A Neighborhood Affair

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Gorgons were not exactly known for their large families. It was usually just one gorgon living off by herself in some abandon cave. So when Abram brought up family get togethers like holidays the woman’s eyebrow couldn’t help but lift. The thought alone sent shivers down her spin. ”Gees, maybe we should just hire your lot to be the chefs here.” she said assuming that those dogs could cook fast and well. After contemplating the idea of wolves in her kitchen for a moment, the woman continued with her explanation of the young witch. ”Yes, sister.” A sly grin appeared across her lips when Abram asked what Dina was like. ”Well she looks JUST like Cassandra. Only her personality is completely different. The girl is…well you’ll see whenever you meet her.” Some things were better left as a surprise especially when it came to Dina. ”I really don’t mind helping. I love Darius I really do but I just don’t think he is right for Cassey. The child needs to move on.” she said mostly to herself. The woman was stopped mid thought as Miss Sunshine came waltzing into the back.

With little warning, the conversation shifted to the topic of Dog. ”He is…over the moon about me?” blushed the witch as she bashfully looked at her feet. Over the moon meant a deep, undying sort of love in witch sayings. ”Are you sure about that?” she questioned which was quickly answered by Abram’s comment about his cousin having difficulty with showing how he felt. ”That poor little thing!” Her expression showed how bad she felt as her hand pressed against her heart. He was just a shy sort of man. After Cassey requested Abram’s presence, the girl walked off leaving behind a dumbfounded Tammy and Abram. Dog had little to no time to react as Cassey easily dominated the conversation. She even playfully touched the top of his nose before dancing away as if the two were reunited long lost lovers.

Enzo was quick to use this unfortunate outrage as the perfect time to snuggle up to Alexis. ”What? I was just as stunned as you guys and just needed someone to hold!” he argued before being pushed away. ”Although Dog, that was pretty low of you. Stealing another man’s girl.” said the wizard with a new sense of nobility. When he felt the eyes of the room locked in on him, he quickly elaborated. ”I mean. Not just any man, but your brother. It is low to steal your BROTHER’S girl. Because let’s face it, if a woman is unhappy in a certain relationship.” he said his thin fingers slightly dropping on top of Alexis’s shoulders. ”Then I see nothing wrong with her exploring her options….experimenting if you will with an older more mature sort of man.” The man’s words seemed to go unheard as the rest of the party continued. The group’s conversation didn’t shift until a new young woman entered the scene.

The teacher’s eyes jumped towards Dio as his smile rose. ”I personally think there is a MUCH more attractive woman in this establishment. A woman with icy blue eyes and curves that could kill a man.” he said nodding his head with his hand over his chin. ”I think you SHOULD murder him Alexis. Show him whose boss.” he winked encouraging the girl’s anger. He would have continued, but he was hushed by the smallest of the werewolves.

Clyde was positively correct when he said that Dina could smell their fear. Her eyes jumped from wolf to wolf silently examining each of them. Those eyes that looked so much like Cassey’s narrowed for a moment as her graceful steps glided her to the table. Her heels made a slight clicking noise against the flooring as she crossed her arms. ”It is very nice to meet you as well.” said Dina as her lips twitched. It looked like a smile was attempting to form itself but died in the process. She had her poker face on and was not about to let it fall. Her eyes shot back towards Dog as he looked at her with the same indifference. There was a slight standoff between the two before her eyes averted to Abram. She didn’t say a word but those large eyes bore not into his eyes but into his very soul. ”Yes I am Dina.” she said nodding before looking back at the family. Her eyes followed Abram and Dog and watched the two before being distracted by her sister.

Cassey hopped to the other side of Dina as she held onto the other girl. ”Abram said that Dog is ‘Over the Moon’ for me! Did you hear that?” she asked her smiling face glancing up at Dina. Enzo snorted and had to place his hand over his mouth.

”Are you sure he said that exactly?” asked Dina who was finding it hard to believe that such an unemotional man could say something so heart felt. ”Maybe he meant over the lake for you? As in he thinks of you as a sister?” Cassey’s peppy body language and story telling was covered the girl’s soft words. Dina leaned back as she watched her sister with concern.

”So he said that then?” encouraged Enzo who seemed to be taking a liking to this sudden new development in the story. What? Just because he was an old wizard did not mean he couldn’t fall prey to gossip. He resembled a giddy schoolgirl as he leaned against Alexis’s chair. ”You know Alexis…I’m pretty over the moon about you.” whispered the shameless man.

Dina gave a warning look to Enzo causing the man to move away from Alexis. There was a certain air surrounding Dina that was frighteningly similar to her father. Her head shifted around as she looked at Abram. ”Yes. My sister and I of-“

”We do LOTS of things together!” interrupted Cassey before placing her small hands over her lips at her sister’s glare. ”Sorry Dina….” Those big eyes resembled a wet kitten as Cassey blinked. Dina watched her for a moment or two to make sure she wasn’t planning on interrupting again.

”Anyways, yes. We usually try to get together whenever we can. And if we cannot physically see one another, a phone call is our next option. Or the Internet.” the girl was so forward with her explanation. She didn’t waste time with playful banter or creative imagery like her sister. Nope, this sister held a much more line rhythm of speaking. Dina’s eyes watched as Cassey impatiently waited for her turn to speak. The older sister finally gave the younger sister a solid nod allowing the younger to lean forward.

”Yes! My sister and I are very close!” she said her entire body getting into the explanation. ”We tell each other EVERYTHING.” Her hands couldn’t help but intertwine with Dog’s as she spoke. It was as if she was trying to break him into her family circle. ”She knows all about my love for Darius.” If one listened close enough they could hear Dina’s small sarcastic comment stating obsession when her sister said love. ”WAIT! I am so sorry Dog! I said I wouldn’t speak of Dar…” The witchling gasped as her hands jumped over her mouth. ”I mean Dar….I almost did it again! Oh please forgive me!” she said giving the werewolf the hug that should have gone to Abram. Dina watched the interactions carefully. Her eyes stopped and focused on Abram as she watched his facial expressions.

”How much longer do you have on your shift Cassey?” asked Dina as she gently removed her sister from Dog. It was as if she could feel the discomfort drifting from the stern werewolf. ”If I remember correctly your shift should be endi-“ Before she could finish saying ending, Cassey’s replacement along with Abram’s walked in. One was a human while the other was that’s right yet another vampire. Dina watched the replacements before during her gaze towards Enzo. ”I think we can handle ourselves this time.” she said in a point blank manner. She knew how the old wizard could get. The last thing she needed was any sort of distraction to keep her from studying these new men. ”Cassandra why don’t you and Abram change? I brought you something to wear.” she said shifting through her bag.

Cassey moved about curiously to see what Dina had in store for her. ”What is it?” asked the cat girl her tail swinging around her body. Dina watched Cassey’s tail as if daring it to move again. Cassey, catching her sister’s hint, quickly pulled the tail into her arms. ”Well?” she asked carefully watching her sister. Cassey blinked as she looked at the boring business attire. ”Why would I need to wear that? And where are its colors? Did the colors get stolen? Why is it so boring?” she asked poking her sister’s outfit of choice with disapproving eyes.

”Well there is this documentary on the history of paper showing over at the Franklin Theater but you need to dress acc- Ca…C…Cassey what are you doing?” asked Dina whose mouth flew opened at her sister’s short attention span. Maybe the history of paper wasn’t nearly as exciting as an amusement park but it was save.

”Aren’t you just the cutest little baby! Look at you. Just being all adorable.” laughed Cassey as she touched the top of the baby’s nose. The child giggled in response as the proud mother smiled fondly. She stopped as she heard her name. ”Oh I’m sorry Dina…it’s just the cuteness it called to me.” Dina, in response to her sister’s comment, dramatically placed her hand over her forehead.

”Cass I was just saying that maybe instead of the amusement park we could go see the History of Paper. Papers fun right?” she cooed as she showed her sister the flyer. Cassey’s eyes were weary as she politely pushed the paper away.

”Come on Dina. This will be FUN. Besides, Dog has his heart set on this. I cannot disappoint him!” she said causing Dina’s head to drop. Cassey at an amusement park had disaster written ALL over it. The thought alone sent chills down the woman’s spin. ”Dina trust me okay? Now first things first we need to get YOU changed!” giggle the witchling as she tugged her sister away from the others.

Enzo rubbed his chin as he watched the departing girls. ”What on EARTH am I going to do without my student?” he said his eyes zeroing in on Alexis. The man had a new found determination that wasn’t planning of fading any time soon. ”Maybe a certain young she-wolf wouldn’t mind entertaining a handsome wizard such as myself. I mean with all of this free time I cannot control what I might do if said female doesn’t keep me busy.” began to threaten the cunning wizard focusing his eyes on Abram this time. ”Who knows? Maybe I will tell Cassey’s sister about the misunderstanding? I mean it’s not like I am asking for a lot. Just a simple date with a complex woman.” he shrugged purposely positioning himself in front of Dio. ”What do you say Alexis?”

”I feel ridiculous in this!” complained Dina who was sporting an outfit as cute as Cassey’s. Her long hair was up in a ponytail as she wore shorts and a blue tank top. ”I mean really. It is so casual.” she said fixing her glasses. It was just the girl’s luck to lose one of her contacts while they were in the back. She repositioned their viewing position as she took a step towards her date. The girl still seemed to radiate under those glasses as she tilted her hand at Abram. ”Well…shall we?” she asked but her sister had already taken the lead.

The youngest of Odin’s daughters pulled Dog along with her on her very own glory mission. ”Aren’t you excited?” she asked her cat ears and tail gone. Cassey attire was simple but caused her other features to radiate even more. ”Come on Dog…smile.” she encouraged hoping to get him to lighten up. She moved in front of the werewolf and lightly pushed his lips into a smile. The girl smiled back at her handiwork dropping her fingers in hopes that the smile would remain. ”Aww..” she pouted as his smile disappeared. ”That’s okay! I’m sure you will be happy when we get to the Amusement Park!” She happily continued to talk about this and that as the group made their way to the park.

Dina wearily watched her sister as she awkwardly looked back at Abram. What was she supposed to say to him? ”Well at least Cassandra seemed happy.” she noted curious as to what Abram’s response might be. She studied him before her attention was drawn back towards…Cassey? ”Where did she go?” asked the older sister. They had barely made it to the front gate of the park and already Cassey was missing! ”Oh no! What if something happens to her?” asked Dina in worry her eyes widening at all of her fear filled thoughts.

Cassey, however, was in no real danger. However, one could not say the same thing about Dog. ”Everything looks like so much fun here! Let’s go on that ride! No…that ride no…” The more excited Cassey got the more physical she became. ”OOOH THAT! THAT! THAT!” she said pointing at the largest roller coaster in the entire park. The small witch had successfully jumped onto Dog’s back and was now pointing outwards as if he were some sort of horse. ”Onwards!” she declared before jumping off. ”Aren’t you just so excited?” she asked her hands clasped together as she looked up at the cousin. She held those stars that Abram seemed to be so fond of speaking about.

”Where could she possi- Oh THERE she is!” pointed Dina as she watched her sister coax Dog towards the line. ”No! What is she doing? Why that ride!? Of all the rides she could pick!” she said her eyes staring up at the monstrous sight.

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Darius’s expression only darkened when Lydia complained about her father. The human male slipped through security and showed up at her doorstep? The vampire clenched his hands into a fist at the boldness of this mysterious man. The businessman’s mind held this vision of a beast of a creature slipping into the girl’s room at night. He relaxed slightly when Lydia claimed that it wasn’t a sexually abusive relationship she held with this mysterious father of hers but a mentally abusive one. At least the man had not taken his daughter’s innocence. The vampire let out a breath he did not even know he was holding in. ”Racist?” he repeated. ”I see.” Darius could deal with a racist. Well at least he assumed he could deal with a racist. What the man was slowly discovering that he couldn’t deal with was Lydia’s unnaturally attractive scent. Maybe he could tell her to wear perfume or some other strong odor to mask her natural one? This was barely their second date and already he was trying to steal a taste. His stomach growled at him in protest as he brought back their little stalker friend.

”Why are you stalkers always so mouthy?” groaned the ancient man as he listened to the stalker claim that his fetish wasn’t for the pretty human (which Darius highly doubted. In Darius world Lydia was single-handedly the most attractive female ever to grace the human population, therefore everyone was in love with her) but for ’uncovering news and keeping the public informed on important issues’. Why wasn’t Darius surprised? He figured the mysterious man would come up with some sort of cop out answer for why he was stalking Lydia. ”Chad.” repeated Darius. The man reluctantly loosened his grip on the back of the reporter’s collar.

”Thank you but I’ll have to decline on the publicity.” said the vampire holding up his hand. He had done so well to stay out of the newspapers. Well for the most part he had done well to stay out of them. His eyes turned back towards Lydia as she spoke. ”Took this morning?” repeated Darius his eyes darkening a shade lower than his usual color. He did not like the idea of some man snooping around his Lydia. The vampire’s teeth threatened to come out as Chad asked if he had interrupted what he thought he interrupted. ”No.” said Darius flatly.

”But now that you mention it. I have yet eat today.” he extended his teeth as he glared at the man. His fangs sparkled in the sun as his eyes turned into a blood red. ”I doubt anyone would miss you Chad. Do you mind me calling you that Chad?” he asked his expression never changing. He grabbed the man’s upper arm as Chad attempted to nudge him. ”You know.” he said licking his lips. ”It’s been a rather long time since I’ve had a fresh meal.” he threatened laughing slightly as he glanced back at Lydia.

Darius easily crushed the memory card Lydia had had such difficulty with in between his index finger and thumb. ”Go ahead and come back later Chad. But remember this.” whispered Darius in a low voice that Lydia could not hear. ”If I see so much as see ONE photo of Lydia in the tabloid in a negative light. Well, I cannot help what my kinsmen might do or say.” he threatened letting the man go. ”Now run along.” he said his tone civil yet threatening.

The vampire politely turned away from Lydia as he retrieved a cell phone from inside his coat pocket. His voice was mumbled as he said something to the person on the other line. ”Chad” was the only portion spoken in English before he happily tossed the phone back away in his coat. ”I wouldn’t worry too much about him.” he reassured proudly before noticing Lydia’s gaze. ”Oh don’t worry. He is not going to get hurt. Simply…frightened.” he winked. He’d like to see Abram do THAT! See? Clearly the vampire was the much better catch. ”Now then. What shall we do next? I still have a bit more time left. How about the amusement park?” he offered delighted at the idea of seeing Lydia let loose.

The man watched her fondly before tugging her closer. ”I’m sure your company and mine will be alright for one day.” he reassured. ”Besides you should be able to enjoy yourself every once in a while.” This would be perfect! Darius would be able to distract the lovely Lydia completely. How could she possibly think of Abram OR business at an amusement park? The man gave the woman little time to react as he began to lead the way. ”I hear this park is vampire friendly too. So I will be able to get something to eat.” he noted with his arm lazily moving over her shoulder. Maybe he could talk her into going through one of those tunnels?

The best part was no Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram. No Abram.

Yes! That silly dog would be stuck at work while Darius got to entertain Lydia. Nothing could possibly go wrong. The vampire held a silly grin as he continued to say No Abram, over and over again in his mind. The universe was clearly on his side. Hiring the wolf was a blessing in disguise. It freed him from having to deal with THAT competition. Now it was just a matter of distracting Lydia from business. ”Cooommme on! It isn’t that high.” whined the familiar voice of Cassandra. No. Darius was simply hearing things. Yes. He was insane. Happily insane. ”Abrraaammm. Tell Dog to get on the ride with me!” Darius froze his grip on Lydia tightening. No. Abram. He was there wasn’t he?

”Maybe we should go somewhere else? I hear there is a documentary on the history of paper showing at the theater.” he said holding Lydia back from exploring. Damn that girl’s cleverness. He had to distract her! His heart was racing as he began to tug her back towards the exit. ”I’ve decided against this place. Ah..um. Too many people. Erm…there are…BEES! RUN LYDIA BEES!” he said lightly pushing the girl to the exit. ”I have to do important business…I.”

He could hear the sound of Cassey and her entire group getting closer. Little did Darius know that the group was headed towards on of the other rides and not towards Darius. However, Darius was in panic mode so it was hard for him to believe anything other than them drawing closer. They were coming for them! Adrenaline rushed through the vampire’s bloodstream. His heart beating so fast it was threatening to fall out of his chest. ”Look over there!” he said pulling her along to the place across the street from the amusement park. ”A TEA SHOP! Humans like tea right? DRINK TEA!” he said marching towards the shop.

Safe. He was away from that distraction. Now all he had to do was calm down. ”I…oh you must think I’m crazy? It’s just. There was someone there that I just wanted to avoid.” he said awkwardly as he asked for a table for two. ”I should have just told you that huh?” he said sighing as he sat down. His features relaxed. He went from sporting such a human look to going back to his stern, emotionless one. ”Maybe we could try that place tomorrow?” he offered looking over the menu.

”We have an assortment of teas that you can choose from. We even have a vampire-inspired one for our blood drinking customers.” said the man. He was uncommonly attractive. He had to be around Mary and Jacob’s age but his features were deceiving. He looked much younger than he really was. The man’s eyes were a deep blue-almost violet color as his long dark hair was tugged back into a low ponytail that rested against his shoulder. Darius stared at him for a moment as if he knew him before looking away. The young man smirked as he glanced back down at the menu. ”That one is my personal favorite.” he said leaning over Lydia so he could point out one of the teas.

Darius’s nose twitched. There was something off about this human waiter but he could not exactly put his finger on what it was. Maybe he had a history of magic in his bloodline? ”What would you like sir?” asked the boy distracting Darius’s thought pattern.

”I will take the vampire-inspired one.” he said pointing at the one he had wanted. He shook the thought away. Maybe he was just imagining things? The man winked at the two before departing back to the back. ”I feel like I have seen him before.” whispered the vampire pondering the thought. ”So. Lydia. Now that I have completely freaked you out. What do you think of me?” he teased.












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[Lady March Hare]

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ｍｙ
ｈｅａｒｔ ｈｉｔ ａ ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ { ｅ ａ ｒ ｌ ｙ } ｈｏｕｒｓ,
Ｓｏ Ｉ ｓｔｏｐｐｅｄ ｉｔ ｄｅａｄ ｆｏｒ ａ ｂｅａｔ ｏｒ ｔｗｏ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ＣＵＴ ｓｏｍｅ ｃｏｒｄ (ａｎｄ Ｉ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｎ'ｔ ｈａｖｅ ｄｏｎｅ ｉｔ)
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▇ location: O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: U G H . . . XXXXX ♫ q u i e t m e l o d y ♫XX
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Lydia was, quite understandably, incensed with the man standing before them, proudly talking about how he had been stalking her as if he expected a commendation for his creativity or something. A gray eye twitched slightly. She didn’t want to have to deal with this. A sigh escaped her; she supposed she should have known better. The girl had grown up being kidnapped and listening to her mother's extraordinarily detailed plans to have family outings without catching the attention of those in the business that would seek to do something underhanded to throw them off. In the grand scheme of things, Lydia figured she should probably count herself lucky that her stalker was a newspaperman and only a newspaperman. The realization deserved a self-scolding; what if it had been her father behind all of this? Pictures would have been the least of her worries! Just because she was new at this president thing didn't mean she had an excuse to stop paying attention. Oh well; if nothing else, this experience was going to make her paranoid enough so that it would never, ever happen again. First order of business? Her office was getting curtains. Metal ones. She would miss the sun, to be sure, but it was a small price to pay for added security. She blinked, then amended those plans; not only was her office getting metal curtains, but her upstairs apartment was as well. No window would escape! The planning calmed her irritation slightly; constructive plotting was like meditation for the youthful businesswoman.

"Mouthy?" Chad scoffed. "I’m just keepin’ it real, man. You know how it is." the man said confidently, grinning at the irritated look Lydia was shooting him. "No? Well, alright, maybe next time…" Chad moved on fast, apparently, talking the tricks of his trade with excitement. "Yup, just this morning! Took me weeks to figure out why she never seemed to leave the office… once I figured it out, I felt so dumb, haha! Once I had that figured out, it was a snap to get access to the building across the street. The security guard's a really nice guy; I just bring him pictures or coffee in the morning and he lets me do whatever I want on the roof. Isn't that a great set up!?"

“Ngh…” Lydia couldn’t help feeling a touch embarrassed. That this moron had been trying to ‘get the scoop’ on her she knew; that he’d been going to such extents? She’d had no idea. Clearly, Lydia owed an apology to Olivia, who had been insisting in her gentle way to be wary of dangers quite often of late. “You could at least try to sound a little ashamed of yourself.”

"Why? I love my work!" the reporter said with enthusiasm. His eyes flicked to Darius and, finally seeming to pick up properly on the mood, let loose a weak laugh. Lydia blinked and looked up at Darius in surprise before looking back to the intrepid reporter suspiciously. "Eheheh… f-funny joke. You’re a real funny guy, you know that? Ulp!" The man froze at Darius’ whisper, sweating a bit nervously at his words. "I… er…" he didn’t seem able to choke out a proper response so made do with staring at Darius with wide eyes until the vampire let him go. He started back from the other man made a brief show of collecting himself, clearly unsettled. "I… r-right. H-Have a nice day." he said before quickly turning tail and power walking away from Darius and Lydia like there was no tomorrow.

Lydia blinked, surprised as the tabloid photographer fled from the scene. She’d been trying to get him to do just that for ages. “Darius… what did you say to him?” the girl sounded amazed as she looked back to Darius and then pressed her lips together a bit apologetically when she saw the man on the phone. Big gray eyes blinked at the conversation, and she tilted her head to the side quizzically as Darius met her gaze. Alarm flickered on her face at his words –despite how little she liked Chad, she was pretty sure any harm coming to him was unacceptable—and then a small sigh left her at Darius’ wink. “Frightened?” she repeated, studying her vampire companion for a long second before a small smile came to her lips and she reached out to take Darius’ hand. “I have a feeling that you just did something very nice for me…” she added, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”

Nope, she felt no hesitation about touching him even with that strange little feeding moment fresh in her mind, Lydia noted with pride. She was glad to see that this, what logic dictated would be one of the most difficult barriers to process in a relationship such as theirs, was something she could handle with something akin to grace. The brunette looked a little surprised at the vampire’s suggestion, and looked down at the ground thoughtfully, tapping her bottom lip with a finger. “An amusement park?” she questioned, turning the idea over in her head. It had been ages since she’d been to one of those… “Ah, but the office…” she trailed off, studying Darius for a long second before she sighed, a smile easing onto her lips. If nothing else, the fact that the park was vampire friendly—that poor, starving Darius could get something to eat—won the idea over for Lydia. Suddenly, the girl was determined to be nowhere else! Her vampire partner was not going to be compromised in this deal, darn it! The human started forward, blinked, and then slammed to a halt. “A-Ah, wait!” she objected suddenly before they could move too far away from the bench. Releasing Darius only temporarily, the girl went back for her flowers and held them close as she returned to take his hand again. “What? They’re very pretty…” she offered in weak explanation, a little bit of pink in her cheeks as she reviewed how childish that probably looked. Her cheeks puffed out in a small pout, and she decided she didn't care -- they were her first flowers, and she was keeping them. So there!

Nestled under his arm, Lydia turned over the idea of the amusement park critically. There were sure to be a lot of people there, and it would be a good, clean way to get the rumors started in a way that was constructive to both herself and Darius. That was a plus. As they approached the front gate, Lydia’s stern gaze traced over the nearest park-goers analytically, clearly making some of the people they passed uncomfortable with that unblinking stare. After all, she was also paranoid now… it was always good to be cautious and on the look out for stalkers with cameras, apparently. But Lydia was slowly, begrudgingly, distracted by the amusement park itself. There was so much activity, so many lights and sights and sounds! It had her flashing back to when she was just a kid, and a small smile settled itself on the girl’s lips at the thought. The innocent minded young woman glanced up at Darius, and it warmed her heart to see that extremely pleased smile on his face. Why, Darius must be delighted at the prospects of the amusement park as well! That was a welcome relief; and Lydia actually giggled softly to herself as she looked ahead of them again. But then a girl's voice, faint but familiar called out, and Lydia looked towards it a bit instinctively. Strange… where had she heard that voice before? Lydia surely didn’t know, but her heart leaped when she swore she heard the name Abram. Abram? Her Abram? And was that also Dog being mentioned? No, she must be mistaken; Abram had work… what would he and Dog be doing at an amusement park? Perhaps she’d misheard; after all, the young girl could had been calling for Abraham and his dog. Abraham was a common enough name, wasn't it? A good deal more common then Abram, she figured... then frowned. There was another possibility, that it was Abram... and that familiar female voice could belong to…

“Is that..?” she started with a small, confused frown, but was cut off by Darius’ words. The girl looked at the vampire in surprise, at a temporary loss for words. “A documentary?” she questioned, then shook herself – stay focused, Lydia! “I thought for sure I just heard someone calling for…ah!” The human gasped slightly as she was tugged along, confusion flashing on her face. It was a bit difficult to focus when one was being pulled away, and Lydia successfully forgot about the voice in the mental exercise that was keeping her feet under her. “B-Bees?!” she parroted in utter confusion as she stumbled through the exit of the amusement park. What was going on?! Clearly Darius had changed his mind about wanting to go to the amusement park, but the specifics as to why confused the heck out of her. Not that there was anything she could do at that moment to make any sort of confirmation; the girl was completely occupied with clasping onto Darius' hand tightly to keep from falling as she followed his lead. She looked up at him, eyes a bit wide, and nodded haltingly. “T-Tea sounds nice, I guess...” she conceded, a bit flustered.

The tea shop smelled wonderful and had the human not been occupied with trying to get her bearings again she was sure to have taken a moment to enjoy the smells. Finally releasing her iron grip on Darius’ hand the girl lifted her hands to fix her hair... more to give herself the illusion of regaining some sort of control over herself than anything. An eyebrow lifted at his words, and for a long moment Lydia said nothing, studying her boyfriend intently as she followed him to their table. Sinking into her seat, Lydia finally spoke. “I’ll admit, I thought you were crazy for a moment there.” she said bluntly. Her stern eyes traced over his features for a moment before she began softly. “And yes, you should have… we’re a team in this, remember? You help me, I help you. If there’s someone you want to avoid, I can help you do it. After all, a single person running away suddenly or ducking to hide in the bushes or some such place is strange, but a couple doing the same isn’t. People would just assume we were feeling frisky which, while silly, doesn’t draw nearly as much attention.” she added with a small smile. “It’s a wonderful arrangement we have… might as well exploit it as far as we’re able, hmm?” She added, flicking a menu open thoughtfully. At his suggestion her smile turned almost teasing. “Alright, we could give it a try tomorrow… as long as you don’t mention bees again. I’m horribly allergic to them; you almost scared me to death.” she teased.

“Hello.” she murmured in greeting to the waiter, shooting him a brief smile before looking down to the menu. Tucking her hair behind her ears thoughtfully, the girl blinked at the young man’s recommendation, leaning forward slightly to study the option curiously while Darius ordered. “Ah… and I’ll try the one you recommended, please.” she added, tapping the menu’s option matter-of-factly. Tilting her head to the side slightly at the man’s wink, the businesswoman directed her attention back to Darius curiously. “Really? Do you have any idea where?” she questioned, glancing back the way the young man had gone curiously. “Hm…” Lydia blinked, then lifted an eyebrow as she looked back at Darius.

“Freaked me out?” she questioned, tilting her head to the side in amusement. “What would make you think that? I’m not freaked out.” she said, reaching idly across the table to brush strands of his hair that had gotten messed up in their mad dash back into place. Apparently, that was just one of those things for Lydia, hair. “What do I think of you? Hm. Well, I think you have the ability to be very strange.” the human said bluntly. “And you’re different from the initial impression I had of you, to be sure.” she added in her professional tone. “But I don’t mean that in a negative way.” she continued. “You have a good heart, and I continue to be impressed by your professionalism. In fact, I suppose that you could say that, in that respect in the very least, I greatly admire you.” she laughed lightly. “But in general, I like you quite a bit, Darius.” Lydia smiled, then blinked as if she was suddenly figuring something out. “Ah! But you were joking when you asked…” Lydia admonished him gently. “I’m afraid I’m going to start making a habit of misunderstanding you, Darius. You should stop be before I make a fool of myself if you catch me doing it again.” the girl sighed without the slightest idea of just how often Darius would probably have to do such a thing if he took it up in earnest.

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Ｉ ｓａｉｄ ｎｏ, ｎｏ ｙｏｕ'ｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｏｎｅ ｆｏｒ ｍｅ!
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｆｏｒｇｉｖｅ ｍｅ ａｆｔｅｒ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｙｅａｒｓ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

▇ location: T H E iR E S T U R A N T XXXXX ▇ mood: D E T E R M I N E DXXXXX ♫ u p b e a t m e l o d y ♫XX
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Abram chuckled at the idea of his werewolf pack working in such a place; he had the distinct impression that it would not go over well. Sure, Jacob was a cooking machine… but the rest of them? Absolute slobs. Abram had a brief thought about Tammy walking in on the ruin being done to her kitchen and letting loose her retributive powers on a whole generation of werewolves and quickly shook his head to rid himself of the horror. Abram’s green eyes locked on Tammy again and his expression twisted in a way that was clearly pouting at the Gorgon’s vague description of Dina. A completely different personality..? The werewolf felt that wasn’t very much to go on, and looked suspicious at the woman’s grin. That certainly boded ill. However, with the woman’s next statement he was back on board, determined as ever.

“Right.” he agreed. The way the little witch lit up when talking about his vampire boss flashed in his mind again, and Abram made a face. Yup; Cassey definitely needed to move on. To him, of course. Because that’s how it was going to happen. The werewolf was determined! And out of this determination he said something that was misconstrued, having no idea what ‘over the moon’ meant when heard by a witch. But though he didn’t know the source of his blunder, he’d known he’d made one, and it filled him with a sort of lurking dread.

Abram wasn’t the only one that probably should have been experiencing lurking dread; Enzo might have done well to sense some as well, what with Alexis grinding her teeth together and narrowing lovely eyes into a pointed glare. The female werewolf was having a trying day in the men department. “Needed someone to hold… don’t give me that bull.” she glowered at the poor wizard. She wasn’t the only one staring at him in disbelief at his next statement, disbelief that was maintained despite his correction.

“I already told you, I didn’t..!” Dog started, but Alexis cut him off hotly.

“Hey, you never know, maybe I will. You let me know when you find a MATURE man, and I’ll date the hell out of him.” Alexis vowed before turning her pent up rage and aggression on the man she was kind of supposed to marry at some point, apparently having no problems with giving the struggling redhead a few discouraging shakes. “Shut up, Kitty-boy. You’re next!”

Clyde spoke up as the voice of reason (which, in itself, was pretty phenomenal) and then focused himself on staring at Cassey’s sister. Which was apparently a full time gig, since the little werewolf looked like he was fully expecting the stern faced lawyer-in-training to either breath fire or disembowel Dog, who seemed to be locked in a steely exchange of disapproving stares with Dina. Abram didn’t seem overly encouraged by Dina’s stern greeting but, since it was somewhat familiar, he put that on the back burner and rushed to drag Dog away for the bribing threatening negotiating.

“Wait, Abram said what?” Clyde piped up, confusion flavoring his tone as he glanced back and forth between the two sisters.

“Wait…” Mary started slowly, carefully, in an undertone to her husband. Of course, careful werewolf ears still heard her, but all of the pack did their best to pretend they didn’t as the blonde continued. “Isn’t ‘over the moon’ slang for something like love to witches and wizards?” Jacob cut his eyes at his wife warily, but didn’t answer her; he didn’t have to. Sweet, motherly, even-tempered Mary sat still and silent for one long moment, two… and then her eyes turned gold. “ABRAM told Cassey that Dog was madly in love with her… on ACCIDENT?!?!?!?!?” she said in a growl, apparently on the verge of hyperventilating. Every werewolf in the vicinity looked at her in growing horror. Mary was the most frightening among them on the rare occasion that her temper flared. And, apparently, this newest act of accidental idiocy was pushing it. “I’m going to march back there right now and give that young man a piece of my mind!”

“Easy, Mary.” Jacob rumbled, planting a meaty hand on his wife’s head and giving her a therapeutic scratch.

“Oh Jacob, why do these things happen? I already had the date picked out for them and everything…” Mary whimpered in a sudden change of mood, dabbing at her eye with a napkin.

“That… is… hilarious..!” Dio gasped out between breaths of sweet, sweet air. “That Abram… it’s… it’s always something...”

“Ugh.” Alexis didn’t want to think about her idiot packmate; it gave her a headache. The raven haired female leaned back in her chair, tired out from all that murdering she’d been doing, and twitched at Enzo’s whisper. The woman slowly shifted to look at him, her expression disgruntled before she continued smoothly. “In wolf speak, ‘over the moon’ means seeing you as a worthy opponent. This can be taken either as a compliment, or a challenge. I’m taking it as a challenge.” Fortunately she wasn’t forced to elaborated as Dina’s stern look fended Enzo off, a power the blue eyed werewolf noted with no little impressed feelings.

“Wow, you guys really are close!” Clyde, who had been paying such close attention to the two sisters that it was a bit eerie, considering his character, said with feeling. “I wish I had a sister like you, Dina!”

“You do have a sister, meat head.”

“Yeah, but she’s dumb Matty…” Clyde sought to explain with his strange logic as Abram and Dog rejoined the group. All of the werewolves cast secretive looks at the pair, as if trying to divine the way things stood between the two of them. Abram looked positively brimming over with desperate determination and Dog looked irritated and tired… nope, nothing to be read from those, which were normal enough expressions for the two.

Dog, still counting to ten in his head, started badly as the little witch intertwined her hand with his. He didn’t speak and didn’t seem inclined to speak, a drawn expression on his wary features as he thought of all the ‘stealing Abram’s girl’ comments he’d already been getting and was sure to get more of in the immediate future. He cast a sort of helpless look over his shoulder at his cousin as if to assure him that he totally wasn’t taking advantage of this situation, the silent werewolf bristled slightly as Cassey wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Why was she hugging him, again? Dog had been too busy freaking out to listen, and now he was cursing himself, nature, Abram, and the dogcatcher. “Forgive? I… er…”

Abram stared at Cassey for a long moment, then sighed heavily, his head dropping. Sure, he was around the sister he was going to be trying his darndest to make a good impression on and so he should probably be putting on a better face, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t a good feeling to see Cassey hugging on anyone, even though Abram himself had kind-of-sort-of-completely pushed his reluctant cousin in the position. What could he say; werewolves were particularly possessive when it came to their mates, which is why this situation was more then a tad bit awkward and why the prospect of Dog stealing Cassey away was so appalling to the werewolves on a whole. That sort of thing just didn’t happen, not in a wolf pack. When a werewolf focused in on a girl, the pack was devoted to helping the werewolf win over said girl. Just… not usually in this way. Loyalty was a strange, strange mistress indeed. Abram blinked at his thoughts. At what moment had Cassey reached that elevation of personal importance; at what moment had their situation elevated to the intricacies and detail of dealing with life partners? Sure, Abram had been completely about wooing Cassey from the start, but such a shift from regarding Cassey as a girl he was determined to win over to a young woman with that level of importance was pretty deep… and he wasn’t even sure when the idea had cemented itself in his mind. He’d been interested in girls before, and they’d never nudged his thoughts down this particular path. Of course they wouldn't have, though; all werewolves knew that there was only one out there for them that they had to find. Dealing with anyone else was just to have something to occupy one's time during the searching. Abram scratched his cheek, then snapped his eyes up to Dina’s with a slightly sheepish laugh. It was like the elder witch could see right into his soul!

“Right! Change!” he barked, making his pack look at him strangely. “I’ll be right back...” he added before turning away to go change. Mostly glad to have a distraction from Dina’s penetrating gaze (which gave him the sneaking suspicion that the lawyer-in-training knew exactly what he had been thinking), Abram was also glad to have a moment to reflect on his pack. They also seemed to have come to the same solution that Cassey was a permanent fixture in their future… but how? Instinct? Some sort of underlying group understanding? Sure, Abram’s mother and father had always talked about their meeting with gooey allusions to fate and destiny, and Abram knew that there was something at work with werewolves, who tended to be able to follow the smell of their future mates to initiate their first meeting. Abram had always been under the impression that such a thing would always be extremely obvious and result in an instant revelation; instead it felt like he was late to the party somehow, like his heart and instincts had already made the decision and his brain was only just catching up with how things were going to be. Not that he was disappointed in any way, just somewhat amazed. Making a mental note to give his parents a stern talking to about their dopey explanation of such a feeling when they got back from their second honeymoon, the werewolf changed quickly into the clothes he had brought with him that morning, only discretely borrowing the shoes… because Dina struck him as a “shoes are mandatory” sort of person. Besides, he was looking to make a good impression, it was important that he make a good impression! So yes, he would even risk the discomfort of shoes, darn it! Filled anew with determination, the werewolf ran his fingers through his hair before moving to rejoin his packmates and the spell casters.

While Abram was having a minor existential crisis, Dog was stuck studying the two witches he now found himself, quiet inexplicably, accompanying for the afternoon. A single jade eye twitched, and he sighed. For a moment, Dog entertained the fantasy of speaking up for the showing of the History of Paper… it was sure to demand silence and Dog was pretty sure no one would notice if he slept through it. Unconsciousness: the best way to deal with an uncomfortable personal situation! But then Dog remembered the dazed, dreamy look on Abram’s face when the other werewolf had talked about seeing Cassey enjoying an amusement park and sighed heavily; the sandy haired lad would throttle him for depriving him of such a thing. Sad. Dog was stuck… loyalty, indeed, was a temperamental mistress. Oh well, he had to make the best of it. Looking only relieved when one sister pulled the other away, Dog moved to stand behind Jacob and Mary and leaned down to murmur Abram’s ‘reasoning’ to the two. If for no other reason, so Mary wouldn’t absolutely murder Abram when he got back.

“Oooh… man.” Matty murmured with a whistle, fidgeting with his glasses. Not only was this thing with the witch sisters and the wolf cousins strange, but this persistent wizard was hitting on the most aggressive of his wolf sisters. Things could get hairy.

“Ah ha ha ha… yeah, that’s hilarious. No.” Alexis replied moodily.

“Hey… that’s blackmail, Enzo.” Abram said with a drawn expression as he rejoined the group. The wizard wasn’t serious was he? If he told Dina, then the witch would know he’d been trying to trick her! Sure it was accidental, but it would still make him look dishonest! And dishonest = not making a good impression! “Ah… hm… Alexis…”

“Hey!” Dio growled, his eyes narrowing at Enzo. “I am sitting right here! Back off!” he snapped, even as Jacob put a thoughtful hand on his shoulder. Dio blinked and looked back to Jacob irritably, but not even the mouthy Dio would dare talk back to Jacob.

“That is not a bad idea. Alexis. Entertain Enzo.” Jacob ordered.

“WHAT?!?”

“Oh, hell no!” Alexis objected, her eyes widening as she looked around the table at the wolf pack, obviously alarmed by the consensus she saw on their faces. “You can not be serious! No. Absolutely not. You all are not going to throw me to the wolves, no sir!”

“Technically we’re not throwing you to the wolves.” Clyde apparently couldn’t help pointing out with a grin. “We’re throwing a wolf at the wizards. Completely different.”

“Alexis, please…” Mary countered, back to hearing wedding bells in her mind. “It won’t be as bad as all that! Just spend a little time with Enzo, just for the afternoon. Please? He’s not a bad fellow at all! Just a little grabby! And a little forward! And with a wandering eye! And a bit perverted! But other then that, he’s a delightful person!”

“Oh, is that all?” the woman shot Enzo a dirty look and crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. “No means no.”

There was a moment of silence… and then Jacob sealed the deal.

“You owe Abram. I don’t think you want me to have to say why.”

“That is true, Alexis…”

“Ngh..!” the female werewolf glowered for a long, agonizing minute… then looked to Enzo with a twitching eye. “Fine. Fine. But if you even think of touching me, or kissing me, or violating my personal space, I’ll know. And I’ll hurt you.”

“WHAAAAAAT!?!” Dio sounded on the verge of massive heart failure.

“Oh good! Girls! You’re back!” Mary laughed, loudly and nervously. “Have a good time, everyone! We’ll see you at the end of the day Abram, Dog!”

“Yeah… see you, guys.” Abram said, watching as Cassey dragged Dog from the building with delight. Smiling a bit wryly, he looked at Dina and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so...” he said in relative good humor, moving to hold the door open for the elder of Odin’s daughters. “Before Cassey leaves us behind!”

Dog, not really having the time to mock his sister’s fate or wish a proper farewell to his mother-figure, sighed as Cassey tugged him along. He was more of a no-to-minimal contact sort of fellow, and this tugging around thing was not really his cup of tea. His face clearly displayed this, and his jade eyes darkened to look at the little witch sternly as she attempted to distort his features into one of those smile things. “I am happy.” he reported, sounding nothing of the sort. The witchling continued to chatter, and Dog sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon indeed.

Sliding his hands into his pockets, Abram walked the first few moments in silence, scrambling for something to say to Dina. It was hard to think constructively when Cassey’s delightful excitement kept catching hold of his attention so thoroughly. No! Focus! He had to find something constructive to say to Dina… but what could he say to a witch, a daughter of Odin, a clearly sophisticated and highly educated woman primed to become one of the most ruthless of creatures: an attorney! He needed a Lydia robot present to talk for him: she always knew just what boring-but-informative crap to say to people who knew stuff. His eyes flicked back to Cassey for a long second at her sister’s words, and he smiled warmly. “Yeah.” he said simply, then chuckled at a sudden observation. “It’s like she makes the whole day brighter when she gets like that, isn’t it?” He was thoughtfully appreciative for a second, then cleared his throat. “Ah... I mean...” Yay, distraction! Oh, wait; not yay, distraction, because Cassey was out of sight! His nose twitched and he frowned, then relaxed in a sigh. “Don’t worry, they didn’t get too far away.” he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder with a sigh. There would be time to think of ways to leave a good impression after Cassey was back in his line of sight. “Come on; they went this way.” he said, guiding the woman gently in the direction of Cassey and Dog.

Speaking of Dog, the werewolf was starting to believe that an afternoon with Cassey would quickly relieve him of one of his nine lives… except… werewolves didn’t get nine lives like cats did. So he was screwed. Like all of the werewolf pack, Dog had assumed there had been some exaggeration to Abram’s grim analysis of Cassey’s obliviously innocent destructive powers. He was horribly, horribly mistaken. “Hey, hold on...” he started. “Oof! Cassey, g-get down from..!” the werewolf stumbled slightly as the little witch dismounted, and green eyes widened as she looked up at him with those eyes. Where Abram saw flowers and sparkles, Dog was rapidly beginning to believe he saw maniacal destruction, and Dog was alarmed to find his life already starting to flash before his eyes. Slowly, slowly, Dog looked up at the monster roller coaster that had sent Cassey into such delighted hysterics. The stoic werewolf paled as he took in the drops, the curves, the upside down moments, and the boasted speeds. “N-N…” he started to object.

“There you guys are! Cassey, don’t just run off and leave us like that!” Abram said with a relieved grin. Even though he was trying to play it cool because Dina was around, there was no stopping the belief that every minute Cassey was out of his sight, she was encountering a pervert with a maid fetish who could somehow smell the uniform on her. He was positive. The werewolf slowed and looked up at the rollercoaster, his grin wide. “The Terror Drop... record holder of the biggest, fastest, and most dangerous rollercoaster ever constructed since the 80’s. People with heart conditions should not ride this ride.” he read off of the attraction’s sign. “Hey, what do you know? A full minute of terrifying fun.” he chuckled, then glanced at Dina. “Ah... you don’t like rollercoasters, Dina?” he asked inquisitively. “We can pick something else to go on. To tell you the truth, Dog hates ‘em too. Why don’t we try…” he stopped, then cocked his head to the side at Cassey’s plea. Green eyes blinked, and he looked to the side, distracted by a familiar scent… but no, it must have been his imagination. After a second his grin returned and he looked back to Cassey with a grin. “Sorry, Cass, but there’s no way to make Dog do something he doesn’t want t…” Abram’s jaw snapped shut, looking at the two of them in a mix of surprise and disbelief.

“No. No. No. No. No! No! No! No!” Dog kept his refusals a steady pace even as the little witch eased the two of them into the line. “This thing is a health hazard. I just ate. We should go on something else. No. Just no. No. No!”

“Ut-oh.” Abram said, reaching to take Dina’s hand so he wouldn’t loose her in the crowd. That would probably just be icing on the cake that was the bad start he was beginning to sense that the two of them were getting off to. “Come on; we’d better not let them go alone. Dog’ll never just say he’s scared… he’s to embarrassed to admit it.” he explained as he moved forward to join his cousin. Maybe some moral support would help the poor werewolf feel a little better about his situation? Dog shot him a wide eyed stare, and Abram grimaced. Maybe not. “Hey, Dog…”

“Next!” the park attendant called out as the rollercoaster came screeching to a halt and the people that had been riding in it piled out. The park attendant turned to the line with steely eyes and stabbed a finger towards Cassey and Dina. “You, you, the rest of you, come on! First two rows. Move along!”

“Aheheheheh… whoops.” Abram murmured to himself sheepishly as the crowd pushed them forward. Looks like he’d probably be owing Dog more then just a steak. Releasing Dina’s hand, Abram grinned at her a bit appeasingly as he took his seat. “Hey, at least it’ll be over fast, right?”

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{ ｓ ｅ ｎ ｔ } ｉｔ ｔｏ ａ ｐｌａｃｅ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｍｉｄｄｌｅ ｏｆ ｎｏｗｈｅｒｅ
Ｗｉｔｈ ａ ＢＩＧ ＢＬＡＣＫ ＨＯＲＳＥ ａｎｄ ａ ｃｈｅｒｒｙ ｔｒｅｅ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｎｏｗ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｃｏｍｅ ｂａｃｋ, 'ｃａｕｓｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｏｈ ｓｏ ｈａｐｐｙ
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｎｏｗ Ｉ'ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ａ ｈｏｌｅ ｆｏr ｔｈｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

[kewefefe]

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If Jacob was a beautiful woman (which he most certainly was not), Enzo might (note the word might because if Jacob was indeed a woman. He would have been a frightening sort) kissed the other right on the lips. ”Thank you. Jacob. I owe you one.” he said unable to control his glee as he hugged the top of Jacob’s head. The silly wizard-gypsy hybrid even took it a step further as he kissed the top of Jacob’s head. That was about as much action as Enzo was willing to display to the friendly giant. The teacher seemed to be just as touchy-feely as his little student was. No wonder the two seemed to just click. The man placed his hands against his hips as he glanced at Mary. ”Aw thanks Mary.” he teased slapping his hand over forehead. He made a mental note to never, ever under any circumstance allow the she-wolf to talk on his behalf. She would single-handedly ruin his chances without even trying.

”Fine. Fine. Fine.” promised the wizard holding up his hands away from the female werewolf. The old wizard would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited about this. He had finally received the chance he had been longing for. He couldn’t allow himself to blow it now now could he? ”Come on. Let’s get out of here Alexis. I already have a wonderful day planned out for us.” he said his arm threatening to slum over her shoulder before quickly withdrawing. ”Don’t eat this crap. I’ll get yo-“

”CRAP!?” snapped Tammy from the kitchen causing Enzo to give her the peace sign. ”Oh don’t you give me that peace sign you crazy old wizard.” she said shaking her spatula at him.

”Come on Alexis. Let’s go before cranky-mic-snakes-snakes throws something.” mocked Enzo offering Dio a cocky smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows at the other. ”I’ll take good care of Alexis. Do not wait up. We’ll be fine.” he reassured as he pulled her chair back so she would be forced to get up. ”Ladies first.” he said bowing so she could take the lead. He childishly stuck his tongue out at Dio before hopping after Alexis. ”Now then. You must be hungry! I know the perfect place.” he said his hands behind his back as he walked beside her. The smile tugging at his lips refused to vanish. The girl was so spirited and feisty that Enzo couldn’t help but feel as if he were a young man again. He really did owe Jacob some sort of gift for giving him the opportunity to be around the girl. Even if the relationship with Alexis wouldn’t go past just that one date, Enzo could still enjoy himself could he not? ”Is your lot allowed to visit the gypsies?” he asked curiously knowing that some cultures had forbidden the interaction with those spell-casting thieves. His eyebrow lifted as he glanced down at her.

