Business As Usual [Open]

[Teranika Bree]

"¹Watashi wa seizei shū ni kiete shimaimasu."

Sliding the phone back into her pocket, the woman ended the conversation she was having just in time to make it into the station. Having just arrived from Tokyo, she was a bit disoriented by the time changes and she felt weary. Even a werewolf was not immune to jet lag unfortunately they did not inherit the ability to survive indefinitely on zero sleep like the vampires. It was funny that she missed them at all truth be told as most of her kind did not share the same sentiment. There was one in particular that she shared a special bond, teacher to student, that she could say she would miss.

Yet as it often went duty called her back to her packs territory as it often did. With the activity of the bad bloods on the rise there was probably a list of asses for her to kick. That was to say if the hunters hadn't stepped in already. They were not a new player to field, just the way they went about hunting the supernatural changed. The humans became more efficient, got better tools and now they stood a chance. It was amusing to watch it happen as it changed their perspective quite a bit to no longer be the untouchable predator.

Walking out of the subway, she shuffled through the throngs of people wading through New York's underbelly trying to get to or from work. All she wanted was a warm bath and to sleep for the better part of three days she felt. As she climbed the steps, she almost did so begrudgingly as if she were being made to. A loud yawn escaped her lips as she stepped out into the cool night air. It was spring yet it was still a bit chilly at night even if she barely felt it's sting against her skin. Tera could definitely tell she was back, the first thing she smelled was the fumes of cares everywhere and saw an ocean of yellow cabs.

For a moment she wondered if he sent someone to pick her up this time. The last time she came home her father was busy and there was no one to greet her when she arrived. While it wasn't like she required an escort, she still felt a bit miffed that no one had come. Taking her phone into her left hand she sent a text that read: "On the ground. ETA twenty minutes" and closed her phone. Taking one last look around, she attempted to pick someone she knew out of the crowd of people flooding in and out of the subway.

---

1. "I will be gone a week at the most."

[Merry Lovelace]

She was running late to pick up Tera. Music composition class had run late due to the instructor lecturing a student for not turning in his composition for the summer recital. Said student didn't really care what the instructor thought because he had enough money from his folks to do whatever he wanted. He thought composition was about experiencing life and that it would just pour forth like a fountain but he failed to realize something.

You had to write down the ideas in the first place.

Such behavior baffled Merry. She was blessed that she didn't have to worry about money but it blew her mind that people could piss their education away. Shaking her head sadly she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure as she walked down the same path out of the station. "Tera! Sorry, I'm late. Class got held up. Would you like to grab some takeout with me before we head home?" Merry's stomach growled hungrily. It was finals and she'd been hip deep with corrections and edits from instructors at the last minute.

Catching up to her friend she smiled, her periwinkle blue dress making her hair and eyes sparkle, grinning she hugged the woman if permitted, "I've missed you. How are you doing? Did you like Tokyo?" she asked as she began moving in step with her friend. The trees around them bloomed bright as they made their way down the street and Merry adjusted her messenger bag so it was not digging into her hip as much. Her purse was placed over the top of it as well and both items were on her in a cross body way so that a purse snatcher couldn't just walk off with them.

A person would be foolish to try and rob either of them but Merry took no chances in this city having been exposed to random violence at a young age. In spite of her caution, Merry's face looked hopeful. It wasn't often she got to just hang out and relax with a friend and she desperately needed the break.

Tagged: Tera
Word Count: 351
Notes: I love this.

[Teranika Bree]

Long before she saw the girl, Tera picked up her scent from the crowd. Despite the staggering smell of vehicle fumes in this city she could pick up individual scents. Once she smelled her, her hearing homed in on the direction she was coming from translating the sound to a distance in her mind. By the time Merry was within ear shot she was already expected, something she was most likely used to by now. Turning her weary gaze to the woman she tried her best to smile but it probably did not appear as bright as she hoped for. With the long hours on the flight her energy had vanished almost entirely, she was the walking dead right about now.

"The last time I walked the entire way. That someone came at all shows that someone was prepared this time for my arrival." she replied. Her tone was rather even as one would expect of someone who was drained. Yet in some odd way she still sounded like the kind hearted woman that many knew her to be. Shrugging off Merry's tardiness, she simply looked straight ahead and pondered the idea of food. Looking at her you would never imagine it but when eating Teranika threw down like a contest eater.

Checking her phone, she put it away once she realized that she had nowhere to be just yet. "Alright, but only if it is Sushi." she replied. The girl practically lived off of sushi and pizza but sometimes those two things were not exclusive. To the dismay of some of her pack mates who watched her eat a sushi pizza, she found their revolted expressions to be quite amusing. "On the ground less than an hour and I miss my usual already." she said with a tiny laugh. Her voice was incredibly gentle, sort of small and it was the last thing that one expected out of the beta of one of the strongest packs.

