Poppy coughed and held up a hand to signify that she was all right. They both probably looked quite a mess, sitting under the lamplight, but she needed just a few moments to rest before moving on. She'd have to pace herself.

Soerl would have been sniffing the air, but Jay had done a number on his snout. It was already beginning to mend, however. The curse did have its benefits. The moment he landed near where Poppy and Lydia were, however, his vision began to swim. A "fffft" noise, like when a dog shakes its head could be heard.

Her lips parted, as if Lydia wanted to say something to Poppy before she heard Soerl land nearby. Her gaze shot that way (quick as she could manage at least, in her condition) as she backed further into the bench. Was he going to attack again? He had certainly been rather unpredictable thus far.

"And you, thoo?" Poppy took the sound to mean that something was wrong with Soerl, though it was tough for her to see clearly. The blood-soaked sleeve is brought up to drag across her features, before she got enough to her feet to close the rest of the distance, before flopping down. "Brother, can you come to your thenthes?"

Either Poppy got through to him or he simply lacked the strength to stay transformed. Likely a combination of the two. The fur on his body started to recede into nothing. Skin reappeared, and the werewolf's snout became Soerl's broken nose. He cried out a bit as bones shifted back into their proper positions. It always hurt to transform.

Lydia's gaze turned away from Soerl during his transformation. She couldn't bring herself to watch. Is that what they all went through? But how strange for him to transform in such a way. Grem only changed on full moons, right? His transformations were probably the same.. painful.. the cracking of bones. She frowned at the thought. And frowned further as she eyed her blood soaked hoody. She had been bitten... That's how the virus spreads.

Almost immediately, Poppy started to recognize Soerl within the creature, until the creature was gone and all that was left was the minstrel. She grabbed his face, much like she had done with Lydia, looking over the damage and trying to make sense of everything. "You'll be thine, Thoerl -- mm -- Soerl." There was a whistle-like quality to the "s" sound, but Poppy didn't think much of it. She just nodded hopefully, then turned back to get Lydia.

"...What?" He hadn't really heard Poppy. He didn't even know where he was, actually. He felt like lying in the road. His face definitely hurt. His pants had been spared during the initial change, so he was at least covered. "What the hell's going on?" The question was a little weak.

Poppy really didn't hear the questions, as she made a snorting sound during the first, and a coughing sound during the second. Of course, she was on her feet this time, so she had to be better off with some rest. Or it was a second wind. "C'mon, up with ya..." And she reached both hands out to offer her help to Lydia.

Was it possibility she'd change? Probability? Certainty? Would she become the same as Soerl? As Grem? A quiet, subdued, yet still somewhat panicked sob formed in her throat as wounded arm was held protectively to herself. Pale blues welling with tears, she glanced up towards the approaching Poppy, sights of her still smeared in blood placing her concern there instead. A brief glance was offered to the minstrel she knew, before she reached out with the good arm to grasp one of Poppy's hands.

His strength was lacking, he knew that much. It made him uneasy, since it was the first of many realizations. That sort of drain only came after a full transformation. His hat wasn't present, nor was his shirt. He looked up to his sister and shook his head, pulling himself to his feet. It was starting to dawn on him, now. The ring, with Lydia. That was the last thing he could remember.

It certainly was more than just a tragic experience for Lydia, wasn't it? Poppy could see it -- could almost feel the racing heartbeat of her friend, so when she did grasp the good arm, she used it to pull the elf close. "We're okay, we're okay, we're okay..." Sort of a quiet chant, and a careful hug, as she tried to get them both up and moving again.

It was strange, but in that moment Poppy reminded Lydia of Erin. She and Erin had been through some mighty tough times- beaten and bruised and bloodied together. And in the end it was always the reassurance to one another that pulled them through it. She took some solace that Erin didn't have to share this experience though, even as she hugged Poppy back with that one good arm of hers. Eyes squeezed shut in an effort to keep the tears back, but only succeeded in forcing them out. Sniffling quietly she moved along with Poppy, casting a wary glance towards Soerl. At least the danger had passed.

It was really only then that Soerl realized Lydia was there, with his sister. When he looked at the two of them, he realized what he'd done. He assumed too much, actually, thinking his sister's injuries were his fault as well. "...Oh no."

There was a lot to be felt in the moment, but before Poppy let herself go, she took a look back at Soerl. The gravity of things seemed to be settling in, and she ached to think about it. "Brother, do not run. Wait for me!" She was worried he'd go -- worried he'd go again.

There was a part of Lydia that wanted to reach out to Soerl as well. To assure him that all was okay, that he hadn't done anything wrong. She wanted to comfort and be there as a friend, but there was another part of her, a more selfish part. Though smaller, it still had some bearing on who she was. That part told her it wasn't okay-- what he had done.

Run. It was what he always did. It was what his body was screaming at him to do. "Sister... Lydia... I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to." He was already beginning to back away, despite Poppy's request. That sort of thing happened before. Each time it did, he had to run away.