While Enzo tried to create a deeper relationship with Abram’s sister, his student was slowly on her way to driving Abram’s brother insane. Cassandra was by no means deliberately trying to drive the dog batty. She was just…Cassey. Her social skills were much more forward than Dina would have liked them to be. ”Hm. You and Dina seem to show your happiness in the same way.” noted the girl wiggling her index finger at the taller werewolf. What could she do to make Dog express himself? The girl contemplated a series of ideas all, which involved shoving Dog into water. Which even Cassey had to reject. She doubted the werewolf would like to be shoved into water. Maybe she could feed him cake? How could anyone not like cake? But Dina was there. It was doubtful she would allow them to feast on the amount of cake Cassey was thinking. Knowing her sister, she would start spouting out things like ‘Heart Disease’, ‘Sugar High’, and all those things that Cassey just did not want to hear.

Dina sighed as she watched her sister’s expression. She knew that expression all too well. Cassey had sported that smile a number of times when she attempted to make Dina ’happy. The young witchling was thinking of ways to make that poor werewolf embarrassed happy. Once again it wasn’t intentional but knowing Cassey the girl would do something…awkward. Dina fought back the urge to groan as she watched her sister tugging at the wolf. Dina could not help but doubt that Dog would have difficulty keeping up with her lively sister. That’s when the wolf next to Dina said something that caused her to do a double take.

“It’s like she makes the whole day brighter when she gets like that, isn’t it?”

The future lawyer was speechless as she looked at Abram. There was a sudden breeze causing Abram’s eyes to hold a small sparkle as he spoke. She was unable to take her eyes off of the werewolf who seemed so captivated by her sister. She blinked when he addressed her directly. She had to clear her throat as she sheepishly answered ”Yeah…” she agreed giving him a tiny smile. Dina could handle Cassey’s obsession with Darius but she did not know how to react to this wolf. She watched him as he easily tugged her towards the other two. ”Cassey!” said Dina slightly shocked as her sister climbed Abram’s cousin as if he were some sort of tree. ”This is exactly why I am throwing out all of her skirts.” she noted to herself rubbing her sensitive forehead. This wasn’t even the worse part! Dina was slowly finding out how much worse it could get as Cassey pointed towards the ride.

”Th…Th…That ride? You want to ride THAT one? How about the nice water ride over there?” suggested the older sister as she urged and pleaded to her younger sister. She desperately pointed towards the child’s ride over to the left. However, her pleads fell on deaf ears. Clearly, Cassey had her heart set on the Terror Drop. Dina’s face turned pale almost as soon as Abram read off the sign. ”Te…T…Terror Drop?” she repeated. She could already feel her soul floating away to heaven. ”No. I hate rollercoasters.” she said flatly her usually judging features becoming panicked. The more animated she got, the more she looked like Cassey.

”Oh come on Dog! This will be fun!” reassured Cassey her sister still dazed from her soul floating up to heaven and all. She was so dazed in fact that she barely noticed she was pulled into line. ”Are you really that frightened of the ride Dog?” questioned the witchling instantly feeling bad. She didn’t want him to lose his lunch. ”Well, maybe we cou-“ It was too late. Dina shot the park attendant the look of doom as she was pushed into the seat. ”I am so sorry Dog!” she said her small fist moving in front of her lips.

”Sorry to him? You should be sorry to me!” cried Dina as she tried to plead with the attendant. ”No. I need to-“ It was too late. Everyone was in and ”AHHHHHHHHHHH!” screamed the girl the entire ride. Did she die? Dina must have died because she could not feel her legs. ”M…m…my legs!” whined the young woman as she touched her thighs that felt like rubber. Her whole body fell out of the roller coaster on onto the side. She looked as if she were going to be sick as she yanked herself up with the help of the nearest poll. ”Never again. Never again!” she swore to herself as Cassey happily hopped towards her. ”I died….I am dead.” she said weakly.

”See Dina? It wasn’t that bad. Like when the fire came out!” she said excitedly causing Dina’s eyes to widen as she shook her head no. That’s when Cassey saw her sister causing ther younger girl to quickly rush to her aid. ”Eep…sorry Dina. Would you like to sit down?” she suggested and Dina quickly nodded. The younger sister helped the older move towards the nearest bench along with Dog. ”I’m sorry you two. I didn’t think it would affect you guys this much.” said Cassey slightly disappointed that the day was going to end so soon. ”Would you like to go home?” she offered causing Dina to wink at Dog before she sat up.

”Please do not let us…” she let out a dramatic groan before continuing. ”Ruin your fun. How about Dog and I stick to the safe rides and you two go on the extreme ones? I saw a teashop across the street. We can all meet up to eat something in say? Three hours or so?” suggested the girl causing Cassey to look at Dog apologetically. ”Don’t worry Cass. This will give me time to make sure that Dog is a suitable person for my baby sister.” she said looking at Abram for a brief moment. The girl’s intuition alone foreshadowed what sort of lawyer she was going to be. ”Besides,” she pouted. ”I don’t think I could get on another ride.” her eyes were weary as she leaned against the park bench and shut her eyes.

”I feel bad le-“ Began Cassey but both Abram’s and Dog’s reassurance had her thinking twice about feeling bad. ”That Killer Mountain did look pretty cool.” said the purple-eyed girl as she glanced back at Abram. ”Are you two going to be okay?” she asked looking at her sister and Abram’s brother.

”As long as I am not getting on that thing again...” she said pointing at the Terror Drop. ”I’ll be just peachy.” she said glaring at the Terror Drop as if to intimidate it with her haunting glance. ”Have fun you two.” continued Dina happily waving the witch and werewolf off. Cassey was reluctant until she saw her sister’s reassuring nod. The cat girl glanced at Abram and shrugged her shoulders before walking off with him. Once the two were gone, the formerly sick future lawyer stood up with ease. She brushed the dirt off her shorts and fixed her glasses. She had a disapproving stare as her eyes focused in on Dog. ”Please explain to me why in the world my sister thinks you are in love with her.” demanded the overprotective sister as she kept her expression straight. ”At first, I thought this was some sort of sick joke. But Abram.” she said sitting back down next to Dog. She moved her hand over her forehead as she shut her eyes. The dog was clearly head over heels for Cassandra. ”What sort of man he is?” she asked her tone softening for a brief moment as the image of Abram’s smiling face played again through her thoughts.

The brief relaxed expression disappeared as Dina’s hands pressed against her thighs. She was ready for business. There was nothing in the world (aside from Cassey) who could possibly distract Dina from weeding out her desired information from Dog. The young woman’s brow line was wrinkled in a determination that could only possibly be matched by Lydia herself. Unlike Cassey, who’s stare of doom held about as much threat as a bunny on Easter, Dina’s stare represented untameble nuclear power. ”I was not able to protect Cassandra before but I will be damned if I let this werewolf come along and hurt her.” she warned relaxing slightly as Dog spoke. If there was on person who could possibly make Abram look even better than he was it was Dog. The young woman relaxed slightly her shoulders rolling back. Her eyes shutting as she listened to the other. She waited until he finished before speaking.

Dina’s poker face lifted and flew up to heaven with the soul that had flown up earlier that day. One arm moved lazily over her chest as she the other adjusted her glasses. ”Cassandra.” she said her eyes shaking as she thought of her younger sister. ”If Abram is as serious as you claim he is about what did you call it? Wooing?” Dina huffed the word wooing as if the word burned her tongue with its ridiculousness. ”Then I think it is best that he understands the delicate situation.” said the girl his eyes watching Dog’s before glancing towards the distance. She could see Cassey happily pointing towards one of the venders idly talking about this and that with Abram. ”And has a better understanding why Cassey is so fond of Darius.” she said reading the man’s eyes. Her teeth clenched down against her lips as she cleared her throat. It was such a heavy conversation to talk about but it needed to be addressed. Plus when would she have time to talk one-on-one with something this close to Abram?

”I believe you already know who our parents are? Well you know of our father at least right? Odin?” she asked her words coming out cold to keep herself from feeling anything. ”Then there is our…mother.” she shut her eyes as she thought about her mother. Even the cold Dina could have feelings from time to time. ”She was the head of the council in our realm. Her temperament matched my sister’s the most.” she said fondly. She shook her head forcing herself to get back on track. ”Do you know of our brother Vidar?” she asked looking at him waiting for him to nod his head. ”I don’t think you know of his history with your sister Mary though.” said the older sister her eyes darkening. ”He believed himself to be in love with her, but Mary was already…oh what do you wolves call it? Something with smell? I wanna say mate but I feel like you have a better term.” she said moving her hands about to urge the other’s participation in the conversation. ”Although I don’t think it was just love Vidar sought after as much as power. Apparently, Mary had family in all the right places. You see our brother has always felt…second place to our father. I mean Odin is this great wizard whose name alone frightens children. But Vidar? He will only ever be Odin’s son.” she said looking at her feet.

”Clearly Jacob wasn’t keen on this idea of seeing his…mate…with another man. I don’t know how he did it but he was able to break Vidar’s magical charge…his magical essence if you will. This only fueled the rage inside of Vidar. He lost to a wolf of all things. It would be one thing to lose to a vampire…they know how to kill our kind but a wolf? No offense but for a wizard? I think you can understand why he was so upset.” she said her hands against her knees. ”I think Jacob might have killed Vidar if it wasn’t for Mary and our mother. They both took pity on him and pleaded for him to live. Vidar left swearing his revenge. We didn’t hear him for years.” she explained brushing her arms as she spoke. She felt a sudden chill that couldn’t be shaken as much as she rubbed. ”Cassey was barely on her senior year. I had already given up the witch life by this point.” she said as if regretting her choice. ”Vidar…” The woman’s hand moved over her mouth. ”He wanted to provoke our father and stern up trouble….the things he did to get that attention though…” she explained clearing her throat. ”Mother did the only thing she could do in that situation, she hid Cassey and did her best to place a protective barrier around her. Cassey was locked in that dark closet the entire time Vidar mercilessly killed his own mother. Only hearing the sounds of what was happening but not being able to see or leave the dark area. Darius was the one to come and save Cassey. He couldn’t save our mother but he did save Cass.” she said thinking of the man. ”Cassandra fell in love with him after that. He was her knight in shining armor. And Darius even let Cassey live in his house while she finished off human school before Enzo took charge of her care.”

”I have no magic but Cassey does. Which means, Vidar could possibly try to target her. No one knows were Dad went so Vidar’s only target would be Cassey. I have nothing for him to take. I gave my powers to Cass after I quit witchery.” she said brushing her cheeks as she finished her story. ”If Abram is serious about this, well I am just warning you now that this is a very delicate situation.” said the woman holding nothing back. ”You are his brother warn him. Cassey has been through enough. I do not want her to get attached to someone who is going to leave at the first signs of danger.” she explained.

While Dina informed Dog of the history surrounding Cassey, the happy-go-lucky girl was all smiles next to Abram. It was as if her history had never even happened. But it was like her mother always taught her, there was no sense in making those around you sad for your miseries and woes. ”Dog seems nice.” she said gently as the two stood in line. She brushed her hair behind her ear before continuing. ”It is just so weird to see him…not smiling.” she said thinking about the boy’s stern expression. ”I mean he looks so much like you but he is so different. Her index finger pressed against her lip as she nodded her head. ”Maybe he is just a bit misunderstood? I bet he can be a really fun guy when he wants to?” The girl always had such difficulty speaking poorly about anyone especially someone’s family member. ”I think Darius is like that.” she said thinking about the vampire. ”Although, at times I wish it was a bit easier to talk to him.” said the girl looking at Abram. ”I wish talking to them came as naturally as talking to you does. It’s like…breathing when we talk. The words are just so easy you know?” she asked looking up at Abram before shrugging her shoulders. She had a fond smile across her lips as she misunderstood the feelings inside of her.

✄------------------------------------------------------

Ⓣⓗⓔ Ⓓⓘⓢⓣⓐⓝⓣ Ⓑⓛⓞⓞⓓⓢⓤⓒⓚⓔⓡ

Darius was unofficially but slowly making his way towards officially being Lydia’s knight in shining armor. He’d like to see Abram threatened a reporter with as much manpower as Darius had just displayed. The werewolf may have had a pack of wolves on his side but the vampire doubted they could possibly stand a chance against his ancient lot. Well, maybe they could stand a chance against Edward but not the rest of his kinsmen! Yes. The vampire was simply brilliant. He was so caught up in his thoughts about how he was on his way to wooing Lydia that he almost didn’t hear her faint thank you. It was the hand squeeze that drew his attention back. He studied their connected digits before smiling back at her. ”No problem.” he reassured hoping to not sound too eager about the situation. Being overly eager never got anyone anywhere. However his eagerness got the best of him as he just about pulled Lydia away from her flowers. An apologetic look over took his facial features as he glanced at the flowers than back at her. ”No, I’m sorry…I just wasn’t thinking.” he said scratching the back of his neck. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. This whole not thinking thing was bad for his poor vampire brain.

The vampire would be a liar if he said he wasn’t disappointed about Abram’s sudden appearance that completely ruined the whole amusement park day. He would have given anything to see Lydia letting lose on a rollercoaster or even eating a ridiculously large cookie. Something about seeing her eating something comically large made him sigh away a smile. Instead of holding Lydia close as they traveled through the pits of hell in a small cart, he was stuck going to a teashop of all things. Well, at least some people found teashops interesting right? Maybe Lydia was one of those people. Miser was, after all, interested in serving them tea the day before so the girl had to have some taste for it right? It wasn’t even that Darius held anything against teashops. However the teashop in question was the alternative to plan A. He let out a soft, embarrassed laugh at Lydia. The sweet-tempered girl had actually admitted to finding Darius crazy. Just perfect. It was only date two and already he was coming off as crazy. ”I didn’t want to draw attention!” he argued before laughing at his stupidity. Yeah, as if yanking Lydia and shouting bees wasn’t drawing attention to themselves!

There was a small unmistakable blush when Lydia claimed they could have jumped into the bushes. ”Maybe next time I will just pull you into the bushes then.” he teased back in an obvious flirting tone. He even leaned slightly closer to her as he spoke before withdrawing as the familiar waiter awaited their orders.

”Hello.” said the man pleasantly back to the young woman before him. ”I’ll have your orders right out to you two as soon as possible.” he reassured causing Darius’s gaze to follow him all the way into the back.

”I’m not sure but I feel like-“ Darius’s words were lost as he looked back at Lydia. Were those flowers flying around her? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he actually awake. Did anyone else see the pinkish hue glow surrounding her. And when did she did side to enter the slow motion section of the world? ”Uhmm.” he stumbled as he stared into those eyes. His nose wrinkled shaking his head to get control of his emotions. He intently listened to the woman as she told him what she thought.

Did Darius’s heart just stop? It had to have because he couldn’t breath and his face felt warm. His entire body must have been working on over drive from his short heart attack. The vampire’s hand pressed against his chest as he heard Lydia’s sweet words. The girl was so thoughtful! ”You make me sound too good Lydia.” he said in a bashful tone. ”And please don’t stop. I am a rather cocky creature and delight in the pleasures of hearing how great I am.” he teased before lightly touching the top of her hand. ”I am also very fond of you.” The man actually looked into the woman’s eyes directly as he spoke. It was something he rarely to never did. ”You have to be one of the most fas-“

’Tea!” said the waiter as ruining the moment. Darius groaned as he leaned back into his chair and placed his hand in his lap. ”Here is yours.” he said handing Lydia her drink. ”And here is yours sir.”

”Thanks.” said Darius with a disappointed grin as he took a sniff of his drink. His eyebrows wrinkled as he lifted it to his nose. There was a small hint in the back of it. What was that? ”Hm.” he said looking towards Lydia as the waiter watched in anticipation to see the girl drink. Darius placed his tea back on the table as he glanced up at the man. ”Is there anything else we need to tell you?” he asked causing the waiter to shift his gaze back.

”No. Sorry sir. I just enjoy seeing people’s reaction to the flavor. Excuse me.” With that he was off, hurrying back to the back.

”Strange.” said Darius as he took a sip of his drink. His eyes widened as an uncharacteristic laughter erupted through him. ”My. My. I think I…” he stopped before taking another drink this one much more hefty than the first. He could feel the substance sliding down his throat and moving through his blood stream. The waiter in the back leaned against the doorway as he watched the vampire fidget. The mysterious man had a cup of tea in his hands as his expression darkened. ”Aww you know Lydia…” he said spinning the tea cup against his index finger. It was a wonder how he was able to keep it so steady with the way it was spinning. ”You should stop being so damn attractive.” he warned before laughing again. ”And…And. I think we should leave thi…” he stopped as another fit of laughter stumbled lazily out of his lips. His head dropped against the table before quickly pulling himself back up again.

The man was mentally gone. He resembled someone who had had one too many drinks and was suffering intoxication. He was saying things he would not have said if he were in a more somber state. The scents of the restaurant along with the drink he had drunk were destroying his inhuman senses. Darius knew he should not have drunk that drink, but now he couldn’t stop himself. The truth was just spewing from his lips like a waterfall. ”And your smell…a woman shouldn’t be allowed to smell like that! How the hell has that damn wolf not done anything yet?” he complained his eyebrows curving in a confused state. ”Oh that’s right, he is after Cassey.” groaned the man his nails scratching against the table.

The waiter slowly moved towards Darius and patted him on the shoulder as if trying to comfort him. ”Cassey? Who is that? And who is that wolf you were talking about?” he asked gently trying to get the information out of him. ”It’s alright Darius…just relax.” There was obviously something off about the situation seeing as the waiter slipped up and spoke the man’s name. ”Maybe if you released any force fields you have one anyone it may ease your pain.” he continued to tempt.

Darius seemed to finally clue in as he heard his name. The whole portion about Darius letting down his field caused the vampire to narrow his eyes. It was as if the light in his mind had turned on causing him to gain a small amount of reality. His eyes wearily glanced up at the waiter as the vampire pulled against the table. The mighty businessman stumbled to the ground. He could barely control his legs as he looked back towards Lydia. ”We…need to get out of here.” he said to the human. He used the table to pull himself up as he leaned against Lydia before tripping to the ground. Darius could have regained his sanity back much faster if he would have just dropped the protective field around Cassandra. But he knew that was exactly what the wizard wanted. ”It is not….gonna happen Vidar.” he winched holding onto his side. ”I don’t care if I tell every truth nor do I care that that poison is eating my insides. I will never uplift the barrier around Cassandra.” he warned his eyes darkening.

Vidar took a step back as his teeth clenched. ”My father is working with you isn’t he?” he asked but Darius didn’t answer. The waiter’s eyes moved towards Lydia as he lifted his eyebrow. ”She’s cute.” he said taking a step towards her. Darius shifted upwards and glared.

”Get away fr-“

”What?” asked Vidar rubbing the back of his hand against Lydia’s cheek. ”Am I no allowed to admire a beautiful woman?” he winked glancing back at Darius who hissed as he clenched against his neck. ”Interesting drink no? It starts out so tasty…addicting. Tastes like the one thing a vampire cannot resist. Then it causes the person to become intoxicated And finally it ends with an unbearable pain. Don’t worry. I am not planning on kill him.” he teased glancing back at Lydia. ”Such eyes.” he complimented. ”This isn’t the end Darius, it is only the beginning.” With that he was gone leaving behind Darius and Lydia. The entire restaurant disappeared just as it had when Enzo left in Darius’s restaurant.

Darius let out a deep groan as his body remained on the ground. ”Lydia. I am sorr-“ he stopped as his whole body curled into a ball. ”I promise I won’t…” he stopped again, his head brushing into the grass. Vidar was trying to get him to crack. ”Ah.” The vampire clenched his teeth against his lip in hopes that it would stop the pain. ”This should pass.” he promised. He felt so useless. How was he supposed to protect her when he couldn’t even tell that that was Vidar?












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[Lady March Hare]

▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇
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ｈｅａｒｔ ｈｉｔ ａ ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ { ｅ ａ ｒ ｌ ｙ } ｈｏｕｒｓ,
Ｓｏ Ｉ ｓｔｏｐｐｅｄ ｉｔ ｄｅａｄ ｆｏｒ ａ ｂｅａｔ ｏｒ ｔｗｏ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ＣＵＴ ｓｏｍｅ ｃｏｒｄ (ａｎｄ Ｉ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｎ'ｔ ｈａｖｅ ｄｏｎｅ ｉｔ)
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｆｏｒｇｉｖｅ ｍｅ ａｆｔｅｒ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｙｅａｒｓ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

▇ location: T E A S H O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: A L A R M E D XXXXX ♫ q u i e t m e l o d y ♫XX
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Leaning her elbows on the tea shop table, the human named Lydia lifted an eyebrow. Her vampire companion had just stated that he hadn’t wanted to draw attention, and it was a battle to keep from smiling. So much for that part of the plan. She tilted her head to the side slightly, blinking in surprise as she was able to watch the man across from her blush. Had she said something inappropriate? Well, perhaps a little… but it was logical, wasn’t it? The fact that a thing was logical went far in validating it in Lydia’s mind, especially when it came to her business arrangements, such as the one she had with Darius that she was growing very fond of. A small smile tugged at her lips as he came back with a flirty tone, and she giggled softly. Of course, the fact that his flirting could be authentic flew, once again, harmlessly over her head. Darn, but Darius was good at this dating game!

The girl laughed lightly at his reply to her declaration; it was just the sort of modest plays at arrogance that she would have expected from him. Really, it was no wonder the brunette had latched onto the vampire as the utmost model for what a professional businessman should be; he always knew the right thing to say. What the weird young woman wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall during his business meetings! A fly on the wall capable of taking notes, of course. It would be a dream come true. A strange, bug-related dream come true. She was about to tell him so, too, but the waiter returned with their drinks, sparing Darius what probably would have been a very weird statement and an even weirder explanation of said statement.

It was with no small degree of pleasure that Lydia noted that the man finally met her eyes while talking to her. She felt that she was finally making great strides in impressing him! The somewhat ignorant little creature was positively aglow… in secret, of course. It would do no good to blubber on about such an achievement; Lydia didn’t want to alienate the man only now that she was starting to feel he was more relaxed around her. She nodded to herself; mother would clearly be proud of the steps she’d taken in business! Of course, her mother would actually be facepalming or beating her head against the nearest table. But oh well, Lydia didn’t know that.

“Thank you.” the girl replied in a murmur with another reflex smile, her attention more immediately focused on her warm beverage then anyone in particular. Tea was a therapeutic thing to Lydia; when she was a child and her mother had to work late, she would make some sort of tea or another for the two of them to enjoy together, since little Lydia hadn’t developed a taste for coffee yet. And whenever she went to visit Miser he’d put on the tea for conversation and good company. On the other end of the spectrum, her father never allowed for tea in his presence: he was a coffee and whisky sort of man. Therefore, the gray eyed girl had come to the conclusion that tea was equitable with safety and was happier then a squirrel in a tree to have a cup of it. She wasn’t even conscious of the eyes that watched her as she brought the cup up for a sniff of the aroma. “Interesting blend… I can’t identify it. I’ll have to ask Miser about this place.” she said, more to herself then either of the two men present, before sipping away at her beverage. No, the taste was by no means more identifiable to her, but as it wasn’t unpleasant she girl simply wrinkled her nose in mild irritation at her own ignorance.

“Hm?” Remembering that she wasn’t alone at Darius’ murmur, Lydia lifted her eyes from the table in time to catch Darius’ laugh. The girl blinked, tilting her head to the side slightly as she studied the vampire in surprise. “Is it… good?” she questioned, fishing for the reasoning behind his sudden mirth. Her eyes dropped to the cup –how was he doing that?!—and then snapped up at him in something like stunned disbelief at his words. “E… Excuse me?” she asked, resisting the urge to rub at her ears. She was too stunned at this sudden vocalization to be embarrassed and she glanced around in confusion; was she missing something? Was there a joke going on somewhere around her? Cue cards, maybe? Nope; there sure didn’t appear to be. Lydia started badly and frowned as she reached out to Darius, touching his arm in concern. “Darius, are you alright? You’re acting kind of…” Lydia blinked, then deadpanned slightly. “My… my smell? What’s wrong with my smell? Darius… are… are you..?” The girl would have continued had Darius not mentioned Cassey and alluded to Abram; it came as such a blindside that the young human actually flinched, a flickering of pain in her eyes. “Wh… what?”

Lydia swallowed hard and gave herself a hard shake; what was she doing, getting so easily distracted?! She would be embarrassed by it later, she was sure, but the businesswoman resolved to worry about that when the time came; she scooted her chair more to the side to have better access to Darius, a concerned frown on her lips. “Oh, good…” she said as the waiter moved to join them, resting her hand tentatively on Darius’ shoulder. “I think he’s… sick or something. What was in that drink?” she asked, her voice growing stern enough to be called a snap when it reached the end. “He was fine just a minute ago, and then…” her words trailed off, and Lydia’s gaze snapped to their strange waiter with a frown. He continued smoothly, and gray eyes widened in confusion, then narrowed in suspicion. “Force fields? What are you talking about?” she demanded to know. Well, she would have, had Darius not murmured that their quitting the tea shop was advisable, to which she completely agreed. The human leapt to her feet and grabbed Darius’ arm gently when he leaned against her; the poor guy could barely stand, and the girl’s eyes widened. “Ngh… I don’t know what kind of establishment you’re running here, but whatever you put in that damn drink is a health hazard and you’ll be hearing from… ah, Darius!” The poor vampire hit the ground and Lydia took a knee beside him, her hand hovering worryingly over his shoulder.

“So you're Vidar...” she murmured, her face going pale at the only word that really stood out to her. “Poison…?” Lydia whispered, eyes wide as she stared down at Darius. She stayed this way for one second, maybe two, and then snapped her gaze back to the waiter. He was advancing and as much as instinct decreed that she stay by Darius, she certainly wasn’t doing him any good and she certainly wasn’t going to have much of a chance of defending herself if she wasn’t on her feet. That was Lydia’s ignorant logic, at least. So the human stood up quickly and narrowed her eyes at Vidar, not fear or worry but irritation practically crackling off of her. “I don’t know what’s going on here, or what the hell you’re thinking, or why you just made the stupid decision to poison my friend, but I suggest you do whatever it takes to fix him. Right. Now.” Lydia ordered, yes ordered, the wizard in disguise. Clearly, the little human had been taking a leaf out of Alexis’ book and, while her wolf sister would have probably been all aglow at the compliment, it was probably universally understood that now was clearly not the time. Slapping the hand away from her face in irritation (a move that would have made her father giggle like a schoolgirl), Lydia opened her mouth to continue her berating, but fell silent as Vidar spoke. Her furious spark flickered slightly at the man’s words and she glanced back at Darius, a hint of panic flying across her face at his words. ‘Unbearable pain’?! Her heart twisted inside of her at the very thought, and she gulped before looking back to the wizard. His teasing tone when he talked about Darius’ suffering and his specific mention of her eyes made Lydia flinch back involuntarily. “Y-You…!”

And then, so suddenly that it made her start, the tea shop and the wizard that manned it were gone! In a disorienting blink of an eye Lydia found herself out of doors, with the sun shining and the breeze blowing. For a human so disused to magic as Lydia was the suddenness of it almost made her stumble, and she wasted a few precious seconds being completely lost as to where she was and how she had come to be there. The tea shop had just disappeared?! It was spelled! But why..? The girl didn’t have time to finish the thought as her mind snapped back into business mode.

“Darius…” she murmured as she twirled to look down at the poor vampire, eerie gray eyes worried as she dropped to her knees beside him in the grass. “Ah…” Her slim fingers hesitated over his body as if she was afraid to touch him, the hint of panic from before entering her eyes once again. “D-Don’t try and talk. Just stay still.” she ordered, her voice trembling slightly at the sight of his obvious pain as she pushed his hair back from his face. She had to do something! She was a president of a freakin’ pharmaceuticals company; it was pure idiocy that she wouldn’t know what to do to help someone who was hurting so badly! But the sad truth was that she had no medical knowledge, nothing constructive or beneficial that would help her help him. Feeling frustrated and more then a little useless herself, the human shifted closer to Darius and eased his head to rest on her lap, trying to provide at least a hint of comfort while she tried to think. “Hold on, Darius… I’m going to call for help.” she said as she petted his hair tentatively. Clearly the girl did not trust Vidar’s assurances that the painful effects would be short term ones. “But… who do I call?” she murmured, more to herself then to Darius. The vampires were her first solution... but she didn't know many vampires personally. Really, it was just Darius. The company? Well, a possibility, but not a guarantee... that left the werewolves, but she didn't think that was advisable. Jacob and Mary, maybe... but they were out at the restaurant and didn't have cellphones, and if she called any of the other werewolves to patch her through they'd be sure to demand explanations... “Darius... d-darn it.” she murmured, sounding extremely frustrated and resting her hand against his forehead. “What can I do to help?”

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“I hate you.” Alexis declared as Enzo celebrated his victory. “I hate all of you.”

“Hm.” Jacob looked duly unimpressed as the wizard kissed the top of his head, his dark eyes belying no emotion other then the stern disapproval that he always seemed to be stuck in. Mary giggled into her hand at Alexis’ threat (apparently, threats were all good fun in wolf packs), and gave Enzo a little wink at his offer of thanks. No apologies coming from that camp, it seemed. “Just be careful, Enzo. Alexis is never joking when she threatens to kill you.”

“I..! I..!” Dio seemed to be capable of just stuttering and staring for the longest time, his eyes wide. Even the wizard’s cheeky gestures to himself weren’t really acknowledged; the poor wolf was completely bowled over and seemed to have difficulties professing this fact. “What is this!? I don’t even..!”

“Breathe, Dio, breathe.” Clyde snickered.

“Nggg... fine.” the black haired werewolf, apparently unable to think of any proper excuse to delay their leaving, said in a huff. Her eye twitching even as the wizard pulled her chair out, Alexis stood abruptly and shot a last, nasty look Abram-ward before turning for the door. She crossed her arms over her chest as the two of them emerged from the restaurant, her pretty features twisted in what threatened to become a permanent scowl. She stayed resentfully silent for several long seconds at his question (out of spite, you see) before offering a reply. “Gypsies? As far as I know... we wolves have no problem with them. I can’t say I know the same from their side, though.” she reported grumpily.

While Enzo and Alexis tripped off on a romantic adventure and the rest of the werewolf pack occupied themselves with preventing Dio from drowning himself in his soda, Abram found himself in the very particular situation of dealing with Cassey’s sister Dina. She was a rigid young woman, but clearly not one without feeling; Abram could practically feel the concern she felt for Cassey radiating off of her. Standing beside her was like standing beside a strange mix of Lydia and Dog, though the idea of such a thing made him want to throw up a little bit. But he was somewhat at ease around the woman since he was used enough to such mannerisms, but he felt added pressure to make sure that he didn’t do something that would leave her with a permanent bad impression of him. Like kick her in the shin, or shove her into a bog, or drag her onto the sort of amusement park ride she would be horribly afraid of.

I just… dragged her onto just the sort of ride that she’s horribly afraid of, didn’t I? Abram realized with a jolt as the security bars were lowered into place and the ride jolted forward. Damn it..!

Dog, meanwhile, seemed to already be experiencing the initial symptoms of rigorist mortis, his jade eyes wide and expression stricken. Cassey’s words seemed muffled and far away, as did his cousin’s attempts at reassuring him and the equally displeased utterances of Dina. This was the end. He just knew it. When the ride started off, he didn’t scream like Dina or howl with Abram’s laughter; the dark haired werewolf sat completely rigid, his eyes wide and tiny tears in their corners as the ride rocketed around corners and flipped them upside down. And then there was fire! Why was there fire?!? Clearly he’d died, and this was hell. Even when the ride screeched to a stop Dog was of this opinion, and stayed frozen, his fingers gripping the security bar in a death grip.

“Ahaha! Whoa! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw all that fire coming at us!” Abram laughed, unable to deny the exhilarating joy that always struck him when on rollercoasters, then blinked at Cassey’s sister. “Ah... Dina? Are you okay?” he started slowly, then looked at Dog and the ride attendant that was trying to convince him to let go of the security bar. Those things were really supposed to be lifted by machines… but machines were clearly no match for a terrified werewolf. Abram winced and leaned over to pat his cousin’s arm sympathetically. “Dog... it’s okay, you can let go now. It’s aaaaaall over. Just relax.”

“As soon… as I can… move again… you’re dead, Abram.”

“I know.” the other werewolf said, dropping his head with a heavy sigh. “So I guess this means you don’t want to go again… ah! Dog, just kidding, juuust kidding.” he chuckled, taking the distraction his cousin’s reaching for his throat provided to pry the other man out of the ride. Dog shook himself free with a drawn expression on his face, still clearly unsettled when the four of them reached a bench for him to collapse into. This was just not his day. He shot a look at Dina and blinked at her wink in confusion. And Abram sighed; perhaps getting on to that roller coaster wasn’t his smartest idea. He didn’t want his day to end! But, he looked over Dog and Dina, he realized it was probably for the best. Another sigh; failure in impressing Dina and no more Cassey time? That was pretty heartbreaking. The sandy haired lad’s metaphorical ears perked up, however, at Dina’s suggestion. “Ah... but will you guys be okay by yourselves?”

Dog gave a small roll of his jade eyes. His werewolf look-alike was one of his favorite people, but Dog would clearly have to give him a talk sometime soon about not being so gosh darn transparent. Abram probably couldn’t have been more obvious if his tail was out and wagging, Dog thought with a sigh. The idiot was going to blow his own ‘genius’ plan, going on like that. However, the werewolf glanced back to Dina, studying her at her plan. He didn’t comment on it, but neither did he speak up to object to it. From Dog, silence meant yes… er, usually.

“Well… alright.” Abram conceded with a grin. This date was going to work out properly after all! “Three hours, in the tea shop across the street. Got it. You guys have fun too, okay? No going on any crazy rides without us!” he offered back, grinning at Dog gratefully before turning to trot after Cassey. Sure, this wasn’t exactly going along with Operation Impress Dina… but he wasn’t complaining. He couldn’t; the idea of taking in the little witch’s reactions to an amusement park without any distractions was too tempting to pass up. He felt bad for Dog, owed him a billion steaks (probably), but he had never been more grateful to the guy for his rollercoaster phobia. Abram sent a silent appeal to the universe that Dina wasn’t too harsh on the cousin she supposedly was after her sister and also acknowledged that he would probably pay for this sometime down the road all at the same time… might as well, and then focused his not-so-secret delight on Cassey’s whims.

“Yeah, yeah…” Dog mumbled as Abram practically flew after Cassey. Yup, a talk was in order. The werewolf blinked and glanced at Dina in confusion as the young woman righted herself, all business again. He lifted an eyebrow; that had been an act? Dog studied the woman for a moment, then deadpanned. Apparently. He went very still at her question, his eyes narrowing slightly at her suspicion. After playing around with the idea of opening up as revenge for the rollercoaster thing, Dog’s loyalty forced the answer. “Who says I’m not?” he grumbled, then winced slightly. Even he didn’t believe that, and Dog sighed. He should have suspected that Abram’s plan wouldn’t work… when did Abram’s plans ever work? The green eyed werewolf was good at impulse planning, not advanced plotting, after all. Dog sighed yet again and studied the witch at his side for a long moment. Oh well, the gig was up. “What sort of man is he? Tch… He’s too damn transparent, that’s what he is.” he muttered in response. “When it comes to your sister, at least.”

He was going to leave it at that, he really was. Dog was here for his cousin and his cousin only; it would be a real shame if this witch ended up disappointed or frustrated from lack of information, or walked away from the whole experience with a bad opinion of werewolves, but Dog was not of the opinion that he was here to indulge her. To tell the truth, he wasn’t quite sure why he was here anymore. And he would have stayed moodily silent for the next three hours on that feeling alone. However Dina was clever, whether she knew it or not, in the choosing of her words in regard to Abram. Dog felt his hackles raise at the insinuation that Abram was some threat to Cassey. He was grumbly and detached and irritable, but no one said things like that about his cousin!

“He’s not going to hurt her.” he said in a growl… and then sighed, the temporary flare of temper instantly cooled under the weight of the words that would validate such a statement. “He couldn’t even if he wanted to… so you can relax. Your sister’s safe around Abram.” Dog continued, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and direct his green gaze to the ground. It was easier to talk that way, he’d found. “Look, I think you know this already, but I’m not the one that likes your sister, Abram is. This whole thing was just some sort of... weird misunderstanding. Abram’s been having a lot of those when it comes to Cassey. But it’s… not a joke. We wouldn’t do that. Abram… well, he keeps saying he’s going to be wooing Cassey.” he sighed, was thoughtfully silent for a minute, then continued gruffly. “And I know he may look like the kind of guy that says that and doesn’t mean it, but he isn’t. Abram jokes around about a lot of things, but not about that. I’ve never seen him act so… so… so devoted to someone. We werewolves… we can’t fake that. Something about the chemicals in our brains won’t let us, or something. So when he talks about how he feels about her… he’s being honest.” More then a little embarrassed, he ducked his head and finished his little speech in a mutter. “He’s a really good person. He always wants the best for other people. So you don’t really have to worry about him being around Cassey. He… er… doesn’t mean her any harm.”

Nope, that was all he was going to say; Dog was too embarrassed to say anything else. The man cleared his throat, then glanced over at Dina with the stoic expression that was his norm inching its way back onto his face. His brow furrowed slightly at her words. “He is serious.” Dog confirmed, unsure if he should mention how serious his sandy haired brother was in these regards, seeing as he had known Cassey such a short time and her sister seemed particularly protective. Deciding to leave that particular little debacle to Abram, Dog stayed silent as Dina spoke. He only nodded when nodding was appropriate and sat back against the bench so that he could better watch the witch’s face as she spoke. Only once did he break this pattern. “Mary… had some sort of history with Vidar?” he questioned with a frown. Sure, there had been whispers about Mary once earning the interest of a wizard, but it was the general opinion that Mary possessed such a natural sweetness that it was almost a given. Of course Mary could turn the head of a wizard; everyone liked Mary. But Dog could never remember hearing tell about the wizard being Vidar, and it worried him. There weren’t too many secrets in wolf packs, and the discovery of one always put him on edge. He hesitated, then spoke slowly at the pretty witch’s insistence. “Attar-bound. Mate works too, but we usually just call them the attar. Whatever.” Dog ended in a mutter, feeling like he’d somehow ended up talking too much from just this handful of words. Still, Dina was offering information, and the green eyed wolf felt somewhat obliged to give some in return. Besides, if Dina was insistent on their knowing the full picture, she deserved the same… so she would know in advance just how difficult it might prove to be to get rid of Abram. It made his eye twitch just thinking about it. But it would give him a chance to mull over the things she had already told him… “Attar is the name of the scent… it’s almost subconscious.” He sighed; there was really only one logical way to explain the thing away, though it somewhat hurt his pride to do so. “You know how humans have to train dogs to sniff out certain things, like drugs or bombs in public places? That’s because dogs have such heightened senses of smell that everything comes to them at once… so nothing has any particular meaning until they’re taught to recognize that something has meaning. That’s how it is with the attar. It’s so mixed up in things that sometimes it’s impossible to recognize until it’s too late.” He paused, then continued a bit grumpily. “It’s biological. The attar keeps us in packs. Without it, there would be too many of us wandering off to do that stupid lone wolf thing. Keeping us bound with the attar… keeps us from doing stupid things. Violent things.” The werewolf’s eyes darkened at some memory, and then he shook his head slowly. He’d been doing too much talking, and he didn’t like it; it was time to listen again.

Which was good, because he needed the personal silence to properly turn over the story Dina was telling him in his head. The werewolf finally tore his gaze from the ground to study Dina discretely, a frown puckering his brow. That Mary might offer power came as no surprise; Mary and Nicolas’s clan were said to hail from one of the original Anubis packs, after all, which made them as big of big shots as people got to be in the werewolf world. Dog tilted his head to the side in likeness of his namesake, no particular pity showing in his dark eyes at the mention of her brother. He took no offense and made no move to show that he had any thought on the matter at all; like always, Dog internalized his thoughts and thought Dina’s story over carefully. He’d never considered that werewolves had much beef with witches; it was always werewolves versus vampires and for what most considered good reason, so he could understand the upset that would come from such a strange move. Those eyes of his saddened only when the fate of Dina and Cassey’s mother was discussed, and Dog studied the young woman at his side discretely as she went over the details.

“I’m sorry about your mother.” the werewolf said simply, choosing not to offer any opinion about Darius’ part in the witch’s story. Dog wasn’t quite in the same mindset as Abram when it came to this particular vampire and, truth be told, he wasn’t particularly racist against the race… but the man was dating his human packmate. And that was pretty unforgivable. Still, he apparently had his uses and, as much as he had a feeling Abram wouldn’t like to hear it, Dog had to acknowledge that the vampire couldn’t be all bad. Not if he had gone to such extents for Cassey… not that the dark haired wolf would say so aloud. Shifting his weight, he thought over his words for a long moment, speaking only carefully once he’d reached his decision. “So your brother is after Cassey’s power… and you don’t know where he is? How about what he’s capable of? It sounds like he holds a lot of cards.” he commented with a soft frown. Dog was quiet for a long moment, and then a cough of laughter shook his form. It was a strange reaction from him, but there was no mirth in it. “Leave… I wish. He won’t leave. What he is going to do is get himself killed by some crazy wizard. Figures.” he added moodily. “I’ll talk to him. But if Cassey is Abram’s attar… and though we won’t know until he tells us for sure, it sure looks like it… he’s not going anywhere. You’ll be stuck with him… hell, you’ll be stuck with the whole damn pack.” Dog snorted. “Abram would be the werewolf to get us into this sort of situation… working with vampires to… well, I don’t think it’ll go over well. Jeeze.”

“Ah… ah… CHOO! a certain sandy haired werewolf sneezed hard enough to force him to take a step back. Rubbing at his nose with a weary expression and then giving himself a hard shake, Abram grinned at his pretty companion apologetically. “‘Scuse me. What were you saying? Oh, Dog…” Abram trailed off, a fond smile stretching his lips as he glanced back towards the bench on which they’d left Cassey’s sister and his cousin. Dina was talking up a storm, and Dog appeared to be listening with unusual attentiveness; Abram winced very slightly, hoping against hope that the elder sister wasn’t reading Dog the riot act. The guy was already pretty badly shaken up about the Terror Drop; Abram wasn’t quite sure if the green eyed guy could handle good intentioned threats from a witch so soon after. “Do we really look that much alike? I don’t see it.” Abram admitted with a sigh. He looked back at Cassey, his expression softening. “Dog? Misunderstood? Nah. He is how he is, and he likes the way he is. Trust me; he’s one of those guys that doesn’t treat friends and strangers too differently. His girl may be a different case when he finds her, but we’ll see. Sorry, Cass… but the guy does have a reason for being that way.” he chuckled softly, but his smile was a bit lopsided. The werewolf considered saying more, if for no other reason then to (maybe) give the enthusiastic little witch some pause when dealing with his hapless cousin in the future, but her next words shocked him like a dagger through the heart. Ouch; the young man rubbed at his chest a bit tentatively… he wasn’t prepared for the reminder that his affections for Cassey were one sided to come out of nowhere like that. Darius… gah, that was an awful name, Darius! Abram was positive it was the worst name he’d ever heard in the history of… ever. Sure, he had to acknowledge that he had this opinion mostly partially because he was more jealous then he’d ever known he could be of the man and the feelings Cassey professed for him, but it was ALSO because…………. well… there was another reason, Abram was sure there was… it was just hard to think when those big purple eyes turned up to him. And especially at her words, which seemed to settle heavily in his chest. “Yeah... like breathing...” he parroted weakly, staring at Cassey longingly.

Would she object, he wondered, if he pulled her into his arms? Pressed her close enough to hear her heart beating? Buried his face in her hair and surrounded himself with her scent? No. The werewolf shook himself; he couldn’t let himself start thinking things like that. Thinking and doing were basically synonymous, and he’d set himself in for the long haul. He didn’t want to scare the witchling away… he had to battle her affection for Darius, then supplement it with his affection for her. It was a strategy darn it. Sure, he wasn’t the best at strategy, but he was determined to do this right. Those perfect lips curved into a smile and Abram’s resolve wavered; that was a positive sign and, coupled with her words, was a clear go ahead from the universe and Cassey herself! The torn werewolf twitched, undecided, and then shook himself hard. No! Such a move would clearly upend Operation Impress Dina, which he was positive still had a smidge of possibility for success! He needed a change of topic and he needed it fast, something that would take his mind as far away from tackling the innocent eyed young witch as werewolfly possible.

“Dog doesn’t act friendly around too many people.” Dog?!? Of all the topics in the world, Abram had chosen to speak of Dog, the one Cassey currently thought had a thing for her? The werewolf sighed, wondering how often he was going to be shooting himself in the foot when it came to this girl. He glanced at her from the side of his eye and was reassured of the answer: often. Oh well; turning away from her slightly as if in contemplation of his cousin, the sandy haired lad focused carefully on his words. “Even as a kid, he was kind of… reserved. ‘Course, he had his reasons. He had it kind of tough… his parents were… not around. His father was killed when he was just a pup… er, kid,” Abram quickly corrected, wary of all possible werewolf/witch slang misunderstandings now. “My mom’s brother; he was an idiot. Tried to beat a train across the tracks. He didn’t make it. But if that had been all, I think Dog might have been okay. But then his mom went Rogue. That’s unusual, but not unheard of… usually it’s the males of our species that…” Abram clamped his jaw shut with a sudden wince. This was not a topic that he ever wanted to bring up with Cassey. No. No, no, no. It was a part of werewolf life, a part of his life… “Damned by the sons of Anubis.” he swore softly, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh. Seemed there would be no avoiding an explanation of some sort… maybe he could get away with just giving her the Wikipedia version? It was worth a shot. “Ah, going Rogue… don’t suppose you know what that means, do you?” he asked a bit grimly, just to be sure. A heavy sigh, and he continued. “Usually, when someone does something bad, they’re punished… usually by the justice system, right? In the human model, you have a trial, you’re found guilty, and you go to jail. Seems a pretty good system… and I’ve heard humans borrowed portions of it from your kind, so perhaps that’s what makes it so universal.” Abram began with a wry grin. “But when it comes to werewolves… this system doesn’t really work. For the most part we have our pack mindset which keeps us in line; for the most part, that’s enough. But sometimes… something will happen… and werewolves just… snap. Just like any species, I suppose, but when it happens to a werewolf, it’s called going Rogue.” Abram was thoughtfully silent for a minute. “There’s no ‘recovering’ from going Rogue. It’s a complete loss of our…” he struggled for the word, then chuckled. “Humanity, I suppose. It’s just a kill mode. A Rogue will try to kill anything that moves. Family, friends… even her own son.” Abram said with a glance at Dog. Shaking himself, he continued a bit briskly. “Anyway, a team was sent out for his mother… to deal with her the only way you can with a Rogue. You can’t just throw them in prison… it’s cruel and unusual punishment. You know, to the other inmates.” Abram said in an odd, matter-of-fact way. “So she was dealt with, and Dog was brought to my father. Been with us ever since.”

Abram was quiet for a long, long moment, his expression for once completely unreadable… before he laughed sheepishly, mussing his hair. “Gah!” he exclaimed, his demeanor animated again. “What’d I go and say all of that to you for? Like breathing is right.” he sighed before finally looking back to Cassandra. “I guess what I’m trying to say is… I have a feeling you’ve had a lot on your plate too, in the past, what with… your father being… you know. Who he is. So I hope you can understand if Dog doesn’t… quite… seem to warm up to you. You can only kick a dog so many times before he decides to stay down.” he finished, then blanked. “Er........ what I mean to say is… er… he’s probably not going to change. Not for a good while, anyway. I don’t want you thinking he doesn’t like you or anything and getting discouraged.” Abram suddenly looked at the little witch, laughed, and plopped his hand atop her head for a pat. “But look who I’m talking to! Nothing gets you down, right Cass?” he asked in general good humor.