"Tokyo is Tokyo. It was a good time, it is home to me. It's sad to say I miss it even if I also miss being here simultaneously. It's a very complicated and interesting feeling. Hard to explain I guess, I probably don't make any sense at all." she said with a smile. Her accent was strange by this point, hint of Irish, somewhat American and a little Japanese influence. It was a complicated mess that would change depending on how long she was here.

"How is the store?" she asked casually.

[Seth Young]

The camera clicked repeatedly in silence, as it captured the images of the two women from a distance. The smaller female, who stepped from the subway was a particular subject that had been noticed coming into New York not long ago. She was followed before making her way to the subway system below. Tracers picked up her heat signature, which was giving off an excess amount of body heat far different from a regular human. Agent Seraph was within the subway station within the hour as the train stopped outside of Manhattan, a common spot where werewolves have been sighted in New York. Not long after she got out, she met with a human, but as Agent Seraph tried to get a thermal reading on her, the sensors came out normal.

He raised an eyebrow as he concentrated on a nearby subway security camera, and zoomed in on the individual girls, but most of what they said simply seemed like casual talk. There was always the chance that the human girl did not know about the other, but Agent Seraph could not take any chances. Once HQ received visual on the human girl, no doubt, they would send a tactile group to keep a close eye on her. However, in the meantime, Seth could not draw attention to himself.

Taking the Nikon in his hands, head folded it up and began to leave the station, planning to keep a closer eye on the werewolf, and see where she could lead him.

[Merry Lovelace]

It was easy to hear the fatigue in Tera's voice as she spoke, Merry didn't take the lack of enthusiasm for anything other than an exhausted person needing to refuel and rest. "Well, I'd say this time is already turning out better than expected." She replied as she moved with her friend through the crowd. "I love Sushi," Merry said simply. It helped that she wouldn't be the one making the meal for Tera. THAT was more expensive than if they just dropped a Benjamin down for her meal and kept rolling. "Do you have a preference on where you would like to eat?  You and your father know the best places."  Merry's sense of smell wasn't even in the same ballpark as Tera and Cerberus'. She trusted them to know which places were clean and had the freshest food. The last thing she wanted to do was risk making them ill or throwing them off their appetite.

Laughing at her comment, Merry linked arms with her friend, "I've missed you. It gets lonely here." She admitted. There were many beings that would not tolerate a witch in their midst. Given how her family had died from a seemingly random act of violence, Merry tended to keep to herself. There were many creatures in this world and Merry wanted to fit in one of these days. She wasn't sure when that would be but she would keep trying, slowly so as not to be annoying or frustrating. "I envy having more than one place to belong. You're very lucky, Tera. Having two places to call home must be wonderful. I can only dream of traveling like you do." She said wistfully.

"The store is...the store, your father is fine and we sell books at the usual pace." She admitted with a shrug, "He knows how to read me better than I do him.  He'd probably pretend to be alright if doomsday was looming."  Merry knew her strengths and being with an ancient family put her at a disadvantage for truly knowing what they wanted to keep hidden. She may have been trusting but she was honest with her failings. Still, she may not have been a wolf but she cared for those that needed it with loyalty.

[Teranika Bree]

Of course before she even suggested it she had a plan. Like anyone could have assumed, she could smell her location long before she even saw it. If there was something that needed her attention she would be messaged with the details. Honestly she found it odd that all was quiet tonight anyway considering that she was called back here to begin with. Yet for as quiet as it was she couldn't help but shake the odd feeling that something was off about tonight. She didn't really have a source for this feeling, just the feral feeling that she should be cautious.

"I'm sorry. From experience I know how you feel. Moonlight isn't exactly the most exciting of places with stimulating conversation. Everything is musty tomes and doom." she said with a short laugh. As much as she loved home she felt that there was no room to breath in it. Things were often doom and gloom when she was home and this time was no less different. Not only were bad bloods increasing in activity but Dagon was getting worse again. There was a time when they thought they had stabilized his condition but it seemed no magical talisman could truly help.

Feeling Merry link her arm with her own, Tera gently patted it. "I wouldn't envy it. Wanderlust can be just as lonely as being stuck in one place without friends." she replied. Of course when she was Tokyo she wasn't alone but she couldn't shake that feeling. It had been a long time since she knew what it was like to not be alone, ever since he died. Even to this day she never forgave herself for her carelessness that got him killed. "I just think we need to work on finding you a tall and handsome someone. That should do well to change how you're feeling. Just uh, avoid any of the wolves in the pack. Probably not something you want to be mixed up in, they're a bit rowdy." she teased.

"I can't imagine that sales have gotten any better at all. No one buys books anymore." she said with a laugh. She didn't believe that statement to be entirely true but it was a declining market as far as physical copies went. Rounding the corner, Tera spotted the writing on a banner that signaled her relief from one of her two symptoms. Leading Merry inside, they were lead to a table where she would flop down into the booth rather haphazardly. Picking up a menu, she glanced it over while she asked her other question.

