[center][color=0d98ba]𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜𝗡[/color]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/MftESH6.gif[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/FsamvOr.png?1[/img][/center]
[indent][indent][i][color=gray]"Do you remember the lullaby? The one you use to sing to me." [url=https://78.media.tumblr.com/a9eadf5fb622c653445f0fc28cb60f2a/tumblr_ojuhokASpW1vmjs6wo3_250.gif]Reina[/url] Stein, around her early twenties, sat on a log, drinking a beer. Deeply in thought, she stared into the flames rising from the dry tinder. Her skin glowed the colors of rage and her eyes flickered those same colors, orange, red, and yellow, as if they were putting on a show for all those that got lost in her pupils. Twilight faded to blackness in the Wood and the only light given to two wolves, momentarily away from their pack, was the crackling bonfire, where the smoke disappeared into the night and the wind's whistle warned them that their glowing ember would not last long. As she waited for her older brother's response, she took out a single cigarette stashed in her left ankle boot — never one to carry a purse. After using the fire to light it up, she gingerly brought the cancer stick to her thin lips, placing it in between with a subtle display of dependency. 

"That's going to kill you one day." The larger man, with a well-toned and muscular body, late-twenties, was standing with his thumbs hooked in his jeans, also fixedly watching the blaze move. The shadows on the trees imitating it's dance. Nothing about how he held himself spoke youthfulness. If anything, his innocence was replaced with doubt and lack of faith for his brethren (and sistren) a long time ago. A man who was trained at his coming of age to be fearless, heartless, and loveless. With no fear, he would not hesitate. With no heart, he would not question. With no love, he would not be weak. Clayton Stein was his name, a warrior unlike any other, that played it by the rules, ruthlessly, since the day he turned. He had no choice at the time but to submit and obey. 

Putting a young boy, cursed with an unloving household and a better left forgotten childhood, between the hammer and the anvil had its merits. Any younger, a monster could've been made, but no, if there was one thing where lady luck was kind, it was infecting him when he was nineteen. That gave him enough wisdom to fight his inner beast. 

Although he held promising potential, he could never be the ideal warrior for The Bisclavrets. A werewolf is known for being bloodthirsty and vicious; a primitive creature that lacks empathy and holds tenacious hubris, all which lurks beneath their supposed humanity. Stein could see the beast residing in him and the high he got from getting lost in a murderous frenzy. He didn't like that side of him and no matter what, he knew he could never be ideal. The reason always being, he had someone he wanted to protect. Since the beginning he had someone to shield. Someone that made this infectious disease worth fighting. Someone he wished didn't follow his footsteps on a path that was given to him, when he had no say in the matter. The girl who sits before him, with a gaunt and ragged visage. The girl that gazes at the fire with desire. Desire to be more than she could ever be. The girl he called his sister.  

"Hello? Clay! Are you even listening?" Reina turned her eyes to him, with glaring annoyance, as she breathed out smoke. "I'm going to take that as a—"

"I was. Sorry... It's getting late." Stein cleared his throat, while he nonchalantly looked up at the rustling leaves hanging from the trees, that sadly masked the night sky. "The lullaby... The... lullaby..." He played it like he couldn't remember the song, but how could he forget? It was the one thing that Rei outwardly showed appreciation for. 

"Clay." Rei uttered in exasperation. 

"Okay, okay. Y'know my pipes have never been the best, but how about I sing it to you before we head back?" He gave a smug smile, not wanting to showcase his worry for her, yet glad to see she still wanted his company. Unfortunately, as time went on, they were getting further and further apart. 

He blamed her lover. 

"I'd like that." The tired woman flicked her cigarette into the flame, before leaning back and adding, "One day, you'll sing that to my children."

Crossing his arms, Stein protested, "Woah, woah, woah! You're thinking way too far ahead, Reina. Let me have a family first, then you can follow."

"To have a family, you need a lady..." The young adult muttered under her breath.

"I heard that."

"Sing the song already!" Rei barked at her brother. Truth be told, this was one of their last, dear moments together. 
[/color][/i][/indent]
Before Stein (who is now thirty six) got to the part in his dream (inadvertently a memory) where he sang to his sister, his radio mysteriously turned on. He was woken up by an eerie voice: [i][b]Do you jump at shadows whenever the full moon is out and shining bright?[/b][/i] Keeping his eyes closed, he listened to the message closely. Undoubtedly, the message would rile up the people more so than they already were with the reveal of the Other two weeks ago. 

Today was going to be a long day. He predicted that Aila would have to deal with phone calls of people, majority being humans and the supernatural pretending to be humans, freaking out. Phone calls where they told her how the police should do their jobs. What they're failing to do. What their next course of action would be with protecting the people from these creatures they refused to understand. Phone calls upon phone calls. As for him, he'd probably be presented with hate crimes and his boss most definitely stacked more paperwork on his desk for him to do before he was permitted to review his files for his last case, [i]The Murder of Clementine Everleigh[/i]. A sex worker known as Diamond Girl that unfortunately suffered far more than she deserved. Details not worth thinking about on his bed. 