“Hey!” the werewolf spoke suddenly, the odd discipline gone from his voice as he looked past the witch and his metaphorical ears perked up. “Looks like the line for the Death-Defier is really short right now! Think you can wait for a soda until after we catch a ride?” he asked, eagerly reaching to grab her hand with no apology in his movements. “Come on!” he laughed as he pulled her from the soda line and hurried the two of them to the next ride. “I’ve heard this one has over ten loops! I’m not sure if that is legal or up to safety codes and standards, but I’ve been dying to try it! Er… no pun intended.” he added, flashing her that wide, trademark smile of his as they joined with the line of Death-Defier hopefuls as they surged into the ride.

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{ ｓ ｅ ｎ ｔ } ｉｔ ｔｏ ａ ｐｌａｃｅ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｍｉｄｄｌｅ ｏｆ ｎｏｗｈｅｒｅ
Ｗｉｔｈ ａ ＢＩＧ ＢＬＡＣＫ ＨＯＲＳＥ ａｎｄ ａ ｃｈｅｒｒｙ ｔｒｅｅ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｎｏｗ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｃｏｍｅ ｂａｃｋ, 'ｃａｕｓｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｏｈ ｓｏ ｈａｐｐｙ
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｎｏｗ Ｉ'ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ａ ｈｏｌｅ ｆｏr ｔｈｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

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Ⓣⓗⓔ Ⓛⓞⓥⓔⓢⓘⓒⓚ Ⓑⓡⓞⓞⓜ Ⓡⓘⓓⓔⓡ

Enzo had an invisible grin plastered across his cheeks when Alexis claimed that she did not know what gypsies thought of wolves. ”I can assure you this much. There is at least ONE gypsy out there that has a thing for wolves.” he winked nudging her lightly in a playful manner. ”Wizards and witches do not exactly get along with their lot. Gypsies tend to use a different sort of magic.” he said with a thoughtful expression as he rubbed his chin. His shoulders shrugged before he got too deep into the history of the two races. ”Anyways, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They are a friendly lot despite popular belief.” he said as he silently debated if he should touch her or not. However, the look on her face was enough to keep his arm behind his neck as he tilted his head to the side. ”Tell me Alexis…why Dio? I mean how did you two meet?” he inquired his eyes turning to look at her.

The wizard really was a sappy romantic in his own subtle way. So the attention he gave Alexis while she spoke was not because he enjoyed her company or wanted to impress her, the old man really did love those silly love tails. ”I’ve heard of werewolves and their ability to smell out their mates.” he said tapping his nose when he said smell. ”I mean is he your…? Are you his…?” Before the woman could answer the question he desperately wanted to, there was a sudden chiming of bracelets. Enzo’s head looked upwards as he watched the woman running towards them. ”What’s with the getup Lily?” he asked his eyebrow lifting at the girl’s traditional clothing. Her flowing dress danced across her knees as he beads on top of her head bumped into each other.

”Oh, you know VERY well why I am in these clothes.” she said touching the top of his nose. ”Today is the fest…” The woman stopped as her eyes turned towards the she-wolf. Without speaking another word, Lily grabbed Alexis’s hands in her own. ”Someone very close to you is in danger…” she said while her eyes filled with panic as Enzo leaned forward to see what Lily was seeing. ”No…more than one. Your life. Tragedy. Love and Lost Love.” The woman paused as she held onto her temple. ”Enzo…Vidar.”

”What!?” questioned the wizard. ”You mean Vidar is back? Or what exactly do you mean?” he demanded.

”You are better at reading these things. You do it.” urged Lily as she handed Alexis’s hand to the wizard.

”Vidar…It looks like his path is crossing someone close to Alexis’s path. Lydia.” he said dropping the werewolf’s hand as the name came to him. Enzo knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew what he had to do. ”We have to find them…do you think you can smell Lydia out?” he asked Alexis silently cursing the universe for ruining his date. Just great. Vidar had once again unknowingly ruined Enzo’s love life.

Dina gave Dog a sarcastic glance when the werewolf actually tried to claim that he was in love with Cassey. No he didn’t flat out say that he was in love with the young witchling, but he challenged Dina. No one challenged Dina. It simply went against the laws of nature to challenge that fierce former witch. The young woman in all of her youth was already a force to be reckoned with. The man next to Dina may have had a good pokerface and maybe he might have one a few battles of the wits during his own lifetime. But he was by no means that good, not good enough to handle the future-lawyer in training. Dina ate boys like him for breakfast! Not literally, it was just a rumor after all. But judging by the coldness in her glance it was hard to decipher if there wasn’t a bit of truth in the rumor that she ate human hearts for breakfast. The young woman’s eyebrow lifted as she gave the other a look that said ‘Really? Are you seriously trying to pull this off?’ ”Very transparent.” corrected the future lawyer making sure to put emphasis on the fact that she could read Abram as if he were a picture book. Abram was so transparent he wasn’t just a book, he was a book filled with easy to read pictures. Now, Dina was by the means a foolish young woman. All of those awards during grade school, high school, and even college were argument enough for that claim. But it wasn’t was just book smarts that made her brilliant, it was the girl’s ability to think on her feet. She prided herself on being able to read others. So the woman used her wonderful gift to get under Dog’s skin. She said the very things she knew would tick him off the most to get him to speak up. If the situation was not nearly as dire as it was, Dina may have taken the time to get to know Dog on a personal level. He seemed loyal enough and loyalty was about the only thing Dina really cared about.

Her eyes refused to falter as she gave Dog her full attention. The young woman’s muscles relaxed gently when Dog reassured her that Abram couldn’t hurt Cassey even if he wanted to. Usually, Dina was not so quick to trust another person. What? People were sneaky and Dina could not risk her sister’s safety because some handsome wolf came along. However, there was something in the back of Dog’s glance and shy demeanor that caused Dina to trust him. If Dog turned out to be a sheep in wolf’s clothing, well then she would never trust her gut feeling ever again. She made a tsk sound when Dog said that Abram was going to be wooing Cassey. The woman leaned in slightly when Dog claimed that werewolves could not fake the attachment Abram had been showing for Cassey. ”When you say that you cannot fake it…what exactly do you mean? Chemicals?” she repeated curious. She never was the best at science growing up, but she was still willing to listen to the mechanics and biology of it all. Dina cracked a small smile when she watched Dog’s embarrassed face. He really did love his cousin didn’t he? She felt the urge to say something about it, but decided against it. Sentimental moments could wait till later, right now she needed to understand and comprehend what in the world her sister was getting herself into. She took in a deep breath when she heard Dog’s last statement about Abram not wanting to hurt Cassey. ”Grant, I am worried about my sister’s safest as any older sister would be. However, I am also worried about his.” she said before her explanation about the whole manner unfolded.

The whole situation was leaving a bitter taste in the young woman’s mouth. Dina even licked her lips and wrinkled her nose as if that would somehow cause the sour flavor to disappear. The older Watson daughter could not help but feel as if she was trapped on some poorly written soap opera. Everyone’s stories were becoming so convoluted to the point that Dina was beginning to think that investing in a personal secretary to keep track of the latest events was becoming essential. ”Attar-bound?” she repeated in interest. Her small button nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. It was a common reaction when someone spoke about smells. Dina was subconsciously trying to see if she could smell whatever it was the werewolves were sniffing. ”So when you meet the person you are meant to be with…you can smell them basically?” she asked curiously. Those eyes that looked so much like Cassey’s lit up at the notion. ”That would make life so much easier! You wouldn’t have to worry about those God-awful dates or awkward first meetings. How efficient! To just know who you are to marry.” she said getting sidetracked. If only she could smell out her mate, that would save her the trouble of having to meet and greet possible candidates for the position of her husband. Instead, she could use the time wasted on romance with more important things like studying law or suing that perverted neighbor-boy who tries to hide in her bushes when he knows it is Dina’s bath time.

The woman was so caught up in her own thoughts she almost did not notice the darkening of Dog’s eyes. Her own eyes became distressed as she noticed his reaction to some unheard memory. Dina wrinkled her nose. She usually was not one to get cut up in someone else’s emotions. Sure, she would offer sympathy, but she was not one to actually feel the sadness. However, somehow she could feel herself saddening when she noticed Dog’s reaction. She promised herself to look further into these strange emotions before continuing with her story. ”It was not your fault. No need to apologize.” reassured Dina when the werewolf offered words for the woman’s misfortunes. Her hands formed into two small fists that pressed against her thighs as she nodded at his question. ”No one knows where Vidar is either. He disappeared and with mother’s magic on his side…well it is nearly impossible to locate him. His appearance, scent, everything changed when he took her abilities.” her head lowered as she spoke. ”What is he capable of? A hell of a lot of damage THAT is what he is capable of. But the vampires seem to have some sort of barrier on Cassey making it difficult for Vidar to locate her.” she said with a hint of a smile breaking the tense moment. Vidar will not be able to find her unless Darius, himself, takes off the barrier. However, there is only one place that the barrier does not work and that is on your side of town.” she explained worry filling her emotionless face.

”So I guess you can see where some of the trouble lies no?” she asked her fingers fluttering through her dark locks. Her expression was stern all the way up until she heard Dog’s laughter. A deep blush scattered across Dina’s pale cheeks causing her to blink. Dina was not the kind to blush as her fingertips touched her warming cheeks. ”You wolves really take these attar things seriously don’t you?” she questioned letting that smile remain on her lips. ”I was afraid you would say something like that. Why am I not surprised that Cassey found herself a lover who JUST so happens to be the race that is arch nemesis of her guardian’s race?” she groaned her fingers hiding her face. ”Cassey always seems to be getting herself caught in some sort of trouble. And from the sounds of it, Abram seems to be the same way. I fear for their future children.” she said already picturing mini-Abrams and mini-Cassey’s. ”Oh dear Lord, what am I thinking? No children. Just no.” she scolded herself her head shaking back and forth. ”Now that I have completely ruined your mood, why don’t I buy you an ice-cream or something?” she suggested. ”I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot of each other so the last thing I want is for us to get off on the wrong foot.” she explained.

While Dina tried to smooth things over with Dog, Cassey was getting to know Abram. ”God bless you!” she said her tone filled with its usual sunshine rays. Cassey followed Abram’s eyes back to Dina and Dog. The witchling let out a small laugh as she watched their interactions with one another. There was Dina going off on some tangent again. Hopefully, Odin’s oldest daughter wasn’t threatening the poor werewolf TOO much. ”You know? Everyone says the same thing about my sister and I. That we look alike, but I don’t really see it either.” she said thinking about her sister. ”It’s the eyes. His are a bit darker than yours but they are very similar.” she explained before she continued to talk about Dog. ”He sounds like Dina when you explain him like that. Only she doesn’t really have a reason…she is just Dina.” she said thinking about her strict sister. ”Well, I guess that isn’t really fair. I mean she has a reason and that is to protect her loved ones but ahh you know what I mean.” she said ruffling her hair a bit as she spoke. There she was talking herself into a corner again. Where was Dina when you needed her? Cassey was sure if Dina was there she would have been able to articulate everything Cassey wanted to say AND everything Cassey was thinking of saying. The older sister really did have a way with words.

The girl’s smile was childish but sincere. ”Breathing.” she repeated as if to make sure he understood what she was thinking. A small butterfly flapping its wings took the girl’s attention span. She watched in interest as the itty-bitty creature moved blissfully unaware of the struggle Abram was facing. Her eyes glanced back as she watched Abram twitch. Her hand stretched outwards as if to comfort him, but he spoke causing her to withdraw her hand back into her chest. ”I see.” she said her eyes focusing on Abram as he spoke about his brother. The girl’s smile slowly faded as the story progressed. The happiness that usually radiated in her eyes slipped away into a depressed sort of state. She looked so melancholic as her eyes flickered to Dog before settling back on Abram. The girl did not say a word for a moment or two as she soaked everything Abram had just told her in. Her heart felt heavy in her chest as her hand pressed against it. There was nothing worse in Cassey’s eyes than the idea of a mother turning against her own children. Her mother had stayed by her brother’s side even when he was… The girl looked as if she were about to cry as she looked up at Abram. ”Poor Dog!” she said glancing at her feet. ”I cannot imagine someone’s own parents turning against them. Siblings possibly, but parents?” she asked.

”I wish there was something I could do for him.” she said her eyes weary as she glanced up at Abram. They held a small amount of gloss causing them to shine against the sunlight. ”Yeah.” she said with a forced smile when Abram stated that nothing got her down. Dog’s story was still lingering heavy against her chest. She patted her cheeks and shook her head. ”You’re right!” she said her features brightening. A positive view on the world had gotten Cassey through some very hard times so why not this time? ”I am going to try my hardest to make sure he is happy!“ she promised both herself and Abram, that’s when her eyes caught Dog laughing with Dina, The wheels in Cassey’s mind began to spin before her thoughts were cut off by Abram.

The Death-Defier was EXACTLY what Cassey needed right now, something to get her mind off of all of those sad thoughts. ”Why didn’t you say anything sooner? Of COURSE I want to get on that ride!” she said letting the werewolf take her hand. ”Really? Over ten?” she repeated her entire demeanor lighting up. She looked like a small child on Christmas as she stood on her toes to see the ride. ”Oh this looks positively amazing!” she said lightly tugging at Abram’s shirt. ”Did you see that? They go through a cave! You have to sit next to me okay?” she asked looking up at him fondly before turning back to face the ticket collector. ”I’m glad you like rollarcosters. Dina always refuses.” she pouted as she took a step forward.

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Ⓣⓗⓔ Ⓓⓘⓢⓣⓐⓝⓣ Ⓑⓛⓞⓞⓓⓢⓤⓒⓚⓔⓡ

This was how Darius was going to die wasn’t it? After all of those close calls during his youth, some wizard and a cup of tea had bested him. Judging by the way his blood was turn into bites of flame against his skin, he knew there was no way he could possibly live through this. Nope, he was a goner. Even if his physically body survived, his mental state would be lost. It was just his luck for this to happen now. He had finally met a human woman worth getting to know, only to die before properly courting her. Darius hadn’t heard Vidar’s warning that this pain was only temporary as he moaned and clenched at his sides. He clawed at his skins in hopes that he could scratch away the wounds. Darius went through a mental checklist to see what he had done wrong. There was a single memory that stood out above all the others causing him to wince. Yup. That was why he was being punished. ”Lyfm…” his words came out in a tipsy fumble as he watched the female blur move his head towards her lap. Maybe there was a God?

Darius could smell her scent so clearly. His head brushed against her torso. It was so delectable. The aroma was like an ocean covering Darius’s entire being. His arms stretched around and pulled Lydia closer. The smell soothed him. She was like his own personal guardian angel protecting him from the rest of the world. Her faint words bounced against his eardrums, but all he could focus on was how soft her fingers were. His own hands grabbed her smaller ones as he stared at them. He groaned against as his head bumped into her body. Even her soft fingers were not enough to stop the pain. If nothing else, her presence was giving him the will to live. He could not allow himself to give in to this poison. Not when Lydia was watching. Darius silently promised himself that once this was all over, he was going to personally find Vidar. The pain shot up towards his brain causing his fangs to extend. He pushed himself forward his body gripping against the grass. What was he supposed to do?

”Alexis….damnit woman slow down!” yelled the familiar voice causing Darius’s ears to twitch. He knew that voice. Alexis? Where had heard that name before. His eyes were going in and out of focus as he heard the exchange of words. His body fell forward and stumbled as he kneeled before the werewolf Alexis. He was practically blind by this point. All he could see was a dark red hue.

”Stay behind me Lydia.” moaned Darius pushing through the pain. Even though he was hurting, he could not possibly allow anything to happen to Lydia. Darius was an honorable sort of man and refused to sit back and allow some unknown creature harm the girl with the gray eyes. He rose to his feet and despite himself held his stance. The white portion of the man’s eyes had transformed into a solid black color. He resembled a soulless demon as the poison pushed against the edges of his skull and danced through his heart. The vampire tripped and fell in front of the wolf. His breathing slowly before he shoved himself upwards. ”Who are you?” he asked looking towards the side of Alexis. His teeth were extended and his back was hunched.

”Gees.” gasped Enzo as he came trotting along after the wolf. ”For starters, I am an OLD man. Secondly, my dearest little sugar plumb…I only have TWO legs.” he noted pointing down at the woman’s four animal legs . ”You cheated.” he scolded shaking his index finger at the woman growling at the vampire. ”Maybe I will just keep your clothes that way you have time to stay naked ALL day.” he winked before backing away from her. Knowing the girl she was probably about one more comment from biting Enzo’s fingers right off. So what did the clever wizard do? He eased himself towards the vampire and away from the lovely she-wolf. ”My oh my. This is interesting.”

”Enzo? Is that you? Or is this a trick?” hissed Darius keeping his defensive stance. He was lightly holding onto Lydia to keep her safely behind him. The last thing he could deal with right now was for her to get hurt. That’s when the sharp pain pulsed through his entire body. He jerked downwards and pressed his fingers into his throat. ”Augh!” he bellowed causing Enzo to kneel next to him.

The wizard’s usual cheery face went stiff as he bent the vampire’s neck back. The teacher examined the vampire causing Darius to growl and twitch. Enzo pressed his finger against the bottom of the vampire’s neck causing the distressed man to clench his fingertips into the wizard’s wrists. Enzo’s teeth tightened as he felt the burning sensation scar and break his skin. The wizard’s usually calm eyes winced as he kept his hands pressed tightly around Darius’s neck. ”Calm down…I’m trying to help you.” urged Enzo his eyes pleading. His dark hair fell in front of his eyes as he focused his energy on the poison. Sweat slowly slid down his forehead and dripped onto the ground. Tension stiffened his stance and cracked against his muscles but he refused to cave in. The wizard’s eyes became a brilliant violet color as he shoved Darius into the ground. He kneed the other man in the chest causing another yell to snap out of Darius. ”This will be over so-“ Before Enzo finished the word soon, he elbowed Darius causing the vampire to let out a gasp. A green smoke fumed out of his lips and onto the surface of the ground.

Unlike most of Enzo’s kind, the man did not rely on a wand. He was able to cast spells through his inner being and not through an inanimate object. There were only three known wizards who had mastered this rare skill. The first was Odin, the second was Vidar, and the final one was Enzo. The wizard brushed the back of his hand against his nose as he glanced down at the groaning vampire. ”Not too shabby if I do say so myself.” he teased glancing at Alexis as he popped his collar a bit. He was all cockiness before he felt a swooning feeling. Just because he had the ability to cast spells without the use of a wand did not mean he could do so without using quite a bit of his own life energy. The feeling forced him to sit down as he pulled his long sleeves over the scars Darius had caused. ”So what exactly happened?” asked Enzo leaning against his knee. There was a certain amount of weakness behind his gaze but he kept it from spreading anywhere else. His back was straight and his arms lazily leaning against his knee.

”Vidar…” echoed Darius his tone groaning as he pulled himself up.

”Let me guess. You got distracted by Lydia’s boobs and got yourself hurt? Damn it Lydia. You have to keep those girls covered! You almost kill-“ he was cut off by a rock hitting him square between the eyes. ”What? We were ALL thinking it Darius.” he said with a nod. ”Gees! I save your life and YOU throw rocks at me. Your welcome.” he said sarcastically as he scratched the back of his neck.

Darius rolled his dark eyes that were slowly regaining their former glow. He ignored Enzo’s ignorant comment before continuing. ”Vidar…his scent was completely different. Not to mention his whole demeanor. I don’t know how he is doing it, but even after he said who he was I couldn’t get a stable reading on him.” said the vampire his eyebrows frowning. ”It was like he wasn’t completely a person nor a spirit.”

”So he was a zombie?” said the cheeky teacher.

”I’m serious.”

”So am I.”

”You’re an idiot.”

”That saved your a**.”

”Don’t remind me.” Darius could already see the wizard bringing this up at the most inappropriate times.

”Alexis…did you see how well I did?” asked Enzo as if he were the puppy. Darius lifted an eyebrow before turning his gaze towards the beautiful werewolf. Even in her wolf form she was an attractive creature. The Vampire studied the girl before looking back at Enzo. The teacher gave the vampire a silent nod before pushing himself upwards. ”My, my, my Lydia how are you holding up?” he asked his pace slow. He kept Alexis’s clothes close to him before bending down to look at the human. ”I think I should probably give you this hm?” he asked handing Lydia Alexis’s outfit. ”As much as I would KILL to see that body in its purest glory, I would also like to be a father someday. Knowing Alexis she would probably castrate me if she saw me looking.” he said placing them in Lydia’s hands. ”We will keep watch over here.” he reassured before walking back towards Darius. After waving to the too girls he took a seat next to the vampire.

”Does she know?”

”Nope.”

”Are you going to tell her?”

”Can’t.” There was a pause. ”That woman means the world to me. If she is happier hating me…well then so be it.” he said leaning back as he spoke. ”Besides, if our memories together means that she will have to relive what happened? I would rather make new memories. I hate to see her in pain.” he admitted the breeze picking up as he watched the area the two girls had disappeared too. He licked his lips before continuing. ”It is better this way. In the blissful ignorance she has a family, she has a life, and I…I can’t take that away from her.” Darius gave him a thoughtful look causing Enzo to laugh. ”Speaking of family, I’m pretty sure Cassey is…”

”Don’t remind me.” huffed Darius holding up his hand to stop the other. Luckily the two girls returned. ”Hey you two…” he said with a weak wave. ”I hope this doesn’t mean that our date is over Lydia…sure I almost died, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop right?” he asked with a cheesy smile.











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[Lady March Hare]

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ｍｙ
ｈｅａｒｔ ｈｉｔ ａ ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ { ｅ ａ ｒ ｌ ｙ } ｈｏｕｒｓ,
Ｓｏ Ｉ ｓｔｏｐｐｅｄ ｉｔ ｄｅａｄ ｆｏｒ ａ ｂｅａｔ ｏｒ ｔｗｏ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ＣＵＴ ｓｏｍｅ ｃｏｒｄ (ａｎｄ Ｉ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｎ'ｔ ｈａｖｅ ｄｏｎｅ ｉｔ)
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｆｏｒｇｉｖｅ ｍｅ ａｆｔｅｒ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｙｅａｒｓ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

▇ location: O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: R E L I E V E D XXXXX ♫ q u i e t m e l o d y ♫XX
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“D-Darn it…” Lydia breathed, beyond frustrated. Was there nothing she could do?! It appeared not; Darius didn’t even seem to be able to hear her. The human gulped, tightening her fist against the vampire’s shoulder; the realization that she could only provide what little emotional support there was to offer was not a comforting one. Big gray eyes blinked and Lydia stiffened slightly as Darius wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Here she was, half afraid to touch him, and he was holding on to her like she was some sort of refuge. The girl gulped, then dropped her hands to brush his hair back from his face, moving her hands to catch his and squeezing his fingers gently. “It’s… okay, Darius. I’m here. Just try to… er… ” she murmured a bit clumsily, leaning over him. Comforting others was clearly not Lydia’s strong point. Fortunately, (in Lydia’s viewpoint) a werewolf came running towards them, effectively distracting the human from her temporary self-loathing.

Alexis was running at full speed, her mind filled with the scent of the human she was hunting. Tracking was not one of the female werewolf’s specialties, but it was another one of those things that just all werewolves had fun doing. As the scent grew stronger her golden eyes flashed and, mostly ignoring the wizard that was following somewhere along behind her, she felt her wolf instincts delight at the closing in on the prey. How exciting! Target in sight! Letting loose a victorious howl, the she-wolf reared up on her hind legs to slow to a halt.

“Ah!” Lydia looked up at the werewolf with wide eyes. “Alexis…! That is you, isn’t i-?” The human blinked and her gray eyes widened as Darius pushed her behind him, his body stiffening defensively. “Ah, Darius!” the human objected, flattening a hand against his back. “Hold on, Darius! That’s Alexis… she’s a friend of mine! It’s alright!”

“What the hell is this!?” Alexis growled, the joy at successfully locating the human (and finding a certain father delightfully absent) rapidly disappearing under alarm. Her dark hackles raised and she dropped back on to all fours, a fierce snarl escaping her as she took in the vampire’s appearance. He looked like something out of a nightmare, and her instincts were going haywire in reaction. “Lydia! What are you doing? Get away from him! There’s obviously something wrong with him!”

“Of course there is! He’s been poisoned! Just calm down, Alexis, I’ll explain everything, I promise…” Lydia called over her shoulder, shifting to take a knee beside the vampire and reaching to touch his cheek gently. “Darius, you shouldn’t be moving around… please, just lie down…” she pleaded.

“I repeat: what the hell?” the werewolf growled, her muscles staying tensed for attack and ears folded back against her head. The human was dumb enough to turn her back on a clear enemy, but Alexis sure wasn’t! But the she-wolf found herself torn; she couldn’t attack with the businesswoman in the way. The wizard finally caught up, but Alexis only huffed and glanced his way before directing her attention to the vampire. “Shut up… and if I weren’t so busy trying to figure out how to kill a vampire, I’d kill YOU for that comment. Now, shut up, and Lydia, move your a**.”

“H-Hold on!” Lydia squeaked as Darius pulled her back behind him. Fisting her hands in his shirt, she looked up at him a bit frustrated before jumping and kneeling beside him again. “Ah! Darius…” Biting her bottom lip hard, she looked up at Enzo with a hint of panic back in her big gray eyes. “Can… can you help him? He drank something… it was poisoned.” she offered a bit weakly.

“Tch.” Alexis snorted, side stepping to give Enzo more room to reach the vampire. Her golden eyes stayed alert as she inched forward, snaking her head forward to bite delicately onto the back of Lydia’s collar before tugging the surprised looking human away. “Over here, Lydia. Over with your wolf-sis, safe and not eaten.”

“W-What are you doing?!” Lydia squeaked in embarrassment at being dragged away like a child. “Stop that right now!” she demanded, having no qualms about reaching back to swat at the werewolf in irritation. Lydia had more important things to be worried about then being dragged away like this, you know, like the dying vampire. Alexis stopped pulling to Lydia’s relief and she started to push herself to her feet, but paused when Alexis pressed her collarbone to the human’s back and reached her head over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the two men. “Alexis…” Lydia started in a warning mutter.

“Sit and stay, human.” the werewolf replied between her bared teeth, not in the mood for the brunette’s bantering. “You’ll just be in the way. Stay here with me, or I’ll have to get rough.”

“Not if you want to live and long and happy life, you won’t.” Lydia snapped back. Normally she was more the polite sort, but the day’s events had stressed her out.

“Heh.” Alexis almost grinned. “Nice spunk, but this is not the time. You should be thanking me for this; you positively reek of vampire.”

“Tch…” Lydia felt objections well up inside of her, but she filed them away for later. Clearly she had to focus on Darius; berating could come later. So the human grabbed a fistful of her wolf-sister’s fur and flinched hard as she stared down Enzo. The girl flinched and the werewolf dropped her head to keep her from moving forward with a soft warning growl. The human sat back against her and spoke in an irritated mutter. “In case you haven’t noticed, the perverted wizard did something, and I would appreciate being allowed to go see if Darius is okay.”

“I’m sure you would. But you can see just as well from over here. Trust me; I’m protecting you from the perverted wizard too. You can thank me later.” Alexis growled. “Oi, Kitty-boy... what was that all about? And why the hell do you look so darn proud of yourself?”

“Vidar was here, and he tricked him into drinking… w-wait, what?!” Lydia sputtered, cheeks turning a little red at Enzo’s accusation, her eyes widening. “I..! T-That’s not what was going on..!”

“You know, Kitty-boy, I can be across this space and at your throat in seconds in this form.” Alexis growled, narrowing her eyes at the recently-rocked wizard.

“R-Ridiculous…” Lydia murmured in mild embarrassment, wiggling out from under Alexis’ protective stance. Ignoring her werewolf friend’s huff of embarrassment, the human pushed herself to her feet and made a show of brushing herself off before moving back towards Darius and Enzo. She looked back and forth between the two men for a long second, then deadpanned and crouched down to their level, hugging her knees to her chest with a slightly childish, pouty glance at Enzo. “Are you okay, Darius?” she asked, hesitant to touch him, just in case a causal touch could start the pain again.

“Yeah, yeah, I saw; you saved a vampire. Whoop-de-freakin’-do.” Alexis growled with a roll of her eyes as she padded closer, coming to a stop behind Lydia with suspicion still clear in her furry face.

“Holding up? I’m fine… I’m not the one that idiot was trying to poison.” Lydia sighed, her brow furrowing. Loosing herself in a temporary fantasy about dragging Vidar to court for his crimes by use of a competent lawyer, the gray eyed girl was quiet for several long seconds. “Now, to find a competent lawyer…” she vowed in an undertone, her fingers curling into fists of determination at her secret plan. Sure, it didn’t make much sense, but Lydia was determined to see justice done. She blinked and looked up at the wizard (who she’d completely forgotten was still present) in surprise; starting into a standing position, the young woman cleared her throat in slight embarrassment and nodded, reaching to take Alexis’ clothes. “Castration would probably be too kind a word for your punishment.” Lydia agreed with a thoughtful frown, holding Alexis’ clothes to her chest before turning away. “Thank you… we’ll be right back.” she added, tilting her head to the side as she met eyes with werewolf.

“Check to make sure he didn’t take anything, Lydia.” Alexis said, sounding grumpy as she trotted a bit of a way from Darius and Enzo.

“Why would he do that?” Lydia asked with a small sigh.

“Because he’s a pervert.”

“Sure.” the human sighed again. She had developed the most splitting headache. “They’re not looking. You can go ahead and change.”

“Thanks.” Alexis sighed, trusting the gray eyed human’s assurances of such things as she would few others. Golden eyes slowly reverted back to their original blue and then closed, the wolf making the slow transformation back into a human. Finishing with a sigh, Alexis instantly slid behind a tree despite herself, her pretty features suspicious. Lydia wordlessly handed her her things, and Alexis took them with a growl. “Thanks. Are they all..?”

“They’re all there.” Lydia assured her, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as she looked back to Darius and Enzo, giving Alexis her privacy. There was a thoughtful frown on her face and she was silent for several long seconds. “How did you know to come find us? Were you two around..?”

“Hardly.” Alexis grumbled, stepping into her pants. “A gypsy lady told me you were messing around with that Vidar guy. Seemed like pretty dangerous stuff, so I came to check it out.”

There was a short silence.

“Gypsy lady?”

“Long story.”

“Are the two of you out on a date?”

“Longer story. I don’t want to talk about it.” Alexis sounded mad again, then sighed. “Tell you the truth, I’m glad you’re okay. With those two talking like they were, I thought I might show up to find you splattered on the sidewalk or something.”

“Sorry to have worried you…… I suppose.” Lydia replied, deadpanning. “But you’re worrying about the wrong girl. The wizard’s not after me; he’s after Miss. Cassandra.”

“Cassey?” Alexis popped her head through the hole in her shirt and shot the human an inquisitive look that Lydia did not return. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia replied, shaking her head and glancing back at Alexis. “But it sounded serious. Vidar was talking about force fields... or something. He even asked after Abram, in a roundabout sort of way. But the focus was clearly on finding Cassey, from what little I understood. I’m pretty sure Abram would want to know. They’re friends, aren’t they?”

“Tch! Cut the bull, Lydia. It’s just you and me here; you don’t have to try and pull the wool over my eyes.” Alexis murmured, pulling her shoes on in irritation. Clamoring to her feet, the werewolf woman had a knowing look in her eyes as she studied the human, crossing her arms over her chest. “I already know about your feelings for Abram –which I thought you MIGHT be getting over since you’re dating fang-face over there—so there’s no use in feigning disinterest in the girls Abrams hanging out… with… oh, hell no. I know you didn’t just take out your phone while I was talking to you! Show some respect!”

“It was going off.” Lydia replied calmly, a strong contrast to the werewolf’s irritation as the latter stomped out to initiate their return to Darius and Enzo. Deciding taking the time to correct Alexis’ assumption about her intentions would be a waste of time, Lydia dropped gray eyes to study the name displayed on her phone’s screen with a small frown as she followed the werewolf’s lead.

“Who is it?” Alexis asked softly, lifting an eyebrow at the storm clouds forming over Lydia’s head.

“My father.” Lydia sighed. Her headache was increasing.

“Don’t answer it.”

“He’ll just keep calling if I do that.” Lydia informed her companion before lifting her phone to her ear. “Hello.”

“Tch, fine; whatever.” Alexis, still feeling rather moody, snapped as she moved ahead of the human. She didn’t even want to catch a mechanical blip of that particular human’s voice. Crossing her arms over her chest, she reached the wizard and the vampire first and gave the two her typical stern, haughty look. “So, still alive, are you?” she asked Darius before looking Enzo over. “And you. I expect a full explanation. What the heck is going on? All of that gypsy voodoo crap you guys were talking was wrong. Lydia’s not even mortally wounded.”

“Gees, thanks for the concern, Alexis.” Lydia joined the group with a roll of her eyes, closing her phone and sliding it into her pocket. Ignoring Alexis’ huffy stare, the human moved to stand before Darius and planted her hands on her knees before leaning down to his eye level, studying him in mild disbelief. “Our date..? You’ll be lucky if I don’t drag you immediately to the hospital for tests to be run. Not that I don’t doubt your ability to do….. whatever it was you did, Mr…… Enzo, but better safe than sorry. And even if you manage to convince me not to drag you into a doctor’s office, you still obviously need some rest.” she said sternly, but sympathetically. Really, it was admirable for Darius to be thinking of their dating arrangement at a time like this, but his health came first! And people got onto her for putting work first! She would have told him so directly, but Enzo and Alexis were around and, determined that the secrecy to the reasoning behind their dating would remain a secret, she kept her mouth closed. “We need to look after your health fir-”

“Excellent idea, Lydia!” Alexis was suddenly shooting Enzo a gorgeous smile, her stance somewhat triumphant. “Too bad about our little outing, Enzo; really, it is. But I have my poor human friend to tend to and you have a bloodsucker, so I suppose we’ll never get around to that date. Oh, well! Such a shame! Too bad, really!” she said in delight.

“What?” Despite her intent to study Darius for any hint of lingering pain that would warrant a trip to the hospital, gray eyes couldn’t resist flicking to the werewolf in disbelief. “There’s not a thing wrong with me. I don’t need ‘tending to’…”

“Don’t try to be heroic, you sweet, brave thing!” Alexis said with a twitching eye. “You clearly need your elder wolf-sister to help calm your nerves in this difficult time.”

“Alexis, you are not going to use me to get out of whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing with Enzo.” Lydia said flatly, looking at the other woman coolly.

“Why you little..!”

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Alexis’ scowl increased and her eyes snapped to the elbow that had nudged her in furious disapproval, but the she-wolf couldn’t deny that she felt a flicking of curiosity at the wizard’s words. Slowly she looked back to his face, studying his features quietly. “What? So are you a gypsy, then?” she questioned bluntly before looking before them. At least she assumed he was talking about himself and not just fishing for opportunities to touch her. A blue eye twitched, but even Alexis realized that particular thought might be simply paranoia talking. She listened in silence, then gave a lilting shrug of her shoulders. “Wizard, gypsy… whatever. We werewolves don’t pay much attention to that crap. As long as you don’t do anything to us we couldn’t care less about whatever beef one race has with another.” she said, her tone haughty. “And I’m not worried about making friends either. It’s simple: they bother us, I bite them.” she grumbled, still in a bad mood. She was quiet for a minute, snorted suddenly, and quickly corrected herself. “I meant if they bother me I’ll bite them. They can bother you six ways ‘till Sunday if they want. It’s not like I care.” That was a strange slip, surely made because she was just so used to speaking of the collective, and Alexis did her best to forget that it was ever said.

“As for Dio...” she sighed, annoyed again. She didn’t want to talk about Dio; she was still furious with him too. Alexis got a lot of mental exercise, being all furious at people. “Tch. Nothing too deep about the story of meeting him. The pack I was originally a part of died off… natural disaster or something. I don’t really remember; I took a mean hit to the head, so I don’t remember there being a fire, or whatever they say it was. Anyway, apparently my dad and Jacob were old sparring buddies or something, so I came to stay with him instead.” Alexis reported a bit begrudgingly, if for no other reason besides being confident that the touchy-feely wizard would be more inclined to keep his hands to himself if her fiancé kept coming into the conversation. “We hooked up ages ago.” she added, and sighed at the memory. As much as the tough woman wished the initiation of her relationship with Dio was something heartwarming and memorable, it wasn’t. In fact, it was so borderline pathetic that she didn’t often like telling it. But hey, she was mad at Dio, so what the hell. “I guess you’ve met Lydia if you’ve been hanging around Abram… well, the first time we met the girl was when she broke into our den-house and stepped on Dio’s tail doing it. She was wearing cleats for some reason. Never thought to ask why… we werewolves are kind of sensitive about our tails. And even if we weren’t, she kind of broke his, so all hell broke loose. He had to wear a splint and everything. Anyway, Abram took charge of calming everyone down, and I got put in charge of stopping the crying Dio was doing.” The raven haired woman cleared her throat slightly before continuing. “I can’t stand seeing men cry… it just freaks me out. So when he said the only way he’d stop the blubbering was if I promised to go with him for pizza, I agreed. And from there…” The weregirl shrugged a bit carelessly. “He asked me to marry him a few months ago during my birthday party. It was really cute.” she continued quickly, just in case the wizard was thinking of breaking out the tears on her. Marriage card, defend!

However, when Enzo asked about the attar, the young woman’s cocky demeanor instantly diffused. She made no effort to look at Enzo, nor made any outward sign to respond to his question. To be honest, Alexis hadn’t expected the wizard to just ask if Enzo’s scent bound her as his mate… it wasn’t the sort of thing anyone in a wolf pack would ask. The ones wrapped up in it knew, and instinct dictated the rest as far as everyone else was concerned. So no one had ever directly asked Alexis if Dio was her attar… and she had been hoping no one ever would. But, fortunately, a distraction rendered an answer to such a thing impossible; Alexis’ eyes snapped upward with an animal quickness, zeroing in instantly on the source of the noise. Her muscles tensed for a brief second before she relaxed with a scoff to cover her embarrassment; if she had been paying attention, the sudden appearance of the gypsy girl wouldn’t have caught her off guard. Blue eyes flicked to Enzo when he addressed the young woman by name, then returned to the colorfully dressed woman to study her with open criticism visible on her face.

“Er?” blue eyes narrowed, and she stared at the gypsy girl with a lifted eyebrow as she grabbed her hand. Lily’s words probably didn’t have the desired effect; Alexis looked at the woman disbelievingly before glancing at Enzo. “What is this, some sort of weird joke? I swear, if the next thing she says is that you are in my future Kitty-boy, I’m going to deck you.” She vowed. But the mood suddenly seemed serious, and the werewolf frowned. “Hold on a minute... what?” she asked in a demanding tone, feeling considerably out of the loop. A deadpanning expression crossed her face as Enzo took her hand, and the she-wolf might have snapped at him about it had instinct not warned her that the mood had quickly turned serious. At the name Lydia Alexis sighed. What had the business-freak gotten herself into now? A paper cut fiasco? Traffic on Wall Street? “Wait a sec… Lydia’s mixed up with who, now?” she sighed, looking irritated. “Damn it. So much for thinking of the human as the only one of my pack who could take care of herself.” she muttered, shaking her hand loose. “Psh, ‘course I can smell her out. I’ll have to transform for longer distances, but I know that human’s scent like the back of my hand. But what’s going on? Was that some form of… magic? Can you guys see the future or… or what?” she asked, determined to understand what the heck was going on before she took one more step. She was a stubborn, suspicious thing, that Alexis… but then Lydia’s stern face flashed in her mind, and the werewolf sighed. The young business woman expected promptness; if she were in some sort of danger and help didn’t show up in a timely and efficient manner, there would surely be hell to pay.

“Oh, whatever.” she huffed, kicking off her shoes with more aggression then probably deemed necessary as she shot the gypsy and the gypsy hybrid a stern look. “But it had better be whoever you say it is that she’s in trouble with… that Vader guy. Vidar.” she corrected quickly, shaking the Clyde-ism from her head as she tugged off her jacket. “Because if I go to all the trouble to hunt her down and find out it’s her father, or someone else, I’m going to come back here and kick your a**, Enzo. Wizards I can handle… but that guy gives me the creeps.” she muttered, then stared at him pointedly. “Look away… and I will hurt you if I catch you peaking.” she warned, waiting until he complied before pealing off the rest of her clothes and initiating the change. The young woman’s eyes tuned gold and her body covered itself with black fur, a common courtesy in werewolf packs to spare onlookers the often unsettling show of watching muscles spasm and warp and bones crack and rearrange beneath the skin. Alexis wasn’t the fastest changer in her pack: what she had in abundance, aggression, often made up for her slow speeds, she often tried to explain. But in less than a minute Alexis’ transformation was complete, and after a traditional stretch she dropped to all fours for a feel-good shake. Size-wise she was only slightly larger from a real wolf and with considerably longer fur to better hide the bizarre muscle arrangement that gave her the ability to stand upright with as much ease as she took to all fours. Aside from the curving black claws and wicked looking teeth, Alexis actually embodied most of the grace and mystery that humans associated with wolves rather then the horrifying power of a monster. But of course she did; after all, Alexis was the pretty one.

After her mini-celebration at being back in her furry form (which was always accompanied with the wild and wanton desire to jump buildings and do flips and chase semis… you know, stuff deemed unacceptable while in human form), Alexis lifted her snout to the air, taking a deep sniff. She took one more, then another, then sneezed. “Got her.” she reported, her tone now flavored with a pronounced growl as she glanced back to Enzo. “But it’s just a whiff, so I have to move to get a stronger scent. Grab my clothes, will you? And hurry up!” she ordered sternly, immediately starting into a run. Well, that was Alexis for you… far from the most polite of the werewolves.

Somehow, and Dog didn’t quite know how, but somehow he was able to literally feel Dina’s scorn at the attempt at pulling the wool over her eyes. With barely a twitch, the sophisticated lawyer-in-training was able to fully communicate that deception was neither tolerated nor to be met with anything but scorn at the very idea that he thought he could get away with trying to deceive her. It was a very trying feeling to have settle across his shoulders, and Dog sighed softly. He couldn’t claim Dina’s powers of being able to read people; on the contrary, the motives of most of the creatures he interacted with often remained constant mysteries to him. However, when it came to the witch, there was apparently an exception. His eye twitched slightly: this did not bode well… for himself, of course. Glancing at the pretty young woman as she shifted closer to him, the werewolf took in her steady, attentive features for a long, thoughtful moment before her spoke, his words slow and somewhat reluctant.

“It’s…… something about the chemicals in our brains.” he explained slowly, lifting a hand to tap at his head as if the illustrate his point. “The scent induces a chemical reaction… sort of like how drugs influence the body. A new element is introduced and triggers a positive reaction. When it comes to the attar, it doesn’t really alter our personalities, but the chemical reaction is so severe that we become dependant on it the instant that it’s triggered. That’s why once we werewolves find our attar, you’re pretty much stuck with us. Our brains literally forget how to function properly without the chemical reaction from our attar’s smell. It’s so strong that one attar doesn’t often outlive their mate.” the young man who probably should have been in werewolf medical school said in a grumble, embarrassed yet again for being tricked into talking so much. He scuffed his foot and studied it with extreme interest. “That’s why the more romantic of our kind call it fate. My aunt and uncle… they call it destiny, because they figure finding a person that alters your very biology can’t happen by chance.” He shifted his weight uncomfortably, looking away. “You know…… if you believe in that sort of thing.”

“Well, basically…” Dog confirmed with a small nod, glancing in the direction Cassey and Abram had skipped off. His attention, however, was suddenly and solidly secured by the woman sitting by him on the bench; Dog looked at her in surprise at her proclamation that sniffing out one’s mate was the way to do it. The werewolf’s head cocked his head to the side a bit quizzically. He automatically wondered if she was serious and instantly dismissed it with certainty; she was serious… again, he could literally feel it. It was a bit eerie, actually. He took a moment to take in her bright eyes, and then another soft chuckle escaped him. Which was, again, quite strange, because Dog was certainly not the chucklebunny of his pack, not by a long shot. “You’re the first person I’ve ever heard say that.” he admitted, sitting back against the bench. “Most people seem to think it’s obsessive, or creepy… or something. I know it’s the butt of jokes for vampires, at least.” he said with a tiny smile. “Guess it does cut back on a lot of wasted time… I’ve never really thought about it.”

Apparently deciding that he’d been saying entirely too much, Dog was silent and unmoving for several long minutes. It actually wasn’t a purposeful sort of thing, more like he was assigning himself time to slowly and carefully turn Dina’s words over in his mind. It took a while, perhaps, but the werewolf at least was always assured that he said exactly what he meant about any thing at any time. “So… does the taking of power from one witch or wizard by another just what happens when your kind kill one another, or is it some sort of specific power Vidar has?” Dog finally questioned, frowning. His brow furrowed even further as Dina elaborated. So, not even Jacob and Mary, who were sure to know the scent of the wizard as he was, would be overly useful in identifying Vidar should he make another appearance? That was unsettling; the dependence of smell in the werewolf community was understandably relied on, and the fact that it would do them absolutely no good in this situation irritated him. “Well, that’s just great. He could be anywhere.” Again, not a really fun thought. “Well, at least now we know about the barrier. That will be a bit of a problem…” Dog sighed, already picturing the commotion his cousin was sure to cause when Abram found out this particular tidbit of information and became a permanent feature on the vampire side of town. “Ugh…” he breathed with a twitching eye, imagining that he could already feel the ulcer that was sure to result growing. It all required that mirthless laugh, and so when the man glanced back at Dina he started slightly, a little surprised. The young woman was blushing for some reason and Dog stared at her, temporarily stricken before he could answer her. “Very.” he answered shortly, that image etching himself in his head before he realized he was staring at her and that it was probably rude. He looked away, then deadpanned at the mention of his cousin’s future spawn. “Children...”

He could see the future clearly on the widescreen of his mind…

“Uncle Doggy!” a miniature Cassey with her mother’s eyes, her father’s impish grin, and furry ears that could belong to either a dog or a cat looked up at him with stars in her eyes. “I want to go on the Terror Drop! Daddy said you’d take me!”

“Uncle Dog!” a little Abram howled, climbing Mount Dog like his mother had before him. “Can I have some cake? Mommy said that sugar rushes are healthy!”

“Uncle Dog! We want to play in traffic!”

“Uncle Doggy! I want to chase the cat with a hose! No, I swear, kitty likes water!”

“Uncle Dog! I dug up the neighbor’s flowers, and Daddy said you’d take care of the old woman with the shotgun. Thank you!”

Dog physically shuddered, his eye twitching as an expression of dread twisted his features. He had seen the future, and it terrified him. Sure, he was being melodramatic…….. maybe. Then again, it was the predicted combining of Cassey and Abram, the producing of two little creatures that would probably have Dog wrapped around their fingers as easily as Abram did…

“Ugh…” he muttered, rubbing at his forming ulcer with a small wince. “You can say that again.” he agreed grimly. Green eyes blinked as he looked back to the soon-to-be lawyer as if to confirm she’d really said it. “Ice cream?” he asked, taking stock of himself. Had he recovered from the horrors of the rollercoaster yet enough to risk sweets, his other not-so-secret weakness? Decisions, decisions… “Yes… I guess ice cream sounds good.” he said slowly. “But you have to let me buy for you… y-you know. To make up for all the confusion.” he finished a bit uncomfortably, fidgeting in his seat. The young man stood without further debate, instinctively reaching to grab her hand, caught himself, choked on nothing, and shoved his hands into pocket prison. In all, it probably looked EXTREMELY ridiculous, and Dog knew it. “C-Come on…” the poor, poor werewolf said, looking anywhere but at Dina. “There’s a shop right around the corner. I can smell the cones from here.”

“You and your sister look alike? I can see it.” Abram said with an easy grin, his eyes locked on the witch before him. “She looks a lot like you… or, I guess she would. If you’d come first.” the werewolf admitted with a sheepish laugh. It was just the mode his brain was set in: Cassey first, and then all women filed in somewhere behind her. This idea was applied even before logic and birth order, apparently. Had he seen such obviously preference behavior from any member of his pack it would have been a cue to subject them to some much deserved teasing; as it was Abram was able to grin at himself… but was too busy memorizing the girl’s reactions to everything to give it much thought. His smile softened and he continued thoughtfully. “You too… your eyes are a lot alike. But your personalities are so different that when I look at the two of you standing side by side, it’s kind of hard for me to see the similarities.” he admitted cheerfully. The boy had his Cassey goggles on, and there wasn’t a darn thing the universe could do to change that.

