on him with her hands resting in her jean's pockets the gruff mechanic motioned towards the kitchen, long legs carrying her slouching frame over to the rather small room.

Modestly furbished with a large white fridge, several cupboards and a table covered by magazines amongst other things, some jackets of hers draped over the only chair, her kitchen didn't exactly evoke an image of a cozy home. It was lacking the sweet scent of a mother's kitchen, with tidy shelves and a certain warmth to it, instead it was more akin to what you'd expect from a single man's kitchen in his late 30's.
Which wasn't too far from the truth as Sam peeked into the fridge, eyeing its contents with a raised eyebrow before turning to face Mathias, gesturing him to take a seat on the large chair with her leather jacket draped over its headrest.

"So." Sam spoke, raising a hand to her mouth as she coughed, making her voice lose much of her usual gruffness. "Anything I should know about you? Picky eater? Allergies? Anything?" The woman asked as her fingers brushed over the many leftovers put in neat little boxes that took up the majority of the fridge, fresh ingredients not really being a common sight in her kitchen, or at least they haven't been for the past decade.

"Pasta is alright with you?" Mathias' new guardian remarked, retrieving one of the boxes that threatened to make the mountain of cold scraps wobble and collapse, before stabilizing...or rather Sam deciding to not bother about the potential disaster and closing the door, potentially making for quite the mess if they did decide to bury whoever would open the fridge the next time in an avalanche of cold food and plastic boxes.

Putting the cool box in front of him and opening the lid, Sam retrieved a rather large fork from the drawer, handing it to Mathias before resting on the kitchen table's edge, balancing her large form on the wobbly table as she crossed her hands in front of her chest, not knowing what else to say but eyeing the boy with a curious glare.

 

[IG42]

Hesitating for a moment Mathias left his case by the door but clung onto his backpack as he followed Sam into the cluttered kitchen and sat in the indicated chair feeling so out of place it was like he had just strolled into a bar and jumped onto a stool like in the late-night movies he definitely hadn't secretly watched.

When Sam coughed his wandering gaze snapped back to her. At her questions he raised an eyebrow through his frown at her tone, something about it sounded forced to him compared to what little she had said before. Blinking a few times he processed the unexpectedly simple questions and wondered if he felt huffy enough to risk annoying the towering woman. "I..um..I'm not allergic to anything." He finally said in a half-questioning tone as he wondered to himself whether he had chosen the right response.

Leaning to the side Mathias looked past his guardian into the fridge and raised his brows at the various stacked boxes, it seemed impersonal to him, too functional compared to his idealised memories from before his encounter.

Raising no objection to Sam's choice he sullenly accepted the fork and ate silently, cold pasta was a long way down on his list of favourite foods but he ate mechanically only sparing Sam the occasional glance when she shifted and made the table wobble until he coughed and looked to the sink, his dark eyes roamed the kitchen again in search of something he could use but settled on Sam instead. "May I have some water..." He hesitated a moment before adding. "...please?"

Vampunk

 

[Vampunk]

​

Raising an eyebrow at Mathias, Sam's form shifted, her heavy boots coming to meet the kitchen's cool stone floor before the tall mechanic made her way over to the sink.
"Will tap water do? I don't really have anything else right now, should've known I needed to go shopping before you arrived, huh?" Mathias' new guardian spoke slowly, running a hand through her messy dark-brown hair before opening the tap.

The sound of running water echoing through the silent home, an uneasy silence lying over the two of them for what seemed like an eternity.
Holding a finger under the steady stream of water, Sam gauged its temperature before nodding softly, filling a large glass with water as her boots shuffled over the floor, carrying her over to Mathias as she put the glass in front of him.

It was evident that she had not been prepared in the slightest for the task at hand, having grown up with a single parent that had to work late into the night to even keep them afloat.
It was easy to just take care of oneself, having complete freedom over how one would spend the day.
Nobody to complain about the choice of food on the table.
Nobody to consult on household matters.
And nobody to keep you company.

Exhaling slowly, Sam's fingertips rubbed her temples as the large woman let go of a low growl, knowing that there would be many more headaches to come.
Making the switch from only relying on your own and not having to look after someone else wasn't exactly something Sam had even considered, always having preferred to keep her friends and past partners at an arms length, not letting them get too close and get involved in matters that were none of their business.

Glancing over to Mathias from the corner of her dark eyes, the mechanic sighed slowly, turning to face the young boy, kneeling in front of the table as she rested her chin on her propped up palm.
"Come on, I don't bite. I only know your name, I think that's not enough to work with now that you're here, no?" Sam mumbled, trying to break the silence one way or the other.

 

[IG42]

Nodding in answer to Sam's question Mathias watched her and accepting the water silently took a couple of quick gulps around his mouthful and swallowed. Lifting the fork again he noticed a piece of mushroom staring up at him innocently and instinctively scrunched up his nose, he didn't consider himself a fussy but he drew the line at mushrooms, out of habit he went to deposit the offending morsel to one side and remembered where he was. Freezing in place his gaze flicked between the fork and Sam several times weighing his options, on one hand he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk irritating his new guardian especially after he hadn't responded to her asking if he was a picky eater but on the other...mushrooms.

Finally unable to overcome his dislike for fungal food even with a werewolf twice his size eyeing him he gingerly dropped it back in a relatively clear spot in the box, the soft sound it made was unbearably loud in the silence. After a moment he slowly resumed eating while carefully avoiding any other mushroom pieces.

Hearing Sam's growl of frustration Mathias flinched and hung his head bracing for an explosion. This woman was the sort that always seemed to stand apart from kids like him, someone who deterred children from going near her either naturally or intentionally and preferred it that way.

When she actually spoke however he looked up in surprise at her awkward mumbling and saw her kneeling down at eye level with him. Processing the question he tried to think of something to say. "I...umm..." He thought back to the few times he had been stuck listening to adults make small talk and actually paid attention to it a little. "So...what do you do?" He finally asked tentatively hoping that he really hadn't annoyed her with his fussiness.