Idonea, not heeding Leas’s warnings, literally came to bite her on the ass when the morning had come. He did wake her in a timely manner as promised. Not a single death threat from her worked. She would have chomped his head off to wake her. The only thing that could stop her from doing so was her back being so sore from the frisky night. He was apologetic for a short period of the morning, then whatever sympathy he had was thrown out the window when he started to sweetly threaten to dress her.
She shook off the exhaustion and midway to putting on some slacks, Leas handed her one of his windbreakers to wear for the cold morning. She is still just recovering from the big freeze last night, so she took no offense to his coddling. This windbreaker is a duo shade of purple and the inside still smells a lot like Leas. Being big enough on her to cover her rear and hang over her hands. She could easily turtle her face enough in the collar and take a small whiff if she wanted to...which she did more often than she would ever admit.
It’s the sweet aroma, unmistakably Leas, with the added scents of sun-bathed sand. It reminds her of lounging underneath the sun again, on a warm lazy day which sounds great.
Her handsome partner dressed equally casually, his blue plaid short sleeves with two of the top buttons kept unattached to expose his chest line. Blue jeans and sneakers. He wore a black tank top beneath that, but neither of those barely hid the lovely little marks she left behind on his freckled collarbone. Serves him right, but he didn’t look at all fazed when he saw it. He treated the new mark like a trophy to show around, apparently.
No stranger asked about these bruises, he would just let any adult that might have stared too long see where they came from. Making sure when he said these marks belonged to his ‘wife’, he would wrap his arms around her shoulders. It worked on embarrassing her more than anything.
She regrets even marking him in the first place.
Their morning starts with breakfast at the ship’s diner. This diner had an outdoor dining area where they sat out to eat their meals. The waitress would come around to serve them and provide coffee.
He took a few photos of her while she was distracted by the scenery. When chastised about his actions, he just said that these are for his photo album. He sounded so innocent, but it only made her more flustered and embarrassed. Does he view her as important enough to have photos of her? She shouldn’t have been shocked; she saw the pictures in his home.
Their breakfast was spent a lot like this, and he finally admitted that they will be attending another dance tonight since the other one was canceled preemptively due to the emergency. Idonea nearly choked up, remembering the smell of all those people and thought about how she could explain it to him. But the way he looked so excited to check another little activity in their relationship that she didn’t want to stop it anymore.
He had to excuse himself and go to the bathroom, leaving her alone on their table and it gave her the peace and time to watch the ocean horizon. It was truly beautiful, reminding her of when she worked at the Trawling company for months at sea... Wait...doesn’t that start soon? She checked her own memory; their last date was in November. Her job would have reached out via phone call soon... just halfway through December.
A panic feeling rose in her, one she had never felt before in the few years that she had worked there. Suddenly, she caught herself thinking what would happen to Leas. A crazy thought when she wasn’t sure that she was going to remain in contact.
This thought was pushed away when a few tiny voices called to her.
“Monster Lady~!”
“Lady...Monster!?”
Idonea turned her attention to the two very familiar children that stood next to her on the table. Their little red heads made her smile, the young lad held his sister by the hand. These two looks as alive as ever. Her smile dropped when she realized the new nickname that they picked out for her, “It’s not nice to call people that. Besides...I don’t want anyone to misunderstand.”
“I don’t know what else to call you...” The boy rolled his eyes, but his little sister fixed it by letting go of his hand and hugged Idonea around her waist. The female werewolf gasped at the sudden hug, looking at her brother, then at their parents, who were nowhere to be found.
Great...I am hugging unattended children.
“Thank you...monstie lady.”
Idonea nodded gruffly, patting the girl’s head and looking on to her brother with a small smile. “You can hug me too.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to hug you, but I will if it makes you happy!” The boy scoffs one more time before caving in and hugging the werewolf next. Even though he complained a lot, he obviously was just as grateful to her, and she was to them.
Nea is grateful that they fought hard enough to survive. “I am glad that you are both OK.”