But it was made so obvious to Abram in that next moment that Cassey was blissfully ignorant of the spell she had cast over him that watching her was bittersweet; the werewolf sighed at her reiteration, which was certainly not helping him control himself. Only occupying his attention else ware allowed him to gain some of his composure… of course, a topic such as Dog’s past was a heavy topic indeed, and it certainly served as a proper distraction if ever there was one. Considering his cousin’s past and considering his present day pursuits… well, it was certainly a sobering set of thoughts. Fiddling with his finger just as a way to express his nervous energy when it came to the subject, the werewolf cut his eyes to observe Cassey out of the corner of his eye… and felt as if he was suddenly and maliciously struck by lightening. When it came to her sadness, like all of her emotions, Cassey seemed to wear them on her sleeve, and the tears he could clearly see in her eyes drove the very breath from his body. The green eyed werewolf instantly cursed himself, swearing up, down, left, and right to never forgive himself if his blabbering made the girl cry… “Cass...” he started a bit weakly, his hand flicking to skim her shoulder despite his good intentions in a small show of comfort. That she was the empathetic sort, that she could feel the pain of someone so close to Abram himself, was not lost on the boy and far from unappreciated, but these feelings were trumped by the desperate desire to see her smile again. Even though he knew her sadness couldn’t be a permanent state, Abram found that he couldn’t just stand passively by and watch her be sad. “Family should never turn against one another… period.” he stumbled through a reply, clearing his throat. “Sorry, Cassey... don’t be sad. Look at Dog over there! He looks as happy as…” he cast an obligatory look to Dog and deadpanned; the man looked like he was chewing on a lemon. “...that’s Dog’s happy face.” Abram assured his pretty companion with a hopeful smile. The girl continued with returning optimism, and the smile that haunted Abram’s face was one of relief. Just like he’d told Dina: her smile lit up the whole world.

“Awesome; let’s go!” the werewolf said, taking extreme liberties, perhaps, when he twined his fingers with Cassey’s and pulled her along with him. As they moved through the line he looked down at her with a smile, his expression warm as he studied her. The urge to hug was strong again, and he looked up to the ride with reluctance. Silly awesome theme park ride… “AH, of course I’ll sit next to you!” As if anyone would survive trying to arrange things otherwise! “Dog’s the same way. I always have to trick or bribe him into going onto these sorts of things. I always feel bad about it later, but otherwise he wouldn’t end up going on any rides in places like this.” he informed her as they passed successfully through the ticket collector and were gestured towards the ride. “And that’s not any fun at all. Makes me wonder why he likes to come to places like this. It can’t be just because I bully him into doing it… maybe he just likes the food. What do you think?” the tawny haired werewolf mused aloud as he took his seat in the ride and grinned at Cassey. “Ready? Hold on!”

The rollercoaster was off like a shot, shooting through loops, dives, and climbing rapidly as it sped along its metal trail. Things all seemed to be going wonderfully and it was a ton of fun… until they were diving down into the cave, which lined the steep drop required for the last arch into the ending loops. There was a jolt and a loud, long screech before they came to a dead stop in the darkness, dangling in confusion as the ride went quiet.

“…Huh.” Abram murmured, craning his neck to try and look back up the ride. “That didn’t sound good. Wonder what’s going on..?”

“Attention passengers:” a voice, on cue, spoke from the speakers hidden in the cave walls. “The ride is experiencing a temporary delay. A phoenix family has taken up residence on the tallest loop of the track and, until they can be convinced to leave, we will be experiencing a temporary delay. Please stay where you are and make no effort to stand or climb from your seat. Your safety is important to us. Again, the ride will begin again momentarily.”

“Aw man…” Abram replied, kicking his feet a bit moodily. “It’s always something… you okay, Cassey? Looks like we have to wait to see just how many more loops then ten this place has.” he joked lightly, twisting as best he could to see the witch at his side.

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{ ｓ ｅ ｎ ｔ } ｉｔ ｔｏ ａ ｐｌａｃｅ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｍｉｄｄｌｅ ｏｆ ｎｏｗｈｅｒｅ
Ｗｉｔｈ ａ ＢＩＧ ＢＬＡＣＫ ＨＯＲＳＥ ａｎｄ ａ ｃｈｅｒｒｙ ｔｒｅｅ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｎｏｗ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｃｏｍｅ ｂａｃｋ, 'ｃａｕｓｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｏｈ ｓｏ ｈａｐｐｙ
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｎｏｗ Ｉ'ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ａ ｈｏｌｅ ｆｏr ｔｈｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

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How did Enzo ever live his life without Alexis? It puzzled him to be so attached without her even knowing. Each time he watched her eyes, it was like watching a raging fire spark and dance. Every conversation was spoken with the utmost concern. Did anyone else hear that musical pattern of her voice? The wizard could have sworn he heard an angel sighing. It wasn’t until Alexis spoke about her former life, that the wizard’s eyes darkened. ”So you don’t remember anything about your past life?” he asked glancing at her before focusing his eyes elsewhere. His own eyebrows curved downwards as he stared at the road before them. He shook the thought away when Alexis continued. His expression lighting up so not to let on how emotional attached her was to the first segment of her story. He even laughed slightly when he heard her comment about not being able to stand seeing men cry. ”I rem-“ he quickly paused and shook his head. That was too close. Taking a deep breath, he continued with his questions.

His next subject seemed to distract the lovely Alexis from his small slip up and even put a dent into the woman’s usual cocky exterior. He watched the werewolf curiously to see if she would tell him whether or not Dio was her attar. The answer never came, but something told Enzo that Dio was not. The pause in her speech was proof enough to have the man delighting in his discovery.

”It’s not a joke.” urged Lily. Her eyes pouting at the werewolf. ”Why would I joke about something like that?” her expression was at a loss as if unable to comprehend that someone would think that her prediction was under false pretense.

”Lily is right, gypsies do not tend to make light of an dire situation. Also, it’s not exactly the future we are seeing…” There was a pause. ”It’s hard to explain.” finished Enzo knowing they did not have the enough time for him to be getting into how future telling worked. His eyebrow lifted as he watched Alexis aggressively kick off her shoes. ”I’m not sure how much danger she is in, but the person she is with…I cannot say the same.” he said being careful with his word choice. He made sure to leave out the part about the person who was with Lydia was a vampire. He doubted that that would go over well with the werewolf. Alexis liked surprises right? Well, even if she didn’t she was going to be in for one either way. ”I’m turning…I’m turning.” he reassured with his hands up as he swung his body around. ”Touchy, touchy. You know the human body is a VERY natural thing. So you shouldn’t be so embarrassed about yours.” he said in hopes of hitting her ego so she would show him her naked form. He doubted this would work, but he should have been given props for at least trying.

The wizard was somewhat caught off guard when Alexis growled at him that she ‘got her.’ Whether that growl was caused by her new form or because Enzo poked her in all the wrong places, was still up for debate. Enzo watched the woman with interest. Even in her animal form she held such grace. It took him a moment or two before he shook his head back and forth. What was he thinking? He could not very well get caught up in the beautiful appearance of the wolf in front of him. Lydia could be in real danger. ”H…H…HEY! WAIT UP!” he shouted from behind as he began his mad dash. He silently thanked Cassey’s ‘fitness’ phase of life or else he probably would not have been able to keep up with Alexis. The silly witch had gotten into the habit of ordering those fitness videos howeverm she never actually used them. Enzo, being the responsible saver he was, took it upon himself to use them…well somewhat. It usually just involved him doing the first couple exercises then rewarding himself with a nice big bowl of ice-cream. Which now that he looked back upon it, he probably actually gained more weight then lost. Maybe Dina was in the right when she decided to put Cassey and Enzo through boot camp claiming that the two needed to learn how to defend themselves without the use of magic. The wizard’s muscles hurt just thinking about that little woman and her pointing finger of doom. Speaking of that woman, she was currently trying to gain a better understanding of Dog. If Enzo would have seen the two, he might have warned Dog to get away as fast as he could.

Obsessive? Creepy? How could anyone think that something so efficient was anything but productive? ”Yeah, well vampires also drink blood.” she countered in a know-it-for-fact sort of manner. ”I hardly think that that is normal. So they really do not have any right to tease you when they are gulping up blood all over town.” she said smirking at her confirmation. Score one for Dina. She had never been overly fond of vampires mostly because she had never been overly fond of the sight of blood. There was just something very unsettling about the gooey red ooze that came out of the human body. The thought alone had her almost (note the word almost) turning green. The woman gave a solid nod to herself before glancing back at Dog. ”Hm?” she asked when Dog inquired how Vidar went about taking their mother’s powers. ”It’s an evil magic that was forbidden long ago. But I think you know already that my family’s lineage is bordering on the line of ancient. It’s the way you kill the person. Not many people know how to do it or even that it even exists.” she said her expression becoming strained. ”In fact, there are only three known people who know how it works and have the ability to do it if they wanted to. The first is obviously my father Odin. The second is my brother Vidar. And the third is…” she paused for a moment. ”Enzo. My sister’s current teacher. These are also the only three in our realm who do not need to use wands to cast spells. They are able to use their life energy without it being dark like a gypsy would.” explained the girl who seemed to be very educated on the roles of witches and wizards.

Dina regrettably nodded when Dog claimed that the barrier was going to be a problem. ”I figured as much.” she said blowing her bangs out of her face. Her eyes turned towards his only to notice he was watching her. She quickly pushed her bang away and sat up straight. Did she have something on her cheek? She subtly rubbed the side as Dog disappeared into the fantasy of what the future was going to hold, his eyes no longer on hers. She carefully watched the other, but kept her gaze level. She did not want him to think she was staring! Luckily she was able to change the subject to something much more pleasant…ice-cream!

”Let you…buy for me?” she repeated looking at him in confusion. Why did he want to buy for her? She blinked as she tried to get a hold of herself. It probably did not mean anything so she shouldn’t take it so seriously. Then again…Why couldn’t she just read him already? Usually, she was so good at reading people, but Dog? The werewolf confused her to say the least. Oh. It must have had something to do with a male dominance thing. Well, that was her first reaction until she noticed him fidgeting. She carefully watched him as he reached for her hand before pulling back. Now he wasn’t looking at her at all!? Had she done something to upset him? Her expression softened as she tried to think of something to say. ”You can smell the cones from all the way over here?” she asked in interest. ”What a useful ability. In a court case, you could simply smell to see if the man was on the raped victim or not! Sure there are tests, but some of these buggers are tricky! Or in the case of a kidnapping you could sniff them out.” Maybe this was not the best conversation to be having with a man she barely knew.

Her eyes looked away from the other as she rubbed her arm. Dina was never at a loss for words, but for some reason she was feeling embarrassed. However, she took this moment to push through her embarrassment and ask the questions the jury she needed to know. ”Do you guys have dogs?” What? What sort of conversation starter was THAT!? Then again, this WAS Dina. The girl seemed unaffected by the strangeness of the conversation choice as she looked at him. She began to approach the other as if he were the defendant on the stand for a mass killing of innocent orphans. Her shoulders were back and her expression stern. At first, it might have seemed like a joke but the woman was not changing her serious expression to indicate such a thing. ”I mean. You transform into wolves….do you have pet dogs? Or is it different?” This was Dina’s strange way of getting to know someone. She was forward, and simply asked the questions she wanted answers to. ”What do you do career wise? Do you enjoy your career? If so, why do you enjoy it?” She paused letting him speak before continuing again.

”I see….are you married? Engaged? Dating? If you answered yes to the following questions why did you get please insert relationship status here? Do you enjoy being please insert relationship status here? Have you ever cheated on your significant other? Or are you looking into separating from this person if you answered yes to the first question.?” her questions were slick and quick to catch the other person off guard. It was a trick she had used during one of her mock trials back in the day. ”I…I’m sorry.” That was a first. Dina rarely if ever apologized to someone for her interrogation. Cassey would often complain about her sister’s off-putting character, claiming that Dina never gave people the chance to prove themselves innocent before the future-lawyer casted them off as guilty. But every single time Dina would always reply with the same ’if someone cares enough about me to deal with an interrogation, THEN they are worth my time.’ The future lawyer had, and always would be an extremely stubborn sort. However, she felt her defensives dropping (somewhat) while around Dog. There was just something soothing about the man that had her thinking twice about her usual interrogation sequence. ”Usually, I ask questions to catch people off guard. But I just fe- she stopped mid sentence as she caught sight of the ice-cream. Her eyes averted from Dog to the tasty treats. If there was one similarity between Dina and Cassey personality wise it was their love for all things sweet.

Her expression softened as she eagerly waited in line. She shook her head causing her smile to disappear. How unprofessional of her! Clearing her throat, she glanced up at Dog. ”My sister tells me I shouldn’t be so harsh on people.” she said her head leaning sideways in a thoughtful manner. ”But if I wasn’t there to worry and interrogate people, Cassey would probably walk straight into an open battle field tossing flowers to the opposite side.” she said placing her hand over her face in stress. She could see her sister now giggling up a storm as she placed flowers in everyone’s gun. ”She doesn’t seem to…think…things though as much as I would like her too.” she said shaking the thought away as they came closer to the ice cream. Her tongue licked her lips as she leaned forward. Anticipation for what she was going to have echoed through her entire self as her eyes sparkled with delight. That’s when she heard the people behind her talking.

”Yeaah…those stupid fire birds TOTATLLY ruined my day. I wanted to go on that ride. I next in line too! But no one is going or leaving until those birds leave. I heard there is a group of people stuck in the cave portion of the ride.”

”Really? Dude that would be wicked scary! To be locked in a cave!”

”Well, I don’t think I would mind overly much if I had a pretty girl by my side. Like the one in the front of the line with that tall guy. Maaaan she was so cute, a bit ditzy looking, but cute. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone with purple eyes be-“ The teen was caught off by Dina turning around to face him. ”Fate.” he said blinking as he looked at Dina. ”I thought you got on the ride….? Did you come here to-“

”Which ride was she on? And my eyes are UP here!” she said aggressively causing the boy to look up sheepishly.

”Huh?”

”The RIDE…which ride broke down?” she asked talking slower as the kid looked at the man standing next to her. He pointed towards Dog’s face and seemed to be having an inner debate with himself if he should mention that he looked just like the other guy.

”Oh um…it was the Death-Defier.” he said finding himself more afraid of Dina than the ride.

The future lawyer went pale for a moment. Just great. Of all the rides that Cassey could have gone on it just HAD to be that ride. ”I apologize Dog, but I thi-“

”HA! Your name is Dog!? That’s pric-“ The boy was cut off guard by Dina kicking him hard in the chest with enough force to send him slamming backwards into his friend. What? She had been doing kickboxing since she was tweleve.

”Do NOT make fun of his name.” she said defensively before grabbing Dog’s hand. The moment she touched it, she felt a sudden spark causing her to pull a away. She paused to make sure her hand was safe and sound before shaking the feeling off. ”Static shock.” she explained as she took his hand and began to lead the way towards the ride. She stopped walking as she looked around. ”Ummm….Dog.” she said biting down against her lip. ”Do you know where this ride is?”

Cassandra was blissfully unaware of the situation that was headed her way. She giggled as Abram spoke of Dog before quickly hiding her laughter. ”Dina is the same way!” she said thinking about her serious sister. ”She is a very…by the rules sort of person. But I think she secretly likes getting on the rides even if she doesn’t know it yet. Um…if that makes sense.” she said rubbing the back of her neck. ”Oh excuse me.” she said bumping into the teenage boy who would help Dina with Cassey’s location later.

”No problem.” said the boy in a dazed manner as he watched the witchling follow Abram.

The young waitress mentally prepared herself as she watched the cave portion of the ride grow closer and closer. Her eyes slammed shut as she held on tight. This part wouldn’t last too-too long now would it? She silently prayed it would be over soon before they came to a screeching halt. The roars of laughter stopped, the sound of rushing wind halted, and Cassey was left in the dark. Her fingers clenched onto the bar as her heart began to pound. A muffled eep sound came from her lips as she heard the attendant’s voice. ”Momentarily?” she repeated slowly her small body shaking with fear.

The girl’s head moved towards Abram’s voice trying desperately hard to see him. Darkness was the only thing to meet her gaze as her eyes squinted. ”A…Abram?” she asked trying to reach out for him only to hear the sudden cry of one of the younger children on the ride. Her fingers retracted as she tried to pull against the bar. She was stuck…again. Those horrible memories began to play over and over again as if her mind was stuck on mental replay. ”Mom.” she whispered fear shaking her entire frame. ”I…I…Have to get out of here…someone please.” her cry was faint barely above a whisper as she jerked against the bar. Her jerk did nothing if anything it forced her closer to the seat.

”Mother…” the word was caught in her throat as distressed echoed through her unseen expression. ”Please…someone…please.” she begged. Her whispers were short but loud enough for Abram to hear. Her whole body was shaking as the silent tears dripped down her cheeks. Her small hands were over her face as she urged someone, anyone to help her.

Dina stopped as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. ”Cassandra!” she said staring up at the monstrous ride that Dog had luckily found. ”Is there anyway we can get them out of there?” she urged the attendant who rolled his eyes and blew a bubble in response.

”Lady…we can’t move that until those birds decide to le-“

Yank. Dina’s hand grabbed a hold of the boy’s collar yanking his face towards hers. ”Listen to me kid, you had better find a way to get those passengers out of there or I will sue you so hard you will not be able to walk for a week.” she threatened

”Look…there is nothing I can do. Yo dude…can’t you calm your girlfriend down?’ mocked the kid causing Dina to slowly release him.

”Boyfriend?” she repeated in a confused manner before her attention was taken by a child’s cry. No, it wasn’t Cassey but it was enough to send Dina on full panic mode. ”Oh dear…is there ANYTHING we can do? Dog!? Do some werewolf magic. Tell that brother of yours if he doesn’t figure out a way to get my sister the hell out of there…well I will…I don’t know what I will do but it will not be pretty!” She grabbed onto Dog’s shirt as she pulled against him. ”Please.” she said her eyes filled with weakness as she stared up into his.

After letting out a small cry, Cassey continued her struggle with the bar. The usually cheery, happy-go-lucky girl was terrified. ”I need to get out of here! Please.” she silently prayed. ”Just help me…Darius? Please come for me again. Please…Please…Please.” she continued to repeat her voice low.

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Enzo was wrong. Those workout videos did NOT help him with his speed and endurance. He made a mental note to trash all of Cassey’s videos as he came puffing along the trail Alexis had run. ”I think she is trying to kill me.” he said in concern for his own physical health. That was the only explanation for why the woman had insisted on running. Alright, so maybe it was not the ONLY explanation. She could have (and was) worried about her human sister. However, Enzo could not help but wonder if Alexis was not (at least a bit) pleased that she had single-handedly killed Enzo’s ego when it came to his running ability. By the time he reached the group, they were already arguing discussing…well Enzo was not completely sure. If he had to guess, it was most likely something involving Lydia’s safety.

”Tch, put a vampire and wolf together with a human in between and all you get is arguments.” he mused delicately taking his place in front of Alexis as a way to calm her down. ”Yes, indeedy it is Alexis. Isn’t she just the most beautiful wolf? I have never been attracted to a wolf before but with her? I think I could make an exception.” he said causing the disoriented Darius to make a disgruntled growl. ”What? We were all thinking it!” he accused trying to lighten the mood.

”A friend of yours?” repeated Darius but he still kept his hackles up just in case. His expression, however, softened to show that he believed Lydia. ”Are you sure?” he said his voice musky from the wear his body had received that morning. ”Get away from me? You make it sound as if I am going to ravish her right here in public!” huffed Darius, who even in his most tormented states, could still find time to snap at a werewolf. It was basic biology for a vampire to get snippy with their kind. ”Just because your lot has no sense of decency, declothing where you will, does not mean our lot feels the same way.” he huffed causing he to growl at the sudden pain resurfacing in his chest as he moved.

”Calm down there Dairy-baby.” teased Enzo causing the vampire to snap at him. ”Hey! Peace and love peace and love!” he winked at Lydia before pulling the vampire backwards so he could handle him personally. ”This is wizard business now.” he said shooting Alexis a suggestive look. Even in times of trouble, Enzo made time to tease and flirt with his beloved.

”If I was going to EAT her as you say, I would have don-“

”Enough of that. Lets not upset the pretty she-wolf more than she already is.” cooed Enzo trying to calm the beast before him. ”Although, Alexis your ability to take care of others makes me feel as if you would be a fantastic mother. This is good to know. Good to know. For the future I mean.” he said taking one more playful look at the two women before continuing his struggle with the distressed vampire.

Finally, Enzo was able to settle Darius down only to hear Lydia’s comment involving his fluttering heart when it came to the fairer sex. ”Thanks love. But this pervert wizard just save- Alexis!?” he chocked his hand placed against his heart as he stared at the she-wolf. ”I expect Lydia to call me names, but not you. Besides my love is only for you my dearest sugar leaf. So the only one who needs protection is you.” he said his expression darkening a bit at the end of his sentence. If one didn’t know any better that might assume the worst of that silly silly wizard. Darius gave the other man an uneasy look as he watched his friend delight in looking Alexis up and down. The wizard was just BEGGING to be smacked.

”I look proud of myself my wolf lover because I was able to break the spell before Darius lost his mind.” he said wiggling his finger at the wolf. He seemed to just LOVE to give her ridiculous nicknames. ”Oh are you coming over here to give me a nice big lick you handsome doggy you?”

”Please do not get yourself killed Enzo. You are still Cassey’s teacher.” warned the vampire groaning as he watched the other man play with fire. Enzo seemed to just LOVE to mess with Alexis. He then glanced back at Lydia. She was too sweet. Caring for him like this. For a moment, he completely forgot that all of this was just a show for her. ”Yeah, I’m fine. Enzo may act like an idiot but he is pretty good at casting spellings and breaking them.” he complimented which only seemed to increase the wizard-gypsy hybrid’s cocky smirk. That was JUST what Enzo needed another ego boost.

”Hey! Vampire or not I saved him.” countered Enzo giving the werewolf a solid nod. ”I doubt Dio could do that. Nope, he would just get his tail stepped on.” he smirked sticking his tongue out at the girl. Oh yes. He DID just take a shot at her future husband.

”Once again Enzo…you are just going to get yourself killed.” groaned the vampire. Darius rubbed his temples as he shook his head back and forth.

”Lydia seems nice.” said Enzo watching the two girls before looking back at Darius.

”Very nice.” said Darius with a small smile on his lips causing Enzo to blink.

”This is a first…you are smiling like a person.” said the amazed Enzo as he poked the other man’s cheek.

Darius brushed the hand away and glared. ”Just because I am a vampire does not mean that I do not have feelings. You are getting as racist as a werewolf.”

”Says the one who just compared me to a werewolf in a negative manner.” countered Enzo giving the other a cheeky grin.

The wizard’s smirk only increased as he glanced up at Alexis and Lydia. ”Who was she talking to?” he asked looking at Lydia on the phone before returning his gaze towards Alexis. Enzo’s smile never faded when Alexis demanded a full explanation. ”For starters, I never said that Lydia was in trouble. I said Lydia’s FRIEND was in trouble. And future-telling is never certain. We can only see so far. Plus the future is always changing and such.” he explained his finger moving back and forth in a knowing manner.

Darius watched Lydia as the woman came closer. ”Who was that?” he questioned curiously before laughing at the woman’s reaction to his suggestion about keeping the date going. He brushed off his legs as he tilted his head sideways. ”Safe than sorry.” repeated Darius somewhat disappoint. It was that moment that he remembered the little deal the two had come up with. He held back a groan as he shook his head no. ”I am perfectly fine. Us vampires heal pretty quickly.” he said with a fond smile at the young woman. How could she not see that he actually wanted to spend time with her? ”May-“ the vampire was cut off by first Lydia who was then cut off by Alexis.

Enzo watched in amusement as the werewolf tried to get out of their date. ”If I didn’t know any better Allie,” he began forgetting for a moment that that nickname was from her former life. ”I’d say you are trying to get rid of me.” he teased as he watched the two women talk to one another. She was just too cute. Even when she was trying to get rid of him, Enzo enjoyed watching her. ”It sounds to me like Lydia can handle herself Alexis. You aren’t getting off the hook that easy!”

”Lydia…why don’t you help me get back to my apartment? That way we can leave these two lovebirds to their own accord.” suggested Darius walking towards the human.

”I take back all of the things I said about vampires being evil, heartless, jerks Darius I really do!”

”Don’t push it.”

”Okay!” agreed Enzo before grabbing Alexis’s hand. ”Since going to the gypsy party failed…let’s go to the Amusement Park!” he said before remembering the woman’s touching policy. ”Whoops…sorry.” he said letting go.

Darius rolled his eyes as he watched the wizard. ”Yup. This is the LAST time that I help you out.” he grumbled as Enzo placed his arm around the vampire. ”What have I told you about touching me?”

”Aw you know you love it!” teased Enzo with that same carefree smirk. ”Although, if we go to the amusement park we may run into my adorable little student, her sister.” Enzo went pale for a moment. ”And those two dogs.” he said causing Darius’s eyebrow to twitch. So much for keeping THAT bit of knowledge from Lydia. ”Naahhh they will ruin our date. Come Allie! Let’s go find something fun to do!” he said pointing outwards.

Darius gave the man a weary look before glancing back at Lydia. ”Would you mind helping me head back home?” he asked hoping she would say yes. ”Maybe you can tell me more about that conversation you had over the phone…erm…only if you want to!” he said quickly.

((I couldn't decide if I wanted Darius to help out Cassey or not o.O))











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[Lady March Hare]

▇ location: O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: R E L I E V E D XXXXX ♫ q u i e t m e l o d y ♫XX
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“Why,” began Alexis in a tone that implied infinite fascination, “would you, Enzo, think for a second that sticking yourself between me and bat-boy is going to stop me? If anything, it’s like lining the pins up. Are you daring me to go for a strike?!?”

Resisting the urge to ask and confirm that the werewolf had just made a bowling joke, Lydia deadpanned slightly and nodded to Darius’ question. “I’m positive…” she confirmed grimly before turning a little pink at Darius’s words. “D-Darius, I don’t think that’s what she meant…”

“Decency?! Ha! Vampires are just as bad as werewolves, we just don’t try and hide it! In fact, vampires are even worse because they do!” Alexis snarled, her eyes flashing. Clearly, Alexis and Darius were also not destined to be close pals. Moving forward as Enzo did and dragging Lydia away, the she-wolf sneered as she draped her head across Lydia’s chest to keep her from moving forward. “I hope you’re listening, Lydia! Did you hear what he said! He was going to say ‘if I was going to eat her, I’d have done it by now’! That means he’s thought about it! Heh! Just like a vampire…”

“Ngh, Alexis, cut it out…” Lydia grumbled in irritation, trying in vain to relieve the pressure of the werewolf’s head against her for a few seconds before giving up.

Enzo did his magical marvel with skill and proficiency, and yet his words seemed to be shortening his life by the second; Lydia could literally feel Alexis growing angrier and angrier with each cheerful comment he tossed her way. The human, forced into compliancy, lifted an eyebrow; sure the wizard was a tail chaser, but this seemed a bit extreme. Did he have a death wish of some sort? Was he bored, some sort of thrill seeker to whom baiting a werewolf would be seen as some sort of temporary high? Or did he really like Alexis? All of these probabilities seemed equal parts probable and improbable; had Lydia been in a state of mind to muse over it, it would have proven to be very confusing. But seeing as she’d had a very eventful day and seeing as Vidar’s promise of Darius’ pain being temporary was not one Lydia held in very high esteem, that was clearly an issue of minor importance to be sorted out at a later date, if ever. Relieved of the worry and stress, Lydia was left to look at Enzo with disbelief that was reflected by Alexis… at least, she thought it was reflected by Alexis… somewhere… underneath all of that rage…

“Call you names? I was just being honest.” Lydia reported a bit mechanically.

“Sug…ar… LEAF?!” Alexis was clearly so opposed to this newest pet name that she was too infuriated to articulate properly. “And was that a threat?! Are you challenging me?! Because I could take you in a heartbeat! I’ll rip off your arm and beat you to death wit… stop checking me out while I’m threatening you, damn it!!!!”

“Alexis…” Lydia started in a warning tone before Enzo’s words distracted her even from the sister-wolf that was practically frothing at the mouth with rage. “Lost his mind..?” she repeated slowly, frowning deeply. “Was that his object? Did… did it have something to do with those force fields, or whatever it was that Vidar was talking about?”

“I’m... going… to… maim you..!”

“Ah… good.” Lydia breathed at Darius’ assurance that he was alright. Those big gray eyes, at times so flat and empty, were at the moment tilting the exact opposite end of the scale, her relief never more obvious. Those expressive eyes then turned temporarily to Enzo. “I’m not sorry that I called you a pervert, because you are, but thank you for helping, Enzo.” she said with feeling (despite her statement’s rather blunt beginning).

“What the..?! What the heck are you bringing Dio into this for?!” Alexis fumed, bearing her teeth at the wizard threateningly. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you that! What was I thinking?!? Being honest with you!”

“You told him that I stepped on Dio’s tail and broke it?” Lydia, finally somewhat distracted from Darius’ plight, spoke in confusion… unable to even conceive how such a tidbit might have come up in conversation between the werewolf and the wizard. Their little combative relationship continued to confuse her.

“You should listen to your bloodsucker buddy!” Alexis added hotly. “Because, hey, he’s right about one thing: you’re going to get yourself killed!” she vowed for the umpteenth time before following Lydia’s retreat with no little reluctance. The change was completed and Lydia trailed behind, phone pressed to her ear and a careful mask of blankness coming to her face so automatically that it could only be a result of habitually having to take such calls. Alexis didn’t glance back to the human as she stomped back towards the two men, scoffing at Enzo’s inquiry after the person on the other end of the gray eyed girl’s call. “Someone I hate even more then I hate you, if you can imagine it.” the raven haired woman replied nastily. This time she wasn’t just acting out negative feelings towards Enzo; she hated and, more importantly, secretly feared Lydia’s father and, in true Alexis form, reacted to fear with aggression. The werewolf made a face at the wizard’s non-answer to her question. “That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard!” Alexis contested hotly. “You didn’t say anything like that! I’d swear to it!”

Clearly, Lydia was doomed to wrinkle early, as her brow was always puckered in a frown. Making her way back to Darius in a slow manner that clearly implied that there was a great load on her mind, the human studied her phone with a strange emotion that was a blend of irritation and pure mental exhaustion. Why did everything and everyone have to be difficult all at once? Like she hadn’t had enough to think about before the phone rang! Only Darius’ voice served as a proper distraction from the next stressor, and gray eyes locked onto his face for a long second before she answered, her voice perfectly calm and disinterested. “My father.” she answered him simply and moved on quickly. “Well… I know that… but that was clearly some horrible poison, Darius. Are you sure you’re alright?” she couldn’t seem to resist asking again. The memory of the man before her convulsing in pain flashed in her mind and she closed her eyes, tightening her hands into fists against her knees. That memory would haunt her, no doubt. “Alright.” she sighed reluctantly. “No hospital… but you have to promise me that if you start to feel badly again, you’ll tell me immediately and consent to a hospital visit.” she said, the steely note in her eyes and tone making it sound like some sort of business proposition like she would be demanding to move forward with in a boardroom. Really, the girl’s business mode did not go into sleep mode easily.

Enzo spoke and, though Alexis was ready and willing to lash back with venom at his words, she found they fizzled unpleasantly upon her lips. The she-wolf twitched and stared at Enzo in something almost like recognition; Allie… someone used to call her Allie. Who was it? The blue eyed woman shook her head and forced a scowl; no one had ever called her Allie! She hated nicknames, and would stand for none from her pack! Thinking that one of them would have gotten away with one, especially one as cutesy as Allie was simply ridiculous! But the strange notion did not leave her; Alexis closed her eyes and spoke in a growl. “See, that was me trying to be polite. Didn’t work. YES I’m trying to get rid of you! And you know I’m trying to get rid of you!”

Lydia sighed, rubbing at her temples, before looking up at Darius as he moved to her side. Her eyes, though tired, stayed alert as she gave him a once over –nope, still looked alive-- “Your apartment?” she repeated, then nodded, the concern back in her eyes. “Of course, Darius.” she agreed, only too eager to get the vampire somewhere where he could rest. Haha, it was almost like a victory! “Where do you live?”

“Remind me to nominate you for a Darwin award, Lydia. He’s clearly just luring you there so there won’t be as much of a problem when he has to dispose of your body.” Alexis grumbled.

“Have fun on your date with Enzo, Alexis.”

“W-Why you passive-aggressive little..!” Alexis dropped a twitching eye to their hands and studied them for a long moment until Enzo withdrew his. “Hey, look; I have something in common with the bloodsucking fiend that wants to do bad things to my human packmate. Neither of us want you touching us. It’s a funny world.”

Lydia would have spoken up in objection to yet another outright—and extremely unfair—accusation from Alexis towards her business partner, had she not been suddenly distracted from her words against her will by Enzo. Specifically, the cheeky wizard’s mention that Cassey, her sister, and two ‘dogs’ were there together, which brought up her memory from her brief interlude in the amusement park with Darius. She thought she’d heard Cassey’s voice, calling for Abram… and yes, it had been Dog, not a dog, that had also been mentioned. Dog would be the only person Abram could puppy-dog eye into going on a double date with him on such short notice. It was the only logical conclusion Lydia could come to, though it was admittedly seasoned with prejudice: Abram had asked Cassey out, Cassey had accepted, the two of them had asked family to come along to make the first date a little less awkward. Sure, there were other possible explanations, but to a girl in love with someone she had steeled herself never to confess to, the one she settled on was the only one that made sense. The expressions so clearly shown in her eyes moments before vanished behind quiet disinterest that came as almost second nature to her when she was trying to pretend that she didn’t love Abram, and though her eyes flicked to the side she showed no other outward sign of the unexpected jolt of pain Enzo’s words had pushed through her chest.

“Tch, you stupid…” Alexis started in irritation, glancing at Lydia. Perhaps she should have told her, given her some sort of advanced warning that Abram had been taking steps (confused, somewhat backwards steps, but steps all the same) to take Cassey out on a date, should have explained the confusing mix-up that also lead to her date with Enzo. Perhaps she should have outright told Lydia that Cassey was Abram’s attar, and that she would never be able to do or say anything to outmaneuver destiny, no matter how clever she claimed to be. No, there was no perhaps; she should have told her. And she would have, had she not been so busy being enraged with Enzo. Feeling a slight flicking of shame, which she never dealt well with, the female werewolf huffed angrily before stomping back to Lydia, plopping her hands on her head, and promptly scrubbing her brown tresses into a frenzy.

“Yah! Alexis, what are you doing?! Cut it out!”

“Giving you a good dose of werewolf scent. Consider it purified edu de Not-Get-Vampire-Eaten. Guaranteed to make you 100% unappetizing. Hold still and say thank you!”

“NO!” Lydia yelped as she finally escaped her overeager sister, an eye twitching horribly and looking about as happy as a wet cat. “I’m tired of being told I stink, thank you very much! And I’m not going to get eaten, so stop doing, thinking, and saying ridiculous things!”

“Hah!” Alexis took the human girl’s reaction with spunk far better then her mask of calmness and saw it as a clear signal that she’d done her part to make up for the injustice of not gossiping. Shooting Darius one last disapproving look, she now set herself to dealing with the repercussions of karma: keeping Enzo from saying anything else about Cassey, Abram, and any combination thereof. How to do this? “Ugh.” the raven haired she-wolf muttered as she stomped up to Enzo, grabbed his hand firmly, and proceeded to drag him away. “Let’s go, Kitty-boy. I don’t care where to, or what we do, as long as we do it already. This date’s lasted long enough!”

“Er..?” Lydia, parting the hair that obscured her eyes, stared after Alexis in complete disbelief. She liked to think that she and Alexis were relatively close, but she only understood the female werewolf about half the time, and even then ‘understood’ wasn’t always the right term. Deadpanning that all of Alexis’ raging and ranting had concluded in her being the one pulling Enzo away for the continuation of their date, Lydia sighed heavily and turned to Darius, the only sane person she knew (apparently), before blushing slightly and trying to fix her hair as best she could. “Darius… I’m… I’m sorry about her. Alexis is… not shy about her feelings, I’m afraid. And even worse at expressing them.” she tried to apologize with what she was positive was a VERY lame excuse. Lydia blinked, then sighed so heavily it was as if all of the breath was leaving her body. “Dealing with all of that, and you still want to be seen around me!” she marveled with a murmur. “You’re one of the most amazing men I’ve ever met, Darius. You must have the patience of a saint. I guess dealing with business as much as you have has opened you to a lot of experiences… but I can’t imagine what it would take to be that forgiving. Clearly, I have a lot to learn.” the girl conceded, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Oh, that’s right; on top of all of the other people that were getting on her nerves, Lydia herself was still supposed to be learning at Darius’ knee. Day two of their arrangement, and she was already forgetting the important things. Damn.

“Oh, to your home… yes, of course. ” she said, clearing her throat. She stepped forward as if to duck under his arm and offer some assistance in walking (clearly still suspicious on the state of his health), but caught herself, Alexis’ maniacal laughter (that hadn’t actually been a part of their exchange) echoing in her head. Great, now she smelled like werewolf when going to spend time with a vampire. Lydia was SO glad that she personally didn’t have to deal with all these scents and smells; it sounded like an exhausting pursuit. Offering Darius an apologetic little smile, the young woman took her place at the vampire’s side. Gray eyes blinked in slight surprise, and then she pressed her fist to her lips as she cleared her throat. “Ah, that…” she sighed, smiling slightly at Darius’ concession. Giving her an out; so sweet. “No, I don’t mind… in fact, if you don’t mind, I’d like to use you as a bit of a sounding board. Like I said, the call was from my father, and when it comes to him… well… I always feel better if I talk it out.” she admitted, feeling a little bit like a child and then admonishing herself. She and Darius were friends; these sorts of conversations were not only acceptable, they were expected!

“I think I told you that my mother and father split up when I was young…” she started slowly as they walked. “They started Fellowship Pharmaceuticals together… my mother had the business sense, but my father had the chemical background. When they split up, he took a good number of the company’s shares with him… not enough to be a controlling interest, but enough to make his voice in the company one that is particularly loud.” The gray eyed girl watched her feet as she walked, her hands folded demurely before her, but there was an analytical, textbook sort of way that she recited her own personal history. “If he’d wanted to, he could have been very influential in how the company was run under my mother… but he stepped aside and let her run as president on one condition.” Lydia remembered with a grimace. “And that was that, once a month, I would have to meet him for a special, private… ugh.” Lydia sighed and held up her fingers in the quoting motion. “‘Daddy-Daughter Date Night’. As long as mother allowed for that, he’d stay away from the company’s interests. And he mostly left us alone too; I’d get my weekend calls and he’d demand that I spent the holidays with him, but other then that I didn’t have to see him.” she said with a sour expression. “And, were this module still working, I wouldn’t complain. I’m too old to be bound by separation agreements as far as spending my time during the holidays goes, and one night with him a month isn’t bad. However… since mom died… he’s been calling a lot. And texting, and promising to visit. And actually showing up.” Here Lydia hesitated… how much should she say? “What I would like is your advice… the problem is, the more he is in my life, the more he wants to…… ‘cleanse’ it. My father is… strange. I think he looks at me and still sees a child… a child who he has to protect. But his methods are, more often then not… um… well, deranged. It’s the strangest thing. He’s the most ridiculous man I’ve ever known. All of his fears and beliefs about every race but the human race he seems to have gotten from movies and books and superstitions that even the most human-elite minded see as outdated… and yet… based on these things… he’s willing to hurt people. Sometimes people I hardly know. Sometimes people I care for. And I’m afraid that the more he’s around, the more I have to worry about.” she was thoughtfully silent for a minute before proposing her question. “What I want to ask you is this… do you think it’s wise to try cutting him out of my life completely? I hesitate not because of his interest in the company; he could never use it to take it from me, or be any danger.” Lydia said with confidence that might, with time, prove to be unfounded. “But I’m worried about the repercussions in my private life… knowing my father, he’ll decide that it’s the people I’m with that are influencing me to withdraw from him. He doesn’t know about you yet, fortunately, so you don’t have to worry about a crazy human,” she added with a smile and a stab at a joke, “But I’m afraid his attention will focus on Jacob’s pack… and Uncle Miser. Probably mostly, and firstly, on Mi.” she was quiet for a minute, then cleared her throat. “Ah... so... what do you think?”

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Enzo’s inquiry as to her memories of that hazy time of her life brought on a little smirk. “I remember the pain.” she laughed, looking down at her hand smugly. Once, her flesh and been twisted and scarred; it was one of the first things she’d seen when she’d opened her eyes and realized that she couldn’t remember anything about where she was or what had happened to her. True, scars were not lasting things to werewolves, in general; the ability to transform the body at will made rearranging cells to erase all but the deepest scars a relatively simple thing. But for that to be her very first memory, a memory that stayed etched in her mind as her ‘beginning’… well, it made the raven haired werewolf grin in a bitter sort of way. Aggression and bitterness: she had ‘begun’ in these two emotions, and sometimes she almost felt as if she lived them continuously. Fortunately there was a distraction from both her past and Dio in the form of the gypsies’ predictions. A single brow lifted, and Alexis looked a little disbelieving. “Un-huh.” she said dismissively; she didn’t understand, and she didn’t care overmuch that she didn’t understand. When a mention of danger hung over the head of any werewolf of her pack (or creature of other race that had been adopted in some way, shape, or form), Alexis tended to block out other little bits of what might otherwise be useful information. So yes, Enzo’s elaboration that it wasn’t Lydia, but someone that she was with that was in danger, went in one ear and out the other. This fortunate little lull in listening was not continued for the wizard’s next words, however; Alexis narrowed her eyes at the wizard’s back spitefully. “I’ll show you embarrassed…” she vowed a bit darkly. But there would be time to punish Enzo later; at the moment, the she-wolf had a human to save. To the hunt!!

Unaware that his sister was in full-out save-the-day mode, Dog rubbed at his nose a bit to help fight back the small smile Dina’s reply about vampires threatened to bring to his lips. He didn’t personally have much of a problem with the fanged blood drinkers, but it was considered a sort of werewolf norm to trade quips about the creatures, and hearing one such utterance from the former witch was oddly comforting. It was official: he (secretly) liked this girl. Studying the girl’s expression from the corner of his eye, Dog kept his expression carefully blank as Dina related the specifics of Vidar’s stealing of her mother’s powers. The idea made him shift about on the bench uncomfortably… something about the evil behind such magic made him incredibly restless. Dog didn’t like things like that, obscure magics that he would probably never come to understand. However, the green eyed werewolf looked at Dina a bit abruptly at her confession that Enzo also had this ability.

“Your sister’s… teacher?” her asked as if to make sure, his brow furrowing slightly as he remembered that particular wizard’s actions towards Alexis. “Strange… I was pretty sure he was an idiot, not some powerful wizard…” He was thoughtfully silent for a minute before her cleared his throat, wondering if he had offended the lawyer-in-training. “Er… no offence?” he muttered, scratching his head before continuing with an observation, if for no other reason then to distract from that little line of thought. “You seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff.” he pointed out, back to looking at her thoughtfully. The werewolf was admittedly curious about the pretty young woman at his side… what had made her decide to be a lawyer? Why had she given her sister her powers? What was she now, if not a witch? But he held his tongue and looked away; it wasn’t like him to be so overly curious, and it made him a little embarrassed to realize just how much thought he had apparently been investing in Dina. It wasn’t that he wasn’t a young man with a vested interest in the world around him and the people that inhabited it, it was just that he usually was happiest with the basest of information about the people he met; anymore was usually asking for a headache or getting involved in something he didn’t really want to get involved with in the first place. Dog knew that; history had proven it to be true. So why was Dina different? Green eyes looked down to the ground, and he gave himself no definite answer.

“Yes. Buy it for you. You know… an ice cream.” Dog replied a bit shortly. Poor guy; he really was no good at talking with girls. Of course, Dina was no typical girl, and dealing with her required no typical strategy; the werewolf blanked when Dina conjectured on the usefulness of a werewolf’s sense of smell. “Well, yeah… we could do that.” Dog admitted slowly, looking a little queasy at the idea of using his nose to sniff out rape connections, specifically. “I know a lot of werewolves that work as cops for stuff like that. Well, not a lot… but quite a few from my pack. But a lot think it’s a bit too offensive… werewolves that work in the force are automatically classified as K-9 units.” Dog reported slowly as he led the way to the ice cream stand, located, just as his nose had led him to inform Dina, just around the corner. “It’s kind of offensive.” he added, probably unnecessarily. “I don’t know about us helping out on court cases, though…

“What?” he asked reflexively. Jade eyes flicked to Dina and then widened, his whole form stiffening a bit nervously as Dina prowled closer to him. “Oh. No. We… werewolves don’t keep pets. It’s kind of hypocritical, so it’s generally frowned upon. Might as well keep humans as pets, or let ourselves be kept as pets. Just doesn’t seem fair.” he studied his feet to give himself a distraction from those hypnotic eyes. “Not that there aren’t all sorts of animals wandering in and out of our den-houses… we keep them pretty open. We have a different sort of relationship with animals then most races… mutual respect, Mary calls it. They come in to sleep, or play, or whatever, and leave before making a mess. So they’re less like pets and more like… guests.” Dog’s stop was abrupt again, and he couldn’t help but wonder what the girl was wanting to hear in reply to such a question. She was already tricking him into saying much more then he was used to saying! It was downright bizarre. “Career wise?” Dog grimaced slightly. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his work, or that he didn’t think that it was important… but it was admittedly gruesome. Especially his specialty. “I’m a coroner. It’s my position with our Rogue hunting group… but unlike the others, my job lasts longer then the hunt.” he said a bit shortly. Not because he was particularly uncomfortable talking about the Rogues despite his unfortunate history… but rather because he was never quite sure how to go about talking about Rogues to outsiders. Very few understand the werewolves’ slaying of their own, and not all saw it as proper justice. “I don’t know if you can say I enjoy it… but it’s important. And that’s what matters.”

Dog thought he’d handled that rather well! He was almost proud of himself! Personal questions were ones he often had some difficulty, because it made him uncomfortable to divulge such potentially compromising information carelessly. But since Dina apparently had the secret power to take from Dog any tidbit of information she wanted, he supposed he was doing relatively well for himself, considering. And he really shouldn’t, because in what was literally the next instant Dina was grilling him like he was on trial. Bam! Bam! Bam! Question! Question! Question! The poor werewolf’s eyes were wide and staring at the diminutive beauty before him, his cheeks a bit red and incomprehension on how to answer such a barrage evident in his features. “I-! I-! Um-!” he stuttered, his mind going blank under pressure. That was unusual too: it took a mighty force indeed to do such a thing! Dina was efficiently under the poor man’s skin, it seemed. “It’s alright. You’ll be a good lawyer, if you’re anything like that in the courtroom.” he said, scratching the back of his head a bit sheepishly. Then he hesitated, wondering if he should answer Dina’s questioned about his relationship status… he was quiet for a long minute, then turned a little red. It wasn’t like she was asking because she was interested, it was because she was in interrogation mode! She probably wouldn’t even notice, he told himself sternly, more than a little embarrassed at where his thoughts were going. “I’m not…” he started despite himself, then cleared his throat; the young woman was distracted by ice cream, and he supposed he should count himself as lucky. A small sigh escaped him before, noticing the expression on her face, a smile haunted his own.

Sliding into the ice cream line, Dog listened to Dina attentively, even if he didn’t actively watch her. “You are how you are.” he replied simply. “I haven’t even known your sister that long, and even I can picture that.” the young man said with a small sigh. “You shouldn’t have to apologize, though. You do it to protect your sister.” he added, and his tone implied that this simple reason justified anything and everything Dina did. Actually, to the werewolf, it did. He was the sort to think similarly, after all. The werewolf’s attention then turned to the ice cream vendor as they moved to the counter, Dog personally offering the pimply teenager manning it no greeting aside from a long look (that might or might not have been perceived as a warning look…) before looking back to Dina. “What do you want?” he asked, waiting for her reply before looking back to the wide eyed attendant. “Make that two.”

