December 17th

Where are my clothes?

It?s the sort of thought that usually strikes mid-afternoon following a long night of blacking out only to awaken amongst empty bottles and broken memories. It?s also a thought that often crosses the mind of a shape-shifter who isn?t careful when it comes to putting their clothing somewhere safe during shifts. It?s a problem that Lenore runs into a lot though she?s not so sure about others with her condition.

It?s too early in the morning to worry about people passing by but any scrap of modesty Lenore could muster about her situation no matter the time of day would have been forced for the benefit of others rather than herself. Standing in the middle of the snow laden alley as naked and pale as the day she came screaming into the world with blue hair splashing down her back that gave her the appearance of a displaced sea siren.

With no sign of her jeans or sweater from the previous evening on the ground she?s forced to dip into her secret stash wrapped in layers of plastic shopping bags stuffed between a brick wall and an oversized garbage bin. A black skirt, a black tank top, a black hoodie, and a spare pair of black combat boots solidify her passage from the animal kingdom into some sort of upright walking normalcy.

There?s nothing left for her in the alley but she?s not sure where to go from here. Her body sways towards the door leading inside the Inn and it brings back the memory of the previous evening, the loud snap it made when she slammed it shut behind her. Even now she can?t clearly explain what had set her off so badly. More than likely it was a mixture of a simple enough debate, an interruption, topped off by the press of the full moon weighing on her shoulders that caused all of the beasts within her to howl and growl just beneath her skin. She had lost control to say the least.

That propels her backwards, shuffling steps carrying her towards the mouth of the alley. Part of her knows she should go upstairs this second to find Cris. She should apologize for storming out of the Inn, for being gone the entire evening without a word, for leaving him alone overnight when she would have been a complete mess if he did something like that to her.

She can?t. Not now. Not yet. One evening of running wild isn?t going to solve her problem and she knows that?s what it is, a problem. The consequences of her latest outburst weren?t so bad, a few owed apologies and some lingering embarrassment, but what about next time? She?s positive there would be a next time. RhyDin allowed her to toe the line between shifter and human more freely than ever before and with each passing day the animal within her was becoming more loud and proud than anything she was used to. Would she ever be able to manage it?

That?s the question that leads her to a nearby payphone and she?s thankful that RhyDin is one of the most advanced and also the most outdated when it comes to technology considering this wouldn?t be available if she were back on Earth. A few emergency coins are drawn from the hidden pocket within the waistband of her skirt and sunk into the slot on the phone, only a moment of hesitation halts her fingers before she dials out a number she has repeated in her head like a silent mantra since she first learned it. Her heart leaps up into her throat when clicks switch to ringing and it?s like a fist to her gut when the other end picks up.

?Hello??

She can?t get out a word when he answers and she?s not sure what she had been expecting when he spoke but the sound of this unfamiliar voice that had so much more in common with her than anyone else in this city stills her to the core.

?Hellooo?? The word is repeated, sing-song yet managing to lack the warmth of an actual joke. The silence drags on and the next words carry ice straight through the receiver. ?I can hear you.?

?Andrew.? She squeezes out his name and moves the phone away from her mouth so she can take a deep breath and work to sound more relaxed when she speaks again. ?Is this Andrew??

?Andrew speaking.? His entire tone turns around from predatory to something more fitting for a bright eyed telemarketer trying to make their quota for the day. ?And who do I have the pleasure of speaking to on this fine morning??

?You gave your phone number to Cris and he passed it along to me.? Not bypassing his question entirely but it certainly was a sway around it. ?He told me that you?re interested in speaking to me. About your? relative.?

?Ahh, Cris. After all this time I assumed he had either kept my inquiry to himself or spoke so poorly of my mission that I wouldn?t hear another word from that lead.?

?N- no. He told me.? Thin fingers loop themselves within the phone cord, hazel eyes pointed downward and she steps closer to the payphone even if there?s no one to protect her conversation from. ?I just? needed some time.?

?Needed some time.? Just a dash of puzzlement when he repeats what she said. ?You know there?s nothing to be nervous about, right? I gave Cris a name in addition to my phone number; did he pass that along as well? All I would like to know is if you?ve ever ran across that name before, Lenore Abigail Reid.?

Lenore winces hearing her own name, still getting used to the sound of it after all of these years. ?I don?t want to discuss it over the phone. I want to meet face to face.?

?Is that so??

?Yes, that is so.? Why did he sound so skeptical? Why did he sound like he had reason to be wary of her when he was the one who blew into town searching her out? Not that he?s aware, but the thought made her brows pinch with worry that he would deny her for some reason.

?When and where??

?Teas?n Tomes, the tea shop in the market. As soon as you can since we only have until sundown.? She wants to be relieved when he agrees to see her but a new fear latches onto her. Now she would have to actually meet Andrew face to face, on her own.

