Born to human parents, raised in a human house, and living around humans all her life, Casey thought that she was human. What else could she be?
Casey grew up in northern Michigan, and as the only child to two parents who were desperate for a kid. iT was easy to say that she was spoiled. She got what she wanted, she had much more than she needed, and she was greedy. But her parents gave in to her every demand without a second thought. She wanted a computer--she got a computer. She wanted a new doll--she got a new doll. She wanted more ice cream for dessert--well, her parents did put up some guidelines. Her room was full of toys and games, stuffed animals and coloring books. Though Casey was clearly privileged and spoiled, her parents loved her, and she loved them more than anything else.
In school, Casey had several friends who she would hang out with, many of them staying her friends well into high school. Parties, dances, sleep overs--it was everything Casey had hoped for and more. Considered one of the "popular girls," Casey spent a lot of time hanging out and having fun, enjoying all the attention she was getting. She couldn't have been happier with how her life was going.
A few weeks after her seventeenth birthday, Casey woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. Every bone in her body felt like it was breaking, her muscles felt like they were being ripped apart fiber by fiber. When she screamed in pain, desperate for help, the sound that came out of her mouth was an animalistic shriek. She screamed again, and the same sound came out. Her parents rushed into her room moments later, her father holding a bat. Her mother screamed, her father just stood there and stared.
That's when she finally noticed it--looking down at herself to try and see where the pain was coming from, Casey saw red and white fur, followed by a dark snout. Further down her body she saw whiskers and canine legs and a long, bushy tail. She wasn't...she wasn't human anymore. She was...a fox.
Casey can't remember anything after that, she must have passed out. When she woke up again, it was light out, probably midday, and she felt absolutely famished. Her mouth was dry as she sat up in her bed, a raging headache pounding at the back of her skull. Her pajamas must have been somewhere under her covers, because she wasn't wearing them anymore, but she didn't notice. Getting out of bed proved to be more difficult than she had intended--everything was spinning, every part of her was sore--but she managed to get to the door on wobbly legs eventually. Her hand rested in the cool metal of the doorknob and gave it a sharp twist--only for it not to budge. Frowning, she tried it again, but it still seemed stuck. So she tried it again, gripping it tightly, and twisted. There was a popping sound, and then the door opened.
Still groggy and in pain, and so very hungry, Casey went to the kitchen, not noticing that the house looked ransacked on her way there. She consumed nearly everything in the fridge--left overs, fruit, a jar of peanut butter. She also downed half a gallon of milk, followed by three cans of pop. Finally, her hunger and thirst had been quenched, and she could--Wait, why was the house a mess? Had someone broken in?
"Mom? Dad?"
No answer. Casey ran to their bedroom--they weren't there. Their closets and dresser were wide open and empty, as was the safe in the wall where they kept most of their savings. All important documents were gone. All of the pictures on the walls--gone. Out the front door, their cars were gone. In the back yard, there was a smoking pile of ash in their firepit, which Casey ran to to investigate. Tiny bits of blackened or browned paper remained, along with metal pegs that were...from a photo album? Casey picked up one of the singed pieces of paper to examine it closer in her hands.
'Certification of live bir...'
The paper slipped from between her fingers, back into the firepit. Her birth certificate. Her parents had burned her birth certificate, likely along with any other sort of legal documents pertaining to her. They had locked her in her room, grabbed their things, and abandoned her. The memories from the previous night came rushing back to her in a painful flood--screaming, pain, fur, tail, legs, fox--
Casey wasn't human anymore. She was something else.
An abomination.
Casey kind of just...sat outside, naked, by the firepit, for hours. Her whole life was turned upside down in the worst way possible. Her parents had abandoned her, she could turn into a fox, she had no record of who she was. Of course, her town still knew about her, she still had friends, there was no way her parents had erased records of her digitally, but could she stay? Was she safe to be around? Would she turn into a beast at any moment?
That night, after sitting outside well after it had gotten dark, Casey made up her mind.
Casey went inside, ate the rest of the food in the fridge, then packed her bags. She stuffed a duffel bag with as much clothing as she could, dug through her sock drawer until she found an old leather wallet full of cash--containing her birthday and Christmas money, along with some that she might have stolen from her parents, which she in no way regretted now--and filled a backpack with boxes and cans of food from the cupboards. Putting on a baggy outfit, raincoat, and sneakers, Casey walked out of the front door of her childhood home, and never looked back.
The next few months basically consisted of Casey walking, stealing, hiding, and discovering just what she was. A lot of the time she slept outside, even in the cold of winter, incase she changed into a fox in her sleep again. And, actually, she did. But she didn't just turn into a fox--she became a cat, a poodle, a hawk, a squirrel--all while she slept. It took her a while to figure out how she could change while she was awake, and the more she changed while she was awake, the less she did while she was sleeping. It was also far less painful than the first time she had changed. Now it was just uncomfortable, not scream-worthy agony.
