moonchild !

“I think I want to get a cat” said Kitty. “Does the fact that I’m over 200, unmarried, and want a cat officially make me a crazy cat lady?” She chuckled. “Because if it does, I’m strangely okay with that.”

     “what’s wrong with being a crazy cat lady anyway?” anna asked, a chuckle slipping past her lips. “i think it’s perfectly fine. do you have any breed in mind or you’ll just randomly adopt one?”

“It’s not, but I’m still sorry it happened to you.”  Nico nodded seriously before listening to her talk. He was glad she had family, even if it was new found family.  Someone she was comfortable with teaching her would be best, and he knew from experience control was important.  “Rumor is most new wolves are scared of turning.  But it gets better with time and practice.  And if you don’t, well, you get better used to hurting people with time and practice.”  Nico shrugged before nodding.  “I’ll get you a moon ring Anna.  Just promise me you’ll take the extra precaution of learning to control your wolf as well.”

     “thank you...” she said, giving him a small smile. anna could barely see it, but she was convinced that under those hell lot of layers, there was something good. and thus, she would not give up on him - not yet, at the very least. once he started to talk about newly turned werewolves she listened intently, nodding. “yeah... i can see why.” she said, a little bit of humor planted in there until she got serious again. “i will not hurt anyone.” anna said, not firmly but certain of herself. “i promise. i wouldn’t want anything more than to be able to control it.” after a pause, she called his name softly. “and nico,” she began, looking at him. “thank you. for promising me the moon ring. it... means a lot.”

“It’s likely a lot to process.  I’m sorry I can’t help much with that..”  Nico rubbed the back of his neck, knowing she must be bothered by it.  Triggered, but he could only hope the blood on her hands wasn’t something that weighed too heavy on her.  Otherwise she’d never be able to even tolerate him and the blood he was absolutely drenched with.  “I’m sorry.  That must’ve made it all even harder.  And no, with a moon ring you won’t have to turn, but you still need to learn how to control your wolf.  Sometimes magic can be negated, making all those objects faulty, so it’s wise to be able to handle without.  But I’ll try to find someone to make you one, or see if I can learn how to myself.”

     the accident. the one that made her end up as a werewolf while she could avoid it without even knowing she had the genes. but nonetheless, she wasn’t mad about it. after all, it made her discover that her parents were hiding a huge truth from her. “it’s okay -- not your fault, after all.” she gave him a reassuring smile, shaking her head. she’d most likely tell him about the incident later but now there was no need to change the direction of their conversation. “i... i have a cousin here, who i newly found out about. he is a bit busy these days, he’s about to become a father but i’m sure he could spare some time to teach me how to control it.” that terrified her, losing control. so she’d do anything in her power to make sure she got it under control. “i... i’m scared of transforming, nico.” she admitted, looking down. “it hurts... you don’t know what you’re doing, i could hurt someone. that’s just horrible. if you could help me get one... i’d be forever grateful. it’s - really important to me...”

At least this kid wouldn’t want for anything coming into the world. Asher thought. Knowing that gave his mind just a small reprieve for the time being. No he was more worried about when the baby was no longer a baby but a walking, talking individual. Worried that he wasn’t enough, that he couldn’t be the father their child deserved. Freya had this easy confidence about being a mom that he almost envied at this point, being so sure of herself and thus able to simply be excited and happy about becoming a parent. Asher didn’t really have that, and now that he had learned the sex, it had gotten worse. A girl would have been a heck of a lot simpler. He’d partly raised his little sister, he understood how girls worked, knew how to handle the simplest things from table activities, to picking flowers to boy drama. As for boys, he knew absolutely nothing. “I do hope you aren’t going bankrupt buying us presents, given how expensive some of the baby stuff is. But thanks Anna, it means a whole lot.” He replied with a small smile. Chewing on his bottom lip, he let her finish the sentence before giving an answer. “Its a boy.” Ash said, swallowing a bit and looking away as he wasn’t able to muster that excitement one would expect. And just for that he felt instantly guilty. It had nothing to do with loving his son. He already did. But thinking that he couldn’t provide what his son needed was easily weighing the wolf down. “Yeah? Everything okay with your pair? Was he a witch? Cause if he is you should ask if he could make you a moon ring.” He said, being reminded that he hadn’t had that conversation with her yet. The sensation of her hand on his arm had Asher exhale heavily. “They’re both fine its just.. Its a boy Anna. I’m having a son and I know nothing about how to be the father of one. My step father was a vicious, violent maniac and my father might not know that I exist. As far as role models or experience goes I have no one to look to. Nothing to go on. How do I raise a boy without scarring him like I was scarred? What if I can’t be the father he deserves?” 

