Lovell the Were-Orc: Part One (rough draft)

Several years ago, back when you were still a bit young, your grandmother had remarried. You didn’t really remember much of your grandfather, only that everyone said you were nearly just like him. It was funny how that worked out. In personality you were like your grandfather, more chilled, more relaxed. But in appearance you resembled your grandmother, tall, a little husky, and a deep complexion.

But anyways, your grandmother remarried, and remarried well. Mac, as he liked to be called, had bought your grandmother a house on the island where she grew up. He had money to spend, and with not much family, he didn’t have anyone to really leave it too.

“And I won’t let the fucking banks get a hold of either. I’ll bury all my shit in a treasure chest if I had to.” He said this during your first meeting with him.

You had always been close to your grandmother, so seeing her leave was a bit of a gut punch, especially since she moved towards the end of high school. She had been wanting you to move out there as well, but your parents wanted you to get one of those so-called ‘higher educations’. You graduated from it, and what do you know, nothing happened. So, you finally moved to be with your grandmother.

“We’ve got you all set up.” Mac told you as he toured you around the house. “You’ve got the guest house all to yourself, but you’re welcome with us at any time.”

“Thanks,” was all you could muster. You were still kind of shocked about how big the whole place was. You shrugged your longboard up in your arms and looked towards your grandmother watching from the porch.

“I didn’t realize how big the property was. For some reason I got it into my head that Granny had always wanted a cozy place.”

“She’s got her cozy,” Mac laughed. “And she’s got the finer things. I tried to give her a bit of everything.” He motioned out to the orchard just beyond the fence. “That out there will be your responsibility while you’re here.”

You frowned a little bit. “I knew you said you had a job for me. But I don’t really know anything about trees.”

Mac slapped your back and laughed. “No worries, son. It’s not the trees you’ll be taking care of, I’ve got other people for that. What I want you to do is pack and deliver the care packages.”

You furrowed your brow. “Care packages?”

“I don’t need all this fruit. I don’t need to sell it either. So, I give back to the community that gave me your grandmother.” He said this with an expression in his eyes that made you jealous. Seeing how much love he had for your grandmother, you couldn’t help but want someone who would look at you like that even when you were nowhere around.

“Mac! Baby!” Your grandmother called from the house. “Come inside, I’m sure he’s exhausted.”

Mac laughed and patted your back. “More than that later, son. For now, you get to relax and enjoy getting used to your new home.”

Over the next few days, your things were delivered and you began unpacking bit by bit. Of course, your grandmother and Mac had already started adding their touches to the guest house. They bought you dishware for the kitchen, filled the fridge with food and drinks, and had bought you perhaps the only bit of furniture you were concerned with; a bed. You’d grown up on a single, got used to the ezra room of a twin in college, so you weren’t going to complain with whatever they got you. But your grandmother showed out and bought you a king. It was the best luxury you could think of inside.

Outside, the luxury was just living on such a beautiful island. Your grandmother had talked on end about her childhood, how beautiful it was, how shitty tourists are, but mostly the good memories. It was a nice enough place you could take your long board out and cruise for hours. The air was balmy, with the perfect bit of breeze. Plus, you could ride right alongside the beach, which was it’s own kind of beautiful.

Going out into the sand was different each day. Some days the sand was wet and a little cold, it molded around your feet, feeling soft and deep. Some days it was bone dry and hot, but was cold under the surface, so when your feet sank in you got a sudden chill. You took swims regularly as well, often drying off during your trip back home. You had started losing a little bit of weight, but you knew your family genetics weren’t going to go away that easily.

“How is it, baby?” Your grandmother asked one evening. “Are you feeling at home yet?”

You broke into a grin. “I love it. I really wish I could have come sooner.” You scoffed. “Maybe I wouldn’t have had so many panic attacks because of school.”

She gave you a frown. “Your parents thought getting an education was what was best. I didn’t want to argue.”

“Maybe you should have,” you laughed. “Could’ve gotten here a lot quicker.”

“You can’t rush fate, son.” Mac came out carrying some drinks. He offered you one and sat down beside your grandmother. “You’re here now because it’s the time. You’re where you need to be when you need to be.”

“You think like that?” You tased as you cracked open your drink.

“Took me a long time to realize it, so don’t make fun, son.” He leaned back and sighed. “I met your grandmother when I needed her the most. Not a second too soon, or a moment too late. Had I met her too soon, she would have hated me,” he laughed. “Met her too late and she wouldn’t have bothered. Timing is everything, son. And it’s out of your control.”

You smiled and nodded, listening to more of his stories as the night wound on. The next day you were going to board into town and check out a local tattoo place. You had seen them the day before and was considering a tattoo, and maybe another piercing besides the bar in your ear.

It was nice the next day too, the sun was out, there was a gentle breeze to keep it refreshing. As you boarded down the street you began to get that ‘zoned out’ feeling. You were relaxed, the world was calm, and everything was right.