Stealing was something she wasn't proud of, but Casey had to eat, and she had to eat a lot. Apparently after her first change, something about her physiology had changed internally as well. She could burn off food as fast as she could eat it. She stole food from convienient stores and clothes from thrift stores, just enough to keep herself reasonably clean and fed. Sometimes she would actually make a purchase, if there was something she wanted that was too difficult to steal, or she just felt too bad about being a theif. She was already a monster, she didn't want to be a major criminal, too.
Eventually, she didn't much care about stealing anymore.
She didn't much care about anything.
Appearance:
Name: Casey May Evlin
{Face Claim: Luca Hollestelle}
Age: 23
Height: 5 Foot 4 Inches
Sexuality: Bi-Romantic, all sexual encounters have been tramatic up to this point, so she's unsure if she actually wants a sexual relation or not.
Hair Color: Natural Red and Curly (When taken care of, which it usually isn't)
Eye Color: Sea Green
Skin: Heavily Freckled
Clothing: Usually something dirty and ill-fitting, always stolen, rarely cleaned.
Casey's Forms:
Fox:
The form Casey takes most often is the one she turned into first, a red fox. It's warm in the winter, quick to move around in, and nearly everywhere. The form felt...coforting, for some reason, despite the tramatic start to her shiting life.
Cat:
A cat was easy to travel in as well, especially in cities. No one batted an eye at a stray cat, and if she acted cute to the right human, she might even get some food.
Hawk:
Casey was expecting it to be hard to teach herself how to fly, but it was surprisingly simple. Instinct took over immediately, and flying as a bird of prey gave her some sense of strength and freedom.
Mouse:
Tiger:
Crow:
Comments
(I am pretty flexible, we can work out the kinks as we go, no worries.
I can't think of any specific details you need to hit)
Actually, Brian wasn't that confused when Casey laughed. He understood why she did. He had been in that position many times himself, before.
"It's okay. I get it. If you don't laugh...you'll cry, right?" He said. Sometimes, life deals you such an unfair hand, that all that's left to do is laugh at the absurdity of it at all. And that's what Casey seemed to be doing now. It was better than bursting into tears, he supposed.
He frowned when she said she had no savings. At least, not here. So he assumed all of her money was back at home. If only there was some way to go and get it safely. Maybe there was...maybe they could come up with some sort of plan. But he would have to think about it some more. Breakfast first, planning later.
In the meantime, he was more than willing to lend her some money, until she could support herself again, whenever that may be. "Yeah, sure. If I gave you...two hundred dollars...would that be enough? You gotta eat, too." Brian added. One hundred dollars would cover the cost of the backpack and some clothes, but it wouldn't be enough for Casey to get herself some groceries, if she wanted to buy her own food, that is. But she was more than welcome to have his.
"But hey...listen. You don't have to leave if you don't want to. It's your choice, but you're not in my hair. Don't worry about that. You can stay here for as long as you want. I...I don't want you to be homeless..." Brian admitted with a small sigh. Clearly, he worried about Casey a lot. More than he had even realized.
"Let's talk about this later, okay? You must be hungry." Brian said as he grabbed the two plates which now had all of the food on them and brought them over to the kitchen table, which already had cutlerly placed down on it. Trying to be polite, Brian would wait until Casey came around and sat down before sitting down to eat as well.
(Cool cool, maybe she gets tied up with the wrong people. There are a lot of supernatural beings in new york that may spot her and cause some trouble. Maybe Vic or someone in his group steps in. Victor runs a cabaret, for supernaturals and otherbaing and whomever can take her back there)
[ Sorry for the delay! ]
As Brian continued cooking and making their breakfast, he couldn't help but overhear Casey's conversation on the phone. Even though she was in the other room, it hardly mattered. Brian's sense of hearing was far too good to misunderstand any of what she said, even though he wasn't intentionally trying to eavesdrop on her, he heard everything regardless.
On the bright side, at least here was no need for Casey to explain what had happened. The only thing worse than being upset is having to talk while still upset.
By the time Casey had come back to the kitchen, breakfast was almost ready. Brian just had to put everything on the plates and get the toast buttered.
He turned to Casey briefly before looking back at what he was doing. At first, he wasn't going to say anything, as he was almost sure she didn't want to talk about it. It had been a rough night for both of them, but losing her job and only source of income (at least he assumed) definitely made things worse for Casey. But Brian was determined to help her anyway he could.
"That's...that's really rough, Casey. I'm so sorry." He said quietly, trying not to sound like he was pitying her too much. Under no circumstances did he want to make her feel worse than she already did.
"I...I don't know how much money you have saved up but uh....if you need money...if you need me to buy anything for you, just...just let me know, okay?" He said as he turned around to face her directly, speaking kindly and gently as he could. Casey had every right to refuse his offer of course. And he certainly didn't want to overstep or encroach on her boundaries, especially when it came to money. But right now, she looked like she could really use some help. And fortunately, Brian had a tidy sum of money saved away. He never took vacations and he never bought anything that he didn't need, so he was financially stable at the moment. And thank goodness that he was otherwise he wouldn't have been in a position to help Casey at all.
