It's not until Ezra says it that he realises just how tired he actually is and he nods.
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that." He says genuinely, content to make himself a little nest on the floor with the blanket - though if Ezra does offer him the bedroll he certainly isn't going to say no.
Trusting that Ezra will be true to his word and keep watch, he lets himself surrender to the tiredness and falls asleep quickly.
Ezra does indeed let the kid have his bedroll - he sits in the room and meditates while waiting for the others to wake up, as he's pretty sure that someone will want to have a word when they do.
Sure enough, as morning creeps around, there is a sharp knock on the door, and a female voice says: "Ezra?"
If the kid wakes up enough to pay attention, the person outside smells distinctly like werewolf.
He stirs at the sound of the knock, though he doesn't fully untuck from the little ball he's curled himself into. He catches the scent of werewolf and stills, tense and cautious.
He tries to tell himself it's fine, that it's someone who knows Ezra so it can't be someone who's looking for him, but he stays wary nonetheless.
(Quite why he has apparently decided that Ezra is trustworthy, he isn't entirely sure, but he isn't really questioning it either)
Ezra opens his eyes, glances at the curled up ball of boy, and decides to deal with the knock first. So he stands up and goes to the door, opening just enough to give the young woman outside a view of his room.
"Hey Sabine," he starts.
"Have you got a shifter in there?" she asks pointedly, trying to peer in.
"Yeah," Ezra says, sounding mildly sheepishly. "It's okay, I know him - kinda. We know him. Listen, I'll explain at breakfast okay? He came to us in the night. He needs our help."
The tension eases as Ezra talks, and eventually he unwinds a little from the ball so he can roll onto his side - he doesn't volunteer any additional information, just waits to see if she's going to immediately try and kick him out or ask more questions.
Ezra doesn't seem to think so, at least he seems to imagine he'll get to stay until breakfast, so that's something. If he has to leave and go figure this out on his own at least he had a good few hours of sleep and maybe even a meal to keep him going.
"Hmmm." Sabine sounds uncertain, but she trusts Ezra well enough, so she looks the kid over, a flash of recognition crossing her face but no anger with it.
"Okay," she says. "you better come down soon. Hera's going to want to know why you invited him into our home."
"We will," Ezra assures her. "Now go away so I can get dressed."
Pushing her out of the door, he closes it and turns to his guest.
"I thin you'd better come and meet my friends," he says.
He tenses a little again when she looks over him, but she doesn't seem mad so he thinks it'll be okay. He smiles sheepishly at Ezra once they're alone and nods.
"I think so... I hope you won't be in trouble because of me..."
He's already reaching for the pants Ezra offered him last night so he can pull them on under the blanket, as much as he might want to delay the inevitable he really doesn't want Ezra to get in trouble.
Ezra gives him a bright, mischievous grin. "I'm always in trouble for one thing or another. I've done much worse than this."
He changes his own shirt while the other kid gets dressed, and then leads the way down to the disused store itself, where a small group of people are sitting various around a camping stove. Two women - one of them the werewolf called Sabine, with brightly dies hair and bright coloured clothes - a man with a scar across his sightless eyes, and the hulking form of a small troll.
The man turns his face towards them as they enter, his head tilted with a disapproving question in his eyebrows.
"Sounds like we're inviting just anyone into our secret hideout, now?"
Ezra coughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uh yeah, listen, can we have breakfast and you hear me out before you get judgey? He's had a rough night and he needs our help."
Sean Conlon has, at one time or another, picked a fight with most (if not all) the people in this room. They would be forgiven for not recognising that argumentative little shit in the boy that follows Ezra into the room, though.
He looks nervous, sticks close to Ezra and winces apologetically at the comment, lets Ezra speak rather than jumping to his own defence with some kind of snarky comment.
He gives Ezra a grateful look and whispers a quiet thanks to him before looking back to the others.
"If you still want me to leave after the explanation, I will."
He doesn't have anywhere else to go, but he doesn't want to stay somewhere he isn't welcome.
Ezra clears a space for his guest and invites him to sit down, finding him an egg and a bit of meat to eat as they talk.
He gives an overview of what happened - he woke up in the night and the leopard was sleeping outside, he'd been in a cage and people were after him, and he's completely forgotten everything about himself.