Dog’s ears twitched and he glanced to the side at the chattering of the people behind them. Whiney people whining; Dog was not overly inclined to pay attention to them when his nose provided a yummy distraction. Mmmm… cones, whipped toppings, chocolate… “Dina?” Dog questioned as the former witch about faced, instinctively turning with her. His expression hardened automatically as he locked on to the young man who’s eyes were most inappropriately lowered to Dina’s chest. Though it wasn’t usually in his nature, he felt the urge to growl warningly fill him. Stupid horny teenager, being so bold as to think he could get away with..! “Huh?” he asked, again out of reflex. “Don’t worry about…” He shot the teenager a look but only rolled his eyes at the name comment. He’d gotten worse. However, Dina’s response seemed to stand out. Of course, that was partially because the girl lifted a leg and destroyed the insolent teenager. Yet again, and making it too often that he had lost count, Dina got a look of amazement from her werewolf companion. That gaze followed her fingers as they moved to twine around his own, and the werewolf at the spark that seemed to fly between the two of them. The poor man was a bit dazed and found himself quite incapable of comment when Dina pulled him away, nor when the ice cream man called after them with their order. His attention was completely captured by Dina, his heart in his throat. Only her direct question forced him to shake himself back to the real world, and he cleared his throat with a slightly red face before replying. “No… but I can sniff them out.” he vowed. Tightening his grip on her hand, he took a sudden turn. “Follow me.”

Something was wrong. Abram knew it the second the question left his lips and disappeared into the darkness of the rollercoaster’s cave encasement. And the reason behind this feeling was also quick in coming: Tammy’s voice was whispering a warning in his head about dark, enclosed places, and how he shouldn’t even think about taking her in to such a place. Abram’s breath left him as if from a physical blow and was nearly impossible to get back when Cassey’s trembling voice called out his name through the darkness.

“Cassey?” he started warily, struggling to keep the alarm from his voice. He didn’t want to worry her any further. Cursing softly, the werewolf craned his neck back, trying to see if any progress seemed to be going forward on the rollercoaster. Of course, it wouldn’t have mattered even if he had seen evidence of progress; Abram was an impatient fellow, especially when he could literally hear his lady love trembling in fear. Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable! “Hold on, Cassey; we’ll be out of here in just a minute.” Abram promised. Did he promise this because he was confident the underpaid park staff was working their hardest to get the ride back in motion? Nope. Was he about to ignoring the speaker’s warning and break himself an amusement park ride? Yup.

It was a good thing that it was dark, because Abram was pretty sure that his transformation might have scared the children on the ride. He had no intention of fully transforming and certainly wasn’t going to waste time on fur, which would be mostly for aesthetics in the current situation, which the werewolf clearly didn’t have time for. A thought sent muscles rippling into place and, with a slight push, Abram snapped the metal bar that had been keeping him in place off at its mechanical joints, flicking it to the side and allowing it to fall carelessly to the side. Sure, it was pretty much wanton vandalism… but the tawny haired lad wasn’t exactly thinking about that at that point. Dina’d probably have a field day and Operation Impress Dina was probably a failure, but all the werewolf could properly think of was getting Cassey outside. He stood up, ignoring objections from other people on the ride, and dug his newly formed claws into the metal of the ride and, pausing only to kick off his shoes, shifted to yank the bar away from Cassey, again with apparent ease.

“Easy, Cass…” Abram said softly, a soft growl that flavored his tone whenever he stopped the transformation process halfway doing nothing to hide the gentleness in his words. “I’m not Darius... but... trust me. I’m getting you out of here right now.” he promised again, reaching to pull her to his chest with his free hand. “Hold on tight, alright?” he said encouragingly. Pressing Cassey securely to his chest, Abram twisted around and, without a hint of hesitation, sprang from the cart. Animal instincts kicked into high gear as they fell into the darkness…

“Tch.” Dog was hardly able to believe that it was birds that were causing all this trouble. Sure, the birds were phoenixes, but seeing as the birds he was craning his neck back to see seemed to be preening like any common pigeon, Dog was not impressed. He deadpanned as he looked at the attendant, but didn’t object to his misunderstanding that Dina was his girlfriend. While it was still a little surprising to see the slight lawyer-in-training shake the attendant, he was starting to think that it was not helping Dina calm down, so the werewolf silently reached to place a hand on her shoulder. He blinked, lifting an eyebrow at Dina’s plea for ‘werewolf magic’, but was stricken, once again, by those eyes. It was alarming, but she probably could have been asking him to shoot himself, and he would have complied without question. A hand lifted and cupped her cheek for the briefest second, then dropped to gently untangle Dina’s fingers from his shirt and kicked off his shoes. He focused on transforming the muscles of his legs, safely hidden by his jeans so as not to freak out passers by, and tensed as twisted pieces of metal rained down from the cave’s exit. Dog sighed, able to guess well enough what his cousin’s reaction had been, and crouched, newly golden eyes lifting to the rollercoaster track. With no further hesitation he sprang into the air, jumping to inhuman heights to snag the bottom of the track and using his momentum to flip up and into a crouch. He glanced to the side just in time to see Abram slam into the railing at the bottom of the cave, holding Cassey tightly to his chest.

“Almost done, Cass…” Abram murmured, flicking his eyes up to land automatically on his cousin’s form. He lifted an eyebrow, then chuckled. “Getting the birds?”

“I’m getting the damn birds.” Dog grumbled in reply, already crouching down to jump again.

Abram grinned and hugged Cassey securely to his chest, springing to jump down from the rollercoaster’s rails as his cousin ascended. Dog caught the side of the loop and vaulted up with ease, and Abram’s bare feet slammed into the ground with a shock, his body instantly dipping into a crouch to let Cassey rest on the ground, keeping one arm wrapped around her to hold her close and planting the other into the ground for a bit of stability. His hands looked horrible, like something out of a horror movie, muscles twisted and bones protruding sharply underneath stretched skin broken in several places by the metal edges of the ride he’d been beating up on to send blood trickling down to wicked looking claws. His partial transformation looked like it would be horribly painful, but the werewolf undergoing it didn’t seem conscious of this; he pulled back slightly and looked down at Cassey in marked concern, his bright golden eyes studying her face and the recently spilled tears upon it with growing unhappiness.

“Cassey!? Are you okay?” he asked quickly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you… but we’re out of the cave! It’s okay now.” he said, so worried that his tone was practically one of pleading. His eyes snapped up and landed on Dina. “Ah, you’re here… she’s really upset, Dina!”

Dog slammed down into the pavement beside his wolf brother, sinking into a crouch and twitching as if to shake himself off before standing. Allowing some pretty scarlet feathers to tumble from his fingers and pretending he didn’t hear the indignant squawks of the mystical birds not flying towards the horizon, Dog’s eyes turned quickly back to their original dark green as he focused first on getting back into a proper human form.

“I forgot.” Abram said miserably, withdrawing his arms to allow one sister access to the other. “Tammy told me she didn’t like dark, confined places; she told me! Damn! What a stupid ride to break, and a stupid place to break in!”

“At least it didn’t stop when it was upside down.” Dog said with a frown,

“I would have liked that! Cassey, I’m really sorry…” Abram apologized.

“At least you’re both okay.” Dog tried again with a small frown at Abram’s bloodied hand. “…you punched through something metal again, didn’t you?”

“Yeah… well..! You jumped to the top of a freakin’ rollercoaster!” Abram objected. The cousins were silent for a long moment, and then Abram sighed. “We’re never going to be allowed back here, are we?”

“Probably not.” Dog replied with no little satisfaction, his eyes on the two sisters. “And I don’t think there’s anyway to duck out of it either. I jumped up a theme park ride, and you caused damage to another.”

“There’s a chance no one saw me do it…”

“Abram, look at your feet. You’ll be the only guy in this park running around without shoes. And where did you leave them?”

There was a short, agonized silence.

“Damn shoes! They’re always getting me into trouble!” Abram howled, smacking a malformed hand hard against his forehead.

“You always get yourself into trouble.” Dog sighed heavily. “You should know better than to transform on a whim like that, Abram.”

“Hey, you did it too!” Abram blinked, golden eyes flashing back to his cousin to study him with a sudden intensity that had Dog shifting uncomfortably. “Hey… you did it too…” he repeated slowly, cocking his head to the side in confusion. “I mean, for me to do it is one thing, but why would you…” the werewolf trailed off, staring at his cousin for a long minute before slowly looking to Dina. “Oh.” he murmured, then looked back to the red-faced Dog to repeat it with sudden meaning. “Oh.”

Dog kept his eyes on the ground, trusting his cousin not to speak the conclusion they both seemed to be coming to: that the situation had almost literally played out to Dina saying ‘jump’ and Dog replying with ‘how high?’. Dog was a good guy, Abram knew, but he wouldn’t transform out of the blue and jump to the top of a ride in an amusement park to scare away some brightly colored birds on a whim, and certainly not just because any pretty girl asked him to. In fact, the only person previously capable of pushing Dog to such things was Abram, and only after excessive begging, threatening, pleading, and playing of the cousin cards, all of which Abram suspected Dina had employed very little of. The fact that Dog wouldn’t meet his eyes served as all the proof he needed, and despite the fact that the pair of them were probably in a lot of trouble and despite the fact that the wounds in his hand were finally starting to sting and, most importantly, despite the fact that Cassey had recently been crying, Abram almost smiled. It had taken a strange situation to see but now that he had seen it he was happy, and now that it had been seen Dog was extremely embarrassed.

“Shut up, Abram.” Dog muttered, turning away so that no one could see his red face.

“Hm.” Had Cassey not been there, or had been in better spirits, this would have been a time of great teasing rejoicing, but seeing as she was and seeing as she wasn’t, the werewolf filed those sentiments away for later and was immediately distracted by the purple eyed witch. Biting his bottom lip, Abram crouched down to Cassey’s eye level, his expression apprehensive. “Is she okay? Are you okay, Cassey?” he addressed first Dina, then Cassandra. “Can I get you anything? Water? Cookies? Um…” –with a sheepish glance at Dina-- “Some sort of… vegetables? Some pretty phoenix feathers? They’re fresh!”

“The freshest.” Dog mumbled without turning to face them.

“What do you need? We’ll get it for you A.S.A.P.!” Abram vowed with the eagerness of a puppy.

[kewefefe]

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Dina’s fingertips ghosted over her lips as she tried to shift back a laugh at Dog’s assumptions about her sister’s teacher. ”Enzo seems to get that a lot.” she said having a mini flashback of his more ridiculous schemes. ”The man really is one of a kind. Please do not tell him I said this because it will only feed into his egotistical self.” she said her expression tightening. She could already see Enzo laughing up a storm at the idea that Dina had complimented him. ”He never had any formal schooling as a child, everything he learned he taught himself. You see, Enzo is half gypsy. Most witches and wizards look down upon them.” her expression showed just how unfair she thought it was. ”Enzo really is a very educated man. I think he acts the way he does because he wants everyone to feel comfortable. Or something like that…then again he could just be a pervert.” she laughed. There she was trying to think deeply about her sister’s teacher when the reality really could be that he was just a perverted old man. ”Hm?” she asked when Dog claimed that she seemed to know a lot about this stuff. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she stared at her shoes. Interesting things those shoes were. Her knees brushed against each other as she used the back of her palm to push her glasses upwards. ”Well, I was planning on doing the whole witch-thing, but it all got too political for me. Our realm is…some what tired in the way they run things. They try to pin siblings against each other.” she said a hint of disgust surfing across her features. Why was she telling Dog this? Usually, she never got into the topic of why she choose to fight for justice opposed to seeking the magical life.

”Originally, our Book of Rules and seat at the council was supposed to go to our brother. Well, I think you can see how that did not work out.” she said her feet swaying back and forth as she spoke. ”Now, most people would assume that the next oldest would get the book and responsibilities right? Well, no. They wanted me to fight my younger sister for the position. I didn’t even know that this was a requirement until I was almost finished with my witch schooling and after our mother’s death. I doubt Mother would have EVER let this go done when she was the head of the council.” she said her hands tightening against her thighs. Dina knew she could have easily beaten her sister but why should she even have to be put in that sort of position? ”I honestly think, they only added that in hopes that my sister and myself would kill ourselves fighting for the power. The last thing the council would want would be to have two more of Odin’s children running around.” The girl looked annoyed with the way the council ran itself. ”My dear, sweet sister. Her temperament was better than mine. So the moment they told me that was a requirement, I gave her my abilities and decided to get into law. The council was anything but pleased. But out of respect for my mother, they allowed me to give her my powers.” she said her expression stern as she gave a solid nod.

The former witch blinked as she glanced back at Dog. Give the woman a courtroom and she could easily hold her own, give her a boy…well that was different. She had never been the best when it came to situations involving possible love interests. So what did Dina do? She talked to the man as if he were on trial as they two walked next to one another. She gave a slight huffing sound when Dog claimed that the werewolves who got into law enforcement were placed in K-9 units. ”Figures.” she said wrinkling her nose at the idea before she inquired more about his nose and if he had pets or not.

”Interesting.” she stated after Dog had explained the animal situation. ”I hope you don’t think I am too bad.” she said holding up her hands in a defensive manner. ”But…well I do have a parrot.” she said hoping he would not get offended that she had a pet. ”Cats are too suspicious, dogs are too needy, and fish don’t do anything.” she paused as she thought about her second comment. ”Well, I mean dogs are cute and everything. I’m not saying they are bad! It’s just…” She peaked up at him hoping he wasn’t too hurt before quickly continuing. ”Anyways, my parrot. My dad got him for me when I was younger.” she said smiling at the memory. ”I didn’t really have many friends…well besides my sister…growing up. So my dad got me this parrot claiming that people were useless and at least parrots were pretty.” She blushed as she got ready to say the name of that silly colorful bird. ”His name is Captain Pluto Von Larry-Sun….We call him Larry.” Why was she even talking about this? ”He is a pretty interesting parrot. He talks and everything.” she said like a proud mother. ”I don’t clip his wings though and he is pretty much allowed to fly wherever he likes in my house, although he mostly hangs out in the living room watching television. He adores his silly soap operas.” she said rolling her eyes as she pictured Larry quoting Days of Our Lives. ”He is good about going to the bathroom on his little area which is a great bonus.” she said lighting up at the conversation. ”Ugh. I did date this one guy who positively HATED Larry. You see, if Larry doesn’t like you…he’ll tell you. He got so mad at poor Larry he accidentally threw Larry out of my house.” she said her expression becoming worried. ”Luckily, Larry came home.” She turned away looking at the sidewalk. Why was she getting into so much detail about her bird?

Luckily, the conversation changed to Dog’s career. ”Rogue hunting group?” she repeated as her photographic memory tried to recall what exactly a Rogue hunting group was. ”I remember reading an article once that briefly discussed what a rogue hunting group did. It is sort of like your law enforcement group right?” she inquired. ”When a werewolf runs off…you find them? Correct me if I am wrong. This article DID come from a Shadow monster. They never do get their facts straight.” she said shaking her head at the silly monsters.

Dina was not finished yet. Not by a long shot. Sure the woman claimed that she would behave herself, but it was doubtful she actually would. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually this side of her would shine like a shooting star. However, Dog’s response to her questions was enough to cause her to look at him again just to make sure she had heard her right. Usually, men tended to shy away from Dina after she went into full lawyer mode. Her footsteps paused for a moment as she felt instantly stiff. Why was she so stiff? Shaking the feeling away she looked forward keeping her eyes away from Dog. ”You’re the first person to tell me that.” she said her hands in front of herself. Most people usually just stared blankly at her for a minute or two before shying away as quickly as they could. Dina gave the teenager an equally intimidating look. ”I will have a vanilla and chocolate waffle cone with sprinkles and cookie dough. Also may I please have your special where you make the toppings look like a happy face? It makes me happy.” she said as if she were filing a tax report. Only Dina could make something so sweet sound so strict. However, Dina was not going to be able to eat the delicious smiling ice cream cone because her sister was in trouble.

Cassey was frozen in place. Everything was going cold fast. Her fingers wanted to reach for the bag on her back, but she couldn’t. She tried to nod, but her entire body refused to budge. The only portion of her that moved were her lips. She muttered a soft ”Darius…” as her eyes peered into the never-ending. She heard Abram’s words but she had yet to register them in her mind. It wasn’t until she was scooped up into the man’s arms that she regained consciousness of her small frame. Her arms moved around him as she tried to pull herself closer. Her face was covered in his chest as she let out a small eeping sound.

Dina was not impressed in the slightest with the way Wonder-World was handling this situation. Why hadn’t they turned on the lights? Wasn’t there supposed to be an emergency exit? The only thing that was even remotely helpful was Dog and he was not even an employee there. Her purple eyes watched the werewolf’s as he looked back at her. Her cheeks flushed for a brief moment when his palm touched the side of her cheek. His hands were warm but rough. There was that slight spark again. Why did she feel so queasy? Why did her heart beat faster with him near? She did not know what to make of these sudden emotions except that she was anxious for her sister’s safety. Shaking the feelings away, she parted her lips to speak. The words never left as a gust of wind took the wolf away from her. She brushed her hair back behind her ear as she watch Dog climb up the ride. Why had he done that? Dina was puzzled but grateful nonetheless.

Cassey nodded her head slightly when Abram claimed that it would all be over soon. The witchling’s head did not dare move anywhere but closer to the werewolf’s chest. The girl’s eyes were slammed shut as her fingers tightened against his shirt. The fear from being in that dark place was still taking control of her tiny self. Finally they landed but Cassey did not let go. She continued to hold onto Abram causing Dina’s expression to soften. ”Cassey. It is okay I’m here.” she said opening her arms. It took Cassey a moment or two before she pulled away from Abram. The younger sister instantly moved towards the older. Dina’s expression softened as she wrapped her arms around Cassey easily fitting the little witch into her taller frame. ”Shh.” she cooed in a gentle tone as her head rested on the top of shorter’s head.

”I’m sorry…I…”

”It’s okay Cass. No need to be sorry. It’s all over now.” promised Dina as she hummed silently to the other. Her fingers moved through Cassey’s hair as she tried to calm her down. The lullaby Dina sang was melancholic yet gentle and soothing. She paused as she pressed her hand gently on her sister’s cheek. ”You are in the light now. See?” she said breaking her soft song. Cassey looked up at Dina for a moment before hiding back in her sister’s embrace. Dina let out a small sigh as her expression hardened. She glanced at Abram and offered the boy a small smile. At least he was trying right? When the lovesick werewolf boy looked up at her, Dina quickly made her expression harden. What? Just because she approved of Abram did not mean, Abram was allowed to know. She wanted to make sure Abram was on his best behavior before she started giving her blessing.

”You…You…You…And YOU.” said what looked to be one of the managers as they pointed at each of the four leaving Abram’s point for the very last. ”Come with me.” he said causing Dina to glance at the two boys. She helped her sister walk with her as the group followed after the manager towards the underground office.

”The General Manager will talk to each of you individually.” claimed the manager. ”Who wants to go first?”

”I will.” said Dina as she glanced back at Abram. ”Watch after Cassey will you?” she asked before lightly pulling on her sister. ”Cassey…I will be out in just a minute or two okay? Abram is here. And so is Dog. They will take care of you okay?” she said as she gently pulled Cassey off and moved her towards Abram. Cassey’s wrapped her arms around the werewolf as she nodded at her sister. Dina patted the top of Cassey’s head before disappearing into the office.

Silence filled the hallways for a long moment. Finally, a shout came through ”Are you telling me you think this sort of treatment is acceptable? No, a simply apology will not do. You are lucky that I am even talking to you.”.

Cassey slowly let go of Abram as she leaned forward slightly to see what was happening. ”Dina is really good at arguing.” she said her old smile finally shadowing across her lips. She brushed off her cheeks as she glanced up at Abram. ”Thank you…I mean…really.” she said her eyes casting down towards her feet. ”I..” Dina walking out of the office caused a break in Cassey’s words. The older sister had her hands full will products?

”I am so sorry Miss Watson. We will not let this happen again. Please is there anything else we can do for you?”

”Actually.” the man looked weary. ”My friend could do for a new pair of shoes.” The general manager glanced around and whispered something. Within an instant, Abram’s shoes were returned. ”Thank you.” she said with a bright smirk before moving towards the others with what she had received.

”What is all of that?” asked Cassey as she looked at what were in her sister’s arms as the assistant handed Abram his shoes.

”Well, I have four life time passes, four t-shirts, four hoodies, and four VIP passes.” said the future lawyer proudly as she began to hand everyone the goodies she had received. How she was able to talk the general manager from suing them for the damage to giving them these goodies was a feat best left up to mystery. She paused as she handed Dog his. Her eyes looked up at him as she smiled. ”Thank you.” she said before turning towards her sister. ”I think we have had enough excitement for today. How about we get that tea we discussed?” she said lightly cleaning off the smudge on Cassey’s cheek.

Cassey nodded happily as she looked at the items. ”You really are going to make a wonderful lawyer Dina.” she said proudly causing Dina to laugh. While the general manager disappeared back into his office to lick his wounds from the mental damage the little woman had caused him. ”Oh…Dog!” said Cassey remembering that her date was supposed to be with him. ”I hope my sister wasn’t too hard on you.” she said as the group began to walk towards the exit. ”Did you have fun?” she asked walking next to him.

”Your brother is…interesting.” said Dina as she walked next to Abram. ”Too bad he isn’t in love with my sister.” she said watching to see how Abram would react. She paused before continuing. ”Tell me Abram. Do you often lie? Or do I just bring this quality out in you?” she teased before smiling fondly at her sister’s smiling face.

The witchling’s expression was once again bright as she hopped next to Dog. ”Your brother was really helpful today.” she encouraged trying to make small talk with the werewolf. ”Too bad the girl he is trying to woo didn’t see it. He was very heroic.” she said thoughtfully as she hugged onto the merchandise Dina had just gotten for all of them. ”I think if Lydia would have seen that, she would break up with Darius and go for Abram.” she said with a knowing nod. ”Then I could be with Darius.” she giggled hiding her face as she spoke before instantly feeling bad. ”I…I’m sorry Dog. I like you a lot, but I don’t think we are in love.” she said sighing. Cassey’s expression tightened as she tried to think up a solution. ”If anything, you are more suited for Dina than me.” she said thinking about it. She shook the thought off as she skipped forward slightly.

”Careful Cass!” warned Dina walking forward as she watched her sister make her way to the place that the teashop should have been.

”Darius was here.” said the witchling looking around suspiciously.

”That is such a creepy….wait where is the teashop? The article I read said it was supposed to be RIGHT here!” claimed Dina making a face. ”You have GOT to be kidding me! Where is it? This is the right address.” she said looking around sighing as she rubbed her temples.

”Maybe we could go somewhere else?” suggested Cassey who was searching for Darius. ”Do you think Darius brought Lydia here?” she asked looking back at Abram.

Dina shook her head as she took a step backwards only to ram into Dog. Her cheeks instantly flushed as she looked at the werewolf before looking away. Cassey watched them curiously as her head turned sideways. ”Sorry.” she grumbled rubbing her arm as she stepped away from the other.

”Hmm.” said Cassey in a thoughtful manner before happily giggling.

”What?” demanded Dina as she watched her giggling sister.

”Nothing…but I think that we should properly thank the boys for what they did. With a kiss on the cheek.” she said winking at Abram as if to tell him she was trying to set their siblings up. ”You know as a thank you for their help. The teashop is gone ANYWAYS so we might as well preoccupy ourselves with something else right?” she said taking a step forward. ”Dina?”

Dina’s face was a bright red as she pressed her fingers against her lips. ”I…um don’t be silly Cassey.” she scolded her giggling sister.

”It’s just a kiss on the cheek Dina. Like this.” said Cassey leaning upwards and kissing Dog’s cheek. ”Your turn.” she urged before moving towards Abram. ”Don’t worry.” she whispered to Abram. ”I’m not going to kiss you. I think they like each other though.” she said unknowingly breaking poor Abram’s heart as she watched her sister fidget.

”Thank you.” said Dina as she patted him on the shoulder.

”Aww come on Dina! Better than that! I already kiss Abram. You can do it!” she winked at Abram as she cheered her sister on.

The poor future-lawyer looked horribly embarrassed as she leaned upwards to kiss Dog’s cheek, only to have Cassey accidentally rammed into the girl. Dina’s eyes went wide as her lips met Dog’s.

”Shhh…come on.” said Cassey grabbing Abram’s hand as she began to pull Abram through the trees away from the two lovebirds. ”Lets let them have some time together kay?”

Dina was frozen as she blinked for a moment or two. She had never felt such a spark before. Slowly her eyes began to flutter shut as her hands moved to touch Dog’s cheek. ”Yeah, I am sorry Lydia it looks like I left my pho-“ Darius paused as he watched the stern sister and Dog kiss. Well this was awkward. He coughed slightly causing Dina to pull away.

The girl shyly covered her lips with her fingers as she looked down at the grass. Interesting ground that grass was. ”Um sorry…I just left my phone here.” claimed the vampire as he watched Dina crouch down in embarrassment. She covered her red cheeks before finally composing herself.

”I apology for that.” said Dina her strict tone resurfacing. ”Oh this must be Miss Fabien yes?” she asked holding out her hand. ”I am sorry we had to meet like this. I have read so many articles about you. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

In the meantime, Cassey was giggling as she pulled Abram away with her. ”I wish we could have seen them. But I know Dina would be too embarrassed to do anything if we were there.” she said sighing before letting go of Abram.

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The take home message for this entire situation was A. Alexis and Darius were never going to see eye-to-eye and B. Enzo had some sort of death wish. The man seemed completely unfazed by Alexis’s threats. Surprisingly enough, the man was taking in each threat with an all too willing smile. It was as if he was actually gain some sort of pleasure from watching her get all riled up. His head was turned to the side as he held a genuine smile. It was not until Lydia spoke, that Enzo finally turned his head diverted his attention from his beautiful sugar leaf to the businesswoman. Letting out a heavy sigh, the wizard shook his head in disagreement. ”Aww, but aren’t you a businesswoman? Don’t business people lie to get ahead? Therefore, you should say I am not a pervert.” he mused before turning back to his beloved. ”How can I NOT check you out my dear little she-wolf! You are too perfect!” continued the wizard all smiles ”Oh maim me will you? I guess you do like it rough don’t you?” he said his expression darkening as those sinful thoughts resurfaced.

”If I had to guess.” said Darius once he had collected himself well enough to properly converse with Lydia. ”I’d say yes. He wanted to drive me insane so I would take down the barrier blocking Cassey from his sight.” he said his expression unreadable. This was not good. This was the last thing Darius wanted to happen. Not only had he fallen for one of Vidar’s tricks but now Lydia could be involved. He felt his stomach twist as he held onto to it.

”Ouch Lydia. Are you always this sensitive?” mocked a sarcastic Enzo when the businesswoman furthered her claim that he was a pervert. He made yet another note to never under ANY circumstance allow Lydia to be his wingman. Knowing her, she would tell the girl he was trying to hook up with all of those lovely things women liked to hear. Like the fact that he hit on his student. Or better yet, the fact that he was an uncontrollable flirt who would never call back. Yes. Lydia was just a force of controllable wingman power…NOT. No wonder Abram’s love life was one big fat 0. Lydia probably told girls that he used to have fleas but don’t worry he got it all cleaned up…erm she thinks. The worst part was that Enzo could not even be upset at the human. She was just being honest. There was nothing wrong with being honest right?

The wizard’s head turned from the honest human towards the angry werewolf. ”Does that mean that you do not want to think about Dio? My presence is far to alluring for you to think of anything but myself? Why Alexis I’m touched!” said the wizard sporting a b*****d grin. Yup. He was toast.

”You stepped on Dio’s tail?” mused Darius who was taking delight in his own mental reenactment. The image WAS doing wonders on his psychological self. He could already see Dio crying in pain as Lydia apologized. He knew Lydia was interesting but this was just topping the cake. She had actually broken a werewolf’s tail! Yes. Darius liked Lydia. It was official. Not that it was not official before, but now it just settled any doubts Darius may have had.

”Babe. You can kill me all night long.” winked Enzo as Alexis returned.

”Are you serious right now?”

”What?”

”No…just no.”

”You’re no fun.” claimed the wizard dismissing the vampire with his hands moving back and forth in a causal manner. He then turned his attention back to the lovely Alexis. Dio was a fool for not marrying that woman as soon as she turned her affections towards him. The pretty she-wolf made teasing far too easy for the loveable pervert. Maybe if Enzo was lucky, he could get her to her to the bridge of breaking point. Not quite all the way to broke but just a string away. No, Enzo was not planning on driving Alexis insane (despite what she might have thought), this was all just playful banter. There was no harm in teasing now was there? If he remembered correctly wolves enjoyed teasing games. Maybe not to this extent, but he was having far too much fun to care. ”Aww but Alexis! I thought I was special! I thought the hate you had for me was unique only to myself.” he said in his usual cocky manner as he placed his hand against his chest. ”Hey now missy. It is not my fault you have selective hearing.” he said pointing at her ears. ”I told you that it was Lydia’s FRIEND but you heard the name Lydia and went rushing off.” he said tapping her nose. He withdrew his hand before his poor little fingers could be bitten off.

”Your father?” repeated Darius who could not concern himself with the wizard’s death wish when Lydia was dealing with important issues. His focus moved towards the human as he tried to read her expression. His eyes flashed back towards hers when she brought up the poison. ”Really.” he laughed. Such a caring woman she was turning out to be! ”I’m fine.” he reassured his expression thoughtful. His eyes hungrily devoured Lydia’s eyes as if she were the only other woman around. He quickly shifted his gaze elsewhere as he cleared his throat. Now was not the time for him to be getting sentimental. If he wanted to win Lydia’s affections, he had to ease her into the idea. Staring intently into her eyes was probably not the best move after only one meeting. As much as Darius would have liked to call their lunch the day before a date, he just could not bring himself to do it. It was all too…professional for his liking. Licking the bittersweet flavor out of his mouth, he once again reassured Lydia. ”Believe me Ly…I’m find.” he said patting her hand gently. She had such dainty, feminine hands. Why couldn’t all women have hands as soft as hers? Catching himself, Darius let her hand go.

When Alexis paused and registered the name Allie, Enzo held his breath. The wizard watched her through determined eyes. His facial expression showing just how wise he truly was. He waited. Would she comment on it? Sighing, his carefree expression resurfaced. ”Could have fooled me.” he said crossing his arms. Nope. That name didn’t trigger her memory. Shaking his head he watched Lydia and Darius.

”Yes, my apartment. I only live a few blocks from here we can wa-“ he was about to finished the word walk when Alexis spoke again. ”Not every creature is controlled by impulses Alexis.” hissed the vampire. The tension between the two was nearly visible by this point. In fact, Enzo could have sworn he saw little red lines of anger spewing from both Darius and Alexis. Nope. Those two would never ever be the best of friends.

Enzo, once again, attempted to lighten the mood. Naturally, he took note of the way Alexis was studying their hands before continuing. ”Hardy har har har. Alexis. Maybe you and Darius are long lost twins? Seeing as neither of you like to be touched.” he winked back causing Darius to look as if he were about to turn green.

”The thought of being related to that wild animal…please do not even suggest it.” he said holding onto his stomach with a look of disgust. Enzo laughed the reaction of the vampire off before going on to explain that Cassey, Dog, Dina, and Abram were all right across the street. Maybe Alexis and Darius had more in common than they both thought? Because almost as soon as Enzo suggested it., the two looked completely uncomfortable.

Darius look positively heartbroken when he watched Alexis ruffle Lydia’s hair. ”Wh…Wh…What are you doing!?” whined the usually very composed man. His expression was drawn as his hand reached out towards Lydia. ”You little-“ he complained. Maybe he should have thanked Alexis? It would help Darius with temptation. Because there was NO possible way he was going to try to drink from Lydia when she smelled like that. His nose wrinkled as he stared daggers at Alexis.

Enzo seemed to have taken Alexis’s ruffling far better than the vampire had. The wizard was laughing up a storm as he held onto his side. ”Look at his face!” he said pointing at the poor businessman who looked about ready to kill a puppy. Poor little puppy. ”Allie that was brillian-“ Everyone seemed to be getting cut off because before Enzo could not finish his word. Alexis had taken the opportunity to yank and drag him before he could. ”Woah…there. Careful! I know you want some alone time with me but let’s not break me kay?” he questioned as he repositioned himself to walk beside the she-wolf. Once they were out of hearing shot, Enzo’s expression hardened. ”Lydia likes Abram doesn’t she?” he asked glancing back at Alexis. His eyebrows frowned as he thought about the sad situation they were all in. ”But Cassey is Abram’s attar.” he sighed his expression lifting for a moment. ”My poor cute little student. To be taken in by such a rough man. I hope she knows that her loving teacher will always be there with opened arms. To hug and guide her, and if she happens to fall in love with me and we share a night of passion well that will just be that.” he laughed. However, the gypsy-wizard hybrid had no intention of ever doing such a thing. It was mostly just to ease the tension. ”Darius likes her you know? He really is not that bad of a man.” he said his expression growing serious after his perverted joke.

Speaking of Darius, the man was currently looking back into the eyes of the woman who loved another man. ”Don’t worry, I know exactly how Alexis is.” he said catching himself before he said too much. Enzo told Darius not to say anything, so not to disturb the balance of Alexis’s mind or something of that nature. The vampire sighed as he thought of the female wolf. She may have lost her memory but she was just like she was before. As much as Darius would have LIKED to say that he had some fond memory of Alexis and himself being grand friends back in the day, he couldn’t. Most of their memories were exactly like their meeting today, filled with tension and racist slurs. ”Lydia, you shouldn’t make me out to be a saint just yet. If anyone should be happy it should be me. I mean you saw Vidar.” he said his entire body tensing. The fact that she still wanted to be around Darius amazed the man. However, Darius’s happy state disappeared as Lydia brought up…business? That was right. This was all just an act for her. How he hated that this was the memory that just kept coming up again and again.

Darius gave the other a thoughtful look and was about to take her help when the scent hit his nostrils. He quickly withdrew his arm and looked the other way. ”Sorry.” he mumbled embarrassed of his nose. How he wished that his sense of smell was broken. Maybe if he could not smell, he would be able to be closer to Lydia. Once again shaking the thought away, Darius listened to Lydia’s story about her father. His expression was unreadable as he placed his hands behind his back. He did not answer the girl for a minute or two. He was registering everything she said before finally opening his lips. ”You should see him.” he said firmly. ”Not because of the business. Businesses come and go but family is forever.” He paused his entire form stopping. ”Humans do not have the privilege or the misfortune of living as long as mine or Abram’s kind have.” he said his eyes finally focusing in on her gray eyes. Once again, it was a rare moment where his eyes met another person’s. ”You should take advantage of any moment you can spend with those you love. No, your father does not sound by any means perfect. However, it seems to me that he cares a great deal about you. I am not saying to spend every waking moment with him but you should set aside a day or two to be with him.”

”Maybe if you spent time with him you could at least try to help him see that us mythical creatures aren’t so bad?” he suggested with a small smile. ”I doubt it will go over well, but at least you will know you tried.” he said bluntly. ”Ugh. I think I am getting a bit too sentimental here.” he said one hand moving through his hair while the other shifted through his pocket. ”Hmm? Looks like I left my phone. Would you mind if we walked back to get it?” he questioned before the two made their way back to the area the teashop was supposed to be.

The vampire was studded to see Dina of all people kissing some wolf. The future lawyer was just not the kind to go around kissing people. He awkwardly shifted as he looked at Dog. Studying his face for a moment. He smelled different by looked just like Abram. ”Oh dear God…please do not tell me Abram has a twin.” he said causing Dina to lift an eyebrow at the vampire’s outburst.

Rolling her pretty purple eyes, the woman turned her full attention to Lydia. ”Miss Fabien. Your thesis on the principle of saving money was impeccable!” said the slight fangirl. All thoughts of Dog were out the window as Dina’s eyes lit up. ”And your solution to office romance! Brilliant! I am not personally in the pharmaceutical business, but I could not help but be amazed by all of your accomplishments at such a young age too.” she said happily. ”Oh I am sorry. Look at me gushing over you.” she laughed. ”It’s just when I saw that one case you brought to court I nearly floored. I would have KILLED to be able to defend you. You had all of your facts straight, everything organized…Here I go again. Sorry, I can be so one-track minded.” she apologized before looking at Darius. ”Darius. Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Lydia?”

”We’re new friends.” said Darius who was giving Dog an odd look. ”Why didn’t you tell me you were into dogs.”

”No. The name is Dog…singular. Not dogs.” corrected Dina before the blush resurfaced. ”I…um…” the future lawyer blinked before looking back at Lydia. ”Tell me. Are you satisfied with your current law firm?” she asked changing the subject. Yes. Dina was going to make one hell of a lawyer.














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[Lady March Hare]

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Lydia lifted a brow, thoughtfully silent as she mulled over the moral implications that came with being in business and lying to get and stay ahead as Enzo contended, and Alexis saw red once again. Clearly, Enzo was suicidal. “Oh, I like it rough alright.” the she-wolf growled. “But since you don’t know about that, why don’t I show you? Come on, Kitty-boy. Let’s just step behind a building and I’ll show you rough. And I promise you, you won’t enjoy it.”

“I see…” Lydia murmured, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Tch! Well, that’s a dirty trick… but I guess I can see how it would be effective. Vidar… he’s not only powerful, he’s smart.” Lydia sighed, irritated. There was nothing more annoying than encountering an opponent that might be capable of outgunning you, in the brunette’s opinion. That she personally could be involved outside of the interactions she had with Darius didn’t even cross her mind; she was a human of little to no consequence in the world of races, and she felt that logically there was no reason Vidar would spare her a second thought. Far from being reassuring, however, this understanding worried her. “Vidar will be focusing on you, Miss. Cassandra, Enzo, in all probability…” she murmured, making the list in her head. “And the pack, should they get involved… which they will.” she sighed a bit heavily. “Huh?” Enzo’s inquiry reminded the slight human that she wasn’t alone, and she cleared her throat in slight embarrassment as she tried to recollect just what they had been talking about. But the wizard provided no clarification and, seeing as Lydia was not gifted with the mental imagery of she and Enzo teaming up to score the latter some babes, she was left only scratching her head as the spell casting male turned his attention back to the she-wolf he loved to antagonize.

“That’s not what I meant at all!” Alexis’ hot temper flared again under Enzo’s playful teasing. The blue eyed young woman was, in general, quick to anger, but it wasn’t even funny anymore how easily Enzo seemed to get under her skin.

“It was an accident…” Lydia admitted with no hint of apology that the words might warrant as she reflected on the fateful day that she’d met Abram’s family. “If you’re so sensitive about your tail, you shouldn’t leave it lying around underneath an open window.” she added, glancing at Alexis as if to gain affirmation of her statement. Instead, the young businesswoman found her werewolf friend strangling the air before her, apparently practicing, and deadpanned. “Er… Alexis?”

“You!” Alexis stabbed a finger towards Enzo as if declaring some sort of challenge. Playful banter between males and females was an integral part of werewolf society, but Alexis was the sort to take every playful exchange as the most serious of serious business. Her eyes narrowed and zeroed in on Enzo. “There are no words for the hatred I have for you.” she informed him. “And I do NOT have selective hea-damn it, I said no touching me!!”

“Alexis?” Lydia started in a calm, appeasing tone. Banter was one thing, but Alexis’ rage was something that always made the gray eyed girl a bit uncomfortable. After all, making death threats for fun was all well and good, but saying them and meaning them was more than a tad bit creepy to the young woman. “Why don’t you give him a break… he runs a bit at the mouth, but he’s been helpful enough…”

“Stay out of this, Lydia. This is between me and Kitty-boy. And that was your last chance, Enzo, which I’m only giving to you because I’m such a good person. Touch me again, and you’ll loose the hand that did the touching!”

Lydia sighed; there was clearly no good to be done in that avenue, and turned her attention instead back to Darius. Really, this poison thing worried her, and she sighed to herself, wondering if her incessant worrying was annoying the vampire, whose appreciation of his own strengths and weaknesses were so far beyond her own that it was pure idiocy for her to doubt him when he said he was fine. She looked up at him in an attempt to subtly gauge his reaction, and found herself suddenly locked in his gaze. Such intensity! The businessman met her eyes directly so rarely, and with such fleeting quickness, that such a prolonged locking of his eyes drove her to fancy that she wouldn’t be able to look away even if she tried, and that their locked gazes alone were drawing them closer. It was the strangest, most unsettling thing she had experienced all day (and that was saying something!), made more so by how unexpected it was. Only when Darius averted his eyes as masked that strange, intense emotion that had flickered on his face did Lydia feel as if she was shaking off the strange sensation of having been utterly drawn to him. That was another very strange thought! Of course she was drawn to him; they were both business people in similar lines of work, of similar mindsets and in similar circumstances. But for some reason it felt like the wrong reasoning behind the impulsive desire to inch closer to the vampire. The young woman twitched slightly and looked down at their hands with a studious frown, nodding a bit haltingly at Darius’ assurances. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think that… but, no, that couldn’t be right. She had inhaled what had turned out to be a bunch of crazy wizard tea; maybe it was just messing with her in a belated sort of way. It seemed logical enough for the sort of day she’d been having and, greatly reassured, Lydia brushed aside her momentary strangeness and gave Darius a small smile. She was ready and willing once again to consent to walking with him to his apartment, but Alexis interrupted to make such a thing impossible.

“No, not every creature is. Just bloodsuckers like you!” Alexis, apparently in the mood to argue with just about anyone or anything, snapped back at Darius hotly. “Don’t try and pretend it’s otherwise! You only act all civilized to trick idiot humans like Lydia into letting their guards down around you!”

“I’m standing right here, Alexis…” Lydia commented dryly.

“Idiot humans like Lydia!” Alexis repeated vehemently before turning her twitching eye back to Enzo with disgust. “Ugh! Don’t ever say anything like that again! As if I’d ever be able to live knowing I was related to that!” she said, dramatically stabbing a finger Darius-wards. Fortunately (unfortunately?), it was let slip about who was with whom at the amusement park, and Alexis’ attention was forced to divert from antagonizing Darius, and the she-wolf was called upon to administer her awesome anti-vampire magic upon the hapless, completely unappreciative human. Darius’ reaction was aghast enough to make up for Lydia’s thanklessness, and Alexis smirked at the vampire haughtily over her shoulder as she dragged Enzo away.

“Darius…” Lydia, looking more then mildly perplexed as she studied the vampire she addressed a bit disbelievingly, taking in his reaction to Alexis’ unorthodox methods. The human couldn’t help deadpanning slightly at Darius’ obvious distress. “With that reaction… you weren’t really thinking of trying anything, were you..?” she questioned slowly, slight suspicion seasoning her tone. She would have expected Darius to be more irritated with Alexis stinkin’ up the joint then upset… and, finally, the gray eyed girl found herself to be getting a little suspicious about something here.

Hearing her human packmate’s words, Alexis didn’t hold back an evil cackle, positive that she’d made the vampire’s goal of draining and murdering her little human sister’s dumb a** that much harder. It felt like a day successfully spent, and the she-wolf was on such a cocky high that it took a few seconds for Enzo’s words to sink into her brain properly. First to stand out to her was that he’d called her Allie again… no, someone had been of a habit of calling her Allie; there was no way it could feel so familiar and not be so. Her father, perhaps? A brother? Had she any biological brothers? She couldn’t remember. A lover, perhaps? She shook off this last option with irritation; none of these would ever be able to get away with calling her such an adorably intimate little petname! Throwing the hand of Enzo away from her and replying to his quip with only a scoff, the raven haired wolf had consigned herself to spending the rest of their ‘date’ in silence… which lasted a total of the six seconds it took Enzo to direct the conversation back to Lydia.

“Tch! It’s none of YOUR business who that girl likes or doesn’t like, Enzo.” Alexis muttered. She was moodily silent for a minute, and then couldn’t seem to resist continuing. “Okay, fine; Lydia does have a thing for Abram. But if I ever hear you mention it again, I’ll kill you. And this time I’m not joking, Kitty-boy. Not even slightly. Abram’s pretty much all that girl has at this point; he’s the main thing that’s tying her to our pack. She’s been losing a lot of things and people she cares about and now she’s going to lose Abram too, because nothing beats the attar, so if the way she wants to deal with it is by pretending she doesn’t have feelings for him, well, then that’s her own damn business. But you keep your damn mouth closed, Enzo. I’m serious.” she growled in an undertone. Her eye twitched in a way that couldn’t be happy as Enzo’s words turned to Cassey. “Ugh. You’re disgusting. And if Mary hears you talking like that about her newest daughter, you’ll be dead and disgusting. You’re lucky; if I wasn’t already tired from all of the yelling I’ve had to do at you, I’d punch you for saying that… and it’s not because I’m jealous or anything! That girl just needs an adult!” Alexis was quiet for a long minute, her expression darkening at Enzo’s return to the subject of Darius. “I’m sure he does. Vintage human, chilled and ready for drinking at any meal.” she muttered. “Look, I don’t care now ‘not that bad’ he can be; he’s a vampire. Vampires and humans just shouldn’t mix. It’s just not smart… I don’t give a damn about your vampire buddy, but if Lydia keeps whatever this is she has going with him up, she’s going to be in a world of trouble. Mark my words.” Alexis looked away from Enzo with a pronounced frown, crossing her arms over her chest. “…it’s not just because I hate vampires that I’m saying this either. If I thought there was any chance of things working out between the bloodsucker and Lydia… well… but there isn’t. And trust me, I want the kid to be happy. But I could smell it on her… he’s already been at her throat. Didn’t bite her; I’d have smelled the blood… but still. So don’t try to defend him.” she grumbled, stomping forward… and hesitating. “And another thing,” she started, her voice oddly soft compared to how she had been speaking to the wizard practically from the moment she’d met him. “Stop calling me that. Allie… ”

“Hmm…” Lydia gave herself a good shake and sighed, lifting an eyebrow at Darius’ assurances about Alexis. There was odd emphasis there, and the young woman frowned. “You do?” she questioned slowly, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. “Darius… do you know something about the relationship between Enzo and Alexis? It seems…… strange. I’m missing something about the two of them, but I can’t figure out what it is.” Lydia admitted, glancing in the direction Enzo had disappeared curiously. “I haven’t known Enzo for very long, but I feel like… when he looks at Alexis… something is strange. I don’t know; maybe I’m imagining things.” she shook herself, silent for a long moment, before looking back at Darius with a slightly confused frown. “Vidar?” she asked, glancing back at Darius for confirmation. “Yes… I saw him…” she affirmed in a slightly confused tone. What did that wizard have to do with her having a lot to learn in the world of business? It was strange, too strange to ask.

After another apologetic glance from under her lashes at her werewolf smell that she was now entirely incapable of ridding herself of, Lydia listened to the vampire’s reply to her question in thoughtful silence. A soft smile lit her lips. “You seem to be the sort of man who gives very good advice… I suppose I should have guessed you’d say that.” the girl murmured, fondness in her voice as she looked up and met his eyes. Glancing away a bit quickly, the young woman continued slowly, still smiling. “We humans… we die easily. Quickly. Compared to the rest of you, it’s like we leave just as soon as we get here, I suppose.” she said, looking down at her hand reflectively. “You’re right, of course. As much as I might wish to switch the roles of business and family sometimes, I can’t. And, since he and I both will only have short lives, we have to try to make the most of it.” she sighed, resolving herself. “I suppose that means more… ugh… more family time.” she girl sighed, unintentionally dramatic. However, her smile returned and she actually giggled at the thought of their continued contact bringing about some sort of philosophical change in a man like her father. “For every moment I’ll be trying to convince him that not all mythical creatures are bad, he’ll be trying to convince me that every creature that isn’t human is a devil. We’ll be like a comedy act. But you’re right. I suppose there’s no harm whatsoever in trying.” she said, a spark of determination in her tone. After all, things were different now; she wasn’t a little girl anymore, a child who her father could scare or manipulate with his beliefs. She was the president of her mother’s company and adult; it was about time she tried to address this man with a little less abhorrence! …or, if that was too much to ask, at least a little less outright scorn. Just because the man was a genuinely horrible person didn’t mean she had to take it so to heart that he was a constant character in her nightmares, after all.