The two siblings pulled away, looking at Idonea inquisitively. They wanted to ask her about her changes, she could smell the question burning in their brains.
“You are wondering what I am? Well...I’ll tell you if you promise to keep it a secret.”
“We promise!” Spat the brother.
“Well...” She looked around pretending that this was a secret meant to be taken to the grave. When she saw no one, she continued her admission with a very eerie voice. “Don’t blab your little mouths. But I’m a Vöròr...”
“Yer no warden spirit lady!” Pouted the children who could see how far-fetched her claims were.
“You may not believe me...but have there ever been reliable accounts of what one looks like? A spirit like me will come in many forms to protect your souls...Yesterday I looked strong and beastly to help you two, today I am just a strange looking woman. Who knows tomorrow I might take on any shape and form to better your survival.” She grinned over the questions, petting their heads, their faces turning from straight doubt to wonder.
The little girl asked next, “Will...we ever see ye again, miss spirit?”
“Not as I am now. But I will always be around. It means though that you must be more careful, or I’ll really wallop your heads next time” It was strange that she tried to pretend to be something that she was not, but because there are very negative connotations of werewolves in the current media, she isn’t brave enough to say the real truth. At least now, they will try not to get in trouble.
“Hmph~! Fine. Let’s go Trish...” The older lad grabbed his sister by the arm and dragged her away, probably to do more mischief.
The younger sister waved at Idonea. “Bye monstie spirit!”
Idonea snorts, her smile dropping at the little girl’s new nickname. She will be happy just to see them so lively after such a traumatic experience. Especially the little girl who looked so close to death in that buoy.
“Hm? Are you really a spirit?” The she-wolf heard the voice more than anything else, asking mentally how she didn’t notice the same beautiful woman from last night lurking nearby. This woman had no scent of her this time, dressed down in a gown with the same fur shawl from yesterday on her, she sat down where Leas was last, propping her chin with her heavily manicured palm. This female’s blonde streaked hair rests on her collarbone in waves. Her lapis lazuli eyes were half cast, yawning like she had just woken up and very unbothered by the way her table guest glared at her.
Seriously!? Where is Leas!?
“You seem to know...so tell me....am I a spirit?” This came as a growl in her throat. Idonea even flashed the other female a few blunted teeth. The lack of aroma coming from this female proves her similarities with Leas. Her eyes could see a glowing runic marking beneath the green jeweled bangle. Upon closer inspection, this female is not adorned with as many tattoos on her body as Leas. All that Nea could see for tattoos were the three that circled this woman’s tiny wrists.
“You smell too much to be a mere spirit.... The stench of your kind is really unforgettable.” The woman purred, looking at her nails out of boredom.
So... she knows what I am... Nea tensed up, eyeing their surroundings before muttering at the intruder of peace. “Oh? Then do you recall how easily my people can render a soul when crossed?”
“Hahaha, you’re underestimating my power here... Although my illusion arts seem to never work on your kind, in fact your kind could see our markings, you aren’t completely immune if I decided to make things...extremely cold for you.” The female reached for the hem of Idonea’s sleeve, the very manicured fingers starting to frost there and spreading slowly. Idonea panicked from the touch of cold, but like the trained warrior facing her adversary, she never allowed such feelings to surface from her scowl.
Snarling now, “Okay...what are you?”
“Hmph...I can’t share that information. My pup should tell you soon enough...” The green-adorned female retracted her manicured hand from Idonea. This female leaned back, bunching her bosom in her crossed arms with a playful grin on her painted face. “I swear...I care too much for his feelings. Let’s get to the point... I don’t like you!”
“You made that pretty obvious...”
“No, No! This extends more than just what you are. I don’t like anyone that takes my little pup’s heart. He is such a young fool, ready to love the next person even harder than the last.... our kind doesn’t do well with romances or relationships. Getting kidnapped and forced into mortal bindings every day. He’s different...with a lot more potential than the average. Talents wasted on people like you that could never comprehend it.” This woman admitted more than allowed, even she cussed herself under her breath for her folly. “Forget it...”