You could see the tattoo shop just a little bit away. You were getting closer and closer, and you were getting back into your head. The shop was right there, and then so was something else. Someone came walking out from the alley beside the shop and there was no time for you to stop. You crashed right into the person, they stepped on your board, sliding, hitting, tumbling to the ground.

Dark green skin littered with even darker tattoos was all you could see. You looked up along his arm, to his neck, and then he moved.

“Fucking hell, kid,” the man grunted. He rose up off of you and you saw the tattoo facing you was a huge wolf that wrapped and coiled all around his thick arm.

“Sorry!” You began to panic. “You came out of nowhere.”

The orc looked down at you and his brows raised. “You’re no kid.”

You sat up, checking for any injuries, but it looked like both of you had miraculously come out of it unscatched. “Does my age make this more or less embarrassing?” You asked.

The orc stood up, grumbling under his breath. He was shockingly tall, and that was coming from you. The sides of his head were shaved and he had a long mohawk that came down into a braid.

“I am really sorry,” you said as you stood. “You scared the heck out of me.”

“Imagine,” the orc grunted.

You looked him over, seeing he was wearing overalls but nothing underneath. He was quite hairy too, thick curls covered his chest as well as a litany of tattoos. But it was the wolf on his arm that caught your attention.

“I’m guessing you’re working at the tattoo shop I’m about to visit?” You squirmed.

He nodded. “I own it.”

You laughed, rubbing your face. “Yeah, of course you do. Because that’s how it works out.”

He smirked. “Got an appointment?”

You nodded. “Consultation with a uh…hold on.” You pulled out the card you had gotten the day before from the girl at the counter. “Lovell?”

“Nice to meet you,” the orc laughed.

“Oh no,” you laughed. “You’re who I’m meeting too!”

Lovell held his hand out. “That’s what I get for not taking out the trash in a few days.” You took his hand and he shook it. His grip was strong, and it gave you a better viewing of his muscles. “Come on in.”

He took you into the shop where the orc girl at the counter waved. “I heard a commotion, what happened?” She asked. She was just as tall as you, and you now realized she and Lovell could be related as they had the same wolf tattoo, only hers was on her neck and chest.

“My new client ran over me.” Lovell pointed as he disappeared into a back room.

She looked at you and grinned. “Like with a car?” You held up your longboard and she made a disappointed face. “Oh well. Still funny.”

“Why is that funny?” Lovell snapped as he came out with a binder.

“Pay back for when you broke my foot with that fucking scooter Ma got ya.” She sniffed.

“This is my sister Welda,” Lovell nodded to her. “She thinks it’s funny when bad things happen to me.”

“Only when it’s funny,” Welda scoffed.

Lovell took you into a small cubicle where there was a desk lined with some pictures as well as boxes of equipment. He opened up the binder and handed it to you. “What’re we thinking?”

You looked over the art in the binder for a moment. “Not sure really.” You glanced back up. “Your wolf tattoo is pretty cool.”

Lovell rubbed his arm. “My Ma did it.”

“Really?” You said amazed. “Both yours and Welda’s?”

He took a sketch book down from a shelf and nodded. “It’s a family thing, not for others.”

You shrugged and looked back at his artwork. “So I’d have to marry you to get a wolf like that is what you’re saying. I see. Guess I’ll have to start figuring out how to woo you now.”

Lovell’s thick brow arched as he looked at you.

You looked back up with a smile. “I’m not hearing a no.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Alright. So, I see you’ve been pierced before, so you have some idea of what you’re in for. And not to worry, I did a class a few summers ago on how to tattoo dark skin.”

“You covered my first question.” You flip through pages of examples. “To answer yours, I just want to be as cool as I think I am. Try to be that mental image in my head.”

“And what’s that image?” Lovell asked.

You thought for a moment. “I once tried to describe it to a friend and he called it a hipster Captain Planet.”

Lovell snorted and tried to cover it up. “Not as cool as you imagined, eh?”

“You felt me crash into you. Obviously not.” You chuckled.

You looked at Lovell as he sharpened a pencil, his leg crossed along his lap as he balanced on the world’s smallest stool. You’d seen some good looking people here, but Lovell was just to your strangely exact taste. He was taller than you, a rarity but always good, had a mohawk, another weird specific on your radar. The tattoos and piercings he had were just the icing on top. You were only sort of joking about wooing him. You were highly considering it.

“What about something with your longboard?” Lovell asked.

“Actually, I was kind of thinking about something with my grandma. She grew up here, actually I moved down here because of her. She loves plumeria.”

Lovell took the book from you and flipped to a tag labeled ‘florals’. He flipped a few more pages then showed you a whole punch of plumeria pieces. “Anything there that catches your eye.”