Ever since the Other got out, there have been obsessive radicals spreading conspiracy theories on the web of cases that have been long closed. The human way of life! Either turning their back on things they didn't understand or adding fuel to the already blazing fire, like this Helsing group. Pardon him, not all humans were bigots, zealots, and annoying fuckers, but the pressure was on for him and his co-workers and it'll take a lot of willpower to persevere. The fight had only just begun. 

Along with trying to make a better Edgetoun for him, Aila, and those few he cared about, he had his duties within The Zephyrus Accord, since he was Beta. He was most definitely taking on more than he probably should, being both a prime 'human' investigator and the Beta with the least years on his belt. Add the constant guilt for leaving a couple of people behind, yeah, Stein was biting off more than he could chew. 

His mind left the broadcast, as the radio suddenly turned off. With that occurrence, his eyes whipped open. Not only did the ray of light from his window, which he was sure he closed his curtain, blinded him, but the face of his dead partner glaring at him, inches away from his face, laying right beside him, caused him to jolt back. Have no fear! He did not fall off. His bed was king-sized because he needed the space. 

"Shit, Coli." He immediately, and awkwardly, scooted off his bed, looking at the ghost that demanded his attention in rude spirits. 

Sitting up ever so gracefully, her blonde locks dangling over her business wear, Colette, his dear, dead partner-in-crime looked at him with livid eyes. What'd he do? She wore her dark skirt that went to her knees, her nude hose, and her favorite white blouse. The only thing missing was her suit jacket that she was never fond of, always saying one day she'd burn it. This outfit was one of her preferred outfits to wear when she testified at court (though, she would wear the suit jacket out of requirement on being professional). With displeasure written all over her face, Collete snapped, "Who is this man? The one that sleeps through his first three alarms and wake ups when Aila is already in his kitchen scrambling eggs."

Dodging her sarcastic reprimanding, he went to his dresser and applied deo on his armpits, under his plain white tee. He was a man that took night showers to relax himself to sleep, if, he came home that night to sleep. "Coli, this whole popping out of nowhere needs to come with a damn warning sign. When I don't have work to rush to, we need to set some ground rules. I'd be damn if you've seen me showering."

"It's not like you can do anything about it." She teasingly winked, before getting off his bed and heading to his desk, where his open laptop was, "Plus, you know you're not the guy I like! Sorry, sweetpea, but when I look at you, I think of a zit that won't go away." He narrowed his eyes at her. Wasn't she the zit?! Haunting him and nobody else. Why didn't she show herself to their other colleagues? Why did she add more work to his already heavy load? 

WHY, COLI, WHY?! 

Placing her bottom on his comfy office chair, fit for a big man like her insufferable Stein was, Coli surveyed his tabs, without permission, "This whole rut of your's has got to stop. I'm here, maybe not in the way you'd like, but I am here. You're not going to maintain the peace and solve my murder mystery if your brain is only half working." She scanned through his emails, nosily going to his drafts. "By the way, when are you going to send this unfinished letter to Preston, hmmm?" 

Stein slammed his laptop closed. "Don't worry about it." He was already wearing pants and buttoning up his work shirt. He hated this outfit. 

"It seems to me you want to make a big reveal. Wolf at Edgetoun police station. How well do you think that would go?" Coli turned the swivel chair around to face him, both her arms and legs crossed. He knew these questions were only because she cared and didn't want him to get hurt, but this was a matter she had no say in because she didn't understand. 

"I don't want to. I need to. Eventually. The sooner I do it, the better it'll be for those... like me. We're getting the worst end of the stick due to a hiccup—"

Coli cut him off, "A hiccup? Nick Bloodfang's case was a 'hiccup'?" Man, was she always this feisty or was she simply getting impatient with him?  It's only been two weeks since she even revealed herself to him talking about things like Undead Anonymous and her journey as a ghost, saying she thinks she's getting down how to appear 'more human' again! Solving a murder with no leads takes time, Colette Bonnet. "You're smarter than that, Clay."

After putting his wrist watch on, checking the time as he did so, he grimaced, "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have food to devour and work to deal with."

"You can thank me, by the way. For keeping you tuned in with Edgetoun's happenings." Coli stood up, grabbed Stein's cologne, and sprayed his wrist that didn't have a watch on it. 

What he didn't realize was how tired she was getting, with every action she did making herself seem human, especially to him. Touching corporeal things drained her, but she missed being able to do little things.

In response, he rubbed that wrist on his neck and grumbled at her, "You don't need to baby me."

"Maybe you're right, but this new Stein, who SLACKS, definitely needs help getting his shit together." She slowly started vanishing before his eyes. "I'll see you later, but please do remember, my case is still on the shelf and I can't leave this world until you help me remember what happened to me." 

Right before she completely disappeared, he yelled, "Warn me next time!" The last thing he heard of her was a giggle and a light 'we'll see'. 

Great. Just great.

His eyes widened when his glass colagne bottle was now falling to the ground. With quick reflexes, he caught it then placed it back on his dresser. In the same exact spot that it originally was in. Goddamit, Coli.

Oh right, Aila! He hurried to his kitchen, grabbing his shoes as he exited the door. How did she get in, you ask? Well, that's easy. She was the only person that held a spare key to his apartment. Coli, however, didn't need a key. Every place they've ever been together, which was most of this damn town, was a place she could come out of nowhere and spook him.

Either way, they had to leave.[/indent]