In turn, he's given an introduction to the others: Kanan, Hera, Sabine and Garazeb all nod to him with various levels of friendliness. However they feel at the beginning, they all - Kanan and Sabine especially - agree that this place with the cages needs to be investigated and destroyed.
"Do you think you can lead us back there?" Kanan asks him directly.
He thanks Ezra and sits, devouring the food the moment it's placed in front of him - he doesn't actually know the last time he ate, but it feels like it might have been a while.
He lets Ezra tell the story, only interjecting to add some detail here and there where he can, but it's not often since Ezra seems to have remembered everything he was told pretty well.
"Maybe." He decides after a moment of thinking "I did a lot of doubling back and changing direction so my scent was harder to follow, but I remember what was nearby so I could probably find it again."
He's obviously trying to be honest, and in truth he thinks they're right that the place ought to be destroyed, but there's a hint of a tremor behind his tone, a nervousness about going back there. He's not even sure why, it's not like he even remembers what they did to him beyond the cage, but something in him knows it was bad.
There's another sausage that appears when he's done. Another egg, too. Hera catches Ezra giving his breakfast over to the boy and frowns a little at her boy giving up his own food. It's tempered by fondness for seeing that act of kindness, and she breaks into their rations to make sure that he doesn't go too hungry.
Kanan listens to the explanation, his expression hard to read, but he nods. "Maybe you should take Ezra and Sabine on a scouting run?"
Ezra interjects: "Bad move - sorry, Sabine. The place is guarded by weres, right? I figure we can mask the leopard's scent, but not a werewolf as well."
"Just the two of you?" That's Hera, pragmatic rather than overly concerned.
"Yeah. He's great at getting places without being noticed. I'm great at getting out of places. They'll smell Sabine a mile off. Zeb's too big..."
"...hey!"
"...sorry. And you and Kanan still have to plan the... our next job. It's just scouting, Hera. We can look after ourselves."
Hera looks at Kanan, who gives the impression of meeting her eye without actually having sight. He shrugs. She sighs.
"Okay," she relents. "Tonight, though. You're not sneaking around in daylight."
"Tonight," he agrees, glancing at their guest to check he's okay with that.
He doesn't immediately notice that more food is being put onto his plate since he's just eating without really paying attention, but by the second egg he clicks what's happening and he pauses, looking uncertainly at Ezra. He seems content to share, though, so he mumbles a quiet thanks and finishes eating.
He listens in on the conversation, but he doesn't really know them or their skillsets well enough to make suggestions of his own - he does think fewer people is better, it'll be easier to run if they need to. Just scouting doesn't sound so bad, and if they can mask his scent that's even better.
"If they spot us, I'll make sure Ezra gets away." He says firmly - Ezra's done enough for him, he doesn't want him getting taken by those people too. Plus if Ezra makes it back it sounds like they're going after that group anyway, maybe they'll be able to rescue him.
He nods at Ezra.
"Tonight." he agrees. Gives him time to get more rest, too.
He considers this for a moment, unsure if he wants to go out in the city when they don't know if the people who took him are looking for him, but also really wanting to get his memory back.
"Both?" he suggests "I'd like some more rest first, but maybe go out in the city later? If you don't already have anything to do, I don't want to get in the way..."
"Okay." he nods - it makes sense, since he doesn't know how long he'll need to take advantage of their hospitality, and he doesn't want to keep Ezra from his own bed any longer than necessary.
"Thank you." He says, to Ezra and to all of them - they could have just kicked him out and made it not their problem, but as reluctant as some of the adults are they're still willing to let him stay for now, and seem to be happy to help.
Even if it is probably really fucking weird to get a polite thank you from a kid they're used to seeing giving aggro and throwing punches to everyone who so much as looks at him funny, even if they're a foot taller and a 100 pounds heavier. Especially if they're a foot taller and a 100 pounds heavier.
He glances between them with a confused expression but doesn't say anything, instead he just follows Ezra's example and hands over his plate. He's just about to follow him when the names comes out and he pauses.
"...Spot?" He asks. He's pretty sure Ezra would have mentioned if he knew his name before now, so he's not sure where that came from.
Spot looks a bit uncertain when he sees Sabine almost laughing and the guilt in Ezra's expression, but he follows Ezra back to his room.