"Please..." She was practically begging, but was still trying to keep herself and Lydia moving towards help, so she was serving to put even more distance between herself and Soerl. Already, her breathing was turning raspy again, trying not to cry but failing miserably at the moment.

Lydia's grip tightened just a little around Poppy, perhaps meant as a comforting gesture? Swallowing hard, she called out weakly to Soerl as she shook her head. "Don't go..." Her words sounded sincere, but honestly they were more for the sake of Poppy than anything at that moment.

His confusion was apparent. The forlorn expression he had understated his true feelings. He looked between Poppy and Lydia. Run! The voice was still there, screaming. He did not obey it, though. "Okay."

"Y-you don't haff to come, juth don't leaf..." She didn't want him to feel pressured, and didn't want him to feel trapped. No, she wanted to get Lydia help, and then make sure Soerl was all right. "We're going to the clinic..." There were still tears, though, streaking the drying blood on her face.

Poppy ought to get herself looked at too, something the elf would probably try to see to when they were at the clinic. Such a thing caused her to wince-- she hated clinics. Best she could hope for was they wouldn't insist upon a magical healing. That'd likely hurt more than Soerl's teeth sinking down into her bone did. She remained silent as Poppy spoke, uncertain what to say. Should she even say anything else? Could she really forgive Soerl...? It's not as if it were the minstrel that had done the damage.

And Soerl just nodded to his sister's words. Forgiveness was something he didn't expect from either of them. His long, golden hair was definitely a mess. He glanced down to his hands and saw the blood. It was all it took to cause him to break down, right in the street. "Just go." Quietly spoken, silent tears falling as he lifts his hands to reset his nose with a crack.

There wasn't a moment to spare -- in fact, they probably had less moments to spare than they had used already, but it didn't seem to make Poppy stop. She just nodded and took as much of Lydia's weight as she could bear (which was probably quite a bit,) and headed toward the clinic. She could see the sign from where they were, like a beacon...


((Edited and Adapted from Live RP))

It was almost hard to imagine what things would have been like for all of them. Hardly a day prior, Poppy would had guessed that life and family and friends were all going to fall apart again -- she guessed that four people's worlds had been shattered by what couldn't have possibly been helped. Not realistically, at least.

So, she decided there was no choice but to stay, and help. It seemed so unlikely, but Poppy had already managed what she felt was a breakthrough in her brother's thinking, and had even run into Jay at the Inn on her way through.

All that was left was for Poppy to check on her dear friend, Lydia. It wasn't close by, that was certain. But she didn't mind the short walk after she was left off the back of the old horse-drawn cart. Who would have guessed it? It was such a peaceful place after the rain had gone and dusk was setting in.

It didn't keep Poppy from worrying, though. So many times, it was easy to believe that control was easily seized and kept, but there were too many factors for that. Would Lydia become a werewolf? Would Jay? How could she expect them not to worry about something like that?

Many of the steps she took towards the brick home were watched carefully with her own hazel eyes, like she was worried she would misstep at any moment. One wrong step and look what happens?

There was some shuffling off to one side, but she attributed it to her brother probably following her, even if it actually wasn't. Instead, she was drawn to the great amount of wildflowers growing around Lydia's house. It was absolutely breathtaking, even without the proper sunshine. It just seemed to fit -- it called out as being exactly what Lydia would like.

A slow sigh escaped at the door, though. She didn't want this to go badly...

She had to hold her breath as she knocked.

There was no real way for Poppy to tell what had made such a noise on the awning above the porch, but it did well to keep her guard up. In most cases, she was pretty careful, and this was Lydia, of course. So, she smiled as well as she could and stepped inside. "A glass of water would be nice, thanks."

Poppy noted the sling; noted the tired expression settled onto the elf's face, and it wasn't hard at all to figure that she was having a rough time since the attack. So, she did what she felt was best and followed Lydia to the kitchen. "You know, I managed to catch up with Jay earlier. He seemed like he felt horrible about everything, but..." She shook her head and found a seat wherever one was available -- probably at a table.

It likely wasn't hard to fill in the empty spaces. There had been some similarities to what had happened to both of them, and the same could probably be said for Jay and Soerl. As much as it hurt, and as sad as it was, they all seemed to be sharing the same sort of misgivings, but weren't quite sure how to help.

"I don't know. I feel like being mad at him would be hypocritical. You know, because of my brother." Actually, it wasn't hypocritical at all, but Poppy wasn't quite sure how to express it. She would be hard pressed to ever be in a situation where she was mad at Soerl -- she just didn't work that way. "He wanted me to tell you he was sorry. And I--" Shoulders slumped, and Poppy pursed her lips for a second. "Well, I told Jay that the full moon's in two weeks..." She didn't seem to finish the statement, but she had certainly mentioned it in such a way that Lydia might draw similar conclusions. Finishing the statement seemed to be out of the question, though.