     “well, here i don’t have to pay for a place and my...” she trailed off, not sure if she could call her previous parents (who turned out to be her adoptive parents instead when she was triggered and accidentally discovered the truth) exactly that but since she didn’t want to start another conversation involving them right now, she just shook it off quickly and continued to speak as if no thought occured. “-parents keep filling my account to make up for... well, lying for more than twenty years. so -- more stuff for the little one.” she managed to smile, though, focusing back on her unborn niece or nephew allowing her that. and soon enough, she also learned the sex when he eventually told her, and despite her excitement the lack of excitement of his own didn’t slip past. “heavens, asher! that’s great. now i know what to get for the little one.” she grinned, though it was short-lived as his moods weren’t as high as hers. before she could ask again, though, he asked her a few questions which made her focus momentarily on them, giving her cousin a nod of her head. “yeah, a witch. he already told me about it -- i’ll be getting one.” she said, a relieved smile on her face. the ring would allow her to never turn if she wished that, and for that she was quite grateful. “things are... a bit rocky, on his side at least. he was kind to me, doesn’t hate me or anything but... he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of love or attention. it’ll be hard... but i’m up for the challenge.” she said, giving a shrug of her shoulders. she had seen the good in him, after all, it wouldn’t be anne if she gave up so easily. when asher spoke again, anna could feel her heart hurt for the blond as her hand rested on his arm, squeezing gently. “asher... you might not know how to be the father that he deserves, but you do know what you shouldn’t do very well. and that enough will be your guidance. i can only imagine how hard it must be, but i believe in you. you know the wrong, so you’ll find the right just by reminding yourself what not to do. and if it’s of any relief... i’m always here for you.”

Nico sighed, realizing the mistake too late.  She was new to all of this, and here he was talking about not being human like it was something normal and casual.  “Sorry.  I forget you were once. I’ve never been truly human so I’ve never had that adjustment.”  He’d always been a monster, though that thought stayed inside.  Commenting further on his unlovability wasn’t going to get them anywhere, and so he chose to drop the subject.  When she didn’t know what a moon ring was he was a bit startled, looking over at her.  “Alright, so you’re very new.  If you don’t mind my asking, were you bitten or are you a triggered werewolf? And a moon ring is a ring that helps you control your shift.  You won’t have to turn during the full moon, and you can turn at will.”

     “it’s fine. i gues i’ll just... have to accept it.” she said with a sigh, shaking her head. while it did get to anna, he was right - she wasn’t human anymore, even though she was going to try her best to stay as close as she could be to being one. seeing the startled look on his face, though, anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “i don’t mind at all. i was triggered. apparently... my parents lied to me about my past.” she said, swallowing the lump in her throat before focusing on his words, a soft smile appearing on her face again. “you -- you mean i don’t have to turn at all if i don’t wish to?” now that got her excited, and desperate to get one. “nico - i... i need that. how can i get one?”

Nico smirked a bit darkly, looking over at the woman.  “That’s saying we’re entirely human, which we aren’t.”  He shrugged and looked away before she was touching him, the witch looking at her a bit sharply, not used to the casual touch at all but he managed not to flinch back.  Her hope for him made something in him ache, a painful longing he’d always had awaken as he wished not for the first time to be the good man his sister and apparently his fiance believed him to be inside.  “I’m not him.  I can never be him.  Even living his life for just a little while was enough to show me I’ll never live up to that.  I…i will be a disappointment Anna.  I only say so to warn you.  And newbie wolf isn’t too bad.  You guys tend to be a bit viscous, but nothing I’ve not dealt with before. Do you have a moon ring?”

     “i...” anna trailed off, the remark feeling like a slap across the face. they weren’t human. that was for sure but she was still struggling to come to terms with it, oftentimes forgetting it, or how much her life had changed. so biting back the frustrated tears threatening to form in her eyes, she blinked and nodded. “yeah. we aren’t.” shaking her head a little bit, anna looked back at him eventually. “you don’t have to be him. but you don’t have to keep being this way, either.” she said, letting out a soft sigh. “guess we’re both just as stubborn.” she said, the edge of her lips tilting into a small smile before it faded and she shook her head. “moon ring? no, i don’t have one... what is that?”