“Yeah, these look great. Maybe…one flower for her and one for me.”

Lovell looked up from his sketchbook. “You two are close?”

“I spent more time in her kitchen than I did my own crib as a baby I think,” you murmured. You glanced up from the photo book and looked into Lovell’s amber colored eyes. “When she moved back down here, I lost a bit of home.”

Lovell smiled softly. “A yes would have sufficed,” he chuckled.

You smirked. “I guess I should go to the nail salon if I want to talk.”

“How big would you want this piece?”

“I figured I’d just start on my wrist or something. Pretty small to see if I even like it and all.” You watched his hand as he sketched, marveling at how delicately he was working with such big hands.

Lovell nodded. “Why your wrist? Any special reason?”

“Nah. Just thought it’d be cool.”

Lovell chuckled. He looked at you with a stern but jovial expression. “You’re old enough you don’t need the ‘it’s forever’ lecture. But I will say that this is something to consider and not just something you think is cool. Hipster Captain Planet.”

“Hey, that’s paying customer Hipster Captain Planet to you,” you taunted. “Keep talking mean to me and I may end up falling in love with you.”

Lovell’s brow arched again. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned something like that to me.”

“Maybe I’m hinting at something,” you teased.

“I’m used to getting flirted with at work. I’ve gotten used to that. You’re not going to surprise me.” Lovell said.

“I’m sure. Guy like you must get all sorts of googly eyes,” you chuckled.

Lovell scoffed but didn’t say anything. You wondered how aggravating that must be. He’s just trying to do his job, something he obviously has in his blood, and people are trying to flirt or something.

“Just tell me to shut up and I’ll get the message,” you laughed.

“You aren’t verging on that yet,” Lovell replied. “Like I said, you haven’t surprised me just yet.”

“What does surprise you?” You asked.

Lovell shrugged. “Nothing much really. I’ve seen just about it all here.”

“I’m sure.” You look over the plumeria drawings one more time before shutting the binder. “My grandmother said that the day she’s not kept on her toes is the day the lord will take her.” You chuckled. “Kind of hoping that never comes.”

Lovell’s amber eyes flicked from the page to yours. “Is that going to be your personal mission?”

“Not personal,” you murmured. “I just know it’s going to be hard for me when she’s gone. It’s selfish of me to think that way, I get it. Just to keep her around so I’m happy. But she really is the world to me. When she moved it was hard, but at least she was still here.” You pouted and leaned back. “Shit, I’m about to get emotional in here.”

Lovell chuckled. “That’s surprising.”

You looked back, rubbing your eyes. “Did I get ya?”

He then turned his drawing pad over and showed you the sketch he had drawn. The two plumeria blossoms were nestled together with two pettas that had intertwined with the other.

“Wow, that’s really great.” You looked over the sketch with a smile. Something about the drawing made you feel warm inside. The way the petals touched and joined the flowers together reminded you of your grandmother’s hugs. “I really like this.”

“Then I can smooth it up if you want this to be cool,” he said.

You smiled softly. “Okay. I’d like that.”

Welda handled setting you up another appointment. As you were standing outside, checking your phone, Lovell leaned out the door and looked down at you.

“How does dinner sound?” He asked.

You looked at him blankly. “Sounds like dinner,” you replied.

He narrowed his eyes upon you. “Okay, smartass, how would you like to go out for dinner tonight?”

You stood there for a moment as you realized what was happening. “Are you asking me out?”

“He is!” Welda yelled from inside.

Lovell stepped out and closed the door behind him. “You caught my attention. And not just because you nearly ran me over.”

Your heart sputtered. “Shit. That’s new. But I uhm yeah. Dinner. Sounds cool to me.”

Lovell smirked. “Cool,” he chuckled. “Meet me here at six. I’ll get Welda to close down for me.”

Your mouth grew a little dry. “Wait seriously? This isn’t a prank or a way to get back at me?”

Lovell shifted, tilting his head as he gave you a look. “No. Why would I do that? This isn’t some high school movie. Do people actually do that?”

“You’d be surprised.” You swallowed again. “But yeah. Dinner. Sounds good to me. I haven’t been able to try a lot of places around here since I moved. But I’m up for anything.”

“I think you’ll like the place I’m taking you,” Lovell said with a smirk. “A little intimate but I feel you can handle it. See you later.” He turned to go back inside but you cleared your throat, making him stop.

“Can I ask…what it was?” You asked.

Lovell shrugged. “Just a feeling for now. You’re funny, which is something I like. And the way you talked about your grandmother, it told me something.”

That was something you’d never heard before. “Told you what?”

Lovell winked. “I’ll tell you later. When I’m sure.” He walked back inside and you stood there again for a long minute. The hot orc tattooist asked you out. Was it timing? Was Mac right about that?

You took a few calming breaths and headed out towards the beach with a huge smile on your face.