@Ebil BunnyMeredith blinked for a moment, struggling to concentrate. What was she doing again? Oh yes, errands for groceries. For her own mother. Her eyelids felt like lead right now, as she counted for the ninth time she had all the items she had been requested to fetch. Slowly, like one trudges through mud, her mind seemed to make the right connections and nodded sagely to Cyan as he stood up, trying to explain the situation.
"You can't find batteries for cellphones in this kind of store..." She mumbled to herself, before getting distracted by the actual fluffyness of the tail. Oh and the other tail outside the door. Wait, that was a dog, a cute dog. Maybe she should buy a couple of dog snacks for the other companion? Was it
Ceylon's dog by any chance? Oh right, he had asked a question. Which remembered her ... well, situation. Her gaze cast at her feet she began to construct a response.
"Well, mom said that since It was for a ritual or something. Oh and that she wanted to send Anna too, but she isn't strong enough to bring all the stuff back home flying." She blurted out. There went one of her many little secrets, but she was too tired to try and cover up her little slip. Besides the boy had a fox tail. He probably wouldn't freak out.
"For a ritual? What kind of power uses chocolate and stuff for rituals?" The boy asked, noticing what it was she was carrying.
'And more curiously, why would it need to be done in the middle of the night?'The dog, in the meantime, also noticed what it was the female inside was carrying, and became even more interested in trying to find a way in. Putting its paws up against the window, its claws began to make screetching sounds against the glass. Cyan jumped at the sound and whipped his head around to focus on the furry creature, nervous at what maniacal plan it might have.
The store clerk, too, was watching the large dog. If it caused any problems, he could very well be the one getting in trouble. But then again, the last thing he wanted was to wrestle what was basically a grizzly bear. Oh well, if it started to become an issue, he would get a broom and try to chase it away. Hopefully these customers would get what they wanted and leave, though, and take the dog with them.
Meredith shrugged heavily.
"Beats me, she did not explain to me, and she was doing this weird hip sway and giggle as she went back into the bedroom for some reason." Her eyes darted to the dog, then to
Ceylon. Oh right, he must have been walking the dog and given the size of the beastie, he was all exhausted and probably hungry. Well she was hungry too, so she slid a couple of drinks in her basket and ordered a couple of hot pockets to well, eat. She offered one of the drinks to the young boy as she smiled somewhat.
"Why that's a cutie doggie you have there..." She said as she fearlessly trounced towards the door, probably against any kind of common sense. The door opened ominously, as she extended her hand to pet the animal.
"Wait! That dog's dange-" Cyan exclaimed as Meredith moved past him to the door, but it was too late. The door had opened, and now all hell would break loose.
The dog went absolutely
nuts when it caught a whiff of Meredith's hand scent, as it started to bark audibly and growl, seemingly bent on pouncing on the new target, but for all of its aggressivity its back was curled and his legs were flexed low. Its ears were also bent backwards. It seemed to be scared
witless of something, but no other indication of what. Meredith seemed to obviously ignore the danger signals and kept pushing her hand towards it. She never reached the creature, because it darted at a speed that seemed impossible for a dog its size, visiblely whimpering as it did so.
"Why...don't the doggies and the kitties ever like me..." She added, dejected and pouting, while seeing the large dog running away like a mouse in the distance. Only the microwave ping that announced that her snack was ready shook her out of her stupor.
Cyan's jaw dropped as the creature that had been chasing him took off running and whimpering into the night.
"What on earth did you do?" he finally asked after a brief silence, but still stared through the window in the direction the dog had disappeared.
Meanwhile, the clerk was very relieved the dog was finally gone. If it had broken something... Hoo boy. Relaxing his shoulders in relief, he pulled the warmed hot-pockets out of the microwave and handed them out to the girl who both purchased them and had rid the store premises of the hooligan.
"Here you go," he said in
almost a cheerful tone.
Meredith what she usually did, and handed one hot pocket to her companion in misadventures, alongside a chilled drink.
"here. Sorry about your doggy. But you must be hungry and thirsty. It's also getting late. I'll take you to my home, the dorms are sooo far away." She said as she munched on the hot pocket, before letting a small whimper.
"Itth hurths! Sho hoot! But shho good." She said, while cooling her small accident with her own drink. Her gaze towards Cyan was not unlike she had found a lost puppy, only momentarily breaking it to pay for her items with an overly large bill.
"Oh, no, that wasn't my dog. He was just chasing me for, well... Not exactly no reason," he responded.
"Thanks for chasing it off, that's a pretty handy ability."The boy's eyes lit up at the offer of food and drink, he hadn't realized how hungry he'd gotten. He hadn't even had supper yet, so he was pretty famished. He took a bite of the hot-pocket, then swallowed before asking,
"How far are the dorms? If they're not too far away, I don't mind walking back to them if you can give me directions.""Being hated by animals is not an ability." She pouted so slightly, as she consumed the food at an alarming speed.
"Dorms are not that far, but it's not well lit and you might be attacked by whatever is outside there. Specially without a doggy. My house is safer, father killed a lot of demons!" She cheered as she adjusted the bags of her purchase.
Besides I could use someone normal in that house for a change. She paused to herself.
"I mean i could take you to the dorms too, but then the errand...hummm...." She said as she eyed the boy. Wasn't
Ceylon one of the poorest kids at the academy? He could use some more food, he was scrawny.