Kidnapped....or forced? Is he that vulnerable? Idonea listened on, edging closer to this woman. The subject intrigued her, even though this stranger wasn’t going to willingly relay information, Idonea would take any info she got from the stranger. “What do you mean, ommu?”
“You do not get to use that nickname, young Lady!” She huffs just like an old cranky woman, as strange as it is to see such behavior in a young woman, Idonea is starting to see a more natural part of it. This woman’s mannerism is reflective of her truest age, kind of reminds Idonea of her very ancient mother. “Hmph! Rude barn... People like you are exactly why-”
“Why what, ommu ?” Another voice cuts in the tension, and she could feel the arms of the culprit around her from behind. His musk washed in her nostrils to distract her, a warm touch dizzied her mind. It was enough to muzzle her rage. Idonea could only see the side of his face, but she could only imagine that he was smiling.
This seal shawl wearing female, one that he keeps referring to as his grandmother, changed her tune entirely. She dropped the distaste and sported the sweetest of smiles, one riddled with the nervous twitch of her groomed brow. “Why ...why I can’t get enough of your company! Pup, she’s a keeper!”
The hell!?
“Uh...huh...” The way he agreed was as doubtful as Idonea, he must be able to read the situation even when the other female tries so hard to lie about it. He leaned away from Nea’s face to inspect her reaction, the purple gaze trailing around her face. “Is that what you two talked about this whole time?”
The calm demeanor he has, and the beautiful smile hides the conviction that he now has, including promising a level of punishment that might tarnish his relationship with his ‘ommu’. Nea isn’t exactly cruel enough to witness the axing of a family member, even one as hostile as this one.
“Yep! She was telling me how much better I am compared to all the others before.” Her lies could scorch her throat, it hurt more to protect such a spiteful woman. “Seriously...who is this sweet lady?”
“Hm... My elder, Unnur...” Leas pouts, seeing through her facade. And she really thought he was going to ignore her hard work in keeping the shaky peace.
He released her and ambled to the other woman’s side. His gaze bore down on Unnur for a long time, then poked the female’s cheek, “Okay~! You gotta stop interfering with my love life, ommu . We can’t be this spiteful once we get there...you know.”
“Argh....fine! I am through with all the rudeness!” His elder smacked his poking hand away and stood right up, stomping off. Each stomp was matched with an equally angered statement about how she felt so betrayed by her own pup.
After one sigh from Leas, he took the empty chair and scooted it next to a seated Idonea. Then he sat right down, with not a second to lose, he rested his blond fluffy head on her shoulder. “I leave you alone for a few minutes and everyone wants a piece of you. Don’t they know your mine for the rest of this week?”
His cute gripes made her blush, then she snapped right out of it and prodded his chest. His closeness might have worked to get her from being annoyed in the past, but not today. Not when she has been interrogated by such a wicked woman. “Seriously!? Where were you!?”
“Oh...bathroom?” He answered a little too quickly. She snarls in dissatisfaction, turning her nose up so that he can deal with her moods.
“Why is it so hard for me to believe you?”
“Come on my elskan! The only thing I did was send those kids your way before I went.” He whimpered, feigning a pathetic front even though he was fighting a smile down.
“Great. One more excuse.” She grumbled, poking his chest even harder.
“Aww. They just wanted to thank their savor...I swear I wasn’t here to eavesdrop.” In response to her hard prodding, he buried his nose in the crook of her neck while grabbing her prodding finger. Her whole-body tenses from the display, losing her thoughts.
All she can blurt out is something irrelevant to what bothered her originally. “You know...those kids are a handful....”
“I... could always make them forget what they saw last night...” Leas uttered, breathing in her space and pulling her closer to him. His offer made her spine shiver. The level of magic he has is still unlimited and very unknown to her, such crazy suggestions will throw her in a loop.
Could he do that?