“Sentimental?” Lydia smiled and reached to tap her fingers reassuringly against Darius’ arm. “Well, perhaps… but I appreciate it greatly. I was… spending a lot of time worrying about how to handle this situation with my father. And I feel much better now, talking to you about it and getting your advice. I know we agreed on being friends now, but I didn’t think I’d be taking advantage of you so soon.” she laughed a bit sheepishly. “I hope you won’t hold it against me.” she added, then her smile dropped at the notice that Darius had lost his phone. “Mind? Oh, no, not at all. Good thing you noticed and we haven’t gotten too far.” she added in relief. Things would be in absolute chaos if she lost her phone, and didn’t doubt in the slightest that things were the same way with Darius.

However, upon returning to the site where the phone had been lost, Lydia found herself standing witness to something totally unexpected! Dog was kissing a mystery woman! Lydia was equal parts surprised and impressed; how had the quiet, unassuming werewolf kept his romance secret from his pack? The human had thought such things impossible. But then… no… the girl looked just like Cassey! It was really quite amazing.

Dog started away from Dina at Darius’s cough, his face beat red. No matter his embarrassment at being caught, his gaze instantly flicked towards the source of the noise disbelievingly. It was the vampire from the night before and a very perplexed looking Lydia… wonderful, that was just wonderful. He had been so… er… engrossed that he hadn’t even heard them coming up. Never had he ever been so glad to not be around other werewolves; they never would have let him hear the end of it.

“Ah… yes, I’m Lydia Fabien.” the human replied, snapping into business mode as a sort of automatic response to the purple eyed woman’s choice of ice breakers. She blinked, unsure at first of what to make of her words. “Oh… yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss…” she looked pointedly at Dog for an introduction.

“Lydia, this is Dina.” Dog muttered, his whole face hot enough to cook an egg on and apparently unable to help fidgeting. “And Abram is my cousin…” But there was really no energy the werewolf had to spare for further explanation; Dina was off, and Dog sighed heavily, trying to master his embarrassment.

“Ah…” Lydia stared at Dina, a small but noticeable blush in her cheeks. “T-Thank you… ah, please forgive me; I’m afraid I’m not really used to such praise. Quite the opposite, actually.” she informed the other woman with a smile as she regained her composure. “Defend… ah! Are you an attorney, then?” she questioned, looking at Dina with interest. Lydia liked attorneys. Attorneys made the world go ‘round… it was true because she said so! Gray eyes cut to Dog and had a surprisingly teasing light in their depths; the werewolf turned redder, if it was possible, under the human’s knowing stare. “And here I thought we were friends, Dog…”she murmured with the smallest of smiles.

“Don’t give me that.” he muttered in reply, scuffing his foot. Thank heavens for small miracles, in Dog’s opinion; few things could distract Lydia so efficiently from his embarrassment then talk of business.

“My current law firm? Well, not really.” Lydia admitted, her tone flavored with irritation. “I have a competent sexual harassment attorney, I suppose, but I don’t get to use him as often as I like. And his attitude regarding such cases leaves much to be desired.” Lydia added, wrinkling her nose. “But which firm are you with? If you aren’t already happy with your office, I’d love to bring you in for an interview. I’ve had to do a recent… ah… spring cleaning of my corporate law department of the company, and I’m looking for competent people to step in an take up the flak.” she said, matter-of-factly. It didn’t matter that Lydia and Dina had just met: they were probably doomed to be fast friends, because they were, essentially, cut from the same cloth.

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Dog listened to Dina’s information about Enzo carefully, but silently. He was still forming his opinion on this strange man, and the revealing of his mixed heritage seemed to Dog to unveil some portion of his character. Not that the werewolf himself had had much time to delve into Enzo’s personality; he’d only seen the man once, after all. Not exactly good fodder for forming a lasting impression. Not that it was really any of his business, he supposed; Dog was actually much more interested when the former witch continued on to explain just how she’d come to be where she was. The werewolf studied her discretely, a disbelieving frown on his face. This expression was not a result of not believing her words –for her was positive Dina was speaking with all honesty by her tone alone—but because the idea that a people would pit their own against each other in such a way was almost inconceivable to a werewolf mindset. Siblings fighting siblings? It was rather disconcerting. Dog listened to her story in silence and made no move to offer a response to her words. What was there for him to say? Nothing constructive, the dark haired werewolf believed, and he allowed his disapproving silence to stand as answer enough.

“A parrot?” Dog repeated, lifting an eyebrow and trying to picture the stern, efficient young woman running around with a goofy, colorful bird. It took a little creativity, but he did it. The werewolf almost smiled as Dina scrambled to avoid any insulting references to dogs, which struck him as somewhat ironic, and shook his head slowly. Stopped, looked at Dina a bit disbelievingly and continued in a murmur. “His name is… what?” the werewolf asked in confusion, wondering if he’d somehow misheard her. It was unlikely, but apparently he just had to ask. Clearing his throat, dark green eyes averted and he continued a bit quickly. “Well, that’s not too bad, since you don’t clip his wings. It’s the things people do to their pets that really get to me personally. Like clipping their wings or ears or tails. Or keeping them all day in a cage. Hurts just to look at an animal that’s had that sort of stuff done to it.” Dog admitted with a small wince, which turned to making a face at the mention of Dina’s ex-boyfriend. The werewolf disliked this faceless character in Dina’s narrative instantly… because he was, at one point, Dina’s boyfriend, not because of the markedly cruel thing he had done to Larry. Not that the latter didn’t matter and wasn’t quickly amended into his reasoning the second Dog realized it, of course. “Well, at least he came back.” Dog added a bit lamely, rubbing at his nose.

“Yeah… basically.” Dog admitted when Dina elaborated on what she knew about the Rogue hunting group. In retrospect, Dog was wishing more and more that he hadn’t brought it up. Abram in particular didn’t like to talk about it more then he had to, and while Dog was pretty positive that Abram wouldn’t want any mention of the specifics of the role he played in the group to reach Cassey, the green eyed werewolf couldn’t help but think that now that the information had slipped, Dina would find a way to fill in the answers to any of her questions should he fail to provide them. A small sigh escaped him, but he elaborated quietly. “We only go into action when a werewolf goes Rogue which, fortunately, isn’t very often. Rogue hunting groups consist of six werewolves… one negotiator, one tracker, one recovery, and three killers.” he paused, wishing there was some acceptable way to soften that last bit, and continued with an uncomfortable shift of his weight. “There’s one group to every 100 miles of territory, and we’re responsible for responding to any incident that happens in our territory. Since I’m the recovery for our group, that means I always have a lot of work to do.” It was such a strange thing to be discussing out in the sunlight in the middle of an amusement park; it made it seem a bit surreal, and Dog instantly vowed to discuss such downers no more.

“I am? Really?” Dog found that a bit difficult to believe; Dina seemed the sort to be in constant lawyer-mode. Even the ordering of ice cream--and such a fanciful order it was!—was delivered with stern demand in her tone. His lips twitched as if to smile before her caught himself, and Dog glanced away from the young woman to distract himself. There was a word that her demeanor warranted, but it was one that he didn’t use very often, and was therefore having a difficult time dragging from the recesses of his mind. It started with a c, he was pretty sure… c… cu…cut… Nope, it wasn’t coming, and lingering on it made his brain hurt. There was a crisis happening! He’d have to ponder on it later.

Abram could remember no single moment when he had felt worse. Sure, that thing he had been wishing for, to have Cassey in his arms again, had happened; the girl was pressed tightly against him, her arms twined around him and face pressed to his chest with such desperate tenderness that it almost coaxed him into forgetting the other man’s name still fresh on her lips. But she was crying, trembling in fear, and clinging to him not in an expression of her feelings for the werewolf, but because she was too terrified of the consequence that would accompany letting go. It riled his instincts and kept him from thinking too clearly; the only constant, predominate thought was to put an end to anything and everything that would put his sweet, cheerful Cassey in such a state. But there was only so much he, someone the little witch only barely considered a friend, felt he could do, only so many things he could break and throw around. There was a limit not to the comfort he wished to offer, but to the ability he had to communicate it to the purple eyed spell caster. It made him restless, anxious, and unaccustomed to feeling so useless; Abram stood, but without any consciousness of what he planned to do as he watched Dina comfort Cassey, his emotions clear on his face. His shoulder twitched when Dog’s hand came to rest on it firmly, stepping close to his cousin to speak to him in a soft mutter.

“Easy, Abram… you’ve done all you can. Let Dina take it from here… you just focus on changing back. You’re drawing more attention then we need.”

“Ngh…” Abram knew Dog was right; Dog was always right when it came to things like this. “Right.” he muttered, tearing his eyes away from Cassey with great difficulty. That’s right; he needed to not look like a science fiction mutant when Cassey calmed down… such things rarely, if ever, helped people stay calm. Abram closed his eyes but for a second, his transformation reversing itself quickly and efficiently. Practice did indeed make perfect, and when Abram opened his eyes and gave himself a somewhat-therapeutic shake, he looked acceptably human, albeit a shoeless human. Eyes finally back to their natural green, Abram stole a glance towards Cassey and Dina and flinched slightly at the latter’s steely eyed glare. It was official: Operation Impress Dina was a failure. A massive sigh escaped Abram and his head hung slightly… oh well; he couldn’t say he regretted it. Compared to the alternative of leaving Cassey crying in the dark, irritating her sister was something he could live with. Yes, that was right… Cassey was safe and in the comforting arms of her sister; Abram could afford to relax now, if only for a little bit. Of course, then the sound of stomping feet reached his sensitive ears and he looked up to see the red faced manager leveling them with a gaze of pure hatred. Abram blinked, then laughed a bit sheepishly when the last (and angriest) you fell on him. He’d been expecting that. “Ahahah… right.”

“Here we go.” Dog sighed a bit heavily, sparing only a quick glance at Dina before leading the small group after the understandably irate manager. The young man shared a look with his cousin when the manager asked who would like to go first before releasing a heavy sigh; he could already tell where this day was going to go. Before he could speak up Dina beat him to the punch; jade eyes blinked, then flicked to the young woman’s form with a small, questioning frown. Dina sure sounded sure of herself…

“Yeah; no problem.” Abram assured Dina when the latter asked the former to look after her sister. He took a step towards her and held his arms out, watching her with a wry smile tugging at his lips as she wrapped her arms around him. Now that she was out of danger the young werewolf was able to enjoy her closeness, to feel some semblance of worth in the ability to wrap his arms gently around her, fearful of breaking her should he squeeze too hard. It was a double edged sword since he knew she didn’t hug him with any sentiment that resembled returning his feelings, but the delight at the ability to offer some tangible comfort to the girl he loved trumped that. Really, it was a very confusing bunch of emotions. “Dog and I aren’t going anywhere, Cassey.” he promised in a murmur, rubbing her back soothingly and trading another long look with Dog over her head. Before the tawny haired lad could hazard more words, however, Dina’s voice rang through the hall, clear and full of irate indignation. It made both werewolves jump and Abram tighten his grip on Cassey despite himself as both of them stared at the door Dina and the manager had disappeared through with wide eyes. “Ah…” Abram finally managed to say as Cassey slipped free from him; the urge to pull her back was strong, but not so strong that he couldn’t resist it if he put his hands firmly in his pockets, which he did. “Yeah, I can see that.” he answered Cassey, apparently unable to resist a teasing glance Dog-ward. Taking note that Dog was careful to be looking anywhere but at his cousin Abram was inclined to chuckle, but was distracted by Cassey’s thanks. They were simply and bashfully given, but few other words had so cleanly ensnared Abram’s heart. Of course, he was going to brush it off like a champ, but Dina burst from the office victorious, relieving him of his chance.

“Huh?” Dog lifted an eyebrow as Dina emerged with arms full of park products, his expression slightly disbelieving. How had she pulled this off, exactly?

“Er..?” Abram looked a bit mystified as the attendant handed him the shoes, which he took only reflexively (they were irksome shoes, after all). “Wow… thanks.” he said, his grin slowly returning as he cast his eyes to Dina. “Hey… what did you say to that guy? Whatever it was… thanks. Hey, Dog, looks like we’ll be able to come back to Wonder-World again after all!

“Oh, goody.” Dog sighed sarcastically, looking down at the products Dina pushed in his arms skeptically. Well, he did love him some free stuff. Dark green eyes blinked in slight confusion—what was she thanking him for, again?—and then the man nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me.” However, he wasn’t allowed to escape with that as Cassey, reminded of their original purpose in going to the amusement park, rounded on him. Great, what was he supposed to say now? He’d nearly died on an amusement park ride, found his attar, jumped an amusement park ride to bully what he was pretty sure was an endangered species, and was now trying to remember what parts of Abram’s failed plan were still in play. “Hard on me? No… well… she wasn’t… not really…” he trailed off, then cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on the ground as he nodded only in answer to her inquiry as to if he had fun. What? A minimal answer was an answer nonetheless!

Hopping into his shoes, Abram cast a sneaky look after his cousin and his love interest and sighed with a wry smile that had been haunting him since he’d first met the girl; it was just his luck, it was just so darn ironic, but he somehow had managed to fail in making as much as a single step forward in the Cassey department. He had a strong feeling that the universe had tricked him again. How often was he going to be falling for the same gag, he wondered? Dina spoke up to distract him from his thoughts, and Abram turned his grin on the lawyer-in-training. “Ah… well… I’m glad you think so.” he informed her. After all, interesting was better then having no opinion of him at all… Dog had his foot in the door! But there was no time to celebrate this; Dina’s next words sent Abram tripping over his own feet. Stumbling and struggling to correct his balance, the werewolf looked at Dina with wide eyes. “Ah… that…” he trailed off lamely, then sighed. Burying his hands deeply in his pockets and keeping his eyes on his feet in a Dog-like show of repentance, Abram winced slightly at the word ‘lie’. “I didn’t lie!” he objected, then winced again. “I mean… I don’t lie often, or anything. And I… I didn’t mean to do it this time, either. That is…” he scratched the back of his head and glanced at Dina, surprised to find the young woman smiling. Talk about hard to read! These serious-business types always confused the hell out of him.

“Helpful?” Dog, uncomfortable in being forced to listen to Cassey’s continued ignorance to the plan Dina had apparently figured out so easily, deadpanned. Abram had freakin’ killed a rollercoaster; ‘helpful’ was not the first word that came to the werewolf’s mind when he reflected on such a move. Not that he would speak such things against his cousin aloud, of course. “Yeah, sure… but I wouldn’t be too worried about it. I’m pretty sure she saw what she was supposed to see.” Dog said slowly. He really was no good at being subtle. This was reinforced when Cassey informed him sympathetically that she didn’t think they were in love, prompting a heavy sigh from him. This poor girl was SO oblivious; Abram was going to have a difficult time with his attar, and Dog didn’t envy him the experience a bit. “Er… no… I don’t think we are either.” he agreed uncomfortably, clearing his throat. But her next words caught him a bit off guard; it was embarrassing for him to admit, but his heart actually skipped slightly at the idea that someone so innocently oblivious could come to such a conclusion. “Suited… for Dina..?” he murmured to himself, watching Cassey skip ahead in something akin to wonder.

“Sorry, Dina…” Abram said as they approached their destination. “But I don’t see a tea… shop…” he trailed off, quite forgetting where he was going with his sentence as his nose told him an interesting story about what had occurred on this plot of land. He quickly looked at Dog, who seemed just as perturbed. There was the smell of herbs, certainly, but it was the living scents that so caught the two werewolves off guard. Yes, there was the scent of Darius, which Cassey was apparently able to sense by pure instinct; only the identification of Lydia’s scent alongside the vampire’s was enough to keep Abram from getting disheartened at that little observation. But those two were not the only scents; there was a third, shifting and unidentifiable that Abram personally had never smelled the like of before, and then, most strange of all, were the mingled scents of Alexis and Enzo, who were supposed to be out on a date in location unknown. Darius, Lydia, Alexis, Enzo, and Mystery Man; it made for a very strange grouping, and Abram found his expression becoming somewhat drawn as he tried to picture it. Just what had been going on here? “Yeah…” he answered while distracted, the words leaving his mouth before his brain caught up with things.

Dog, busy mulling over the strange circumstance that would have brought Darius, Alexis, and Enzo together without one or more of the three ending up bloodied, blinked as Dina stepped back into him, his hands instinctively coming to rest on her shoulders to steady her. The young woman’s face flushed and she quickly moved away from him; Dog didn’t comment beyond a darkening of the eyes, quickly looking away to land on Cassey. Her suggestion had him deadpanning again.

“What?”

“Huh?” Suddenly, the universe was smiling upon him again, and had Abram’s tail been out, it would have been wagging. So this was to be his reward for another trying day: a kiss from Cassey! Sure, it would be on the cheek, but it was a kiss from Cassey, a small show of affection that would tide him over until the next opportunity he found.

“Um…” Dog, far too embarrassed about being easily read in ways his cousin never could fathom, turned a little red and scratched his cheek at Cassey’s proposal. “You… er, you don’t have to do that. We were just helping… it was no big de…” Jade eyes blinked as Casey pressed a small kiss to his cheek, and Dog immediately rubbed the area with his palm like a little kid, embarrassed.

The glorious moment had arrived! Abram had a hard time keeping his excitement in check, because he had to do that… it wouldn’t do anyone much good if he jumped on Cassey the very second after she kissed him. Well, it would do him a good deal of good, but it would probably be temporary, probably get him killed and, if not that, would most certainly ruin Cassey’s opinion of him, which he couldn’t afford to do. She moved towards him and the werewolf’s heart skipped a beat as he leaned towards her eagerly… only to deadpan at the girl’s whisper. His head fell heavily and he felt the strongest urge to cry a little bit since he was five. Cruel, cruel universe! Tempting with the thought of Cassey’s lips so close to his own, and then yanking the rug out from under him!! How heartbreaking! It was such a blow that the normally verbose Abram found himself incapable of uttering a single word for many minutes.

“Ah…” Dog found his objections were failing him when it was Dina standing before him. A lump formed in his throat, and as much as he knew that he should say the words to stop her, he couldn’t for the life of him think why, or what those words would be. His eyes flicked to her slender hand as it rested against his shoulder, then returned to looking into hers. “You’re… you’re welcome.” Even such a simple sentence was so difficult to say, especially when the werewolf realized the purple eyed witch was actually going to obey her sister! There wasn’t much time for him to marvel or attempt to prepare himself, for suddenly, amazingly, her lips found his. Her kiss came as a jolt to him and he knew it instantly: just like he’d been attempting to explain before, the attar was like a drug, and it was a drug on which Dog was now effectively hooked.

Only something phenomenal could have distracted Abram from the latest, crushing blow Cassey’s cheerful ignorance to his feelings had delivered, and Dina and Dog kissing was indeed phenomenal; Abram’s jaw dropped and he openly stared at the two, amazed. So amazed that it wasn’t until he was being dragged away that he realized that Cassey had grabbed his hand, and seeing how aware of the little witch Abram had become, that was saying something. He twisted to follow her properly, her girlish giggles making everything in the universe okay and compliant to her wishes, and forcing a smile to Abram’s lips despite the deafening ache in his heart. No, he couldn’t let that one little disappointment get him down… each second with Cassey was to be cherished, and especially in the light of how terrible her misery could be, Abram supposed he should just be grateful that the purple eyed witch had been returned to her usual good spirits.

“Yeah…” he agreed slowly, grinning despite himself. “I’m pretty sure Dog wouldn’t have done anything if we’d stuck around. Even if Dina is his attar, he’d probably never do anything embarrassing with or to her while there were people watching. He’s so not like me that it’s not even funny.” Abram laughed, a shade embarrassed when he thought over where his own thoughts had been drifting with extreme frequency. If it weren’t for the fact that he was sure it would just scare Cassey away, he’d jump on her for some lovin’ with no care at all about who was watching. So much for being embarrassed. But that reminded him… “Ah… since we’re alone… I have something to talk to you about, Cassey.” he said, his tone finally gaining back a hint of that playfulness that was so common to him. “You’ve been getting some things wrong about me pretty often… it’s not very nice. I’m kind of sad about it, actually. ” he laughed, then slowly got a little more serious in tone. “You seem to think Lydia and I are… involved, somehow. And we’re not. Lydia’s like a sister to me, and I could never think of her as anything more or less then family. I could never have feelings for her… you know what I mean? And she feels the same way. Plus it’s kind of insulting to the girl I actually have feelings for to keep saying things like that.” Abram added, his tone somewhat impish. “The girl I actually have feelings for is special… really, really special. You can see it from a mile away… I know, because I did. She’s cheerful, and looks best when she’s smiling and happy, and has a love for sweets and this weird, weird ability to… ah… how should I say it… knock me off my feet. My family loves her, and I like to think she likes them even though she’s only met them a few times… and for werewolves, that’s huge. And, most importantly, she’s beautiful inside and out. She’s got one of the warmest spirits and most caring hearts I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl who just by smiling makes the whole world around her more dazzling. Just because she’s smiled at me.” Abram paused, catching himself in a speech that would surely have Dog muttering warnings about decorum at him and Mary blushing with excitement, and scratched the back of his head. But this temporary show of bashfulness was immediately overwhelmed by deep, echoing laughter, laughter that was almost too difficult to maintain while also trying to walk. “A-And the funny thing is…” the tawny haired werewolf howled between laughs, “Is that you’ll probably never guess her name unless I tell you myself! Ha!!”

Poor Abram; maybe he was cracking up a little bit. The universe had been awfully hard on him of late…

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Yes. The very strict and by-the-rules young woman had a pet parrot with a ridiculously childish name. ”Larry.” repeated Dina giving the wolf her parrot’s nickname instead of his full name. She felt so juvenile saying his full name as she stood beside the werewolf. ”I was much younger when I made up the name!” she defended shyly glancing at the interesting grass that just kept captivating her attention. Her nose scrunched up at the mere suggestion of putting poor Larry into a cage and clipping his wings. ”I could never do that to Larry.” she said her expression holding a sudden wave of emotion as she placed her fingers against her heart. Catching herself, she looked back at that interesting grass again. ”You’re right. Larry is a very smart parrot.” she said with a ghost of a smile. ”I don’t know what I would have done if he did not come back.” she said thinking for a moment. More likely than not, she probably would have set up an entire search party to find her lost parrot.

The future lawyer watched Dog in the strictest of fashions as he spoke of the Rogue Hunting groups. It was so much different to hear about these groups from the horse’s mouth than it was to just read about them in an article or book. ”Does an entire pack make up one group? Or are these just portions of the pack? Is it a sort of pack within a pack? Like you have your main pack and then people who are closer together?” inquired the curious former witch. Her eyes watched his before looking away. ”Interesting.” she concluded a firm nod following said conclution. ”Does that mean that you do not have any free time?” she questioned a small, very small hint of disappointed in the back of her statement. However, she had little time to contemplate her disappointment for too long because disaster struck. Cassey was in trouble. The problem was luckily averted and Dina had successfully charmed her way out of paying a fine. The universe may not have been on Abram’s side, but it was clearly behind Dina.

Dina turned back around towards Abram when the werewolf questioned what she had said to the manager. ”If I told you Abram…I would have to kill you.” The woman did not look into Abram’s eyes, but instead into his very soul. Her expression was stern and unmoving. Even after the boy’s chuckle, the woman held it out for about a minute or two longer. It was not until she cracked a small smile that it became apparent that she was joking. ”Kidding. I simply explained to him the dangers my dear baby sister was faced and how according to their manuals discussing park policies they should have immediately taken their customers out.” she said licking her lips in a thoughtful manner. The world would never be the same once that woman was given her law degree. Once again, the small group was on their merry way to yet another adventure.

Cassey took her place next to Dog as she began to ask him what he thought of her sister. ”Really?” she asked when Dog stammered and claimed that Dina was not hard on him. That was rather surprising. Usually, it took at least a week to get on Dina’s side. It was not that the older Watson daughter was not a kind and caring individual. It just took Dina a bit longer than most to get on her good side. She had to know someone before she willingly let them in. ”I hope she did not ask you too many embarrassing questions.” claimed Cassey biting down against her bottom lip.

Dina was much more forward with her approach towards Abram than her sister had been with Dog. The young woman’s questions were direct and to the point. The older sister had to force herself to shift back a laugh when Abram tripped on his own two feet. She knew exactly how easy it was for Cassey to misunderstand things. ”Abram.” she said gently. ”I am Cassey’s older sister. Believe me. I know how easy it is for her to misunderstand what you are trying to tell her.” she said shaking her head as she watched Cassey lean towards Dog before walking straight again. ”Dog seems to think Cassey is your attar?” she asked before Abram could have the proper amount of time to regain himself from her last question. ”Is this true?” she asked looking the other way as another question developed in her mind. Her cheeks flushed as she got ready to ask her next question. ”Does Dog…I mean…does he have a…never mind.” shaking the embarrassment away her head turned forward again. ”Attar is a pretty serious situation isn’t it?” she watched Dog for a moment before her eyes flickered towards Cassey.

”Yes. Helpful!” repeated Cassey her fingers clasping with each other. She placed her hands over her lips as she thought about Abram. Whoever did end up with Abram, in Cassey’s opnion, was quite the lucky young woman. To her, the fact that he would risk his own safety to save a coworker was beyond gentlemanly behavior. Clearly, he was an angel in a wolf’s body. ”She did?” asked Cassey nearly jumping for joy at the idea that Abram’s girl had seen his heroic act. She had to have been in love with him now! ”Good for Abram.” Her smile was so genuine. The next topic was about the lack of love between herself and Dog. ”Maybe your heart was confused? Maybe I look like the girl you like.” she teased before leaving him with that thought. The girl was completely oblivious to everything around her except for her Darius senses going haywire.

”This is JUST great…I came all the way out here for tea only to find out the tea shop to just up and walk away.” huffed an upset Dina. Her head shook back and forth in distaste for the entire situation. She was just about to make another comment (most likely about who she was planning on suing) when Cassey stole her attention. A kiss? Blinking, the woman looked at Dog before glancing back at Cassey. Was her sister serious? Of course she was serious. Cassey was rarely not serious when it came to something as ridiculous as what she was currently suggesting.

Well, this was awkward. Dina shifted uncomfortably as she watched her sister kiss Dog on the cheek. The werewolf’s reaction, however, was so sweet, Dina could have sworn it was fattening. She looked up at Dog’s face, then back down, then up at his face for a final time. It was just a kiss on the cheek right? It was not like it was that big of a deal. People kissed their grandparents all the time on the cheek. So why did Dina feel so light-headed?

Cassey was completely unaware of the distress she had placed on Abram’s shoulders. She thought she was doing Abram a favor by pretending she had placed the kiss on his cheek. ”Those cheeks of yours need to stay pure for your ladylove!” said Cassey before quickly spinning around to urge her sister to kiss the werewolf.

Dina had never felt this nervous in her entire life. Why was she so nervous? No. She could conquer this! Mind over matter. If she could pass the bar with flying colors, then she could handle a simple kiss on a man’s cheek. Leaning towards Dog, Dina was expecting a quick kiss on the cheek and then an awkward walk away. What happened instead was…well mind-boggling. Dina could not honestly make out what was going on as she seemed to be just as addicted to the kiss as her partner was. The two just seemed to fit with one another as if this relationship was meant to be.

The girl’s younger sister took this opportunity to run away with Abram. ”Altar?” repeated Cassey mispronouncing what Abram had just said. ”What’s that?” she asked her nose wrinkling at the name. She was sure someone in her family had explained to her what an attar was at some point, but for the life of her she just could not remember. ”I mean…what does that mean? How is Dina is At-Tar.” she said trying to say it correctly for Abram. ”Dina is very forward. If she wants something done. She will tell you. However, when it comes to romance? She is a bit…odd.” explained the witchling as she thought about her older sister. The future lawyer would have no problem telling someone what it was they were supposed to do. The problem was actually doing those things she had no problem saying. ”Dina is a lot more shy than she looks.” Letting go of Abram’s hand, Cassey moved towards the bottom of a tree. She delicately (despite her usual clumsy self) sat down with her arms wrapped loosely around her legs. ”Tell me?” she asked leaning towards him slightly.

”Oh no…I’ve been getting things wrong about you?” A distressed and apologetic look over took her facial appearance after Abram claimed that she was getting things wrong about him. The look changed from apologetic to one of confusion as the werewolf’s story progressed. So he was not romantically tied to Lydia? But Lydia was such a wonderful and beautiful woman. ”Insulting?” she said with her hands pressed against her lips in worry. She was insulting the poor girl now wasn’t she? She listened carefully to everything Abram said about this mysterious girl as she tried to figure out who this girl could possibly be. She was special. Dina was special. This girl was cheerful. Dina was plenty cheerful…once you got to know her. Dina did have a beautiful smile. Dina adored sweets! Clyde had claimed he wanted a sister upon meeting Dina. The puzzle pieces were slowly coming together and Cassey seemed to be coming to one solution – Dina.

Instantly, Cassey felt a wave of remorse moving from her heart all the way up to her throat. ”Abram.” she said her arms stretched outwards. She pulled the werewolf into a hug as she let her fingers move through his hair. She finally pulled back slightly so she could touch his cheek. She allowed her palm to cup said cheek as she gave him a thoughtful expression. ”I have been so blind!” she said her eyes showing just how sorry she truly felt. ”You poor man to have gone through everything you did!” she said glancing down. ”You must think I am positively horrible.” she said withdrawing from him. Her small frame faced downwards as she bit against her lip. ”Dina….” she said unexpectedly her hands pressed into the grass. She let the blades dance against her skin as she focused her attention on the greenery. ”How could I not see it before? You are in love with Dina! But Dog…oh what a sad situation.” she said giving Abram yet another friendly hug. ”That kiss!” she said her hands jumping towards her lips.

”Oh Abram. What are you going to do? I think Dog has a better chance with her.” she said before quickly shaking her hands in front of herself. ”Not that you aren’t a wonderful person Abram…it’s just Dog seems to be a bit more suited for her…” She blushed. Poor Cassey was talking herself into a hole. ”I…I…” she needed a distraction. Poor Abram needed something to get his mind off of Dina. ”Tag!” she said touching his shoulder before darting off as fast as she could. Sure it was childish, but maybe it would help the boy forget about his current situation.

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Darius blinked and looked anywhere but Lydia when she asked him directly if he was planning on trying anything. Well, no one was ever planning on trying anything. Except for psychopaths and despite what Alexis had concluded in that mind of hers, Darius was by no means a psychopath. Besides, it wasn’t even that Darius was planning on drinking Lydia’s blood. Truth be told, the young businesswoman’s scent soothed him. Even if he kept his mouth to himself, he could still delight in the pleasure of her scent could he not? How in the world was he supposed to explain that one to the woman who thought this all was some master business plan? The vampire’s jaw tightened as the wheels in his mind began to turn. In a matter of moment, Darius had concocted the perfect plan. He was going to claim that what if they needed to get close to show they were in love? How was he going to do that with werewolf stench all over Lydia?

It was not until saw those gray eyes looking back at him, that he decided against lying. He could not whole-heartedly bring himself to lie to a woman with eyes such as those. Shutting his own eyes, he barely peaked through his left eyelid. ”I hope you do not think I am too strange. But your scent, I enjoy it quite a bit.” he said staring at the grass. ”While vampires do not have attars like werewolves do, we still can delight in certain smells to a similar degree. Usually these are smells that remind us of our childhood homes.” His eyes focused on the tree to Lydia’s left. That was far more interesting than the silly grass! ”You smell like my mother.” he said wearily looking back at her. ”My mother used to love roses. She kept an entire garden filled with them. And you…well you smell like she always did.” he said sheepishly, his tone embarrassed. ”So it was not a matter of me trying anything as much as I liked…the way you smell.” How could he not come up with a better phrase than ‘I liked the way you smell?’ What was he in junior high? His fingers shoved into his pockets as he walked alongside the woman.

Enzo had his hands obnoxiously behind his back with his eyes shut. Instead of walking, he had taken it upon himself to do an awkward march. Wouldn’t that little dictator Dina be so proud of his walking stance? Then again knowing her, she would snap at him for making a fool of himself and those around him with his outlandish behavior. Silly woman needed to find a lover BIG time. ”Do not worry. My lips are sealed.” he promised as he locked his lips, and tossed the key as far as it could possibly go. His eyebrows frowned as he listened to Alexis’s explanation involving her human pack mate. ”I do not think Abram would stop talking to Lydia just because he found his attar. You werewolves are pretty loyal. Although, I doubt he would be spending as much time with her as he did before.” he said frowning at the fate of Lydia. He laughed as he glanced at Alexis. He was not even going to suggest she was jealous until she mentioned it. ”I wasn’t even thinking jealous until you said something about not being jealous. My. My. My. Alexis. I never knew.” he teased. ”Darius is a good man. Believe me.” he said as he had an inner debate on whether he should explain how Darius was indeed good. ”Of course you smelled him on her neck. They are DATING are they not? Lydia is a fully-grown woman. Alexis. Do we really need to have this talk? When a man and a woman are very much in love…” he began smirking as he spoke. Naturally, he assumed (and was right in his assumption) that Alexis caught him off. Holding back a grin, he decided to comment on her request for him to stop calling her Allie. ”But Allie suits you. You are a cute woman despite your sometimes-unorthodox ways of displaying this quality and should be treated as such.” he said giving her the exact same explanation he had given all those years ago.

Darius silently cursed himself for falling for such a clever woman. That cleverness seemed to be the thing both drawing him towards Lydia as well as causing him to shy away. What did not help matters were those alluring eyes. Every single time Darius thought about lying, he looked into those gray orbs and decided against it. Taking in a healthy amount of air, the vampire spoke. ”You’re not imagining things.” he said as he rubbed the side of his face. ”Enzo, Maya, and myself all grew up with each other. Maya is Cassandra’s mother.” he explained groaning at his own explanation. ”You must think I am an old man huh?” he laughed before continuing. ”You see. Maya, Enzo and myself all decided to start up our own little group. It was mostly…no it was Maya’s idea.” he said laughing at the memory. ”The group was, ironically enough, an anti-Odin group. You have to understand. At the time, this man was causing problems everywhere. Maya’s idea of stopping Odin was a bit.” he paused. Trying to find a delicate word to use. ”Unorthodox.” he said deciding this was the best word to go with. ”It mostly consisted of Maya forcing us to do repairs and such. We never actually fought Odin like Enzo and I assumed we were going to.” he said a smile brightening his pale facial features. ”Well, Enzo was fixing up a werewolf house, when a young woman came out. I suppose you can guess who that woman was. Alexis was furious to say the least.” he said rubbing his chin as he spoke. ”How dare a silly wizard take it upon himself to fix HER house. Enzo, however, was completely struck by her beauty, and instantly made it a new mission to win her affections.” There was a fond smile as he recalled all of the ridiculous extents Enzo went to win Alexis’s heart.

”I remember he dragged Maya and myself with him to sing to Alexis. Maya was all for it. I however, was not so keen to the idea. Anyways, this little stunt resulted in the werewolves making a fuse and Odin appearing. At the time, the werewolf clan Alexis was in seemed to have some sort of agreement with the wizard. They would keep watch outside his house if he protected them.” he said his hands moving in his pockets. ”That is when Odin and Maya met. Odin told Maya to go away, but she said she would not leave until Enzo got to spend time with his ladylove. The two fought like this for about an hour or two until finally the end result was Alexis going on a date with Enzo while Odin and Maya went on a date. I got to bring my kid sister along. Awkward situation that was.” said Darius shaking his head. His expression became stern as the story progressed. ”I think Enzo really is Alexis’s attar. Although, the stubborn woman always claimed he was not. Despite her will, you cannot really fight biology when it comes down to it.” explained Darius his eyes looking upwards. ”Besides, the two were married.” he said before catching himself. He looked at Lydia before looking away. ”Alexis had a great deal of trouble conceiving a child. It took them longer than they were expecting, but Alexis was stubborn. She wanted a baby and she was determined to have one. Finally, she was conceived the child she had been longing for.” he said looking down. ”Alexis was so happy about the child that she went back home to tell her family.” There was yet another pause. ”That was when Vidar struck. Alexis’s clan not only allied with his father, but they were helping protect Mary’s clan. Vidar believed himself to be in love with Mary and was trying everything to get to her.” Darius’s expression was unreadable again. ”The wizard killed everyone in Alexis’s clan. He would have killed Alexis too if it was not for Enzo showing up. The wizard tried everything in his power to stop Vidar. However, the only one he was able to successfully save was Alexis, but only Alexis.” The vampire took a deep breath. ”Both the child and Alexis’s memories were gone. Enzo was completely torn but knew that he could not be so selfish. Losing her memory was the only thing keeping Alexis sane. So he talked to Jacob about the situation and they took Alexis in.” Rubbing his face of the saddened emotion, he continued. ”Enzo loves Alexis so much that he is willing to see her live a whole new life with another man. The only thing he has ever wanted for her was to see her happy. Granted, he is hoping that maybe he will be able to make new memories with her. But will not push her into doing anything.” he said swallowing. ”Sorry, I depressed you haven’t I? Please just…do not tell Enzo I told you. He will kill me.” he said patting Lydia on the shoulder swiftly. ”Vidar is a sneaky man. I just want you to protect yourself okay?” he said his expression softening.

There was another conversation swift this time involving Lydia’s father. Darius blushed when Lydia claimed that he gave very good advice. ”I suppose that is what happens when you get as old as me.” he mused winking at the human walking beside him. He nodded thoughtfully as he listened to Lydia’s claim that humans died easily and quickly. ”I am sure your father has at least one redeeming quality. Everyone has at least one. Even a heartless, blood-drinking vampire like myself.” he said playing with the stereotype he was sure Lydia’s father often boosted about. ”I hope we do continue to be friends.” said Darius as they turned around to walk back towards where he had left his phone. ”When all of this is over, Lydia, I would like to continue to share moments like this. I mean where we talk.” said Darius in an embarrassed tone.

The sight the two walked into seemed to be the perfect diversion to Darius’s slight fumbling with words. He blinked as he watched the two part. Dina seemed to be equally glad that she had not been around her sister. Her fingers fidgeted as she allowed Dog to introduce her. ”Yes. I am Dina….Dina Watson. I believe you have met my younger sister? Cassandra?” she asked before the two women began to have a small meeting among themselves.

Darius sighed as he watched the distracted human. Well, if nothing else maybe that would lighten the mood? ”Cousin?” repeated Darius in slight awe. ”You look just like him.” he noted before shrugging the feeling off.

Dina watched the interaction between Lydia and Dog in interest before stealing Lydia away. ”Really?” she asked her face lighting up when Lydia claimed that she was in fact not satisfied with her current law firm. ”Well, I only have a year left of schooling. So hopefully your offer will still be opened by the time I finished.” said the smooth talker as she walked along side of Lydia. Darius watched before lifting up his phone.

The vampire scrolled through his phone to make sure he had yet to miss any calls before turning to Dog. ”Where is Cassey?” he asked in a whisper to keep from upsetting Lydia. The last thing he wanted to do was remind the businesswoman about the other girl.

”You know Lydia. I am looking for an internship. I need at least one before I graduate. Maybe I could stop by your office?” suggested Dina who seemed to becoming fast friends with the other girl. The woman glanced down at her watch before turning back to look at Dog and Darius. ”I would really like to have more time to discuss with you, but it is almost time for dinner. I do not want to ruin your plans.” said the lawyer who would love nothing more than to have time to speak to Lydia further. Poor Darius and Lydia must have been starving. Their entire lunch date turned into a series of awkward events. ”It was lovely meeting you. Darius.” she said with a solid nod.

Darius shook his head as he watched the former witch. ”Well, Lydia. Maybe I can make us something to eat at my house?” he suggested before lifting an eyebrow at Lydia’s interaction with Dog. It was so…professional.

”Dog.” she said walking towards the werewolf. Her voice was very direct as she held his hands in hers. This was Dina attempting to be romantic. This was exactly why she did not date. Her eyebrows frowned as she stared into his eyes. ”We are going to have dinner soon. However, I expect you to wear something decent. I will be wearing something revealing but modest. However, do not get any ideas because nothing is going to happen. You may glance down my blouse only one time and I will blush. You will apologize and we will continue from there. Here. I will write this down for you.” she said writing down exactly what she said. ”Thank you for the time we shared at the amusement park.” she said sticking her hand out to shake his. ”I had fun and I hope we will be able to do it again. Now you tell me you also enjoyed our time together and offer to take me home.” she waited to see what he would say. Smiling, she nodded her head. ”Now, I take thirty minutes to get ready but I will have you wait an extra ten. Tell me. Is there anything you would prefer to see me in? I want this to be enjoyable for both party members. Also. You need to give me a list of any and all fetish you may have.” she pushed her glasses up as she tilted her head to the side. ”You can turn in your list on our next date which will be scheduled three days after this one. You will call and hang up three times and I will call and hang up four times. Finally, on the fifth time you will answer.” Yes. The woman just so happened to be THAT detailed with everything even her personal life.

”Dina tends to know exactly what she wants.” whispered the vampire.












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[Lady March Hare]

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ｈｅａｒｔ ｈｉｔ ａ ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ { ｅ ａ ｒ ｌ ｙ } ｈｏｕｒｓ,
Ｓｏ Ｉ ｓｔｏｐｐｅｄ ｉｔ ｄｅａｄ ｆｏｒ ａ ｂｅａｔ ｏｒ ｔｗｏ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ＣＵＴ ｓｏｍｅ ｃｏｒｄ (ａｎｄ Ｉ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｎ'ｔ ｈａｖｅ ｄｏｎｅ ｉｔ)
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▇ location: O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: S A D XXXXX ♫ q u i e t m e l o d y ♫XX
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Studying Darius with suspicion didn’t last too long and, seeing that the vampire was going to offer her an answer, the gray eyed girl’s expression relaxed. His initial admission caught her off guard and she stared at him openly, perplexed and uncertain about how she was expected to react to a positive comment about her smell. “Your… your mother?” she murmured as he looked back to her, meeting his eyes as best she could. There was something so warm, so personal to his tone and the human found herself smiling slightly… there was just something so sweet about the vampire’s admission. “I see.” she stated simply in response. Ha! And Alexis had been whispering all negative motives behind Darius’ intentions… were Lydia not under the impression that this bit of personal information was something to keep between herself and the vampire, it would have been an excellent opportunity to lecture the werewolf on inter-species understandings. Gray eyes blinked, and Lydia cleared her throat, suddenly uncomfortable as she reflected on her own conduct. “Ah… Darius, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you of… or imply that… well, you know. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to insult you. You've already proven yourself to be extremely professional and the perfect gentleman, and I should have known better than to jump to the worst conclusion. It won't happen again, I assure you.” the young woman spoke quickly, more then a little embarrassed with herself. Darius was her business partner! What was she thinking, entertaining doubts about his intentions just because Alexis was whispering in her ear? Alexis was always suspicious about the intentions of vampires! Lydia shook her head sternly, resolving herself against making the same mistake twice.

“They’d better be.” Alexis grumbled as they walked. Though she was bound to grumble about it for the foreseeable future, Alexis had to admit to herself (and only to herself) that this ‘date’ wasn’t going all that badly. Enzo, to her surprise, had been doing a relatively good job keeping his hands to himself, and despite the constant rage that she responded to the wizard with, the she-wolf found that she wasn’t continuously wary in his presence. Which was strange; her instincts were usually a little more on the ball around perverts, and it wasn’t like them to let her get comfortable. “I’m not talking about Abram.” she amended, making a face. “I’m talking about Lydia. I know that girl… she’s a sucker for punishment, but she knows when to draw the line. She’d withdraw from us… if for no other reason, then to make it look like she was in control… and so Abram wouldn’t have to look up one day and wonder when the last time he talked to her was. I know Abram… he’d feel terrible if the idea that he wasn’t supporting her enough got in his head. Bringing it up… forcing the issue… that idiot human would cut her losses and run. Because humans are stupid that way.” Alexis sighed. Lydia was a difficult person to be associated with simply because she was difficult on purpose, and it drove her wolf-sister nuts. Big blue eyes blinked, flicked rapidly to Enzo, and then away with an embarrassed scoff. Why had she mentioned that she’d be jealous, again? She wasn’t jealous! Not of this pervert! Of course not! What a dumb thing to say! However she wasn’t embarrassed for long, for Enzo’s explanation of another reason why Darius might have been hanging out around Lydia’s neck had the color draining from the pretty werewolf’s face. “They’re… dating. …oh my god, they’re dating! I was so freaked out by the idea of the bloodsucker draining her of all the red stuff I forgot about the other danger!” Alexis stopped dead in her tracks, an eye twitching terribly as horrible images of the couple that had just left filled her mind. “No, no, no!” the she-wolf howled, obviously agitated. “I’ve known Lydia since she was a little kid! She’s too young to get mixed up in that sort of relationship! Everyone knows humans take forever to mature… maybe when she’s forty, or fifty! But not now! We were going to find her an accountant! A nice, safe accountant, preferably a eunuch, and then, when she was forty or fifty, they’d meet, fall in love, and get married. It was a good plan, damn it!!” Alexis abruptly about-faced, fire in her eyes at this newest reason to dislike the arrangement (that probably should have been obvious to her from the start if her prejudice hadn’t gotten in the way) with every intention to make a mad dash after Darius and Lydia had Enzo not stopped her. The she-wolf looked up at the wizard in open irritation, something that only doubled at his defense of the nickname. “C-Cute… feh! There’s something wrong with you, mister. And I’m serious, don’t call me that! Only one…” she stopped herself for a fraction of a second, equal parts confused and angry, and continued in a growl. “Only one person could get away with calling me that. I’m not about to make it two.”

Alexis’ confusion, for which she had no source to trace it to, was being explained to Lydia. The human at first nodded; it was good to be reassured that her imagination wasn’t running away with her. Big gray eyes blinked at Darius’ mention of growing up with Enzo and Mary. “Ah, you did?” she asked, mostly reflexively, and only grinned a bit teasingly at Darius’ assurance that she must think him old. Though the vampire at her side wasn’t looking at her, Lydia stared up at him curiously as he related his beginning history with Enzo and Cassey’s mother. However, the initial meeting of Enzo and Alexis caught her by surprise. “Ah! So they have met before… but why does..?” Lydia pressed her lips together before she could start on the investigation; Darius would tell her in time, she was sure, why Alexis acted as if this initial meeting between herself and the wizard simply hadn’t taken place. Lydia looked to the ground, and though she tried to keep her face blank and disinterestedly interested, she had a hard time fighting back a small smile. Darius, helping Enzo to woo Alexis! Yes, it was a difficult thing to keep the smile back at that mental picture indeed. Lydia looked back to Darius in open astonishment at how the event had played out… awkward sounded like the right word for it, alright. “I… I see.” she murmured. “She really was being awfully tolerant of him, and I wondered…keh! W-Wait… married?” Lydia was back to staring at Darius in open surprise. Alexis had been married to the wizard with the wandering hands at some point?!

From that point, all of Lydia’s amusement about the story of Alexis and Enzo left her, the truth behind their unfortunate romance hitting her like a physical blow. Her eyes fixed themselves resolutely on the ground, wide and pained, and despite her usual struggle for composure she found it too difficult to struggle for in the face of such news. Her steps slowed and she pressed her fingers over her mouth, still for a long moment. Lydia took the news of this misfortune hard; of all the werewolves, Alexis had always been the strong one, the brave one, the unstoppable raging force of nature. The human had always looked up to her, admired her fortitude, and had come to see her as something of an invincible sort of woman. But to discover the truth, truth the source of it all didn’t even realize existed… it made Lydia want to cry. She wouldn’t, of course, because doing so out in public was unacceptable, but the urge was difficult to fight back. After an agonizing moment she recovered herself enough to move again, struggling to return to the casually disinterested front she tried to reserve for all times of extreme emotion.

