Don’t do love, don’t do friends; I’m only after success

[Jacqueline]

She couldn't tell if she'd wounded him or not; his facial features suggested that, if she had, it rolled quickly off his shoulders. Okay, that was actually a point in his favor.

As quickly as she'd decided to show him her soft side, she bounced back to being regal and detached. Typical Jacqueline, especially as she would be in her youth: an emotional rollercoaster, though most of that was sequestered away from those around her.

"They may," she alluded airily, slowly strutting past him. She was curious to know if he would follow her while she talked, or if he would leave it at that. His reaction had made her wonder if she'd judged him too quickly. She peeked back over her shoulder, side-eyeing him. "I will do whatever is needed to get what I want."

[Lincoln]

// content warning for sexual themes even if he doesn't realize it :')

She hadn't laughed.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Any softness she had spared for the act of "letting him down nicely" was gone, replaced again by the seriousness that defined her. Her plans might include a sacrifice, she alluded, and Lincoln watched with baited breath as slowly, she made her way passed him. The movement called to some hidden hunger, but he wasn't a fool; she was dangerous in that way, and he made sure to meet her eyes as she looked back at him.

I will do whatever is needed to get what I want.

Well. Maybe he was a fool, because despite all of the red flags and all of the warnings that had simultaneously gone off in his head, he pushed himself forward. Into moving, to following after her for no other reason than to satiate himself — the curiosity; the undying desire to figure her out; the ingrained addiction he had to adrenaline. They'd only known each other for a few hours, and already he knew she could be an infinite source of it.

Whether or not she wanted him, he found himself wanting her more and more. Which, truth be told, had probably been her game all along.

"And what is it, exactly, that you want?" he asked softly, coming up from behind to join her at her flank. What was her end goal? "And how might I help you achieve it?"

[Jacqueline]

If he was trying to seduce her, she wasn't having any of it, quite truthfully. Despite his proving himself to be more three-dimensional than she'd thought, she still pictured the grinning, hooting boy who'd flopped down on his side and slid down a hill.

She needed a man who burned, a man that felt as dangerous to her as she did to him. Maybe, if he stuck around, he'd figure that out. Or, maybe he'd linger around long enough to be a convenient source of pleasure during her heat. For now, she ignored the potential sexual undertones of his question. They'd only just met, after all.

She looked ahead, watching the valley below them pull gradually further into view. "It's simple," she said pleasantly. "I'm here to fuck shit up." She cocked a brow at him and glanced back to subtly study his expression, how he might react. Jacqueline couldn't help but be perceptive with others, to poke into their brains and try to glean all the information about their psychology that she could. It made her dangerous, but it also made it difficult for her to seem wholly uninterested in him. She was probably egging him into following her, whether she wanted to or not.

"And along the way, I want to accumulate enough power that no one can stop me from doing precisely what I want at any given moment."

She'd elaborate if he asked. The end goal was chaos, but the path to get there was cold and calculated and impossibly structured. It was a tough project to take on, a dangerous, snaking path to follow in life. One wrong step and she'd veer into stifling organization or fiery self-destruction.

She knew she, of all wolves, had what it took, though.

[Lincoln]

She claimed she was there to fuck shit up, and Lincoln had to fight down the happy, childish reaction that would have been his norm. He reminded himself that this woman was serious, that she most likely meant what she said and that their versions of fucking things up were likely very, very different from one another. Still, it sounded like fun — and he liked fun, even if it had a bit of danger to go with it. "Well, who's to stop you from doing that now?" he asked with a grin. "Certainly not me."

Ahead of them was the line in elevation where trees could comfortably survive. Beyond that rested the forest, he knew, gloomy despite its coating of white. It was shrouded by the storm then, but they'd be within its clutches soon enough. "In fact, my offer still stands. I'll help you, if you'll have me," he said, glancing in the direction of her eyes. "I have nothing better to do."

He wasn't looking for pity, really. It was the truth. He'd been alone for a good bit of his life, constantly putting it in danger doing dumb shit out of boredom and because it made him feel good. He couldn't help but wonder what he could achieve if he had a goal in mind, or at least a goal to share with someone — something to focus all of his energy on.

Or, he could fuck right off if that was what she wanted. She'd tried to send him away once already, for fear that he was too soft. He wasn't, not particularly, but it was clear that their energy levels differed drastically. Either way, he would understand. It wouldn't be the first time he wasn't wanted somewhere.

He started to slow then, letting her walk alone if she chose to. "But regardless of your choice, I won't stand in your way," he said with a small smile.

[Jacqueline]

He wouldn't stop her, even after all that. She snorted. Jacqueline truly didn't know if he had what it took to run with her, but if he was cool with everything she'd said, well... She could be cool, too. It didn't hurt to have someone around who may have an idea of what laid in the valley below, especially during the winter.

"Very well, then," she said, glancing at him and then swinging her head forward. "Let's see what fun this valley has to offer."

[Lincoln]

She'd snorted, and at first Lincoln had assumed the worst. He'd even slowed more, prepared to veer off and leave her to it when, to his surprise, she glanced back at him.

Let's see what fun this valley has to offer.

His stomach twisted at the words. He said nothing in response, but happily wagged his tail and picked his pace up to a trot to catch up.

// fade!