?You speak as if it?s some sort of curse. As if you?re reduced to some lesser being when the sun sets.?

?Are you going to meet me or not??

?Of course I?ll meet you, I?m the one seeking out information from you. Remember??

?Oh. Right.? The thought had escaped her considering her goal for their meeting is to pick his brain about anything and everything she could think of. The promise of knowledge being just within reach spurs her along. ?I?m on my way now. I?ll be waiting, okay??

?Do I get a name to go along with this mysterious meeting or will you simply wear a red carnation in your hair??

?Do you really think there is going to be a crowd at the tea shop??

?It was a pleasant way of asking for your name, dear. Do try to keep up.?

Lenore tugs the phone from her ear to glare down at it. They hadn?t even met yet and she already has the desire to swat him upside the head at her first chance. So this is what it?s like to have relatives? The receiver is drawn back to her ear and she hisses into it, hoping her faked bravado is as convincing as she would like to think. ?You?re smart. You?ll figure it out.?

?Looking forward to it.? Not a word more or less and the line went dead.

After hanging up the phone she leans forward, hands folding and her forehead resting on the back of her palms. Lenore knows how she can get the day of the full moon. When shifting at night isn?t an option but mandatory. It makes her cranky to say the least. Is Andrew going through the same thing or was his personality always so sparkling? Unable to decide she pushes off the phone and starts in the direction of the tea shop. Hopefully she would get the answer to that question and more. All she has to do is manage to not get cold feet before getting there.

Lenore lost track of how long Andrew?s been silently staring at her but she?s reaching her fill. While she can understand his surprise, she feels the same way, it doesn?t stop her from wanting to carefully curl in on herself and hide behind her hair until he regains his senses.

?Can you please say something??

?I?m not sure what to say if I may be completely frank. I?ve been imagining this exact scenario, playing it all out in my head and yet everything I had planned on saying seems to fall rather short now that the situation presents itself.?

?Well?? Fingers passed through blue hair to comb a stray piece out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. ?What did you imagine yourself saying??

?Hello, Lenore. My name is Andrew Oliver Reid. You don?t know me, but I?m your cousin.? It?s rare for Andrew to be thrown off and even though he?s internally reeling from this series of events he didn?t see coming by a long shot he still manages to look and sound so poised.

?I think that was good. It was nice.? Her hand lowers from her hair to catch her elbow, fidgeting from pose to pose because she doesn?t know what else to do with herself.

?Thank you. I always felt it was straightforward yet earnest.? His attention falls away to the girl standing at the register who is tossing a very confused look between the pair. It prompts Andrew to clear his throat and gesture aside. ?How about you find us some suitable seats and I?ll get us something to drink, Lenore. Is coffee alright??

?Yes to the seats. No to the coffee.? Nose wrinkling. ?I?ll take tea, please. Vanilla and almond chamomile with honey. Thank you.? She lingers in place a short while longer watching Andrew raise a brow at her and her drink of choice. Eventually she shoves out of the doorway to seat herself at a table with a chair across from her. Andrew puts in the order and pays then it?s with long strides that he joins her and settles himself in the seat opposite of Lenore.

She notes that this time around instead of staring at her so intently out of confusion and surprise he?s appraising her, seemingly taking in every small detail he can find. It would be enough to drive her mad except she?s doing the exact same thing to him, going so far as to learn forward over the table to exhale a mystified breath. ?Cris was right. Your eyes do look exactly like mine.?

?I had been going on the assumption that we would have similar hair as well, but I see you?ve managed to nullify that.?

?Oh, yeah.? Bringing her hair around to stroke it over her shoulder like it?s a living breathing entity he?s speaking of. ?I haven?t been blonde for a while.?

?Right.? After all this time their first few moments of contact are spent talking about hair. It?s with a heavy exhale that Andrew shoves his hand through his own bright blonde locks and gestures at Lenore. ?You?ll excuse me for being so frank but I?m unfortunately lacking the exact protocol one is to follow in this situation. I?ve been trying to find you for the last year, after I visited your parents and they informed me that you had run away-?

?I did not run away.? The accusation and the ease it takes to make her blood boil today forces the words to come out so much harsher than she had wanted and she automatically slaps a hand across her lips to silence herself. Her chest begins to heave beneath the fabric of her hoodie and she shakes her head. ?This is what I wanted to talk to you about. This is why I wanted to meet you alone. I feel like I?m losing any sort of control over myself and I need to know how to fix it. How to make it stop. You can help me, can?t you??

It isn?t the outburst that breaks Andrew?s smooth visage but Lenore?s overabundance of emotion and pleading do the trick. ?Make it stop? Make what stop, your very nature? I refuse. You must be kidding.?