“That…” she almost choked on her words and tried again. “That is horrible… poor Alexis. I had no idea… but of course I wouldn’t. And Enzo…” The man that had been dubbed an unapologetic pervert in the human’s mind was suddenly rendered to gentler opinions by the knowledge Darius had given to her… not enough to let her guard down when his hands were anywhere near personal areas, but enough to cast him in a sympathetic light. “That’s so terrible… and he’s had to shoulder the burden of knowing that all by himself?” she sighed, hugging herself and rubbing her arms at the thought. “I… I guess it’s the only choice. Tragedies like that are the sorts of things that make werewolves go Rogue…” Lydia stopped herself and bit her bottom lip. “Ah, I won’t mention it, especially not to Enzo. The secret is safe with me.” she promised, glancing down at his hand in something like relief. A small touch was a comfort and helped her remember herself; the human cleared her throat and corrected her posture, only half listening when Darius warned her about Vidar. “Of course, of course…” she replied, the interactions between Alexis and Enzo that she’d been able to witness playing themselves over again in her head, every aspect of it heightened with new meaning.

It took some doing to get her out of a depressed dip; talking about Enzo and Alexis’ combined past and her father in the same period of time made it difficult to smile with the amount of ease to which she was accustomed. But Darius’ presence was a comfort, and his easy manner relaxed her; she even smiled when he winked at her. “He does have one, I suppose.” she giggled softly, tilting her head back to stare skywards. The low lying sun felt good on her face, and her gray eyes flicked to Darius at his embarrassed tone. For a second she stared at him, and then a small, sweet smile settled on her face. “Of course we will.” she said gently, her tone confident. “Our relationship may be contractual, but I like to think that our friendship isn’t. Talks like this… I’m sure we’ll have many more of them. Though, hopefully, all of them won’t be on such difficult topics.” she added with a soft giggle.

The return to the site of the tea shop was a very interesting move, one that gave Lydia a glimpse of something that would surely have her smiling to herself for some time. Facing this witch-lookalike as she was, Lydia had to put her amusement at catching Dog in an oddly intimate moment on the back burner to deal with Dina.

“Oh, of course. The two of you do look so much alike, Miss. Watson…” the human mused.

“Yeah...” Dog muttered to Darius uncomfortably, shifting in place uneasily.

“Oh, still in school…” Lydia repeated, temporarily disappointed. There went her sudden dream of this steely eyed young woman cleaning house in her legal department. “My offers are never short-term; whenever you are looking for work, I hope you’ll feel free to come to me first.” she assured the young woman with a quick nod.

“Cassey?” Dog looked at Darius for a long moment in silence, turning over the things Dina had told him in regards to this man before replying in like tone, casting a look after the two women as he murmured. “She just dragged Abram away when Dina and I... er… well.” The werewolf cleared his throat in embarrassment before he continued. “They went that way, not too long ago.” he added, gesturing briefly in the direction Cassey and Abram had disappeared to.

“I was just about to suggest the same thing.” Lydia agreed with a small smile. “Fellowship Pharmaceuticals has several internship possibilities, but I can think of one in particular that you’d probably enjoy.” she said with a nod. She fished about in her pocket and pulled out yet another sort of business card, which she pressed into the attorney-in-training’s hands encouragingly. “Please, feel free to call and schedule an appointment. I’ll talk to my personal secretary and have the internship information ready for you. We’ll sit down and have a proper discussion about it sometime soon.” she added, nodding her head to return Dina’s polite farewell. She turned her eyes to Darius and nodded again, but was not long distracted from Dina and Dog, who proved to be a delightfully distracting amusement.

“Dina.” the werewolf replied automatically when the young woman spoke his name. Green eyes blinked and locked on her own in carefully guarded curiosity, slowly growing wider to register the surprise he felt as Dina went through the itinerary for the evening ahead. “I..! Er..! Um......” Dog started, but couldn’t quite get the words out in the face of the woman’s uniform statements. How had she had the time to plan all of this?! The werewolf was flabbergasted. He stared at her in disbelief, his eyes dropping openly to her chest in time with her words, turning a dark red, and looking away with rigid discipline and embarrassment clear on his face. He looked back to see the paper she had written out instructions on, just as promised, then looked at her a bit disbelievingly as he took her hand. “Yeah… well… W-Wait; fetishes?!?” he stammered out with a blush. It was a good thing Dina was a talker, because between the two of them Dog never seemed to be able to get many words out. “H-Hold on, hold on, hold on… Dina… I… I don’t know if I can keep to this… um… schedule.” he answered her, scratching the back of his head. On the one hand, the only woman who had ever been able to make his heart race was making plans in the future with him… on the other hand, he was suddenly stricken with concern that now that he had somehow gained her interest, that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with her.

“I see that.” Lydia stood close to Darius to murmur, fighting a smile once again. She grabbed onto his sleeve gently and cleared her throat, looking up at him meaningfully. “We should probably get going… it sounds like these two have a very busy evening before them.” Lydia said with a nod. Now there had been an efficient evening plan! The brunette commended Dina on her foresight and organization… Dog clearly didn’t know what had hit him!

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Ｉ ｓａｉｄ ｎｏ, ｎｏ ｙｏｕ'ｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｏｎｅ ｆｏｒ ｍｅ!
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“The hunting groups are a pack within a pack.” Dog informed the former witch with a slow nod. “Some werewolf packs, like mine, can have forty members or more… but the hunting groups always number six.” That was easy enough, and the information was basic enough to keep him from feeling guilty at sharing it in any way. However, the young woman’s next question peaked his interest instantly. Why was she inquiring after his free time? Could that mean… that she..? Unfortunately, the werewolf didn’t get a chance to find out.

“Ahhhh…” Abram stared at Dina for a long minute, then laughed nervously. The woman looked like she might at any second pull out a gun and shoot him… not because she was looking particularly malevolent, but because Abram had the sneaking suspicion that the young woman was capable of anything. Her smile, when it came, was a great relief to the tawny haired wereboy. “Right… right… of course.” he answered her in a musing tone. Dina made it sound so simple, but Abram had a sneaking suspicion that if he’d tried to pull such a thing, he’d have been made mincemeat of in short order.

“Embarrassing? No…” Dog mumbled to Cassey as she spoke to him of her sister, fumbling with his fingers as way of distraction. If anything had been embarrassing, it had been how completely Dina apparently had gotten him on the leash… which he was positive he would hear no end of on the walk home. Abram was just ‘loving’ like that. “She was very nice.” he mumbled and looked away, scratching the back of his head.

Abram gulped hard. It was a given that Operation Impress Dina was a failure, but the werewolf had hoped that it was enough of a failure so as to entirely escape the elder Watson sister’s notice; that way he could have hopes of trying again in the future with none the wiser. Alas, that was not to be; Dina had clearly understood the situation in a way that the green eyed boy had been trying to get Cassey to with ease. Her tone, when it came, was surprisingly gentle, and Abram looked to the shorter figure with hope. “You… you do? Ah, what am I saying; of course you do.” he laughed softly, rubbing at his nose as he directed his gaze forward again. The woman’s next question was direct like Abram was expecting, but the statement about the attar, and her where she had gotten the information from, caught him off guard. He was quiet for a long moment, then chuckled a bit nervously. “Man, you cracked Dog like an egg, didn’t you?” he murmured, hesitant to continue. “Cassey… well… yeah. She’s my attar.” It felt amazingly good to admit such a thing aloud, and despite the company he was in a large, somewhat dopey grin settled on his lips and a noticeable bounce entered his steps. “It’s true alright!” he boldly declared, blinked, looked at Dina, and then laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Not that you have anything to worry about! I don’t mean anything bad about it! It’s a good thing! I mean… er, well, I guess Dog explained all of that attar stuff to you, right? I have good intentions, honest!” he promised, holding his hands up in surrender. Green eyes blinked and his arms slowly dropped as he studied Dina… and grinned impishly. “Ah… yes. The attar’s very serious.” he said with teasing casualness, draping his arm across Dina’s shoulders in a moment of probably unwarranted closeness so he could whisper to her teasingly. “And as for Dog… well, let’s put it this way. When he woke up this morning, he hadn’t found his attar. I don’t think he’ll be able to say the same tomorrow.” he chuckled. Could Abram ever give a straight answer when he went into teasing mode? Probably not; no matter how important it was that he impress this young woman, the urge to gently tease was too strong to resist.

“Yeah… she did.” Dog assured Cassey, his expression softening ever-so-slightly at the young woman’s enthusiasm. The presence of the attar made one werewolf’s understanding of another’s attar impossible, but in the face of such honest goodwill, the werewolf thought he could see some of what had drawn in Abram so completely in Cassey’s smile. “Ah… maybe…” he muttered, cutting his conversation short with a clearing of his throat as Cassey skipped blissfully away.

The missing tea shop was strange, and the mingling scents of their packmates, Darius, and Enzo was bizarre, but in the face of getting kisses from the girls that had stolen their hearts, the two werewolves were entirely distracted from these things. Things could have been bursting into spontaneous flames around them, and they probably would have stayed transfixed, eyes locked on the Watson sisters. Dog was embarrassed, Abram noticeably less so, and in some ways they both got what they deserved from the cruel, sadistic universe. Dog was placed in a position that would lead to more embarrassment, and Abram was leveled almost to the point of tears yet again by a cheerfully innocent Cassey.

“F-For my..?” Abram started, aghast. But then Dog and Dina were kissing and the tawny haired young man was efficiently distracted; his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and he was, for the first time, glad that Dog’s tail wasn’t visible, because it surely would have been wagging up a storm. Such a fact was sure to embarrass the werewolf at a later date… when Abram remembered to bring it up. Hey, male bonding could be a cruel, cruel thing! But there was no time to ponder that, or anything with Cassey dragging him away with all the secret strength of her will, so the blonde shrugged it off and focused on her. Hurrying away was good for him; it helped calm him down, helped him focus on the important issue here: wooing Cassey! It was going to happen, even if it killed him! …which it probably would.

“Attar.” Abram repeated slowly, unable to help a grin as he watched Cassey’s expression. She was just so darn cute! “An attar is our… hm, what’s another word for it… ah, like our mates. It’s also the name of the smell that helps us know a person is our mate. One whiff, and a werewolf is yours forever.” he chuckled a bit darkly. Witches didn’t react to the attar, and therefore were not bound to it like werewolves were. That’s why Abram had to win Cassey over somehow… because if he didn’t, and she fell in love with someone else or, Heaven forbid, managed to win Darius’ heart, there would be no moving on for Abram. He shook his head to free himself of that particular thought, and grinned a bit wryly. “Odd, huh? Well, good; Dog’s odd too, so they’ll be the perfect match. A couple of weird ones. And if they’re both shy… well, that’s even better.” he snickered as her hand slipped free from his. Green eyes stayed locked on Cassey’s form as she sank to take a seat against a tree, then the young man plopped to sit cross-legged before her, resting his elbows on his knees to get a closer view of her face.

“Yup!” he exclaimed with a nod, trying his hardest to keep himself from beaming at her. She was just so cute that he couldn’t help teasing her a little more… of course, such things always came back to hurt Abram, and he knew that… but he just couldn’t help himself! He continued with his quips with a sparkle in his eye, daring the young witch to put two and two together and realize that it was she that Abram kept talking about. She would be embarrassed, maybe blush a little; he was looking forward to seeing it. His name leaving her lips gave him goosebumps, but Abram blinked in surprise as the young woman reached out to him. “Huh..?” was all he had time to say before the slight spell caster pulled him against her, forcing his heart up into his throat. All intentions of teasing her were thrown screaming out of the nearest window; her fingers moving through his hair held the cheeky werewolf transfixed, and as Cassey moved back to touch his cheek a dusting of a blush rose under her fingers. Abram wasn’t usually the sort to blush easily, but he was unapologetic for it at her words. Happiness bubbled up inside of him when he realized she actually had understood! “Cassey..!” he breathed, his tone relieved and happy. “No! You’re not terrible at all! I could never think that!” he told her honestly, staying close even when the purple eyed beauty withdrew. His love was coming to understand his feelings for her; this was not a time for distance to be between them! The wide, delighted smile stayed on his lips even when Cassey spoke her sister’s name, small lights of confusion in his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. “Dina?” the boy sounded mildly perplexed, then froze. Bam! The universe came out of nowhere with another roundhouse kick to the chest, knocking the breath from the hapless werewolf. “You… you think that I… about Dina…!” he struggled to articulate properly, but it was difficult. Misunderstood again! Damn it! He knew that teasing would come back to haunt him!! No! Things were going well again! He had to recover this situation! “Of… of course she is! She is his attar…” he said in a strangled, pained sort of tone. Okay, enough was enough; he needed to stop playing around and tell Cassey flat out how he felt! It was the only way that he would survive this! “Cassey, I’m not..! H-Hey! Hold on!”

Cassey did not hold on; in fact, her fingers were flying from his shoulder as she was away from him in a flash. Had she just said ‘tag’? Abram had been too busy beating his head against the metaphorical wall to listen properly. Why were they playing tag?! No matter; she couldn’t be allowed to get away, to go for a moment thinking that his heart belonged to Dina, of all people! Some mystery girl that didn’t exist was bad enough, but her sister?! So close, and yet so far off the mark! Abram scrambled to his feet, calling after the dark haired girl to wait, with determination in his gaze. He was going to make her understand his feelings, mark his words! All he had to do was catch up, a markedly difficult thing to do at first since he was wearing shoes, but Abram was filled with the fighting spirit that made all obstacles crumble before him. A gleam in his eye, the werewolf charged after the little witch, his eyes locked on her form. It was an easy enough thing to catch up with her, but instead of reaching to tag her back, Abram sprang to tackle the young woman. He timed it so that the two of them would roll and that he would hit the ground with his shoulder so Cassey wouldn’t get hurt, but by the time the two of them came to a halt Abram was on top of her, pinning her wrists down against the grass gently but firmly.

“Ha! Got you!” he exclaimed triumphantly. “I won… so you have to listen to me for a second, Cassey! The one I love isn’t Dina! The one I love is y…” Abram cut himself off this time, his eyes dilating and swiftly turned gold as his instincts kicked in. There was the sound of charging from the side and Abram threw his arm up to intercept, quiet unexpectedly, what looked to be a bull’s head. He would have been easily able to repel said bull were he also not simultaneously shoving Cassey forward, out of the charge line… as it was, the werewolf deadpanned and yelped as the attacker sent him flying through the air.

“Take that, evil doer! No sexually based offenses will take place on MY watch!” the bull’s head, which belonged to a minotaur, proclaimed boldly as he reared up on his cloven back feet and planted his fists triumphantly on his hips. The minotaur was dressed in a police uniform and had fire in his eyes; his shiny police badge seemed to gleam of its own accord as he turned his black eyes on Cassey. “You’re safe now, ma’am. That sexual predator has learned a lesson… taught by Professor Officer Nixby and my doctorate in dishing out the pain of JUSTICE! No need to thank me, ma’am; I’m just doing my duty. A humble servant of this city, here to serve, not to receive any glory! I’m no hero, just an average Joe, out defending the streets. No, ma’am, don’t fall in love with me, even though I have saved you from a sexual deviant! I could never return your feelings, for I love only one woman, and her name, is JUSTICE.”

“…ow.” Abram growled to himself from some distance away where the police officer’s completely unwarranted attack had landed him in a painful heap. His shoulder was disconnected and he was pretty sure his hand was broken; wincing, the green eyed boy rolled into a seated position and thought himself well again, making a face as his bones pulled themselves back into the proper places and his muscles made quick time of preparing themselves. Freed from the pain if not the memory of it, Abram closed one eye and looked back to Cassey and the overenthusiastic police officer in irritation. “What the hell..?!”

▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ｓｏ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇
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{ ｓ ｅ ｎ ｔ } ｉｔ ｔｏ ａ ｐｌａｃｅ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｍｉｄｄｌｅ ｏｆ ｎｏｗｈｅｒｅ
Ｗｉｔｈ ａ ＢＩＧ ＢＬＡＣＫ ＨＯＲＳＥ ａｎｄ ａ ｃｈｅｒｒｙ ｔｒｅｅ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｎｏｗ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｃｏｍｅ ｂａｃｋ, 'ｃａｕｓｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｏｈ ｓｏ ｈａｐｐｙ
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｎｏｗ Ｉ'ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ａ ｈｏｌｅ ｆｏr ｔｈｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

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There were very few things that Dina would secretly admit to being bad at. One just so happened to be, being a romantic. A part of Dina wanted to take delight in those silly over exaggerated feeling that so many women were accustomed to. She wanted to swoon over someone for the sole reason of saying she had. However, Dina was not that sort of woman. She never really felt those emotions everyone spoke about. Most of her relationship endeavors with the opposite sex involved her putting forth exactly what she was hoping to gain from said relationship and what the other person was going to get in return. Cassey, however, seemed to be the complete opposite of her sister. Cassandra was quite the romantic little thing. The young witchling felt as if Darius was her one true love and heeded no warning when naysayers said nay. So when it came to discussing Cassey with Abram, Dina pushed back her own lack of romantic feelings and tried to grasp what the young woman was going through. It was the only way to efficiently deal with her younger sister. Dina doubted Cassey was truly in love like the younger Watson always claimed. However, in order to ease Cassey out of her self-created love vision Dina would have to be sensitive to her. It was a slow process, but Dina was a determined young woman. It was not that she disliked Darius, as much as she did not like the idea of Cassey settling for something that was not true love. Dina may not have been a romantic but she could calculate what was and what not love. What Cassey shared with Darius was familiarity and the poor dear was confusing it for love. Or at least that was what Dina had concluded.

”Dog put up quite a fight. It was not nearly as easy as you make it sound, but yes. Yes I did eventually crack him like an egg.” said Dina who was not entirely sure why she felt the need to defend Dog’s honor. Shaking the feeling away, she looked towards Abram. ”I see.” she said when Abram confirmed that Cassey was his attar. Dina highly doubted a werewolf would lie about something as serious as this mate business. ”You better have good intensions. Because if you think I am scary, my scariness is nothing compared to my father’s.” she warned the other her lips tweaking into a smirk. ”I see.” she said when Abram claimed that attar stuff was very serious. Dina could not help her inquire regarding Dog’s situation. Although she may not have been a romantic, a part of her still felt drawn to him. ”Thank you for your information Abram. It has been very useful to me.” said the older sister who seemed to clue in MUCH quicker than the younger sister had. Just as Dog had not known his attar that morning, Dina did not know she could feel so completely drawn to another. The kiss seemed to settle Dina’s latest decision without Dina fully knowing that it had settled it in the first place.

Cassey, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to Abram’s advances. Love truly did make some blind as the girl eagerly listened to Abram’s explanation of attars. ”Your mates?” she repeated her eyes gleaming with girlish wonder. Where Dina saw efficiency, Cassey saw romance. ”That is soooo romantic.” she cooed her hands once again joining together in pure bliss. ”It’s like…destiny!” she said those big purple eyes staring into his emerald ones. ”I wish I was a werewolf. That way I could just tell Darius that there was nothing he could do about it. That he was my attar.” The girl resembled a child with wonder and awe filling her eyes. There was a small hint of blush as she shyly looked away. ”I must sound silly.” she said biting against her bottom lip. ”I am just a sucker for romance.” she said meeting his gaze again.

Everything was going rather well between the witch and werewolf until…there was a mistake. Cassey had misunderstood Abram again for what had to be the hundredth time, only this time to a degree far worse than any other. The young witchling actually believed whole-heartedly that Abram was also in love with Dina. When Abram confirmed that Dina was Dog’s attar, Cassey could not fight the bittersweet feeling echoing through her entire being. She was happy that Dog had found the one, but sad that Abram was missing out on the one. So the young witch did the only thing she could think of doing, she decided to play a simple game of tag. The idea was that by playing tag, Abram would be so distracted he couldn’t think of his misfortune! It was clearly a brilliant plan. At least, the young witch thought it was a brilliant plan.

Cassandra thought she was clever by moving to the left and right every so many trees, but she stood no match for Abram’s speed. In a matter of moments, his larger frame collided with her smaller frame causing the two to roll through the crash. The witch made a small eep as she held onto Abram. Her tiny body slipping and sliding until finally there was a thud. Her smiling face looked up at his as he held down her wrists. ”Abram. Silly you are only supposed to TAG someone not tackle them.” she began to protest before he argued that there was something he had to tell her. Holding a confused glance, Cassey shifted against the grass. She let out a sigh of relief when he claimed that he was not in love with Dina. Well, that was a pleasant surprise. However, he was not finished just yet. ”The one you love is…” she repeated before blinking as a bull’s head shoved Abram off of her.

Sitting up, Cassey brushed her hair back. She began to pull twigs and pieces of stray grass out of her long hair as she watched the minotaur with interest. ”Oh my!” she said watching the man. She seemed to be taken in by his speech as she nodded eagerly. ”Justice is a very lucky lady to have a dedicated man like you!” she said her hands clapping in enthusiasm. She was probably only feeding into the strange man’s ego as she nodded eagerly. ”There is only one problem Officer Nixby.” she said worry filling her eyes. ”Abram and I were only playing tag. He was not sexually harassing me.” she said disappointed that this man’s efforts were not properly being used. ”But thank you! You really did save me! Well, erm you would have if Abram was trying to do something like that.” she said confusing herself as she placed her index finger to the side of her lip.

Shrugging the thought off happily, she gave Nixby the good old thumbs up. ”Either way. You were awesome!” she said before looking back at Abram who seemed to be struggling slightly. Whether it was a physical issue he was dealing with her a mental was still up for debate. ”Are you alright Abram?” she asked walking towards him. ”Did you see Officer Nixby? He was amazing wasn’t he! A true hero.” she said with that gleam reappearing in her eyes. ”Lady Justice would be proud that such an honorable and dedicated individual is keeping her cities save!” she said that determination Nixby had displayed dancing across her features. ”I now know that I will sleep safe because such a man exists!” she said smiling fondly at the departing officer.

The girl seemed to be completely transfixed by the strange man as her fingers pressed against one another. ”What an interesting man.” she smiled before her stomach began to growl. Placing her hand over said stomach, she tried to hide her blush. ”Maybe we could go get something…I KNOW!” she said jumping up causing her head to ram into Abram’s chin. ”Whoopsie…sorry.” she said tilting to the side to make sure Abram was okay. ”I will cook for you!” her body leaned forward as her head propped upwards. ”I mean you bought me food yesterday it is the least I can do. Besides, I would like to see what you think of this dish I would like to feed Darius.” she paused. ”Although, the only problem is I don’t think it is bloody enough. If that makes any sense.” giggling it off she began to walk forward. ”My house isn’t too far!” she reassured. Now Cassandra Watson was a lot of things, but one thing she was not was a cook. Cassey wanted to be a cook. She really did. However, she just wasn’t. Her cooking schools usually resulted in meat either being overcooked, undercooked, or some odd moving substance that resembled Dina’s 7th grade science project. Did that stop Cassey? Heaven’s no. The way to a man’s heart was cooking and that was just what the determined little thing was planning to do. Dina had attempted to teach her sister how to cook, but most of it resulted in…well Dina cooking and Cassey watching.

Upon entering the apartment complex, Cassey was greeted with a smile from a little old woman. ”Good evening Cassey!” said the woman as she stopped to make small talk with Abram. ”Would you be a dear and tell Enzo that BINGO was moved to Thursday night?” she asked before pausing as she looked at Abram. ”Oh my. He is handsome. I see why you are always raving about him. Do not worry dear. I will leave you two alone for the evening.” she laughed before scurrying off.

”Wait…” called Cassey, but she was unable to stop the little old woman. Sighing Cassey moved towards her front door. ”That was Mrs. Adams. She lives across the hall. Almost everyone in this apartment complex is a senior.” she said somewhat disappointed. ”Enzo says that the older generation won’t mes-“

”Oh hello Cassey. I was just visiting my grandmother. And I happened to buy two sets of flowers. Funny how life works tha-“ The slightly nerdy looking human paused as he focused in on Abram. ”Wh…Who is that?” He stammered as he took a step backwards. He began to quickly fix himself as he tried to control his raging blush.

”Hm? Oh Steve. This is Abram. Abram this is Steve. Steve is so sweet! He visits his grandmother at least three times a week.” she said before her eyes brightened at the flowers that were being held out to her. ”They are positively wonderful!” she complimented. ”Abram is a dear friend of mine. I’m cooking him dinner.”

Steve’s face went pale as he tried to speak. ”Oh…I see. Erm..well yeah. I will go see my grandmother then. So you can um. Have fun with your um…boyfriend?”

”Oh he isn’t my boyfriend silly. He is just a friend. Abram is in love with a girl who makes the entire world stop when she smiles.” she said as she touched the top of the flowers.

”He’s not your boyfriend? I see…” Steve’s smirk last for a moment or so before disappearing at Abram’s glance. ”Eep…I should aaaah go check on my grandmother. BYE!” he said dashing off causing Cassey to give a slight wave.

”Steve is an accountant.” she noted as she walked inside allowing Abram to follow. She placed the flowers in water as she watched them happily. ”You would be surprised how many grandsons visit their grandmothers! It’s wonderful.” said the innocent Cassey blissfully unaware of the boys’ true intensions ”And they always happen to bring more than one set of flowers. Funny how life is like that huh?” she asked poking her head out from the kitchen. ”You can have a seat in the living room if you like. We have a few DVDs you can look through.” she said nodding her head as she handed him a glass of water. ”Now then. Be prepared for the best meal you ever had!” Cassey said that every time before she made a meal in hopes that one of these times it would be true.

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Darius shifted ever so slightly as he watched Lydia’s reactions through the corner of his eye. She must have thought he was some creepy vampire with the way he was talking about smells and such. Placing his hand over his elbow he rubbed it slightly to ease his tension. This action seemed to have little to no effect on his racing mind. If anything, it only increased his suspicion that the woman saw him as the villain. Sighing, he shut his eyes as he heard her say his name. This was it. Lydia was going to yell at him and tell him that she most certainly did not smell like a vampire. However, no such claims left the young woman’s lips. Instead, she was apologetic? His eyes slowly opened as he glanced back at Lydia with a sheepish smile. The smile on such a professional man looked almost comical as he brushed the back of his neck. That seemed to work much better at calming his nerves then rubbing his elbow had. ”I’m just glad you do not think I am too strange.” he mumbled through slightly clenched lips. If one looked close enough, they could see the tall tale signs of a raging blush.

Enzo, in the meantime, gave Alexis a thoughtful glance when she explained the situation involving Lydia. His march came to a halt as his features tensed. ”Well that is silly of Lydia.” he said simply as if his simple answer was the only logical answer to state. ”I mean just because she is not romantically tied to Abram does not mean she is any less part of the pack or your family for that manner.” he claimed in a know-it-for fact sort of manner. ”From my understanding, once a person is entered into a pack they cannot just leave it. Leaving it would be going Rogue would it not?” he inquired. Where was Dina when you needed her? He was sure that the older Watson daughter would have some Webster definition on what it meant to go Rogue and how they would have to hunt Lydia down. ”I know she is human, but packs go deeper than race. That is one thing I always admired about your lot. It doesn’t matter what you are, if you are part of the pack you are part of the family. Wizards and witches tend to be more…singular you could say. Gypsies are about family connection, other side not so much.” He said thinking back about his own heritage. The man’s body language showed his relaxed state as his fingers pulled at his dark hair. ”I mean. Even if the werewolf passes on, the whole pack will keep their mate safe even if this mate is not a werewolf. So I doubt Lydia will be able to get away that easy especially if she is already part of the pack. Ugh. Where is Dina when you need her? I am sure she has read the werewolf handbook. She probably knows where it states that once you become part of the family you cannot just leave it.” he said laughing at Maya’s daughter. The girl was so…strict.

The wizard decided to lighten the mood (well lighten the mood for himself anyways) by reminding the werewolf to his right that Lydia was dating said vampire. Enzo had to place a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing as he watched Alexis’s reaction. That settled it, Alexis was bar far the most adorable being Enzo had ever had the fortune to get to know. ”Too little?” repeated the wizard hiding his amusement as he watched the woman beside him tremble with anger. ”I really do not think that is how it works Alexis. Lydia is far too interesting to be settled with a eunuch accountant.” he said in a know-it-for-fact sort of manner. A woman with eyes as radiating as Lydia’s had to be destined for something grand, at least that is what Enzo believed. ”And once again, it is not like Darius is a bad person. He is far more of a gentleman than I ever would be.” he said thinking of his mysterious friend. ”Plus, Darius would never get involved with a woman as quickly as he has unless he truly did like her.” he defended but somehow he doubted this would ease his beloved’s racing mind. Deciding against arguing with Alexis about Darius’s goodwill towards Lydia, the wizard moved the conversation towards Alexis’s cuteness. ”So there is something wrong if a man thinks you are cute?” he teased mostly to get under her skin. His smile lifted when she said only one person could get away with calling her Allie. ”And who was that person?” he asked with a hopeful expression. Maybe Alexis was just teasing him about not remembering? It was hopeful thinking but at this point that was all he had.

Hopeful thinking did not stop at Enzo’s thoughts. Darius also seemed to be delighting in a bit of hopeful thinking himself. Most of his hopeful thinking concerned the situation as a whole. He was hoping that maybe somehow things could just return to the way they were before all of this mess got so diluted. Shaking his head at his nearly impossible want, he nodded at the human next to him. ”Yes. We all grew up together.” he repeated. The further he got into the story, the less his eyes met Lydia’s. The conversation at hand was a hard topic to discuss, but the young woman’s eyes were ever harder to meet. He nodded when Lydia questioned if they had met before. He paused at her second inquire about why. The human seemed to sense Darius’s reluctance as she patiently waited for the rest of his explanation. ”Yes, married.” he reassured half way through his story to make sure Lydia had heard him correctly. His eyes met hers before looking forward again. His expression was strained as the topic furthered. He felt a lump in his throat as he watched the ground below them.

Finally, he pulled his gaze away from the ground only to see Lydia’s expression. He felt depression seeping in as he watched those gray eyes refuse to cry. Blinking, he listened to the businesswoman speak. ”That is what happens when someone is in love.” said Darius as he looked forward again away from Lydia. He was finding it more and more difficult to look into those eyes. ”They put their own jealousy, longing, and heart away to make sure that other person is happy.” he said his hands shifting in his pockets. ”I am not claiming that Enzo is a saint by any means, but there is a lot more to him then meets the eye.” he said smiling at his lifetime friend. ”And he wasn’t completely by himself. Jacob and Mary know.” he said in hopes that that would make Lydia’s eyes light up again. ”We just don’t want to upset Alexis because like you said, the whole Rogue thing. “ he said frowning at the idea of her running away. ”Enzo could never live with himself if he knew he was responsible for Alexis going Rogue. He still blames himself for their first misfortune.” his jaw tightened as he stared at the ground again.

The conversation was a heavy one indeed, but Darius knew that it was a topic that needed to be addressed. Maybe now Lydia would have a better understanding of how dangerous Vidar could really be? ”I hope you are right Lydia.” said the vampire smiling back at her when she mentioned that they would remain friends after all of this. A part of Darius wanted to just pull her into a tight embrace and tell her that they would not be friends after all of this but lovers. However, he kept his hands to himself as he nodded in agreement. For now, he would delight in the joys of just being next to her. The girl’s giggle was enough to send Goosebumps up and down his arms making the whole situation all the more tiring on the poor vampire. How was he supposed to just keep his hands to himself when she was being so irresistible? ”Because you are slowly becoming one of my favorite people to talk to.” he claimed with a boyish charm before glancing back at the odd sight. Dina, from Darius’s understanding, was not the sort of girl to go around kissing random boys. Sure, she was forward but by no means was she that forward.

Dina smiled softly when the other girl claimed that she looked like her sister. ”Really? A lot of people tell me that.” she said gaining back her composure much faster than her partner in crime had. There was only a small hint of blush left as she kept her focus on the businesswoman before her. ”Rest assure. I am almost finished with school.” she claimed not wanting to lose her chance at a job. Knowing Dina, she would take extra courses just to insure that she got the position she had her eyes on. The future lawyer let out a small sigh of relief when Lydia claimed that her offers were never short-term. ”Well, I do not want to keep you waiting for long. I will try my best to finish school as quickly as possible.” Her tone made it quite obvious that she meant what she said. ”Thank you so much.” she said that smile that resembled her sister’s surfacing across her fair cheeks.

Darius watched the two women before looking back at Dog. ”I see.” he said his expression straining. Watching after Maya’s youngest child was turning into quite the chore for the vampire. The silly girl had willingly run off with some lovesick puppy who was seen was the bad guy in Darius’s mind. He could already picture Abram taking advantage of Cassey’s innocence. Next Cassandra would more likely than not be fawning over some bullheaded individual with a lust for justice! ”They haven’t…” Darius coughed uncomfortably before taking on the stern father role. ”I mean Abram has yet to try to…” Darius cringed. He just could not picture sweet little Cassey doing anything even remotely sexual. The thought alone had him about ready to lose his lunch. ”Your cousin has kept his hands to himself yes?” he finally blurted in a hushed tone. What? Darius had just seen the more awkward of the two werewolves locking lips with the more strict of the two sisters. Who knew what Abram was trying. ”I do not want to upset Lydia any more…so I mean no harm in my question.” he whispered after his pause. ”If Dina trusts you enough to not sue you for sexual harassment, then I will believe you if you tell me that Cassey is save with him.” That was saying a lot for a vampire to willingly believe a werewolf. However, Darius trusted both of Maya’s children whole-heartedly. So even though he may not particularly care for the other race, he would believe him.

Said former witch seemed to be making friends fast with the young president. Dina made a mental note of the time and place she had met her future best friend. Dina did not think they were going to be best friends, she knew they were going to be best friends. ”Really? And might I inquire on what this internship consists of?” asked the girl her eyes lighting up at the very notion of an internship. Dina pulled out a business card of her own as she switched cards with Lydia. Yes. This friendship was headed on the right foot indeed! ”My personal cell is located under my house phone. I figured just in case you need my number.” She said liking Dog all the more for his connections. Sure, it was a very superficial thing to like but it was not like that was the only reason Dina enjoyed the man’s company. He was also tall, dark, and handsome. No, Dina was not that superficial. She also enjoyed the fact that Dog had not judged her for her odd tendencies. Yes, Dina had already formulated why she liked the werewolf in a very organized fashion. She made yet another mental note to add some faults into the equation mostly to balance out her views on the Dog. One should never hold another to a perfect standard.

Nodding her head at her new best friend, Dina turned towards Dog. ”Yes, fetishes.” she repeated looking up at him blankly as if she were asking him if he enjoyed coffee or tea. ”I need to know these things. Would you like to see me in a maid outfit? A nurse? Maybe I could find one of my old school uniforms to wear? What do you prefer? These are simple questions Dog.” she stated innocently. ”While I do not intend on sleeping with you until we are properly married…although I may almost cave in a year from now…I would like to know what I should wear when it comes time for such a thing.” she said her index finger touching the edge of her cheek as she looked him up and down. ”Also, that way I can avoid outfits that may look somewhat like that. Or if you find it hard to focus when I touch your neck, I need to know so I can stay away from that area.” her eyebrows were slummed downwards in a determined manner as she stared at him intently. ”But Dog. If you do not keep to a schedule it will mess everything up.” she let out a dramatic sigh as she pulled out her miniature date book. It was such a handy thing being pocket sized as it was. ”The first kiss completely threw the whole order of things off.” she said marking it down shaking her head at their misfortune. ”Hm. Maybe we are moving too fast? You are right. Moving too fast is a bad thing to do indeed. I guess we can reschedule our make-out session and your fondling of my…” she blushed before continuing like the champ she was. ”To July. Which is about three months from now. Although, we might be able to work in a small heated kiss next month.” she said looking through her schedule book. ”However, to keep things from moving too fast, I, being the lady I am, will push you away.”

Dina was perplexed on what she should do as she continued to mark and change things on her calendar. No, the older Watson sister was most certainly not the romantic sort and saw everything as a business arrangement. ”Dog. Focus.” she said snapping her fingers in front of his eyes. ”If this is going to work we just need to follow these simple guidelines! Although, we did have an adventure today. With all the misunderstandings and such set aside.” she said her hand moving over her small mouth. She gave a firm nod. ”We will simply save our dinner arrangements for another night.” she decided firmly. ”Instead, we could get…erm…ah…pizza. Or my sister told me that your friend Jacob has a bar and grill? Maybe we could try that place? It would allow me to get to know your family.” she said hoping that she had not completely killed his spirit. ”Do not worry. We will take it slow.” she said patting the top of his hand.

Darius’s eyes were slightly wide as he listened to Dina speak. ”Ugh. I really do not like the idea of Dina explaining to…erm what was his name? Dog? All of the things in their future.” he said once again like that protective parent. He had seen Dina grow up so seeing her talking about such things embarrassed him. ”She’s always been like that. Quite the little planner. I remember when she was in high school, Maya did not know what to do with her daughter. Dina knew this boy was head over heels for her, so what did she do? She explained to him how she wanted to be asked for prom, where they were going to eat, what flower to buy her, gees she told him all the way to what dances they would and would not dance to.” he said with a stressed expression. ”If Dog can deal with her…scheduling more power to him.” If Maya was there, she probably would have laughed, squeezed Dina’s cheeks, and told her to not be so hard on the boy. ”She likes him though. Dina never, ever changes a schedule just because the other person cannot follow it.” he noted before holding his arm out so Lydia could take it.

Laughing slightly, Darius lead the way towards his apartment complex. ”I think we have spent enough time discussing stressful subjects. How about you tell me something about yourself?” he asked interested in Lydia as he turned his gaze towards the young woman. ”I know we began discussing it the other day, but we never really got into it. I’d like to know a bit about your family history. Maybe your father’s one redeeming quality? Or what you did as a child?” he asked blushing slightly as he looked the other way. ”I mean…if you do not mind telling me that is.” he suggested. His nose caught the smell of Enzo and Alexis causing him to take another route home.

”Alexis, I am not asking much of you. All I am asking is that you agree to get on this rom- erm I mean totally boring river boat ride.” teased Enzo as he held out his arm towards the romantic ride. ”Come on. You LOVE tiny little boats.” he said with a hopeful glance. ”Wait.” he said pulling Alexis into his arms. ”I think I hear someone.” Was the man actually afraid? Heaven’s no. He just wanted a reason to hold Alexis close and dear to him.

”It is a very simple schedule to keep to once you…UNHAND HER YOU PERVERTED WIZARD!” snapped Dina as she pulled out her paperspray and began to spray Enzo.

”My eyes! D…D…Dina it is me! Stop!”

”I know! That is why I am doing it!” said the Watson daughter as she continued to spray the poor man. Finally, she stopped and turned her gaze towards Alexis. ”Are you okay? Would you like to sue him?”

”Ow. Ow. Owww. Dina!” snapped Enzo causing Dina to give him the look. The poor wizard went cowering in the corner as he tried to clean to spray from his eyes.

”Hello.” said the young business woman in the strictest manner possible. ”My name is Dina Watson. I am studying law. As soon as I get my degree I would be more than happy to help take that man to court.”

”Dina!” cried Enzo. ”We are practically family!”

”Keep your hands to yourself you foul villain!” Dina accused before holding her hand out to introduce Dog. ”This is Dog. Yes. His name is Dog. He is my lover. I do not say boyfriend yet because we have not reached an emotional connection in our blooming romance. We have shared a kiss, which means that our relationship is strictly physical. Therefore, he is my lover. I tell you this because I want you to know that I will represent you with complete honesty.”

Enzo’s jaw dropped as he jumped up to his feet. ”You defiled my sweet little Dina!” he hissed which earned him a glare from that sweet little Dina. Instantly, he moved behind Alexis. ”Alllexxxiss! Protect me! She is frightening!” he said pointing at the girl with the perfect poker face.












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[Lady March Hare]

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ｈｅａｒｔ ｈｉｔ ａ ｐｒｏｂｌｅｍ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ { ｅ ａ ｒ ｌ ｙ } ｈｏｕｒｓ,
Ｓｏ Ｉ ｓｔｏｐｐｅｄ ｉｔ ｄｅａｄ ｆｏｒ ａ ｂｅａｔ ｏｒ ｔｗｏ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ＣＵＴ ｓｏｍｅ ｃｏｒｄ (ａｎｄ Ｉ ｓｈｏｕｌｄｎ'ｔ ｈａｖｅ ｄｏｎｅ ｉｔ)
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｆｏｒｇｉｖｅ ｍｅ ａｆｔｅｒ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅｓｅ ｙｅａｒｓ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

▇ location: O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: N E W i F R I E N D ! XXXXX ♫ q u i e t m e l o d y ♫XX
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There was something so gentle about Darius, and as she took in his reaction to her words the human who accompanied him couldn’t hold back a small smile. He was even blushing slightly at their exchange, when Lydia herself was the only one who had any reason to be embarrassed! At least, that was the human’s outlook on the situation. She flicked a single hand out to pat the vampire’s arm reassuringly, taming her smile as best she could. “Of course not.” she assured him, her tone confident.

Alexis also slowed to a stop as Enzo did, her harsh blue eyes leveling on him as she shifted to give him a stern glare. She was sure the wizard was up to something… she just didn’t know what. It made her fidgety. “Well, yes… of course its silly.” she said, clearing her throat. “But she’s human. They often are.” she scoffed, then leaned close to the wizard with a scrutinizing frown. “True… you seem to know a lot about us. It’s weird.” she said bluntly. Shaking herself, Alexis looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. “Look… I know that, you know that… and I’m positive Lydia knows that too. Doesn’t mean she’s not going to try and do things her way. She’s used to getting things done her way and on her schedule… even way before she got into this president thing. If there’s a way around it, she’ll find it. Or… knowing her… she’ll invent a way that will, somehow, work, simply because she’s Lydia.” Alexis said with a pronounced roll of her eyes. “Dina? Tch… well, sounds like she and Lydia shouldn’t meet. It’d be too much for us…” she snorted, looking back to the ground. Fortunately, Enzo served as a point of distraction from this point. Welcome back the rage!

“Are you laughing at me?!?” the young woman spit out, indignant fire back in her eyes. “Yes, too little! Have you seen her? She’s like a twig! Like a sapling! Like a young duckling! Like a… like a… gah, like something else small and weak and stupid!” her eye twitched as she glowered at Enzo once again. “Too interesting?!? Don’t be ridiculous!” the she-wolf mutter. The eunuch accountant was a brilliant future plan, and everyone knew it! Enzo was just being difficult about it on purpose… probably for some perverted purpose! “Tch... it’s not hard for any of the male population to be more gentlemanly than you. And another reason he could have gotten involved so fast is because he’s up to something, or didn’t you think of that? Don’t lie; I know you did! But that’s not the point. The point is I don’t approve of this dating! Not at all!” Alexis objected, for some reason with more vehement passion then she had when she was convinced Lydia and Darius were dating because the vampire was hungry.

“I’m not cute; I’m beautiful, damn it!” the vain woman howled. “Babies and puppies and cupcakes are cute; I am not cute, damn it!” the she-wolf stomped forward, her brow furrowing in a frown at Enzo’s inquiry. “None of your damn business.” she said hotly. It would be too embarrassing to admit aloud that she couldn’t remember, despite the fact that she was insistent that only one person could call her such a nickname which implied that that one person was special enough to deserve such an honor. Special enough to be remembered; seeing as Alexis wasn’t even sure exactly even who this person that could get away with such a thing was… or if they even existed! It was just an idle feeling she had, an inclination she had no evidence towards… not that she would EVER admit as much aloud.

Lydia bit her bottom lip, glancing at Darius from the corner of her eye as best she could. He wasn’t looking her way, and it made her feel like she was making him uncomfortable with her lingering, demanding stare. She often fell into it when she wasn’t paying attention and, catching herself at it, she directed her gaze forward with a slight clearing of her throat. But his story made keeping her eyes away and her expression stony difficult, even though these things were the sort of occupations at which the young businesswoman usually excelled. So she steeled herself to silence and hoped that the worst of her emotion would be al least somewhat cloaked in her eyes. “I… I see.” she said softly, thinking of Enzo. Lydia didn’t think she’d ever have the ability to understand what the wizard was going through keeping this secret and, though it might sound cowardly, she hoped she never would. She didn’t think she was strong enough for such a thing to be born on her shoulders alone. So her gaze lit up slightly when Darius told her about those in on the secret, and a flickering of relief filled her heart. “Jacob and Mary… good.” she sighed with a sad sort of smile. “If there’s any pair of people out there that could help them in a situation like this, it would be them. I’m… I’m glad to hear that Enzo doesn’t have to do it alone. But... blame himself... he couldn't...” the girl trailed off, biting her bottom lip, and was for several long seconds thoughtfully silent.

“Of course I am.” Lydia laughed lightly when the conversation eased to the far more lighthearted topic of their continued friendship. Those big gray eyes turned up to Darius, blinked in surprise, and then warmed in a smile. “Really?” she asked in hastily concealed delight. The businessman really wasn’t showing signs of boring with her yet… that could only mean that she was performing their part in their agreement (friendship aside…) to his liking. Lydia could have skipped at the obviousness of this conclusion. “Likewise!” she informed him with a stately nod and a smile only barely bitten back.

The success of being in good standing with her business partner had Lydia in a spectacularly good mood, which might have been apparently as she reacted to Dina, a kindred spirit, with warmth. The brunette knocked dark strands behind her ears and listened attentively before offering a nod in response; though she was still in school, this young woman was clearly driven and determined… if this was the result of her experiences up until this point, Lydia was convinced that her instinctive impulse to offer the lawyer-in-training an internship position was a good one. She was so filled to the brim with the fighting business spirit that the conversation between Dog and Darius went completely unnoticed by the gray eyed human.

Dog shifted uneasily, not liking at all where Darius’ interrogation hinted to go to. He was a man of few words as it was, and there were certain things he just wasn’t comfortable talking about… his cousin’s sex life was one of them. He turned a bit red and cleared his throat, his face fixing itself in a scowl simply out of reflex. “O-Of course not!” he replied in that same quick, hushed tone. “I mean… no, of course not! No way! He’s… he’d never… not this soon… he’d… no, wait a minute! No! Of course not!” Well, this was embarrassing; he did not want to be thinking about Cassey and Abram together. It made his eye twitch a little bit. “No, he’s keeping his hands to himself… ah… wait. Upset Lydia?” Dog’s frown grew as he studied the vampire from the corner of his eye. The most awkward of the werewolf pack had long suspected that Lydia had a thing for Abram, though she had never admitted as much to anyone aside from Alexis… and even that admission had taken alcohol to prompt it. Green eyes darkened, and Dog shifted uncomfortably… so Lydia really did have feelings for Abram, Darius knew it, and he was dating her anyway? Something about this situation made Dog very uncomfortable… or very suspicious. Since he couldn’t say exactly what about he didn’t mention it, clearing his throat and looking back at the ground stubbornly. “Cassey is safe with Abram. He’d… he’d never do anything to scare her, or hurt her, or anything like that. He… she… she’s his attar. She’s precious. So you… you don’t have to worry.” Dog said. Funny; he felt like he’d been saying such things a lot recently. Not that he wasn’t used to speaking up for Abram… but still.

“It’s a relatively new internship program… originally it was a position with the law division of the company, going through the daily ordeal of ensuring that our products are always up to code, dealing with minor lawsuits, and the like. But since the shake up, I’ve decided to modify the requirements a little… interns will be keeping an eye on the law staff that I deemed not overly corrupt enough to be fired. To help… keep them honest, let’s say.” Lydia said in a purr that she very rarely employed, a smug smile on her lips. Since her father also had interest in the company he had a habit of sneaking his spies in wherever he could, but especially in the legal department. Lucy Fabian had turned a blind eye to it whenever she could in the interest of preserving peace, but Lydia had no such qualms: it was with fire in her eyes and the devil on her shoulder roaring in laughter that she’d booted most of her father’s spies from the company. Only a choice few of her father’s minions had survived, and they were around only so she could control the information her father was getting. But just because they were allowed to be there, didn’t mean that the human wanted them to get comfortable. “Yes…” she mused, her tone polite despite the sinister decisions that had many of her former employees calling her devil that were dancing about in her head. “I think you’d do quite nicely in that sort of position.” she added as she exchanged business cards with the other young woman. Clearly, these two were destined to be BFF’s. They’d go out for coffee, conferences, and court hearings, and have sleepovers where they’d giggle together under a makeshift fort as they drafted legal proposals against all of Lydia’s least favorite people. It was going to be delightful. Slipping the business card into her pocket for closer scrutiny later, Lydia nodded a bit shortly and smiled. “Thank you very much.”