When he gets the explanation he does sort of understand the reaction and he huffs a soft laugh.
"I guess that makes sense." He concedes. He's quiet for a moment as he thinks and then he shrugs easily.
"Well since I don't know my name either, it's as good a name as any to use, I suppose."
It would be a terrible name to give to a child officially, but as a nickname it's not so bad, he can live with it. He would have been concered about the type of parents who'd name a baby Spot.
"...Do you know if I have any family? They might be worried...." He says, suddenly realising that possibility and feeling guilty that he hasn't raised it before.
Ezra pauses in sorting out the blankets, long enough to say: "Its depends what you mean by that."
He turns around to face Spot, his expression sympathetic. "I'm pretty sure you live on the streets, but that doesn't mean you don't have family of a sorts. I'm an orphan, too, but these people are like my family. You might have people like that."
"Oh.." Spot says softly, frowning slightly. He hopes whoever they are, if they exist, that they aren't too worried or having trouble without him around, but he's also a little saddened by the thought that he might be all alone. He wonders why, if it's something he did, if it has something to do with all those fights...
He feels like he should probably be mourning a family, too, but it's hard to mourn something you don't ever remember having.
"Well.. maybe when we go out into the city we might meet someone."
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branchandroot
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Date: 2025-01-27 06:24 pm (UTC)It's not until Ezra says it that he realises just how tired he actually is and he nods.
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that." He says genuinely, content to make himself a little nest on the floor with the blanket - though if Ezra does offer him the bedroll he certainly isn't going to say no.
Trusting that Ezra will be true to his word and keep watch, he lets himself surrender to the tiredness and falls asleep quickly.
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Date: 2025-01-27 06:40 pm (UTC)Sure enough, as morning creeps around, there is a sharp knock on the door, and a female voice says: "Ezra?"
If the kid wakes up enough to pay attention, the person outside smells distinctly like werewolf.
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Date: 2025-01-27 06:53 pm (UTC)He stirs at the sound of the knock, though he doesn't fully untuck from the little ball he's curled himself into. He catches the scent of werewolf and stills, tense and cautious.
He tries to tell himself it's fine, that it's someone who knows Ezra so it can't be someone who's looking for him, but he stays wary nonetheless.
(Quite why he has apparently decided that Ezra is trustworthy, he isn't entirely sure, but he isn't really questioning it either)
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Date: 2025-01-27 07:02 pm (UTC)"Hey Sabine," he starts.
"Have you got a shifter in there?" she asks pointedly, trying to peer in.
"Yeah," Ezra says, sounding mildly sheepishly. "It's okay, I know him - kinda. We know him. Listen, I'll explain at breakfast okay? He came to us in the night. He needs our help."
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Date: 2025-01-27 07:10 pm (UTC)The tension eases as Ezra talks, and eventually he unwinds a little from the ball so he can roll onto his side - he doesn't volunteer any additional information, just waits to see if she's going to immediately try and kick him out or ask more questions.
Ezra doesn't seem to think so, at least he seems to imagine he'll get to stay until breakfast, so that's something. If he has to leave and go figure this out on his own at least he had a good few hours of sleep and maybe even a meal to keep him going.
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Date: 2025-01-27 07:40 pm (UTC)"Okay," she says. "you better come down soon. Hera's going to want to know why you invited him into our home."
"We will," Ezra assures her. "Now go away so I can get dressed."
Pushing her out of the door, he closes it and turns to his guest.
"I thin you'd better come and meet my friends," he says.
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Date: 2025-01-27 07:53 pm (UTC)He tenses a little again when she looks over him, but she doesn't seem mad so he thinks it'll be okay. He smiles sheepishly at Ezra once they're alone and nods.
"I think so... I hope you won't be in trouble because of me..."
He's already reaching for the pants Ezra offered him last night so he can pull them on under the blanket, as much as he might want to delay the inevitable he really doesn't want Ezra to get in trouble.
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Date: 2025-01-27 08:19 pm (UTC)Ezra gives him a bright, mischievous grin. "I'm always in trouble for one thing or another. I've done much worse than this."
He changes his own shirt while the other kid gets dressed, and then leads the way down to the disused store itself, where a small group of people are sitting various around a camping stove. Two women - one of them the werewolf called Sabine, with brightly dies hair and bright coloured clothes - a man with a scar across his sightless eyes, and the hulking form of a small troll.