?I?m not.? Her hand drops sharply onto the table between them. ?I absolutely lost it last night, it was a mess. I?m losing myself more and more the longer I?m in RhyDin and I assumed you would be able to help me. I know this probably isn?t what you wanted to deal with when you found me, but I need your help.?

?I didn?t know what I was going to be dealing with when I found you. Considering your parents told me you ran away I was readying myself for you to leap at me and bite my throat-?

?I did not run away!? The flattened palm lifts and curls to slam a table rattling fist down. Instantly she freezes. He?s probably disgusted with her. In less than a half hour she?s managed to convince him that searching her out was a terrible idea.

Instead, Andrew is smiling ear to ear, a single nail scratching at the top of the table unmoved by her outburst. He looks pleased by it if anything. ?I apologize, Lenore. I?m only going by what I was told. May we please abandon this conversation of so-called control to be picked up at another time? Though, I warn you now that when we do continue it I will not be teaching anyone control. I would not stoop so low as to teach someone to weaken themselves or to cripple their capabilities. Harnessing your abilities, that is something I can teach.?

Lenore makes no effort to hide her confusion. ?They?re the same thing.?

Andrew?s lips part to reply but he stops and at first Lenore can?t figure out why. Soon enough when a coffee cup is being set on the table in front of him and a teacup in front of her it makes sense. The waitress gives a bright, nervous smile and quickly makes her way back to the counter.

He waits just a little while longer then dips into his wool jacket. ?They?re not, but I refuse to go over it with you now. I?m sorry if I upset you.? When he draws his hand from his jacket it?s clutching a gunmetal flask. The lid is twisted and he pours a healthy amount into his cup. ?While I have always been aware of your family through my Father, last year was the first time that I actually had the pleasure of meeting Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Gail. They told me that you had run away at the age of ten.? He?s already lifting his hand to silence any possible outburst she might have brewing and when none come he easily reaches a long limb across the table to pour a modest amount of the flask contents into her tea.

?Heeeey,? Feebly flapping her hands at his pouring even if it does no good to stop him. ?I was going to drink that.?

?You still can and will. It?s whiskey and it goes well with everything. This is one tip for harnessing your abilities. The whiskey will take off the edge from the moon tonight and in general. It won?t dull you so long as you drink in moderation, but? think of it as the oil in a smoothly running engine.? Lenore doesn?t look convinced but that doesn?t deter Andrew and he carries on while tucking the flask back into his jacket. ?According to you, you did not run away ten years ago. Does this mean you only left your home recently??

She leans forward in her seat to bring her nostrils closer to the tea, a slow inhale to take in the foreign aroma of liquor mixing with her dear vanilla almond blend. ?I did not run away but I have been gone since I was ten.? Her position doesn?t shift but she lifts her gaze to peer up at him. ?You said that you met my parents. How did they act around you? Were they aware you?re a shape-shifter??

Her head tilts, the coffee mug being brought to his lips for a tentative sip to test the temperature while he contemplates her questions. ?They were aware. It?s my understanding that while our Fathers have been estranged for quite some time that there were brief moments of contact now and then. My Father tells me about some of it, but I can tell he keeps a few of the details to himself or makes them foggy on purpose.? A quick crease of his brows the only hint at a frown. ?Your parents did not seem pleased with me coming around and bringing you up, asking where you were. They said it brought up too many memories of you abruptly leaving. So they gave me all the details I needed and sent me on my way.?

She listens patiently to his answers and eventually her head tips backwards to exhale a dry laugh. ?Terrible.?

?I beg your pardon??

?They?re terrible. For the longest time I?ve been aware they are but I still consider them to be my parents, I wanted to find it in myself to forgive them even if I never saw them again in this lifetime.?

?Forgive them for what??

She straightens in her seat bringing her teacup along with her. While she?s had alcohol before it usually consisted of watered down beers or fruity drinks. Never one for hard liquor but if there was a time to start this is it. Taking a breath and then a gulp of tea, the whiskey burning down her throat into her belly. She?s unable to fight back her wince but once her features relax she dives straight ahead before she can change her mind. ?I began shifting when I was eight. Neither of my parents knew what was wrong with me but they were convinced I was an evil thing cursed with hellish abilities. After two years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse they topped themselves off by waiting for me to shift during the full moon and hefting me off a bridge into a river inside a tied pillowcase.?

Her teacup sinks to the table, clattering in her clumsy hands and sloshing tea but she can?t stop the verbal vomit pouring from her. ?My parents assumed they were sending you on a hunt for a ghost. In their minds I am a pile of bones rotting in the river and nothing more.? For all of a moment she?s almost proud of herself that she managed to keep it together while telling him that but it?s a stray brush of her fingers to her cheek that comes away wet which tells her that emotions got the better of her. She has to laugh despite it all because what else could she do?