Asher was perched on a park bench, elbows on his knees, staring into the air while his brain worked and churned quite heavily. They were having a boy. A little boy.. A part of him had thought finding out the gender might ease some of his growing concerns or worries, but it had not. If anything he only worried more. Because it mattered a great deal more what kind of parent he was to a boy than to a girl. Boys looked up to their fathers, used them as role models, made them their heros.. which meant he could not slip up or do any wrong. Never loose his temper or cool, never forget to speak about treating everyone with respect, be very clear about right and wrong. God, the possibilities of him making mistakes seemed to grow sky high. He was awfully relieved when Anna came at last, dragging him out of his state with her sweet smile and a warm hug. “Hi there.” Ash replied with a soft smile, hugging her back before eying all the bags she had just set down. “Are all those for the baby?” he questioned, mostly amused. She was for sure living up to his expectations. “Its, alright, you know, going. How about you?” 

     pulling away from the hug, anna looked down at the bags with a bright smile on her face, giving a shrug of her shoulders. she knew there were lots of bags and the baby wasn’t even here yet but she was simply too excited and happy for asher to hold back. and they’d need all the clothes and toys they could get, anyway, so nothing was to waste here. “of course. everything for the little one.” she said with a soft smile before adding. “is the gender still unknown? i tried to go for other colors than pink and blue but it’d be easier if i knew the sex.” she said before furrowing her brows at her cousin, head tilting to the side as she could see that he wasn’t too great. which was a concern, given it raised worries in annabelle. “i’m mostly good. stressed but -- it’s going.” she sent it back at him before placing a hand on his arm. “what’s wrong, asher? is the baby okay? or freya?” she figured he wouldn’t be as calm if there was any complications with them, though. “i mean, you don’t seem great to me.”

“Nice to know.  And..I do my best.  I admittedly will keep things I deem unnecessary from others if I think it will upset them.”  Nico shrugged a bit before nodding, glad neither of them had absolutely no idea how to do this correctly. He did sigh a bit at her words, looking at her seriously.  “I’m going to take care of you, and while I myself may develop feelings for you…I don’t expect the same in return.  i can’t.  I’m not expecting that you’ll run off like the others or anything, I simply know I’m not enough for any true affection.”  Nico shrugged a bit. “You’ll agree with me before long.  I typically don’t like to toss my bride’s to be in the deep end of things and run them through my failings.  But I’ll try to do right by you.”

Nico bit back the immediate comment about not living that long that he normally would’ve spouted off with, gathering that she wasn’t going to handle his lighthearted comments about his own death well.  “No, not indefinitely.  But I wanted you to know I didn’t expect immediate honesty.  I’m rather used to being around less trusting individuals.”  He shrugged a bit before nodding.  “And…I shall try to support you?  I’m unsure how that looks, but I’ll try.  And I can promise to protect you.  Or I’ll try to at least.”  Nico nodded seriously before rolling his eyes. “I’m not trying to scare you off.  I will inevitably do so.  Especially with my current track record.  But I’m merely stating facts.  I’m not a good man and my sister is the only one who’s truly cared for me.  And I’m pretty sure that’s mostly because she has to.”

Nico chuckled “honesty is appreciated, but I don’t expect it. You don’t know me from any other man in this hotel, so why should I expect anything at all from you even though we are to be wed?” He nodded, knowing his words were those of a pessimist, but they were certainly true. He was surprised by how new to everything she was, and decided to be honest with her as well. “That’s understandable. And I can at least offer to help in any way that I can. I’m a witch and was raised around magic and the supernatural my whole life, though there are something’s I don’t know about each species. As for marriages…” Nico sighed a bit, looking down at his hands before responding. “I’m…you’re my third pair or so? I..I’m not against being wed, but I’m more..apologetic I suppose. I’m not a good one to have for a spouse. You’ll never love me, and I’ve a plethora of failings and other complications to make me undesirable. I’ll be a hassle.”

Nico glanced around her home, still feeling odd about being so readily welcomed by his wife to be.  Then again, she didn’t know him or how unlovable he would be yet, so there was still time for her to throw him out.  Nico took her cue to sit on the couch, sitting on the far end and studying his wife to be before lifting an eyebrow at the question. “Hm.  What do I like.   That’s a harder question than it likely should be.  I suppose I like reading.  And working on a project.  If I can put my mind to something I’m usually alright.  I, um…”  He sighed, irritated with himself for a moment before speaking. “How do you feel about being wed?  Not specifically to me, that…seems a bit early to declare.  but in general.”