The man turns his face towards them as they enter, his head tilted with a disapproving question in his eyebrows.
"Sounds like we're inviting just anyone into our secret hideout, now?"
Ezra coughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uh yeah, listen, can we have breakfast and you hear me out before you get judgey? He's had a rough night and he needs our help."
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Date: 2025-01-27 08:36 pm (UTC)Sean Conlon has, at one time or another, picked a fight with most (if not all) the people in this room. They would be forgiven for not recognising that argumentative little shit in the boy that follows Ezra into the room, though.
He looks nervous, sticks close to Ezra and winces apologetically at the comment, lets Ezra speak rather than jumping to his own defence with some kind of snarky comment.
He gives Ezra a grateful look and whispers a quiet thanks to him before looking back to the others.
"If you still want me to leave after the explanation, I will."
He doesn't have anywhere else to go, but he doesn't want to stay somewhere he isn't welcome.
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Date: 2025-01-27 08:51 pm (UTC)He gives an overview of what happened - he woke up in the night and the leopard was sleeping outside, he'd been in a cage and people were after him, and he's completely forgotten everything about himself.
In turn, he's given an introduction to the others: Kanan, Hera, Sabine and Garazeb all nod to him with various levels of friendliness. However they feel at the beginning, they all - Kanan and Sabine especially - agree that this place with the cages needs to be investigated and destroyed.
"Do you think you can lead us back there?" Kanan asks him directly.
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Date: 2025-01-27 09:04 pm (UTC)He thanks Ezra and sits, devouring the food the moment it's placed in front of him - he doesn't actually know the last time he ate, but it feels like it might have been a while.
He lets Ezra tell the story, only interjecting to add some detail here and there where he can, but it's not often since Ezra seems to have remembered everything he was told pretty well.
"Maybe." He decides after a moment of thinking "I did a lot of doubling back and changing direction so my scent was harder to follow, but I remember what was nearby so I could probably find it again."
He's obviously trying to be honest, and in truth he thinks they're right that the place ought to be destroyed, but there's a hint of a tremor behind his tone, a nervousness about going back there. He's not even sure why, it's not like he even remembers what they did to him beyond the cage, but something in him knows it was bad.
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Date: 2025-01-28 06:21 pm (UTC)Kanan listens to the explanation, his expression hard to read, but he nods. "Maybe you should take Ezra and Sabine on a scouting run?"
Ezra interjects: "Bad move - sorry, Sabine. The place is guarded by weres, right? I figure we can mask the leopard's scent, but not a werewolf as well."
"Just the two of you?" That's Hera, pragmatic rather than overly concerned.
"Yeah. He's great at getting places without being noticed. I'm great at getting out of places. They'll smell Sabine a mile off. Zeb's too big..."
"...hey!"
"...sorry. And you and Kanan still have to plan the... our next job. It's just scouting, Hera. We can look after ourselves."
Hera looks at Kanan, who gives the impression of meeting her eye without actually having sight. He shrugs. She sighs.
"Okay," she relents. "Tonight, though. You're not sneaking around in daylight."
"Tonight," he agrees, glancing at their guest to check he's okay with that.
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Date: 2025-01-28 08:44 pm (UTC)He doesn't immediately notice that more food is being put onto his plate since he's just eating without really paying attention, but by the second egg he clicks what's happening and he pauses, looking uncertainly at Ezra. He seems content to share, though, so he mumbles a quiet thanks and finishes eating.
He listens in on the conversation, but he doesn't really know them or their skillsets well enough to make suggestions of his own - he does think fewer people is better, it'll be easier to run if they need to. Just scouting doesn't sound so bad, and if they can mask his scent that's even better.
"If they spot us, I'll make sure Ezra gets away." He says firmly - Ezra's done enough for him, he doesn't want him getting taken by those people too. Plus if Ezra makes it back it sounds like they're going after that group anyway, maybe they'll be able to rescue him.
He nods at Ezra.
"Tonight." he agrees. Gives him time to get more rest, too.
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Date: 2025-01-29 08:05 am (UTC)Ezra grins at him, and tucks into his own food now it's settled.
"Do you want to get more rest?" he asks. "Or we could go out in the city and see if we can find anything that could help with your memory?"