Andrew?s expression didn?t move during Lenore?s entire explanation. His breathing was the same, his face unchanging. Did he even hear her? Had she somehow made it all out to be so much worse in her head than it actually was and he was going to tell her to stop being silly? She didn?t know what was going on in his head but her train of thought becomes completely derailed by a sudden crack and shatter of ceramic that makes her shriek in surprise.

Across from her Andrew had barely moved so it didn?t initially click with Lenore what had happened until she notices his mug is no more. The few remaining white shards are still stuck in his palm with a mixture of coffee and blood pooling on the table in front of him yet he doesn?t even seem to notice. He?s too busy staring pointedly at Lenore with a dark shadow looming over him.

?Mark my words, Lenore. They will pay for what they have done.?

Lenore understands that Andrew is trying to? what? Make her feel better, maybe? It?s the zest that he speaks with that makes her squirm in her chair. The spiked vanilla almond tea is brought to her lips for a long sip, much needed the longer Andrew talks. ?How did your family know about me and that I?m a shape-shifter if my parents didn?t keep proper contact with them??

For once in the conversation Andrew is actually left shrugging. ?For some reason or another your Dad told my Dad, but my Father won?t give me more details than that. He only gives me what I need, not what I want.? Andrew doesn?t only brim with pride over his kind, but about how he was raised and the values his Father has instilled in him as well.

?I see.? With the rest of her cup drained and whiskey flowing through her she lowers it to the table and eases her chair back. ?You understand this is a lot for me to take in, right? I went from having no family to? you and your parents, a Grandfather. And you?re here. I?m? sort of overwhelmed. I think I should go home anyway since I?ve yet to do so since last night-?

?That?s it? You come and relieve me of my search of a year, you ask me for help with something awful, get upset that I don?t have the same patience for humans who don?t know their place, and now you?re leaving? Why??

?I told you, Andrew.? The words coming out with a heavy sigh. ?I?m overwhelmed and I?ve not slept all night. I?m sure I won?t sleep tonight either when I shift. But more importantly I need to go home and tell Cris I?m alright before I shif-?

?Who the hell is this Cris boy? How long have you known him? I asked him the same thing and he danced around my question just like the rest of them.? Nose wrinkling in disdain. ?He says he?s Nephilim and my Father can?t give me a straight answer about what that is. Even the lore can?t give me a straight answer and he?s certainly no giant.?

A giant? Lenore has no idea where that theory comes from but it?s easier to joke than to face his questions straight on. ?You sound more like an older brother than a cousin right now asking me about the man in my life.?

?He?s in your life.? Smirking and dismissing the use of the word man. ?Is he the one who?s done that to you?? His long limb and bloody hand gesturing at her throat.

There?s a flush of red in Lenore?s cheeks and she wonders if some sort of mark has been left behind, fingertips pressing to skin in search of sensitive bruises or teeth marks.

Andrew sighs. ?That ridiculous collar, Lenore.?

Fingertips move upward to settle on the row of pointed spikes protruding from her baby blue leather collar with the dangling silver heart tag wrapped around the column of her throat. ?Excuse me? This was a gift and it?s far from ridiculous so I?ll thank you kindly to keep your rude opinions to yourself, cousin and shape-shifter or not.? It?s Lenore?s turn to let the rumble of a growl bubble from her lips.

Andrew?s hands rise in surrender and he manages to look like he regrets what he said. ?You?ll have to excuse me, Lenore. It?s not unheard of for certain beings to try and keep shape-shifters as some sort of high end pet through less than reputable means. Since you are so unfortunately uneducated in these things I worry. You are family and you can?t fault me for that.?

It?s with his calming words and a deep breath that she relaxes into her chair, her body growing heavy with the release of tension. ?I?m sorry, Andrew. I appreciate your concern but I am telling you honestly that it is nothing like that between Cris and I. This is a gift from him, something special between us.?

?Of course.? Another flutter of his hands shooing away the conflict.

?I mean it though, I haven?t told him I?m alright and I shou-?

?You said he is aware of how capable you are, I think you?re worrying too much. Besides, I?m sure you both see plenty of each other considering how much he means to you and vice versa. I, on the other hand, have been looking for you for a year. And what is more fitting than two shape-shifters being reunited on the day of the full moon? Obviously it?s a sign that we should run together. We can go somewhere and get a proper meal, you can show me around the city, then before you know it we?ll shift. That sounds fantastic, don?t you think?? All the anger and mocking that had filled his tone throughout the conversation was gone, replaced instead with calm excitement to be reunited with his long lost cousin.

?I mean?? It?s true. It felt wrong to end their first meeting so quickly and she felt guilty for even thinking it. Sinking further in her chair she gave a solemn nod of agreement. ?Yeah, yes, of course. That sounds fantastic, Andrew.? Her smile is quick and forced, she?s positive Andrew is smart enough to see through the facade and yet he looks pleased as could be.