Poppy took a sip of her water while considering what Lydia had said. It seemed like an understatement to say that the night "just went wrong," but she understood exactly what the green haired elf was trying to say. It hadn't just been a night of unfortunate events -- no, it seemed that everything was orchestrated in a way that no one would walk away with a clear conscious. Even Poppy herself felt bad for her part, even if it was, for the most part, innocent.

She felt bad. In fact, when she looked over Lydia's wounds, and considered what might be ahead for her, Poppy almost felt sick. It wasn't as if Lydia had done anything wrong, right? "I'm really sorry any of this happened, you know? It seems like all of us are suffering in some way."

It really was true, too. It wasn't as if any of them were bad people, or that someone could even think they deserved to deal with what had been called a "mauling" in more than one place, already. "I feel bad that you and Jay even have to consider the possibility of claws and fur and..." She shook her head and continued on, "And Soerl? He never wanted this. For himself or anyone else."

Silence followed for a short moment. She fiddled with the water glass that Lydia had given her, using that left hand to turn the cup around in its own condensation. Two weeks was all the time they had. In two weeks, they would have a great many answers to questions they hadn't even managed to ask, yet. There would be time to assess, reassess, and make determinations based on what was to happen in the near future. It just took some time to get the ball rolling.

"If there's anything I can do to help, Lydia..." The rest probably went without saying. Even Poppy seemed to have a remorseful expression on her face at the idea that the sweet elf might turn into some large, murderous rampaging creature of the full moon.

Poppy seemed to consider Lydia's words as they were spoken, and nodded in comprehension as she drank her water. Lydia was certainly right that no one expected (or wanted) anything like this to happen. Since it did happen, though, it was easy to know that it would facilitate a change in each and every one of those involved, and not necessarily a change that meant teeth and claws and fur.

"I appreciate your offer of help, Lydia. Sometimes I feel as if maybe I need it more than I'm willing to admit." There was a short snorting laugh afterwards, but it seemed like it probably hurt a little more than it was worth, since a wince followed.

The last of the glass of water was finished, and then Poppy stood. She had determined that Lydia was all right, and had seen she could keep her spirits up, so it felt like things were in control, at least for the present moment. "Please, don't hesitate to come and get me, if you need me. I have a little place at the Econ-Omni right now -- you're welcome there any time."

Poppy made sure that Lydia was following, as she headed back toward the front door of the house. "You should stay optimistic, though. It is possible to live a fairly normal life as a werewolf, I imagine." There was no hesitation when she mentioned it this time. "My brother has managed it for a while now, it seems. Although, I think the future will hold some hardships for him because of it. Chin-up, though. We're all here to help one another."

At the door, Poppy waited so that she could say her goodbyes to Lydia. She would have stayed longer, but it was already late, and she imagined everyone needed rest.

As the moon didn't necessarily wait until nightfall to show itself it wouldn't have left Lydia much time to prepare for possible changes on the 18th itself so she had set to work on everything early. A couple days prior she started cleaning out her room quite a bit. Anything particularly breakable was moved out to the living room or kitchen- leaving her room quite sparse save for some heavy furniture and her bed. Said furniture was moved a bit so she could use it to barricade herself in her room, come the night of the full moon. Given the strength she saw in Soerl when he had changed it was probably a futile effort, but she had to do something, right?

Lydia consumed quite a bit of Wolfsbane, enough so to make her feel ill. She worried over whether it had to do with the possible changes going on in her body- or if it was the fact she had been eating flowers, and lots of them. Certainly that could be enough to make anyone, werewolf or not, sick?

Worrying for Mellon's safety she had taken him off to stay with Glenn the previous day. If she changed there was no telling what she could expect to experience, and from what she's heard and seen first hand she'd likely not be able to control herself. Aeriel she worried for, in the event that she somehow made it out of her room and house, but she figured that while Aeriel couldn't fly per se, she could flutter up to stay in trees if need be. Werewolves can't climb trees or anything like that could they?

There were still so many unanswered questions, but here it was, the 18th. The day of the full moon.

Lydia took care in trying to make sure that she couldn't get out of her house if she changed. Furniture was used to block both entrance/exits of her home, doors to various rooms had been shut and locked, and furniture was used yet again in her own room, to limit access to the doors. A pain to clean up later, but the peace of mind was worth it certainly.

Locked and barricaded in her room clothing were shed and set aside- if she changed they'd just be ruined anyways. The bag of shackles Grem had lent her were pulled out from beneath her bed and the silver lined shackles were drawn out. She eyed them briefly, sighing as she slipped them around her wrists and secured them, then the other end to the head of her bed. They'd be easy enough to get out of later, or any time when opposable thumbs were available to her...

All the waiting and worrying and anticipation had left Lydia quite exhausted, so when all was set she simply climbed into bed, adjusting the shackle chains as she did so. Sheets were gathered and pulled around her bare form in a protective manner as she curled up, head on her pillow.

Pale blues were allowed to flutter shut, and all was left to do was pray and wait. Pray to who? ...that didn't really matter- whoever would listen.