"I thought... okay. Would your family be okay with me sleeping there for the night?" he asked, pretty resigned at this point. This has been one of the more chaotic twenty-four hours he'd experience, and he was getting exhausted despite the sleep he had earlier. Cyan thought the area around St. Laurel's would be pretty attacker-free, but he was still relatively new to the area, and even if he got to the dorms there'd be a chance he'd still have to deal with whatever pins, syrup, or whatever had been stuffed in his mattress this time.
"Nonsense, mother complains I don't bring enough boys to the house. That will shut her up for a while!" Meredith grinned somewhat as she drew closer to Cyan, indicating him to go with her outside the store. She knew what was coming after. Well, she still doubted if she could trust her classmate with her little secret. St Laurel's students...would not be kind to her if this was widespread. In a deft move, her arms latched onto the scrawny boy, pressing him against his body.
"Okay, now hold on to me. I've never flown with this much weight but it should be fine. I think." She said. But the Meredith who had exited the store and the Meredith who was clutching Cyan close to her were ...different. For once, a barbed tail was wiggling almost uncontrollably from under her clothes, and her nails were now black pointed claws. Two horns crowned her head, but that was nowhere as striking as the huge, leathery bat-wings that had sprouted on her back.
"Eep!"Cyan was not expecting to be hugged
or the sudden transformation the other student went through.
"F-fly? Are you sure walking wouldn't work?" he barely got out. Meredith was surprisingly strong, and she was making it, a little, difficult, to breath. He was beginning to consider that he might be getting himself in a little over his head. It was
probably too late for that now, though.
"This is faster." Meredith added, and her wings began to flap in mighty motions, the sudden acceleration of taking off rippling through her entire body. Soon, the sensation of ground beneath the feet was a memory for the pair, as Meredith powered through the sky with all of her might. It was a short, but exhausting ride. She nearly made both them fall a couple of times, and almost failed the landing, but she made into the entrance of her own house, a rather impressive manor. There, bathed by the light of inside, was a woman who could've fit in any saucy male magazine, dressed in vaporous night clothes that left little to imagination.
"You're late, my daughter. Have you brought the offerings? Hm?" She asked, as her gaze pierced on the other person who had arrived.
"A young male sacrifice? Are you trying to appease me with that?" She asked, a grin spreading in her face, as she saw her daughter's cheeks becoming beet reed.
"Just kidding. I suppose we have a guest, aye?" She added, as she greedily zipped towards her daughter and quickly relieved her of her bags.
"Be welcome to the Blackgate abode, young man. Fox. Man-fox thing. Whatever." She added, deciding it wasn't the effort to think any harder. Her hips swaying with pride, she entered the house, leaving the door open, and disappeared somewhere, her backside slamming a door close as she went by with her prize.
Meredith, who had somewhat recovered from the jest, just muttered under her breath.
"I once tried to do that but my underwear got caught up in the door." She pouted.
Poor Cyan was in no way prepared for a flight, and the sensation of falling every so often most certainly didn't help. As soon as they landed, he collapsed into a sitting position, propping his body up with his arms behind him.
"Please, let's never do that again," he half mumbled, half begged. However, even recovering from what was less flying and more zig-zagging through the air didn't distract him enough from Meredith's home situation. The boy wasn't really sure what to expect from a mother who sent their daughter in the middle of the night for chocolate and whipped cream for a "ritual", but this woman somehow both competely surprised him and perfectly fit whatever it was he could have imagined.
As strange an individual Meredith was, Cyan couldn't help but be relieved when it was just the two of them. At least she was relatively normal. He could see a similarity between her and her mother though.
"She seems... nice. Very funloving." he said. Best be polite when in another's household. The compliments were rather forced, however.
Not really sure what else to do, the boy continued sitting in his spot in the grass and awkwardly looked around the yard and at the exterior of the house, avoiding eye-contact with Meredith. It was quite dark, the sparse cloud-cover from when he woke up had become more dense, so the stars were no longer visible and the half-moon barely so. However, the electric lamp over the door of the house lit the area well enough, and there was light coming from a couple windows as well. Just going off from the lovely two-story house and well-trimmed lawn, one wouldn't expect the residents to be so... bizarre.
"You've got a nice house." he finally said in another stiff attempt at etiquette. At this point he was definitely regretting coming here.
"Mother is a demon." Meredith said, probably with the only hint of poison in her voice that she had shown in the entire conversation. And just like that, she was back into her older self. Without the extra monstruous bits.
"Well, father is well off after being a hero sort of thing." She paused as she grabbed Cyan by the hand.
"Oh come on, don't stay in there, my bed is big enough for two." She cheered as she invited Cyan to come with her upstairs.
'Guess I'm not the only with parent issues,' Cyan thought, not realizing the girl was being literal. However, at the mention of them both sleeping in the same bed, he stopped on the stairs and pulled his hand back.
"Oh, um, that's okay. I can sleep on the floor if you have any extra blankets or something.""Uh, that won't do." Meredith said.
"Mother will scold me if she found that I let you sleep in the floor." She added as she brought Cyan forth once again.
"Besides, it's not like anything will happen if we sleep in the same bed, silly." She added, sure of herself.
"Haven't you heard about the birds and the bees talk?" She said, steeling her resolve.
"Why can't we just say I slept in the bed. I... like my personal space." Cyan said, getting quieter. Then in a louder voice in an attempt at humor, said,
"Besides, it's not like I've never slept on the floor before or anything. Me and the floor go way back. We're good friends."Meredith shook her head.
"No one should be sleeping in a cold floor. You'll get the bed. I will get the floor because I was the one who dragged you to this situation." She finally conceded. Well, jeez. Couldn't things be easier for once. They always kept refusing the bed if she didn't do this to her visitors.
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