i see the bad moon rising.

“Oh, hardly,” the shapeshifter replied with a laugh, shaking her head slightly, amused at the very idea of anything of the sort. “I don’t spend as much time around children as most people. My cousins have kids but they live back in England so I don’t really spend time around them. The most I do is chat with them in video chats and send them birthday gifts. Just call it intuition though, darling. Your daughter has a way about her. And she’s definitely got being friendly down to a science.” She had never met a child quite as accepting as Mara seemed to be. She didn’t think the girl was blindly accepting though. She seemed to simply just know who was good for her to spend time with, who she could trust. The girl had really good instincts. “Oh, nothing much new on my end, darling. Mostly work, spending time with the local police officers from time to time. I swing in to visit, much to the chagrin of Detective Loscher.” The corners of her mouth turned up slightly in amusement at the fact that Victor had an issue with her coming around. She was far too accustomed to it by then and she had never let it bother her. “And you? Aside from father duty how are things going with you?”

   sal couldn’t help joining in the soft laughter, a relaxed moment for the man. his eyes briefly scanning the park then playground. life was moving by so quickly, she was six years old and already was thinking of her careers and making friends - with bex’s words echoing in the air he realized 6 wouldn’t last long either. “yeah i begin to wonder if she has some magical way with people.” he shook his head with a soft smile when his eyes finally landed on mara. “a local officer ? bex that sounds like something new to share definitely. is that detective dragoumis’ partner? i mostly deal with her due to all the craziness that happens in the woods but i feel i’ve met him before, perhaps...i have a very unentertaining life if i can be honest.”

“Yeah, let’s just say the Dragoumis family is absolutely one that people don’t tend to want to cross in this town. They’re not known for being kind or accepting. Dangerous is just the nicest way to describe them.” Except, perhaps, for the twins. Kai was known for being friendly to the point of dim and Jez? Well, she didn’t come across as the violent, cruel type that her family was known to be. As for the rest of the siblings? He couldn’t even pretend to know what they were like. He only knew the few things he had heard in life while it town but didn’t know them very well. “Sure, but for the most part small towns had small town bars, dive bars, neighborhood bars. I’ve seen a shit ton of them in my life. And those tend to be the ones that people flock to.”

  “fair enough,” sal agreed with a slight nod. honestly his mission within wolford was to raise his daughter without trouble and overall mind his business, not many people in the area really interested him beyond a polite friendship. “i suppose it’s a good thing i’m not a witch, may find it more difficult to avoid them yeah?” he offered a laugh hoping it’d be taken as a joke, witches were fine it was more so the idea of dealing with a nut family. “that’s fair, any favorites over the years?”

She had to swallow at his first question, a huge lump forming in her throat. “I–” Tears built up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She didn’t want to make any more of a scene than she already was. “I loved you too, Sal.” And that was the truth. It pained Elle to think that he thought she’d lied, or played him. That just hadn’t been the case. “I truly did. Please don’t think that I didn’t.” It’s just that her head had gotten the better of her. 

And it was her illnesses that had made her flee the hospital that day. She’d found herself in over her head, craving things that she never wanted to do around her daughter, suddenly couldn’t imagine handling the responsibility of being a mother. “I knew you’d do right by her. I knew you’d be an amazing father. It’s…why I felt safe leaving her.” Which wasn’t a good thing, she understood that. But she’d never doubted that Sal would give their daughter everything she needed and more. “—Not for a long time.” Elle admitted when he asked if she regretted leaving, her gaze cast downwards, chin trembling. It was had to speak about just how far she’d fallen. “I was in a bad place for so long…I couldn’t have been what she needed. And you didn’t deserve to be dragged through that.” 

  sal did feel some guilt for being so blunt but the years he’s spent wondering - blaming himself, and hating he didn’t even know where eloise was - if she was safe. which he shouldn’t have, so many people told him to move on right before he disappeared with mara to wolford, and everyone in wolford as far as they knew el and sal simply went separate ways. he wanted to tell her so much and yet nothing came out, his eyes simply stared at at her own. “but -- it’s the way you did it eloise. it’s been six years.” 

  of course it had to be the moment sal believed he could finally move on that she’d reappear, however there wasn’t a moment like in the movies where he felt love over come him when seeing her, in fact he simply felt shock. “i would’ve stood by you no matter what it was -- that’s what loving people entail, dealing with their issues like they are your own.” 

“most of the time i go for the romance things... although i find undressing eachother is one of the most enjoyable foreplay activities.”

“um well -- biting.”

“mara - don’t stop belivin’ by journey.”

“take me to church by hozier.”

“build me up buttercup by the foundations.”

“one of the moms said i look like a lumber jack...i’ll say that.”

  “strawberry and crème cupcakes.”

  “everything? if i say that , it’s like it’s one thing.”

  “anything happening to mara, what else would a parents biggest fear be?”

  “computers.”

  “manners darling.”

“i... would file back allowing joint custody and ask that they don’t allow eloise to take mara out of wolford... even for vacations.”