(Oh absoluly, that is exactly the kind of person Victor loves to 'save' if you will. Most of the Major Arcana were similar before meeting him. Is there a setting that is ntural for your gal? Victor is based in Nwy York but he is a bit of a globe (dimension) trotter so if there is a place thats better I can concoct a reason to put him just about anywhere )
(Thank you for the add, let me know if you want to write!)
As the butter melted in the pan and Brian began cracking some eggs into it and putting on the bacon, he began to contemplate how similar he and Casey were. Of course, he didn't know the extent of the similarities and if so, would have been shocked by what a coincidence it was.
Both of them kept their condition a secret from almost everyone around them, even the co-workers they were closest to. For so long, Brian didn't allow himself to have any friends either. It was too dangerous for him to become involved with someone on a personal level. The risk of hurting them was just too great.
But Casey was different. Because the two of them shared a similar condition, they could confide in one another without fear or judgement.
The point is, they were both liars in their day to day life. But when they were together, they didn't have to lie. There was no need to. It was a strange yet liberating feeling all at once.
Brian was just about to tell Casey that she was more than welcome, when her phone rang. For some reason it didn't occur to him that it would have been her work. But now all of a sudden he realized that was definitely a possibility. She would have to tell them something. She couldn't go back now, especially not when both the French hunters and Miranda knew where she worked. It wasn't safe for her there anymore, but for reasons that she wouldn't even be able to explain.
Brian looked at her in sympathy, wondering how Casey was going to handle the call before putting some bread slices in his toaster.
"Yeah...of course." Brian said with an eager nod of his head before walking over to the fridge and starting to take out various ingredients. Butter, eggs, toast and bacon. Can't go wrong with those. Unless of course, Casey wasn't a meat eater but he assumed she would stop him if that was the case.
Brian was in the middle of digging out a frying pan from the cupboard when Casey started to explain to him about what had happened the previous night. Brian wondered if Casey would talk about that, and he was right. She didn't owe him an explanation, but it certainly helped him understand why she had suddenly shifted into a cat last night. He had thought it odd, but now at least he knew the reason behind it.
"Oh...oh I see." Brian said slowly, nodding his head. "I...I think understand." He added. He could tell just from the look in Casey's eyes that none of this had been easy for her to say, but he was glad that she had felt comfortable enough to be honest with him. And she was definitely right about that. Brian would never judge her for who she was. The two of them were more similar than different, and now much closer than they were before.
After everything that had happened, they were no longer simple acquaintances. But instead, perhaps...friends. And friends tell the truth to one another, don't they?
Brian didn't have many friends. But he would be happy if he could count Casey amoung them; as one of the few people in his life now that he knew he could count on and trust to keep his secret safe, despite having only known her for such a short amount of time.
So yes. Brian felt very much the same way as her, even if didn't express it openly. He appreciated her too. More than she realized, in fact.
"Hey...don't worry about it. People like us....need to stick together, right?" He said, after she apologized. Casey was far too hard on herself. Brian could tell as much, even without listening to her talk down at herself in the car last night, berating herself and saying that her life was meaningless. But that just wasn't true at all. And Brian hoped that one day Casey would see that for herself.
"I don't blame you. If I could choose, I would never shift again either." Brian said with a tired sigh as he put some butter in the pan and watched it melt.
Brian was a bit surprised to see Casey awake, but also somewhat relieved that she was already up and dressed. At least they had been spared from another awkward and embarassing moment. Brian's mind briefly flashed back to when they had first met, when Casey had found him dirty and completely naked in the woods. He cringed slightly in embarassment and then fought to keep the memory out of his mind.
"Morning..." Brian answered back politely. A bit of awkward silence lingered in the air for a moment before he thought of something else to say. He was glad that Casey was helping herself to the water, but he guessed she probably wanted something to eat too.
"Are you hungry? Want me to make you something?" He asked. He was about to make breakfast for himself anyway, so it wouldn't have been a hassle whatsoever if Casey wanted something too. She was his guest, after all so it was the very least he could do for her.
Brian fell asleep pretty much as soon as he hit the bed. He couldn't remember the last time he was so exhausted. And now that he and Casey were both finally safe (or at least, he assumed) they could rest easy and peacefully.
Brian woke up just before noon. He was just about to close his eyes again and sleep a little longer when he suddenly remembered that he had a guest in his home. He should check on Casey and make sure she was okay.
Poor Casey. She had been through so much already. Brian could tell. And now it might be a long time before she could go back to her home. It was at this time that he wondered if the police should be involved. But then again, hunters are smart. Much smarter than the police, in his experience. The best chance he and Casey had was laying low for a few days, or maybe even weeks and wait for them to give up the search. Or, alternatively...try to kill the hunters that were pursuing them. Drastic measures that they may have to resort to.
But they could discuss that later. For now, Brian put on a shirt and jeans and tried to make himself slightly presentable before walking softly into the living room to check on Casey. Trying to be quiet just in case she was still sleeping.
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