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Date: 2025-01-29 11:06 am (UTC)He considers this for a moment, unsure if he wants to go out in the city when they don't know if the people who took him are looking for him, but also really wanting to get his memory back.
"Both?" he suggests "I'd like some more rest first, but maybe go out in the city later? If you don't already have anything to do, I don't want to get in the way..."
More than he already has, anyway.
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Date: 2025-01-29 05:48 pm (UTC)"I could do with some sleep as well," he agrees. "Let's sort something out so we can both have a nap in my room, okay?"
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Date: 2025-01-29 06:41 pm (UTC)"Okay." he nods - it makes sense, since he doesn't know how long he'll need to take advantage of their hospitality, and he doesn't want to keep Ezra from his own bed any longer than necessary.
"Thank you." He says, to Ezra and to all of them - they could have just kicked him out and made it not their problem, but as reluctant as some of the adults are they're still willing to let him stay for now, and seem to be happy to help.
Even if it is probably really fucking weird to get a polite thank you from a kid they're used to seeing giving aggro and throwing punches to everyone who so much as looks at him funny, even if they're a foot taller and a 100 pounds heavier. Especially if they're a foot taller and a 100 pounds heavier.
Not that he knows that part.
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Date: 2025-01-29 07:27 pm (UTC)"Wake me if you need anything," he tells the others, handing Sabine their plates for her turn cleaning.
"Don't think you're skipping your dishes shift tonight," she comments, and Ezra smirks at her.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he says. "Come on, Spot, lets go get some sleep."
The name just slips out - it's what he's been calling the leopard behind his back for a while now, everytime they wanted to bitch about him.
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Date: 2025-01-30 12:45 am (UTC)He glances between them with a confused expression but doesn't say anything, instead he just follows Ezra's example and hands over his plate. He's just about to follow him when the names comes out and he pauses.
"...Spot?" He asks. He's pretty sure Ezra would have mentioned if he knew his name before now, so he's not sure where that came from.
He also wonders what kind of a name is Spot.
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Date: 2025-01-30 08:42 am (UTC)"Sorry," he says, and jerks his head towards his room so he can follow and they can talk in private.
"Uh, we don't actually know your name, but when I 'm talking about you I usually called you that. Because... leopard, you know?"
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Date: 2025-01-30 07:55 pm (UTC)Spot looks a bit uncertain when he sees Sabine almost laughing and the guilt in Ezra's expression, but he follows Ezra back to his room.
When he gets the explanation he does sort of understand the reaction and he huffs a soft laugh.
"I guess that makes sense." He concedes. He's quiet for a moment as he thinks and then he shrugs easily.
"Well since I don't know my name either, it's as good a name as any to use, I suppose."
It would be a terrible name to give to a child officially, but as a nickname it's not so bad, he can live with it. He would have been concered about the type of parents who'd name a baby Spot.
"...Do you know if I have any family? They might be worried...." He says, suddenly realising that possibility and feeling guilty that he hasn't raised it before.
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Date: 2025-01-30 08:14 pm (UTC)He turns around to face Spot, his expression sympathetic. "I'm pretty sure you live on the streets, but that doesn't mean you don't have family of a sorts. I'm an orphan, too, but these people are like my family. You might have people like that."
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Date: 2025-01-30 08:43 pm (UTC)"Oh.." Spot says softly, frowning slightly. He hopes whoever they are, if they exist, that they aren't too worried or having trouble without him around, but he's also a little saddened by the thought that he might be all alone. He wonders why, if it's something he did, if it has something to do with all those fights...
He feels like he should probably be mourning a family, too, but it's hard to mourn something you don't ever remember having.
"Well.. maybe when we go out into the city we might meet someone."
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Date: 2025-01-30 08:51 pm (UTC)He tilts his head to the side, trying to gauge Spot's reaction, and if he should say anything else.
"If they are out there, we'll find them, I promise."
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Date: 2025-01-31 12:17 am (UTC)Spot smiles at Ezra, soft and grateful and somehow reassured even if he still has no idea if anybody like that is even out there looking for him.
"Thank you." He says, then laughs slightly "Man, I'm really glad I caught your scent..."
He has no idea where or how he would have ended up if he hadn't found his way to Ezra last night.
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