     “reading, huh? then we have something in common.” she gave him an easy smile, glancing over at her mountain of books stacked wherever she could find an empty space that wouldn’t impact her moving around easily. she was a med student before all this happened, after all. she loved reading, especially biology books. his question making her smile fade for a moment, she let out a sigh and looked back at his face. “i want to be honest with you... honesty is the key in... marriage, right?” the word still didn’t sound right, they barely knew each other, but anna wasn’t one to give up without a try. “i... i got turned not much more than two months ago. so all this... is new and scary. i’m trying to figure out my new self, other species around me, this town... but i’m not scared of being wed itself.” she said, glancing at his face. “um - what... what about you?”

Nico was slightly taken aback by how friendly she seemed, and how okay she was with his unsmiling self.  There was no visible disappointment, and she was in fact already smiling.  So Nico nodded a bit and stepped inside, offering her a weak smile and rubbing the back of his neck.  “I do like chocolate.  I’d love to try some.”  He was unused to his pair being so warm, Aurora having kept her distance for obvious reasons.  Following the other, he made a mental note to remember her love of baking.  “Do you enjoy cooking as well?  Or just baking?  And I’ll warn you…I’m rather rubbish at both.”

     seeing that weak, albeit heart-warming, smile on his face, anna knew she was doing something right. despite worrying that he might turn out to be someone who hated her and wanted nothing to do with her - well, despite having to marry her - she knew everyone deserved kindness, at least until they gave her a reason not to. and she only knew the things she was told about him -- not nico himself. so she really did want to get to know her intended. “alright - i’ll go get some.” she nodded as she moved to the small kitchen area. “i do like cooking, too.” she offered a smile as she got a plate full of cake ready. “well - let’s keep you away from the kitchen area, then.” she joked lightly, walking back towards him and settled on the couch. “what do you like, then?”

“Yeah.”  He also wished he could at least act like his other self; bright and fun an an idiot, but an idiot people liked.  And he also knew she would always be comparing him to those few minutes of awesome him and Nico would always fall short.  However, as she rambled at him he smirked a bit, liking her blushing and slightly amused by the nervousness.  “I can if you want?  And I wouldn’t want to take any of your cake, as I’m sure you put effort into it.  I take it you like baking?”

     if she wasn’t informed by the other nico already, she would probably be a lot more confused and bummed, but right now... she didn’t mind. she knew what to expect and there he was, and all that left to do for her was to try her best to get to know him. “yeah - i do.” she said before holding the door wide for him to enter. “i did put effort into it, that’s why i’d like you to have some if you like chocolate chip.” she said warmly, trying not to let her anxiety or shyness get in the way. “i love baking, it’s... peaceful. and yummy.” she grinned, walking over to the couch.

Part of Nico wanted to just run and hide.  He didn’t want yet another pair, hurt already at the knowledge that Aurora had left him a second time.  And there was now the fact that his new betrothed Anna, had actually met a good version of himself.  Someone smiling and bright, and nothing like his own darkness and serious expressions.  However, it wasn’t fair to let her keep expecting that, and he ended up knocking on her door before it opened to reveal his beautiful fiance. The woman was absolutely lovely, the witch sighing a bit before speaking. “I..well, I wanted to let you down easy.  The…version of myself you met before is gone and you’re stuck with me.  I uh…just didn’t want you to be surprised.”

     anna was quick to figure out this was not the nico she had met a few days ago. she was a smart one, it didn’t take a lot for her to notice the difference. his face, albeit still quite handsome and charming, lacked that lovely smile he would sport when she first met him. “i see,” she said, nodding her head a bit. nevertheless, this was expected. she knew what would happen, and to be honest, she expected something worse; someone who’d possibly hate her - but even him being kind enough to come and let you know about this showed that yes, this man was capable of doing good, too. and that was enough for anna to hold onto - she wasn’t one to give up on people so easily, let alone her future husband.”welcome back” she said softly, a small smile on her face. “would you -- uh... like to come in? to chat a bit, maybe... i have freshly baked cake. but - it’s okay if you don’t like cake! i mean - i should just shut up.” sighing, anna cursed herself inwardly for letting her anxious side show, she was doing good until her shyness decided to come out, which surely wasn’t a look good, especially her cheeks turning bright red instantly.