Poor, poor Dog was not in nearly as optimistic a position. He was juggling dealing with one uncomfortable situation –reassuring a man like Darius that his cousin wasn’t a sexual deviant with Cassey as his intended victim—right on top of another, Dina’s blunt assessment and planning of their future together. It was a bit overwhelming, but Dog might have been able to deal with it with some semblance of fortitude had the pretty former-witch not mentioned fetishes. Dog liked to think that he was a relatively level headed young man, not nearly as perverted as most of the male race and, while guilty of thinking in the gutter every so often, a polite enough sort of person to keep himself from thinking that way against his will. Yeah… all of that was crap. The wolf’s face turned even redder than it was before (if you can believe it!) and choked on nothing in particular as Dina felt the urge to elaborate. Why was she elaborating?!? It was done innocently enough, so she wasn’t teasing him… was she? Maybe she was, because each option she offered projected into his mind in full HD-quality picture, and all claims at being a non-pervert were flung out of a window. “S… Sleeping together..?” he whimpered, looking a bit dazed as he stared at her, for once as open and transparent with his desires as Abram. Slapping a hand to his face (painfully, it might be added) to hide his sudden nosebleed, the werewolf scrambled to think of something acceptable to say, anything acceptable to say. “I’m…… sorry.”

“Wow…” Lydia’s soft murmur reached his sensitive ears. “You’re a terrible liar, Dog.”

“I… I d-didn’t say that we were…” Dog, pretending that he couldn’t hear that obnoxious statement, said, his tone muffled by his hand. Clearly Dina’s continued planning was not helping him regain his composure… quite the opposite, actually. “Months? Dina, I…” Dog blinked and snapped to attention as the older Watson sister ordered him to focus, gulping hard and looking considerably guilty. Gah! It was like she could read his mind, which made him look more and more guilty. “R-Right, family.” he agreed, then deadpanned. Clyde was going to have a field day; he could already feel it. Clearing his shoulders and giving himself a mental slap, Dog nodded. “Jacob… owns the Wolf’s Bane. They have all sort of food there. I’m… I’m sure he’ll be able to fix you something you’d like.” he muttered, scratching the back of his head as he attempted to recover from his particularly embarrassing display.

Unlike Darius, Lydia had little stars in her eyes as she studied Dina during her run down of her future with Dog. “Such… efficiency…” Lydia murmured in awe, hands clasped before her. What she wouldn’t give to have a hundred like Dina working for her. Fellowship Pharmaceuticals would be unstoppable! She was lost in the daydream for a minute before she caught herself, shaking her head. It was pretty darn official; Lydia and Dina were forever friends. Catching Dog’s embarrassment with a tiny, teasing grin that came natural from a young woman that considered Dog her brother (albeit a lackadaisical brother that had to be fired from his own birthday planning…). “Is… is that so?” she asked, pressing a fist to her lips to hide the amused smile that seemed stuck to them. Gray eyes fond, she cast a final look at Dina and Dog before smiling up at Darius and twining her arm through his. “I’m glad…” she murmured as she settled her form against Darius’ with a small sigh. “Because it looks like Dog definitely likes her.”

“Something about myself?” Lydia parroted curiously as Darius led the way to his apartment. “Oh, I see… no, I don’t mind.” she added thoughtfully. After all, both lovers and friends were expected to know a good deal about one another, so talking about stuff like this was somewhat like killing two birds with one stone. “There’s not much to my history, honestly…” she said, but laughed lightly at his inquiry after her father. “His redeeming quality is that he loves me, I suppose. Psychotically, and with a need bordering on dependence, sure, but he loves me. As a child, I never had to worry about being the only child without a parent to show up on family day, or some such thing. He’d always be there for such events. Of course, I later learned that he was able to be there by shoving his work off onto my mother, therefore making her unable to make much of a showing in my non-business life… ah, but I suppose it’s all relative.” she continued with a wry little smile. “As a child… I… hm. I suppose you could say I was very sheltered, and I never had many friends. I grew up around the business… mother always used to say that she had my crib wheeled into her office when she was supposed to be out on maternity leave so that the two of us could get started on the important things. I was home schooled by my secretary, Olivia, until I was twelve, when my parents officially separated. Things between them had always been… strained. They never fought in front of me, but I knew. Their split came because of my father’s ideologies… which apparently got nothing but more outlandish and more extreme in the time after he and mom got married. She always said that the stress got to him, that he needed someone or something to account for all of the suffering people go through in their day-to-day lives… suffering he’s come to attribute to any race that isn’t human.” Lydia sighed softly, her eyes dark. Despite her somewhat sympathetic portrayal of her father, there was no sympathy in her tone. “After all of that, I was sent off to private school… it was boring.” she had no problem in stating with a grimace. “Even becoming student body president didn’t help keep me entertained… so I started taking college level business classes in my free time my sophomore year. So by the time I graduated… well… I only had what equated to two years of classes separating me from my college degree. After I fulfilled the requirements and graduated I went away to a sister company to serve an internship position as an administrative assistant. It was supposed to be a year and a half investment of time, but I didn’t make it that long. I got the call that mom had been in an accident. It was three thirty in the morning…” she trailed off, her tone somewhat nostalgic. For a second she was quiet, and then the young woman cleared her throat. “Ah… even though there’s nothing interesting about it, seems I’ve gone off on a tangent about me anyway.” she laughed lightly, brushing stray strands of brown behind her ear a bit sheepishly.

Lydia was oblivious that her wolf sister was so close by and, in an odd turn of events, Alexis was equally ignorant. The raven haired werewolf was too busy being distracted by Enzo to pay attention to her nose, an observation that would be sure to annoy her later. As it was, a disbelieving sneer twisted her features as she looked from the ‘totally boring river boat ride’ to Enzo, back, and again. There were little hearts on the sides of the tiny boat. The attendant was dressed up like a fat, balding cupid. “Tell me, Enzo.” she began in a calm tone, one that was like a trap to lure the wizard in to the pool of growing fury that it hid. “Just how stupid do you think I am? Do you think I’m blind? Do you think I have some sort of issue with my eyes? Are you under the impression that those who can turn into animals can’t see color, or can’t properly identify shapes? Because there has to be something that you think is wrong with me if you actually believe that I would willingly get onto that thing with yo-!” Alexis might would have continued in this abusive fashion had Enzo not suddenly pulled her to him, twining his arms around her firmly. Her form seemed to lock in with his and Alexis turned a little red in fury… only his smell stopped her from going for the solar plexus. His scent… it overwhelmed her, drowned out her objections, made her shapely form stiffen and her eyes widen. The she-wolf twitched, struggling with herself; the immediate urge to press their bodies together and bury her nose in this scent was not acceptable, damn it!! Fortunately she was saved from this bizarre reaction by a small woman with a can of pepper spray.

“Wait, Dina, I don’t think..!” Dog’s objection fell on deaf ears, and the green eyed werewolf deadpanned. He winced very slightly as he came to a stop at the scene, looking at Enzo with silent sympathy before turning his eyes to Alexis. She was standing alarmingly still, her hair hiding her eyes, and Dog lifted an eyebrow. “Alexis?”

“Sue him?” Alexis’ voice came in a soft, breathy whisper. “No… I want… I want to… KILL HIM!” she ended in a roar, her head snapping up and such fire filling her sapphire eyes that it made Dog jump. “I’LL KILL HIM AND BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE AND TORTURE HIM A LITTLE BEFORE KILLING HIM AGAIN!”

“Alexis!” Dog gulped and tried to keep his expression serious as he moved to place his hands on his wolf-sister’s shoulders, clearing his throat. “E-Easy, Alexis… and watch the volume. We’re out in public.”

“What are you talking about?!? What sort of brother are you?! Didn’t you see?!? He was molesting me!”

“No, he wasn’t actually… not from what I saw…”

“Well, that’s because you were too busy being a..!” Alexis’ jaw snapped shut, and her eyes narrowed on Dina in disbelief. “What?” she answered in irritation… and then deadpanned, her rage –amazingly—temporarily forgotten. “Wait a minute… did you just say… did you just say lover? Did she just say lover?” This last question was addressed to Dog and was given in a way that allowed the red faced young man no time to answer before she continued. “Oh… oh my god! You… and she… and you… and she! Dog! You… you… dog! When you guys left the restaurant I thought you were going to… but you two went somewhere and… physical relationship!?” the werewoman sputtered. “What are you doing jumping into bed with a woman like this, Dog?! I thought you had more sense!”

“Listen when people talk!” Dog objected, his face bright red yet again. “D-Dina, this is Alexis… she’s in my pack, my sister.”

“Nice to meet you, because I will need you to represent me in the murder trial I’m apparently going to need!”

“Easy… easy now…” Dog mumbled, still embarrassed, and looked at Enzo unhappily. “I-I didn’t defile anyone!”

“Frightening? Frightening? I’ll show you frightening!” Alexis vowed as she rounded to face Enzo, her hands on her hips and that fire still in her eyes. “What did I tell you about the touching, you pervert?!? You got what you deserved!”

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Ｉ ｓａｉｄ ｎｏ, ｎｏ ｙｏｕ'ｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｏｎｅ ｆｏｒ ｍｅ!
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▇ location: O U T S I D E XXXXX ▇ mood: O U C H . . . A G A I NXXXXX ♫ u p b e a t m e l o d y ♫XX
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“Is that so?” Abram murmured with a small, secretive smile. He was going to interrogate Dog as soon as possible to see if he would give the same story Dina was giving him. Just for amusement’s sake. Deciding to let the topic of Dog drop (at least for the moment), Abram touched on the attar… and laughed a bit nervously as Dina gave a simple warning about her and her father’s fear factor. Yeah, like Abram needed that little reminder… he was still tripping up on Operation Impress Dina; he didn’t even want to think about the pains Operation Impress Odin would be sure to give him yet. “Right…” he sighed, still grinning despite himself. It was a good thing some small part of him had already braced himself for the long haul with Cassey, because he surely hadn’t seen the last of the difficulties he was to encounter in his continuance of his attempts to woo her. Teasing Dina served as a slight distraction, but the serious minded lawyer-in-training didn’t rise to the bait like Abram had been hoping. She processed his teasing, dissected it, extracted the information she needed to know, and cleanly disposed of the rest. Nope, didn’t look like he’d be able to rile this one up easily. Oh well. “No problem, Dina.” he replied, bemused.

If only he could be so easily read to Cassey! Abram thought he was being pretty obvious, even if his words didn’t follow the trend. But Cassey treated him like he wasn’t reacting her to any way that was special… then again, if she were any other way she wouldn’t be Cassey, and the tawny haired werewolf could never wish that on the girl. Clearly her innocence was one of her many good points, and the fact that it was so strong as to prove itself something of a barrier to his advances only proved to him that he needed to try harder to prove himself worthy of being noticed as something different! That sparkle in her eye, that sweet, girlish smile… everything in her expression convinced him that this was so! He would have to assert himself, for the better good! It was decided… again. So Abram grinned widely at her outlook on the attar… hey, at least she didn’t think it was creepy! That was one less reaction he’d have to worry about getting from her once she finally figured out the extent of his feelings for her! “Romantic, huh? Hmm… yeah, guess it kind of is. But don’t tell anybody; I think we werewolves are supposed to be the tough guys of the mythical creatures world.” he chuckled. Of course, the mention of Darius tripped him up slightly, and Abram made a face. “I doubt it would matter much to that guy. Vampires think that the attar’s dirty, or creepy… or both.” Abram said in a bit of a mutter. It wasn’t exactly like him to throw in such a jab about a person… but this was a vampire they were talking about and, of the vampires, it was Darius, the king of wickedness, that they were referring to, so Abram really couldn’t help himself. Nope, there was no being delicate when Darius was mentioned… Abram’s jealousy heart wouldn’t allow it.

Of course, saying such a thing about the man the girl beside him loved probably wasn’t clever, but Abram wasn’t the cleverest of creatures when it came to Cassey. There was something to be said about falling head over heels… it didn’t lead to the finest achievements in logical thinking. Take the whole ‘Cassey thinking Abram was in love with Dina’ thing. Logically, he might have been able to bring Cassey to a proper understanding if they had sat down for a detailed, bulletined discussion on the subject. Instead, the young man found that the only right course of action was to chase the girl trying her best to cheer him up down and tackle her. Yeah… logic. But Abram wasn’t the sort of man that regretted an action once it was taken, and was determined to make this situation work out for him. Hey, at least Cassey couldn’t get away from him if she was pinned below him! Which was a thought process that made him sound like a complete creeper, but before her really had time to realize it, settle on the idea, and actually reflect on the position he found himself in, he was, quite amazingly, sent flying.

A victory snort left the flared nostrils of Officer Nixby and the gleam of triumph filled his dark eyes as he puffed out his chest and reveled in the feeling of administering justice. The young woman he had just saved was applauding him… as well she should, for though he was an average Joe just trying to serve the peace, it was good to acknowledge that justice had been done. “Thank you, ma’am!” the minotaur said with a nod flavored with no hint of modesty at her praise. However, his face grew stern at Cassey’s explanation, and he pointed a finger at her dramatically. “Tag? Nonsense! Don’t let the sexually deviant trick you, you pure soul! There are games they play to try and lure you in, but you have the power to prevent it! First! See the wickedness in his intentions; you can see it in their eyes! Second! Access the situation! If a strange man in a park wants to play tag with you, chances are he’s a sexual predator! Third! Alert the authorities! That’s me, Officer Nixby, and we will rain down the cleansing rain of justice on all who would abuse the innocence of a childhood game!!!”

It was strange… maybe a result of the impact… but Officer Nixby’s voice was ringing strangely in Abram’s ears; it was giving him a headache. The normally even tempered young man winced and studied the police officer in disbelief, wondering if he’d be warranted in transforming and settling the score. Nope; the logic that was in deficit when it came to his decisions regarding Cassey stepped up to the plate whenever people with police badges were concerned, and the young man mushroom sighed heavily. Oh well; didn’t mean he wasn’t still mad. Wincing, the lanky youth shifted to his feet and moved back towards Cassey, his irritation evident on his handsome features.

“Hey.” he said dryly, a single green eye twitching slightly. “Now, I’m no expert on these things… but I think that thing you just did? You know, the head butting me across the park? Yeah, that; I’m pretty sure that was police brutality. An unwarranted show of force. Somethin’ like that.”

“On your feet again, are you, molester!?” Officer Nixby bellowed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Abram disapprovingly. “Have you come back for another lesson from the school of Hard Knocks? Or have you seen the error of your ways and are here to repent and serve as an agent of justice?!”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Abram deadpanned, his expression going doubly so when he saw Cassey’s admiring expression. Yup, the universe hated him. “You broke my arm, why would I..?”

“Ha! You’re a werewolf! I could have broken your spine and we’d still be having this conversation now! That’s why you need to get off the path of deviance, you bright eyed rapscallion! Evil is making you forget what you are!”

“Forget what I… okay, look, I was just…”

“Then you admit it! A true victory for justice!”

“Wait… what..?”

“Worry not, ma’am; though I cannot return the love you have for me, your hero, I can at least assure you that I have reformed this sexual predator in your honor!” the police officer bellowed, emotional tears of pride in his eyes as he looked to Cassey. “Never again shall he stalk you through the streets, for Lady Justice had taken hold of his mind and purified him of all of his evil thoughts! Therefore, do not live in fear, young lady! Nay! Live each day to the fullest, with love and light in your heart! And know that when darkness falls, I shall be patrolling the streets like I am now, defending you while you sleep!”

“It’s not dark yet.” Abram piped up disbelievingly.

“Farewell, ma’am, and stay safe! Remember what I’ve taught you today, and remember that where there is a want of Justice I, Officer Nixby, shall always arrive to correct it! Farewell!” the overly dramatic police officer hollered before practically flying away.

For a long minute Abram felt like he literally couldn’t speak; he had, apparently simultaneously, been labeled a sexual deviant, been punished for being a sexual deviant, been lectured for being a sexual deviant, and been reformed from being a sexual deviant… without being a sexual deviant in the first place. Green eyes darkened and twitched in a way that couldn’t be healthy as he watched the police officer that the universe apparently used as some sort of private assassin practically skip away, chest puffed up and snout held proudly in the air. Slowly, Abram’s eyes traced from the departing idiot to the little witch at his side, and he nearly fell on his face at her words. She sounded so admiring of the clear lunatic… there was even an admiring gleam in her eye when she spoke of and looked after Officer Nixby! His breath left him in a great rush and Abram’s shoulders slumped, his head dropping. It was amazing how this nearest brush with… well… whatever it was the universe was putting against his efforts to woo Cassey, had left him feeling tired, like he hadn’t slept in days. It was a mental fatigue, of course… but whatever.

“Interesting…” Abram repeated, sounding winded. “That’s… one word for it, I guess…” A sound reached his ears and Abram blinked, distracted from his plight. “Cassey, was thaKKH!” The young witch’s head collided with his chin, snapping his head back, and Abram went rigid… for a second, pretty much dead. Dropping his head and rubbing at his chin with a little wince, he studied Cassey as well as he could, the pain fading fast. After all, a little head butt from Cassey was the least painful physical pain he’d had to endure that day. “Cook for me?” he parroted, somewhat surprised as he stared at the little witch. The proposition filled his head with the most delightful little vision, one that helped him completely forget the trials he’d been forced to endure in the course of the day…


*** Daydreaming Time..? ***

“You made this for me, Cassey?”

“Y-Yes, I did.” Cassey replied a bit bashfully, snuggling close to his side in the cozy little kitchen. “Does it taste good? I’m not the best cook, but I seasoned it with love!"

“What are you talking about? It’s delicious!” Abram replied with enthusiasm as he pulled her close. “I can really taste the love!”

“Oh, good! I’m so happy!”

“And now, to kiss the cook!”

“Gasp! You read my apron! I was afraid I was being too subtle!!”

“What? Never! Now, come here, you!”

*** Snap out of it, already! >_< ***


Yeaaaah… that’s how it was going to go down.

“R… Really!?” Abram asked, grinning widely. Hey, the sun was shining again! He believed this right up until the point where Darius’ name left Cassey’s lips; the werewolf’s head dropped with another heavy groan. It was like there was a little Darius following him around, poking him in the head with a stick every time he started to get too comfortable in his ideas about Cassey, sort of how some people had angels and devils on their shoulders, the werewolf supposed. Well darn, that was depressing, and Abram immediately went about shaking the thought off and riling his spirits so that he could speak. “Not… bloody enough… for Darius.” Abram deadpanned, sounding horribly winded again. “Ah… right. Happy to… happy to help.” After all, time with Cassey was time with Cassey… no matter what the girl’s motives, and no matter how sick it might be, just being with her, helping her, would make him feel better, even if all of the efforts were for another man. Abram knew this as clearly as if he’d suddenly gained the ability to see the future, and he sighed. It was a trying thing sometimes, to be a werewolf. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he looked up at Cassey with an oddly strained sort of smile and shrugged. “That sounds good. Lead the way, princess.” he chuckled.

Fortunately Abram’s natural optimism was a deep well of continuous strength and distraction to him… it really does pay to have a positive outlook on the world! The tawny haired young man felt his food spirits returning him as the little witch led the way to the apartment complex she lived in, and green eyes traced over the building’s exterior curiously. It brought a strange assortments of smells to his sensitive nose… prune juice, denture cream, and heavy perfumes; a brow lifted, but it wasn’t until Abram met the first of Cassey’s neighbors that he got a clue to that particular mystery.

“Ah…” Abram couldn’t help but grin. Enzo played bingo with a bunch of old people in his free time? He made a mental note to ask him to elaborate on it in painful detail, then smiled warmly at the elderly woman. She didn’t give him much of a chance to talk, so Abram just observed the old woman in amusement, making no effort to correct her assumption about who he was. Sure, it was a bit of a cheap trick, but the werewolf liked having people think they were together. Who knew; maybe if enough people assumed he and Cassey were an item, the purple eyed witch herself might start to entertain the possibility? Well, Abram figured it was worth a shot, even if it was a long shot. “Ah, I see.” he said with a nod; that explained a lot. Enzo’s reasoning for her living arrangement would have surely been up to Abram’s standards had he been able to hear them all the way through, but an annoying smell, then an annoying voice, interrupted the exchange.

Turning to look at the new arrival, Abram looked the young man over a bit dismissively. Nope, this kid didn’t belong here. Old people (and Cassey!) only! He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow as the young man looked at him, his own expression disbelieving. ‘Happened to buy two sets of flowers’… ha! A likely story! Bright green eyes narrowed in suspicion. He kept his eyes on Steve while Cassey spoke. “Three times a week, huh?” he said, grinning at Steve a bit evilly. “Wow, what a nice guy…” Cassey denied that she was his girlfriend, but Abram shifted to lay his hand meaningfully on Cassey’s shoulder. “That’s right…” he added, the smile dropping from his lips and a lethal sort of light entering his eyes as he leveled Steve with a warning glance… no, make that a warning glare. He might have been inclined to growl at the young man with obvious intentions, but he didn’t want to upset Cassey by getting all territorial around her… ‘friend’. As it was, the glare seemed to do the job well enough, and Abram was grinning widely again by the time Cassey’s attention turned back to him. “An accountant, huh?” Abram asked innocently, doing his best to project a little halo over his head. He’d been on the hunt for a nice, Lydia-marrying accountant… but this one wouldn’t do. Not without some eunnich-related improvements… which he supposed could be arranged. Abram chuckled, blinked, then deadpanned slightly at the sweet, oblivious little creature’s report that guys like Steve were showing up all the time. Following her inside and closing the door behind him, all hints of jealously were stashed away for later as he looked at the little witch with legitimate concern. He didn’t like Officer Nixby, but he felt like he should be here for another anti-sexual-predator lecture! Because that’s who those boys were… not just admirers of the girl he loved, but admirers with clearly evil intentions! “Is… Is that so?” Abram questioned slowly, his thoughts elsewhere. “Um, okay. Er… I’ll… prepare myself, then.” he added a bit lamely, and scratched the back of his head.

”Cassey…” the werewolf couldn’t help pursuing this topic, even as he gingerly accepted the glass of water the young woman was so good as to offer him. “About those guys coming to visit their grand… people. I’m not sure that’s what they’re here to do, if they do it so often.” Abram started in a business-like fashion, moving to plop down on the couch. He set the glass down –too distracted by the horrors that could be to drink anything—and continued in a determined tone. “Have you ever thought that they’re here because they’re after you? I mean, you’re a very pretty girl, Cassey! They probably come by with flowers like that because they’re hitting on you. You’ve gotta be careful with guys like that, Cassey… they’re just up to no good!” the tawny haired werewolf said with a justified nod. Never mind that he was pretty much in the same boat as these guys he was easily condemning; in Abram’s mind, they were after his poor, sweet, innocent Cassey and deserved to be vilified!

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{ ｓ ｅ ｎ ｔ } ｉｔ ｔｏ ａ ｐｌａｃｅ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｍｉｄｄｌｅ ｏｆ ｎｏｗｈｅｒｅ
Ｗｉｔｈ ａ ＢＩＧ ＢＬＡＣＫ ＨＯＲＳＥ ａｎｄ ａ ｃｈｅｒｒｙ ｔｒｅｅ.
[ＷＯＯ - ＨＯＯ!]
Ｎｏｗ ｉｔ ｗｏｎ'ｔ ｃｏｍｅ ｂａｃｋ, 'ｃａｕｓｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｏｈ ｓｏ ｈａｐｐｙ
▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ Ａｎｄ ｎｏｗ Ｉ'ｖｅ ｇｏｔ ａ ｈｏｌｅ ｆｏr ｔｈｅ ｗｏｒｌｄ ｔｏ ｓｅｅ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇

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A faint girlish giggle erupted through Cassey’s lips when she heard Abram explain how werewolves were supposed to be the tough guys of the mythical world. ”But every werewolf I have meet has been very sweet! Nothing like the old stories used to say.” she argued leaning sideways as she spoke. Her expression saddened slightly when Abram explained what vampires thought of werewolves and their attar situation. ”I don’t know about that.” she said placing her hands behind her back as she walked along side the werewolf. ”There is a lot more to Darius than meets the eye.” she said holding up her index finger towards her eye as if to further her point. ”My mom used to talk about him all the time when I was little.” she said thinking about her mother fondly. ”She said that Darius’s heart was SOOO big that it is often hard to see it. It’s like the earth. Every day we walk on it, but we never really think about it you know? I’ll admit he used to scare me as a child.” she said thinking about her childhood. ”It wasn’t until I was older that I finally saw just how wonderful he truly was.” she explained. ”I wish he looked at me the way he looks at Lydia.” she said her eyes looking downwards at that oh so interesting grass. ”When he looks at her, it is like nothing else in the world matters but Lydia. I don’t think I have ever seen in react that way to someone before.” she admitted. ”It makes me sad and happy at the same time. Sad, because I would like to be the one who makes him smile like that, but happy because even though I am not the one. I was able to see him happy.” she said before looking back at Abram. ”Augh. What am I thinking? Smiling and not smiling!” she said lightly hitting the side of her head with the bottom of her palm. ”I must sound ridiculous huh?” she questioned the werewolf. ”Is that what it is like with your girl? Happy just to see her happy?” she laughed changing the subject.

However, her question would have to be left unanswered as she decided to relax Abram with a game of tag. The game, however, was interrupted by one of the most interesting men Cassey had met all day. And that was saying something for the little witch. ”Trick me?” she repeated her eyes filling with worry. Her head moved back and forth as she watched Nixby explain just what he had done and how he had saved the day. ”Oh no! Sexual predator!?” asked the witchling as her fingers jumped towards her lips. This was exactly why Enzo had lowered their amount of television watching. Cassey was so easily moved by the lifting of a person’s voice that the older wizard worried for her sanity. Yes, Cassey was the kind to get overly attached the fictional characters especially when they spewed off dramatic sweet, sweet nothings. The young girl was standing on the edge of her seat as she nodded and shook her head no with officer Nixby. ”Oh I am glad you were here then! Poor Abram! I don’t think he meant too…” she tried to explain before Nixby continued with a firey passion that had Cassey rethinking her original thoughts. ”He was probably just wrapped up in his emotions! Werewolf stuff!” she explained looking at Abram for a moment before moving her glance back to Nixby. Once again, the officer shot that idea down causing Cassey’s eyes to grow big with concern. ”Molester!? Abram! What would your beloved think?” she asked before looking back at Nixby again waiting to see what he would say next. ”Please officer. Please help Abram learn the errors of his ways!” she encouraged.

”Oh no! Abram is stuck in the denial phase Officer Nixby!” said Cassey lightly pulling on the officer’s shirt. ”He doesn’t even know he is molesting people…oh poor Abram! We will get through this! Officer Nixby is a professional!” said the woman determined and trusting as ever. ”Wait…he admitted it? Yey for justice!” she clapped. ’Thank you so much Officer Nixby! You have saved my dear friend! Now he will be an upstanding citizen worthy of his beloved’s love!” she said fondly as she waved goodbye to the strange, strange man.

Cassey watched the area the police officer had disappeared to just in case he decided to pop up and give them more useful advice. ”Yes. Cook for you.” repeated the girl in an enthusiastic manner finally turning back around to look at Abram. The witch was still running on the slight buzz Officer Nixby had left her with. ”Oh please don’t get your hopes up too high Abram. I am not the best cook.” she said nervously as she patted the side of her hair downwards. She tilted her head curiously when she saw Abram’s expression turn a bit sour at the mention of Darius and…blood. Her eyes instantly held remorse as she shook her head no. How could she forget that he was a werewolf? ”Don’t worry Abram! Your meal is going to be special. JUST for you! So yeah. No blood in there.” she reassured hoping that would make him feel better. Cassey began to happily skip in front before she heard Abram call her princess. Her cheeks went about three shades of red as she turned her head back around. ”P…princess?” she repeated turning away in a bashful manner. ”That is what my mom used to call me.” she giggled as she dug her foot into the ground. ”But it sounds different coming from you.” she said looking at him before scratching the back of her head. She looked as if she were finally going to clue into Abram’s deep love for her only to shrug the feeling away. ”Odd.” she said hopping away from the werewolf. If nothing else, at least Abram had gotten her to blush.

Once the two made it into Cassey’s apartment complex, they were greeted by one of Cassey’s neighbors. Before either could properly explain that Abram was not Cassey’s significant other the woman had disappeared. Shaking her head slightly, the young witchling returned to her duties of trying to unlock her door. Steve was intimidated to say the least. Even after Cassey explained that Abram was just a friend, the human boy scurried off as if he had caught on fire. The young witch seemed to be completely oblivious to the actions between the two men as she made her way inside. ”Yes an accountant.” said Cassey happily as she patted the top of the flower’s bud as if it were its little head.

Bright green eyes narrowed in suspicion. He kept his eyes on Steve while Cassey spoke.

The girl was currently pulling her hair up into a ponytail when the werewolf walked up towards her. Dropping her hair, she gave him a slight head turn. ”Abram…” she said in the same tone he had used to say her name. ”Wh…What do you mean?” she asked in a confused manner when Abram explained to her that the intensions of those boys was not nearly as innocent as she thought they were. When he asked his neck question, Cassey paused to think it over. ”Nope.” she said simply when he suggested that they were there to see her. ”It never really crossed my mind. That’s sweet of them to care enough about our friendship to come visit me though.” she said before blinking as Abram continued. She sat down against her counter and crossed ankles giving her a casual appearance. Her body leaned forward as she nodded her head slightly. However, a long streak of blush scattered across her cheeks when Abram said the word pretty. ”Pretty?” she repeated touching the side of her cheek as if to feel the pretty he was talking about. ”Are you sure about that?” she asked shrugging the idea off slightly. ”Wait…careful? What do you mean? Up to no good?” she asked her eyebrows frowning as she thought about Steve again. ”I don’t think Steve is up to no good.” she said jumping off of the counter as she scurried off to her refrigerator.

She began to pull out an assortment of dishes as she talked to the werewolf. ”I think they are just trying to be welcoming. I mean Enzo and I are the youngest looking people living in this complex.” she argued as she gave a perplexed look to her dish of choice. She stared at it for about a minute before pulling out different spices. ”Besides,” she said coughing slightly as she poured random spices on top of the piece of meat she had. ”they all already know that I am Darius’s girl.” she said as if that was explanation enough. ”Now go on! You can’t watch me cook! It is a surprise!” she said lightly pushing against Abram shoving him out of the kitchen. ”Eep.” she said as there was a loud clash. ”I’m fine!” she reassured before the moving of pots and pans followed.

While Cassey was busy trying to fix dinner, a beautiful calico cat purred against Abram’s legs. The cat seemed to pop out of nowhere as she used the couch to jump upwards and gracefully land against Abram’s shoulder. ”My, my my aren’t you a handsome devil.” teased the woman quietly to herself as she let her cattail brush against Abram’s nose before delicately bouncing back to the couch. ”Young too.” she muttered sizing the boy up as she grew more comfortable on the couch.

”It is going to take a bit longer than expect Abram.” said Cassey as she came out looking like a mess. She had flour all over her face, her hair was filled with spices, and her apron was covered in what looked to be some sort of sauce. ”It is coming along though!” she promised before bouncing back into the kitchen.

The cat barely lifted her head upwards as she waited for Cassey to disappear. Once the witchling was out of sight, the woman transformed into the departing witch. She walked around the place Cassey had disappeared to making it look as if she really was Cassey. ”Tell me doggy…” she said touching the side of his cheek with the palm of her hand. She lightly moved him down to a sitting position on the couch. ”Is it true that an attar is like a drug for a werewolf?” she asked advancing on him fast. It was as if she were wearing a Cassey perfume. Her scent was almost identical to the witchling except slightly different. The mysterious cat woman pushed Abram all the way down before moving herself on top of him. ”You are a very handsome one aren’t you?” she asked her arms pulling him closer. She wanted to see how far she could take this. What sort of effect this whole attar thing had on a wolf. Usually, a werewolf would have been suspicious but what about while under the influence of an attar? Finally she pulled herself back so she could look into his eyes. ”I always thought it was an urban myth.” she cooed letting her fingertips slowly walk up his neck towards his cheek. She figured she had a little bit more time left before the spell wore off. ”To have this sort of control over the werewolf population…maybe that was how Odin did it?” she purred before the door slammed open. Her face was inches away from his, as an obnoxious voice run through the apartment.

”Why am I NOT surprised? We came here to check up on the girl and you find the first young man you can find.” grumbled the man. He looked to be around in his late twenties early thirties. His hair was turning slightly gray as he gave an unimpressed look to the woman sitting on top of Abram.

”Oh poo. I thought I was so clever telling you we were meeting by the park.” she said as she slowly transformed back into her normal self. She was quite a beautiful woman, but also clearly much older than Abram. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun while she was dressed in professional attire. ”If you want to loverboy. I could put my Cassey mask back on and we could have some real grown up fun.” she teased allowing her nose to press up against his.

”That’s enough Mrs. Robison.” mocked the man making a reference to the movie the graduate. ”I don’t think ANYONE wants to see you naked.”

”Hush. You know I am a beautiful creation.” she mocked causing the man to roll his eyes. ”Besides, it would not be me that he would see. But the youthful Cassandra.” she teased as she mockingly transformed herself into Cassey again. Only this time, she had transformed into teenage Cassey dressed up in her schoolgirl uniform. ”Teehee.” she teased giggling.

”You look like jailbait.” said the man his expression still unimpressed. ”If the only way you can get a man to bed you is through cheap tricks, there is something very very wrong.” he said moving his index finger back and forth. ”Now would you PLEASE change yourself back to normal?” he said rubbing his forehead.

”Oh are you saying that because Cassey looks SO much like Maya? What is it Lance? Are you being taken in by your lustful memories of the beautiful Maya? The woman you loved all of that time. And never said a word about it because she was swept away by another?” she continued to ask causing the man called Lance to stiffen. It was as if Abram wasn’t even there as the two council members spoke. ”You know. Cassey also has Maya’s temperament. Too bad, some werewolf boy has taken her heart! So sad so sad.”

”You don’t know what you are talking about Ka. Cassey is like a daughter to me. Now behave yourself before I get nasty.” he hissed causing the woman to transform back into her natural appearance. Lance looked annoyed with the situation as he looked towards Abram. ”I apologize about our entrance. I am-“

”UNCLE LANCE!” said Cassey as she ran out of the kitchen. She just about dropped her dish before quickly placing it on the table. Once it was on the table, she continued her quicken dash. ”I missed you!” she said jumping into the man’s arms.

Lance chuckled slightly as he patted the young woman’s back before releasing her. ”I missed you as well. I hope you have been keeping out of trouble.” he smiled fondly before glaring at Ka. Cassey looked nervous almost as soon as she saw the intimidating woman.

”No hug for me?” asked Ka holding out her arms.

”Oh sorry…” said Cassey nervously before she walked towards the woman and hugged her. ”What are you guys doing here anyways?” she asked as she moved back towards Lance. The older wizard placed his hand on top of Cassey’s head before glancing at Abram.

”We actually came to check on you. Where is Enzo?” asked the man looking around.

”YES! Where is that beautiful man!?” asked Ka who had little hearts in her eyes at the very notion of the perverted wizard.

”Let it go Ka. He was DRUNK and his wife JUST died. It is never going to happen again.” hissed Lance before zeroing his gaze on Abram. ”I also came here to talk to you.” he said with one solid nod.

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Enzo paused when Alexis commented on his knowledge about her species. He made a small eeping sound as he averted his gaze. ”Well. I mean I know as much as the next wizard-gypsy hybrid thing knows.” he reassured his hands fanning her slightly to distract her from his knowledge. He wanted to be subtle not blunt! There he was spewing off wolf-information as if he WAS a wolf. What was he thinking? ”I don’t think it’s weird. It is totally normal!” he declared flashing her his kitty-cat smile and peace sign. ”I mean I AM a rather old creature so yeah. Us old creatures we have to know things about stuff.” he continued to say digging his own grave. Luckily, Alexis’s attention was diverted to the topic of Lydia and Dina meeting. The wizard’s brief moment of relaxation came to a standstill at the very notion of those two women meeting. ”By the power of Ra!” he exclaimed his eyes widening. ”Those two would make my head explode.” he grumbled and complained. He could already see little Dina urging Lydia to show no mercy and Lydia nodding in agreement. ”The slackers of the world would cease to exist!” he said feeling sorry for those poor souls that stood in the way of that dynamic duo.

”Laughing? You make it sound like I am being cruel. I was just taking delight in your reactions. Is there anything wrong with that?” he taunted back. ”Too little?” he repeated watching the woman’s eyes burn with passion as she spoke. It was one of things he admired most about her. She always carried that unmatchable passion. ”Yes. She IS too interesting.” he corrected his index finger threatening to touch the top of her nose before withdrawing back. He liked Mr. Index Finger and would rather if Alexis didn’t bite it off so soon. ”Ouch Alexis. Thanks for that.” he grumbled at her comment about his gentlemanly qualities. ”Yes, but those men are also a hell of a lot more sneaky than me. At least you know I am honest. I say what I please. So it is not like I have anything up my sleeves.” he said pulling said sleeves up his towards his elbow to prove his point. ”So when I say Darius is a good man I mean it.” he said with one solid nod. He couldn’t help but groan when the woman brought up about how fast he was moving. ”Yes, because you wolves take everything so slow right?” he asked lifting his eyebrow at her. ”Darius is not a foolish man. He may live long, but that doesn’t mean she will.” he said pushing his hands into his pockets as he looked outwards.

”He sees something in Lydia. And well…he doesn’t want to screw that up. Besides, Lydia smells like roses.” nodded the wizard as if that explained all of Darius’s intentions. ”And she has gray eyes. I know it sounds odd, but it means something to Darius. That isn’t to say he doesn’t like her personality. Because if it was looks and smell alone, Darius would not bother with the woman. Vampires are not nearly as attached to smells as your lot.” he said thinking about it. ”Why get attached to a human when you know you will just outlive them? At least that has always been Darius’s philosophy. He used to swear that he’d never fall for a human. Their life spans were much too short. So I really do not think he’d get so attached UNLESS she was something special.” he said before laughing. ”Ah…yeah don’t tell Darius I told you that. He’d kill me.” he said pulling the hairs on the back of his neck.

He laughed slightly at the change of topic. ”You are beautiful, but that isn’t what makes you, you.” he said in a fond tone. ”Sure, yes you are beautiful but you are also cute. You should not limit yourself to ONE characteristic.” he said wiggling his index finger at her in that same old cheeky manner. His expression saddened slightly when Alexis couldn’t seem to remember who the person was. Placing his hands behind his neck, he shrugged. ”Couldn’t have been that important if you can’t even remember their name huh?” he said with a hidden smile at some unknown truth.

Darius touched the side of his ear feeling a sudden amount of heat. Was someone talking about him? Shaking the feeling away, he nodded when Lydia said Jacob and Mary. ”Even those two are werewolves,” he said somewhat reluctantly. ”They have to be two of the most welcoming people I have ever met.” he admitted before leaning in towards Lydia. ”But don’t tell the other vampires, or they may kick me out of my own race.” he said his tone light and friendly. It was so easy to talk to that gray-eyed human.

Talking to Lydia was like…well breathing as Cassey would have put it. Darius had never been in love before and was not completely sure how to approach this situation. He thought he was in love once, but found out later that it was just a boyish crush. This time, however, Darius was not so sure that it was just a boyish crush. Lydia made him feel…human. Just as the werewolves had their attars, vampires seemed to have their own way of seeking out a mate. However, most vampires were not lucky enough to find such a thing and most assumed that it was nothing but an urban myth. Isabella always raved about how Nick made her feel human. The notion was ridiculous when Darius first heard it, but now that he was with Lydia…well he could see somewhat of what his sister was always raving about. So when Lydia claimed that she was happy about staying friends after all of this, Darius could have SWORE his heart skipped a beat. Clearing his throat, he made his way to Dog and Dina. What an odd yet matching couple indeed.

”His…attar?” repeated the vampire his face going paler than usual. He rubbed his forehead in annoyance. Just great. Of all the creatures in the world Cassey just HAD to have a werewolf stalker. Darius had already been down this road once with his sister. There was no changing a werewolf’s mind once their nose told them who to love. ”Yes. Upset Lydia.” he repeated watching the woman. A small part of him wished the human would have been Abram’s attar for no other reason than to have her get what she wanted. Sighing Darius shook his head. Maybe he was also getting overly sentimental in his old age like Enzo was? ”That is where you are wrong Dog. Now I have to worry TWICE as much.” he grumbled about his misfortune. ”The council is going to have a field day with this one.” he scratched the side of his head as he thought about those cat men and women. And just like that, the conversation was over. Without saying another word, Darius took a step away from Dog and watched Lydia.

Dina rubbed her chin in interest as Lydia spoke. ”How productive of your company!” she nodded in enthusiasm. ”More eyes mean less errors.” she said in complete awe of Lydia’s business strategy. The woman’s eyes were filled with a sparkling wonder as she marveled at the businesswoman’s idea. It was brilliant, at least in Dina’s mind it was brilliant. With this plan not a single slacker could get away with not pulling his or her own weight. Now, Dina had no idea that there was any issue in the Fabian family tree. All she knew was that Lydia had single-handedly come up with a brilliant business technique. ”I mean everyone will be so dedicated to their work this way. Can you imagine? Faxes going out on time….no sexual harassment! Oh the possibilities are endless.” she encouraged. The female blushed when the other claimed that she would do nicely in that sort of position. ”Thank you that means so much coming from you.” she said recomposing herself before moving towards Dog.

Dina did not seem even remotely phased by Dog’s condition as she began to pull him away from Lydia and Darius. ”That is what people tend to do is it not? Sleep together I mean?” she asked her expression serious. ”But like I said before that is not going to happen for som…your nose.” she said pulling out a handkerchief. She handed the other the object with the same sternness she spoke to him with. She seemed completely unfazed by the fact that he had had a bloody nose. How could she pay attention to that small detail when there was so much to discuss? ”So you think our speed is efficient? If you do not like the manner our relationship is going please tell me.” she said her eyebrows wrinkling ever so slightly. She paused for a moment. ”Now, I assumed from my discussion earlier that I was your attar. If this is not so, please tell me now. I do not like wasting my time.” If Dina was not a lawyer she should have gone into teaching. The woman held that teacher tone. ”And if I am your attar, please man up.” she said crossing her arms as she stopped walking. ”You cannot flip out every time I suggest something. How do you expect me to get pregnant by the time I able stable with my law firm and feel my biological clock ticking, if you blush every time I say something? Men…” she grumbled while walking off.

”Efficiency? I guess you could call it that.” said Darius watching their departing selves as he scratched the back of his neck. Strange little duo that one was turning out to be. ”Well if they like each other….” he sighed before looking back towards Lydia. ”Yes…something about yourself.” he nodded surprised about how eager he was to learn about her home life.

”Your father and mother both seem to have cared a great deal about you, Lydia. I remember your mother speaking about you often.” he said laughing at the memory. He recalled Lydia’s mother practically dancing into his office with her latest picture and story of Lydia. ”She would always have a new story about you. She was extremely proud of you. When I met you face to face for the first time…well I was a bit surprised.” he said thinking about it as he continued to lead the way. ”I was expecting to see this itty-bitty little girl.” he said turning his head sideways. ”But you weren’t. You were a full grown young lady.” he said looking back at her. ”A young woman I know your mother would have been proud to see.” He also knew Lydia’s mother would more likely than not be a bit worried about her daughter’s choices. No, it was not that Lydia made a great deal of bad choices as much as the girl was simply too sweet in Darius’s opinion, much too trusting. But that was one of the beautiful things about her, and he could never willingly ask her to change that about herself. ”Being sheltered is not necessarily a bad thing though Ly.” he said becoming comfortable in the nickname he had given her. ”People your age are exposed too much I think. It defeats the mystery of life.” he said as the two got closer to his apartment complex. ”No, I find it very interesting. Most people I am around are so…” his expression strained. ”Detached from humanity. They are completely caught up in themselves. It’s nice to hear someone talking about things that have to do with their family instead of what possessions they own or who they are cheating on their spouse with.” he said showing his distaste for the vampire world. It was a very superficial group of people. ”It looks like I am going off on a bit of a tangent myself.” he laughed lightly as he went to open the door before having the doorman open it for them.

”Good evening Lord Darius. We…” the bellboy paused as he stared at Lydia lifting his eyebrow. He questioned in that same language Darius had used over the phone.

Darius responded in a dark tone causing the other to take a step backwards. His fangs were now extended as he waited until the bellboy to drop his head in submission. Vampires tried to act more civilized than werewolves, but when it came down to it they were just as territorial. Placing his arm protectively around Lydia’s waist he began to walk forward. The whole apartment complex had an empty feeling to it. It was beautiful to look at, but completely lacked any personality. No one smiled. No one laughed. It was cold and distant. Everyone there just held the appearance of stone glass. ”Good evening Darius.” said a woman as she walked towards the two. She was dressed in an old fashioned scarlet cocktail dress that had a split that went up her leg. She was beautiful, but held no life in her eyes. When she tried to reach down towards Lydia, Darius took a step in front. ”My. My.” she said with a laugh. Her laughter was not musical like Isabella’s had been. It was more of a deep chuckle that chilled against Darius’s spine. ”I didn’t know you were into humans.” she said the palm of her hand touching Darius’s cheek. ”If I remember correctly you v-“

”That’s enough.” he said lightly pulling back her wrist. color=darkred]”You do not want to keep your lover waiting now do you?” he asked pointing his head towards the man waiting for the woman. Letting go, Darius walked towards the elevator. His expression was distant. He looked lifeless. It wasn’t until they entered his suit that he spoke to Lydia. ”This complex.” he stated once they were alone. Life coming back to his eyes. ”Is filled with only vampires.” His fingers moved through his hair as he spoke. ”As you can see, my lot is not exactly the most lively bunch.” his eyes narrowed at the door before he offered Lydia the best smile he could offer. ”I think I have a bit of human food. Isabella insists that I keep human food just in case I am entertaining a guest.” he said walking towards his kitchen. The whole apartment looked like something straight out of a magazine but just like that complex it lacked something. There was no heart in this home. ”What would you like?” he asked opening his fridge to show almost every type of human food a person could imagine. ”Isabella must have snuck in here.” he said laughing slightly.

In the meantime, Enzo was trying to get on Alexis’s good side. Correction, he was trying to get Alexis to get inside of a ridiculous little love boat. ”Whhhaaaatt!? I don’t think you are stupid!” he argued and he would have continued his argument if the older Watson daughter had not marched her determined feet towards them. ”Y…yeah listen to your ahh-“ Dina did not give up as she continued to ruthlessly spray the poor wizard’s eyes. Finally, after some well deserved rubbing of eyes, Enzo was up again. ”Ehhh!? Kill me? B…B…But whhhy!?” he whined to Alexis.

However, Enzo’s pleas stopped almost as soon as he heard Dina speak. ”Ah. Your sister I see.” she said her eyes meeting Alexis’s. ”Miss Alexis. Your brother was quite the gentleman I can assure you. If you are worried that we have become sexual intimate you need not worry. That isn’t scheduled for at least a year or so from now.” she said pulling out her date book. ”Although, judging by the way everything is going. I think we will have to push the date back a little bit longer.” she said glancing back at Alexis. ”Especially since I am going to need to fit you in to my schedule Alexis. When are you free? We can share secrets during our first meeting, discuss Dog’s former relationships, and end with embarrassing stories.” she nodded unfazed as the woman threatened her sister’s teacher.

”Augh! Why is everyone trying to freak me ou-“

”Not now Enzo. We need to go to the Wolf’s Bane so I can meet Dog’s family. Granted that was not supposed to happen for some time, but we will make an exception. Besides, I do not think I made a very good impression this morning.” she said thinking about the situation. ”Enzo. Stop acting like a child.” he hissed causing Enzo to stand upwards.

”If we go to the Wolf’s Bane…that means the end of our date.” he whined but Dina seemed to care less as she began to take the lead.

”Dog…hurry up. We need to meet your family as soon as possible! Because I would like to get home soon so I can have a bit of studying in.”

”Gees, talk about a tight leash.” mocked Enzo watching the two.













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