Chapter 2
Observation Notes by Bartholomew H. Allen, High School years summary (sort of):
It took me a while to really wrap my head around my familiar being able to touch things around me and have others see it too. We didn’t even start testing it out really until the bullying from Tony got to the point that I was getting in trouble for actually skipping school. Joe was really upset with that phone call from the office.
When we did start testing, it was because Tony had me shoved against the lockers, again, just after the bell so no teachers were out to see, and I reached out with one hand to burry it in Nor’s ruff (He’s decided he’s a he for now and he would like a name, but Nor’easter is too long, so he has very kindly agreed to Nor..for now. Nor’easter’s are pretty fascinating actually. They’re these micro-scale cyclones that occur along the upper East Coast of the US and Atlantic Canada. They get their name because the strongest winds are going counter clockwise from the off-shore air masses and that has them travel from the northeast to the south west over…what? Right, sorry, rambling again. Nor, remind me to delete this later.) as I listen to Tony start in on picking on me.
It doesn’t even take a moment before Nor reaches up and places a paw on Tony’s arm and that has Tony snapping his mouth shut, which has me looking down at what Nor is doing, which is now dragging his claws across Tony’s arm. Red marks are appearing, not scratches, but definitely something no familiar should be able to do.
Tony cries out, sadly doesn’t let go of me, and shifts his body. I’m still staring at his arm, too shocked at what Nor was ale to do to someone that isn’t me and certainly not my soulmate, so I don’t see that the shift Tony made was to haul back so that he can punch me. In the face.
The black eye is hard to explain, but the red welts on Tony’s arm are harder and I certainly wasn’t helping him. Any time Tony came after me after that Nor and I tested. Which was admittedly the dumbest way to test, but it was for science!
It all ultimately ended in senior year, the middle of lunch, with all the witnesses in the world…but no teachers. Seriously, why was there never a teacher around when you needed one? Tony had me pressed face first onto one of the tables and Nor had hopped on to the table trying to get at him. All of this only worked though if I was the one actively touching Nor, so him pressed against my side and back to get at Tony wasn’t working, and Tony had both of my arms pinned behind my back. I’m not sure if he had figured it out too or if it was just dumb luck right then, but his timing, as always, sucked.
Nor was literally howling mad by the time I managed to slip one of my hands free and get it wrapped around one of his hind legs. I couldn’t see Tony, but I knew he could tell that something had changed in the moment. Nor had started a fresh howl when my hand had connected and Tony’s grip on my remaining arm became bruisingly tight, I’m certain that he could hear Nor howling. Nor shifted and Tony screamed and pulled away from me. When I twisted around I saw that he was cradling his bleeding arm and looking at me like he’d never seen me before. Nor was refusing to let me up until he was able to make sure I was ok, but we were drawing a lot more attention now, and that is, of course, when the teachers showed up.
Unsurprisingly they didn’t believe me when I said that my familiar had scratched Tony, but they couldn’t blame me for it because too many people had come forward and told them that I was still face down on the table when it happened.
Joe still grounded me for getting in another fight at school.
Barry was running late, again, but it wasn't his fault! Not entirely this time. He'd missed the last train out of Starling City and then been kidnapped by the Green Arrow's team. The Green Arrow who had turned out to be Oliver Queen! Barry was still in a bit of shock. He'd helped save Oliver's life even, though the rat poison hadn't been a popular option, especially when it had seemed that Oliver had started hallucinating. Oops...
But yes, Barry was running late getting to CCPD from the first train into Central City from Starling, there had been signaling issues on the lines, or something. Not Barry's fault at all, but still late. How was this Always Barry's luck?
He couldn't even complain to Nor because the wolf had stayed back at his lab in Central because he'd thought it was a wild goose chase. Though it had also been a test to see if they /could/ get this far apart from each other in case they needed to. Barry had a separate notebook just for familiar observations that he always carried with him.
The only side effect that he could make a note of was an odd coldness in his hands. He'd noted that he normally kept at least one hand on his familiar at all times if he could simply because he could, so maybe that was where his and Nor's bond was strongest? He'd have to ask the wolf..once he stopped chastising him for time mismanagement again.
Barry got out of the elevator and onto the main floor for his level just as Singh was coming through the bullpen doors. He narrowed his eyes at Barry.
"One, don't you ever do that again. Two, you had better be glad that a detective from Starling called and vouched for your help up there. Three, whatever you left in your lab go and stop it because no one can walk passed it without feel like they're being watched. Even people's familiars have been complaining to then, Allen, so whatever you have running up there, Stop. It." He pointed sharply to the stairs that lead to Barry's lab, and Barry just nodded sharply before he bolted.
The door to his work space was shut tight, an actual "BEWARE" sign taped to the door. He pulled it down and opted it. Sitting just inside was Nor, hackles quickly going down now that Barry was in front of him. Barry dropped everything in his arms and wrapped them around the wolf.
"Has your bad mood actually been affecting everyone that walks past the door?!" He says in surprise.
Nor wraps one fore paw tightly around Barry and hooks his head over his human's shoulder, "one of them came in and tried to take something that you hadn't filed yet. I didn't recognize him at all. Just the audacity to mess with our territory like that while you aren't here!"
"You're actually snarling," Barry said, amused. "But how were you affecting so many people /and/ their familiars while I was gone?"
Nor pulled back and looked at him, head tipped to the side, considering. "I was probably only affecting their familiars, if one of us is upset enough others around can pick up on it and..."
"But no one seemed to care how upset I was that night..." Barry interpreted, the start of anger in his voice.
Nor leveled a look at him for interrupting and Barry leveled a look right back, unapologetic for having done so, going one step farther and cocking an eyebrow at his wolf. Nor licked his face, knowing full well that the saliva would remain and Barry would be forced to clean it off.
It was Barry's turn to snarl as he pushed Nor away to stand and get some paper towels.
"So you weren't upset that night?" He asked as he rubbed his face dry.
There was a huff from behind him, but he didn't turn, "why do you think no one found us in that corner? Their familiars were stealing them away from it. I was beyond angry that our pack was taken from us Barry, and I know you know that."
Nor's tone was cold, and when Barry did turn around, the wolf was facing away from him as well. Barry rubbed his hands over his face and went back to his wolf, kneeled down and wrapped his arms back around his neck.
"I'm sorry, what can I do to make it up to you?"
"You know what I want."
"You also know I can't afford to get that on a Forensic Assistant's pay scale."
"We could always borrow it with out the intent to return...it's not like you wouldn't know how to cover your tracks."
"You are a terrible soul, and I did this for you last time I was in the 'dog house'."
A utterly pleased emotion rolled through Barry and he knew that it was coming from Nor and he just sighed and buried his face in the wolf's ruff.
"Could you at least act like 'borrowing' is bad?"
"It is a terrible thing and should never be done...without supervision."
Barry wanted to bang his head on his desk, but that would involve getting up, and he had been away from his familiar for several days, the farthest physical distance that they had ever been, and he didn't feel inclined to move just yet.
The moment he heard foot falls rushing down the hallway he was up and moving though, which was then followed by up and moving out the door and into Joe's car and to a crime scene for the rest of the day. Nor by his side.
The evening was supposed to be the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator with Iris and then bed, but it didn't quite do that way.
Barry and Nor had ended up back at his lab after a mugger had tried to take Iris' purse, Detective Pretty Boy had saved the day and Barry had failed in front of Iris.
And now there was a crisis at the accelerator, a literal storm, a crash of thunder, a bolt of lightning and Barry knew no more.
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