"How is Alistair these days? Does he still come around the shop?" she asked. Tera was unsure how much Merry actually knew about Dagon and so she used his alias instead. There were many secrets that Cerberus did not trust people with and she was unsure just how much he told Merry.

[Merry Lovelace]

It was easy to follow behind Tera and bring up the rear. She made it easy and Merry knew that if something were to go wrong Tera would be the one to take care of it. She had a speed and agility. Still, Merry kept a weather eye out for trouble. This was New York after all. One had to be careful. “If I want to be social there is always school; Moonlight books affords me the perfect opportunity to study and practice my craft in peace and quiet. If it’s a bit gloomy, well, that just allows me to focus on what I need to. I like the peace and quiet.” She said simply, not wishing to speak ill of the situation with Cerberus. He was the one who had given her a home when she had nothing and given her a place to hide from those who had killed her parents.

“I’m sorry you felt so lonely.” Merry didn’t know what to say, she always felt slightly awkward when she hadn’t seen someone in a long time. She wished she was more graceful with her words but she was only human and didn’t have the centuries they did. The talk of finding someone for her met with a soft laugh, “Understood. I wouldn’t want them to be something they aren’t on account of me.” She respected the wolves and their nature and the last thing she wanted was resentment to build up because of needs going unmet due to her fragile form. She was honest with herself in that much. Wolves needed people of sterner stuff than she was. That was not to say she was without her own skills; it was just that she lacked those skills that most wolves found in a mate. She was too soft, to easily hurt even with some of the mildest rough and tumble things they did. She did not feel neglected for this, she’d learned from it and grown in the study of it.

Moving into the booth, she placed her purse down next to her and picked up a menu, “There are a few patrons who spend a prodigeious amount of money at the store for all that we may not sell as many copies of books since eReaders came into the market. I think they keep the store afloat more than anything.” She laughed softly as she looked over the offerings of the restaurant. “Alistair is…Alistair. There are days when your father chooses to meet with him and then days when I fill his orders. Your father seems to know before the man arrives whether to meet with him or not. It’s rather uncanny. I think maybe he hears his arrival before hand and knows when he’s needed.” She shrugged and looked up as a waitress prepared to take their order, “Iced tea for me to start.” She said as she waited for Tera to give her drink request.

[Teranika Bree]

There was a short laugh as she felt that Merry didn't quite pick up her meaning. "Trust me, it has nothing to do with you changing them. You're just safer at a distance from their more.. "primal" side.." she said. If women had a problem with human males chasing skirts, it was undoubtedly worse when it came to the men of her species. They were all hard wired to do such things, fight, hunt and procreate. Even Tera wasn't above them when it came to such things. She enjoyed the animal side of what she was just as much as any other wolf out there. The only difference between her and them was that she had the manners not to be a complete troll in public.

"Trust me, the fact that you're around us means you can handle yourself. A lot of people would have broken under the stress of knowing what you know now. Never think it comes down to you not being tough, more like I think you can do better than those idiots." she said with a laugh. With that she just got water from the waitress as she ordered herself Sashimi, which happened to be one of her favorite things to eat. That and squid which was repulsive to most people she knew, the very idea that she ate it. Crossing her legs, Tera leaned back into the booth and let out a soft sigh. It took everything in her to not pass out right here in this strangely comfortable restaurant booth.

A momentary respite before she dove into the topic of Alistair once more. "His habits are usually very predictable is all. Just don't let him inside your head. Mister Cain has a way of getting under peoples skin and manipulating them without them knowing it. It's actually quite terrifying and I'd rather not see something like that happen to you." she warned. While she figured that Dagon knew she was off limits, sometimes rules did not matter or apply to him. Mister Cain, Mister Jones, rules didn't apply to you when you were the closest thing to a living god that the world had ever known.

"My father would never let that happen to you of course but I'd rather not take any chances. I know you've had a rougher life than most." she said. Tera never really got a chance to be close to her own sibling, Merry was as close as she got to anything similar. Yet looking at the two of them no one would ever believe that she might be the "big sister" out of the two of them given her size.

[Merry Lovelace]

Realization dawned, “Oh. Well yes I imagine that would be awkward…” she trailed off with a blush and rubbed the back of her neck for a moment. But when Tera complimented her she blushed with delight, “Thanks. I do try.” She said softly as she waited for the food to be delivered. Merry loved eel and squid so she wasn’t going to judge Tera for her eating habits, the fact that Tera picked this place meant that the squid would be fresh and not rubbery which was the only issue she would have with it. She ordered sashimi herself to start with miso soup as a palate cleanser. Carefully she made certain to place a tiny dab of wasabi on the fish and then delicately dipped it into the soy sauce. She’d made a point of learning how to eat sushi when she learned that Tera was travelling to Japan. She didn’t want to make her friend squirm.

“I haven’t found anyone to my liking yet. Dating is a bit of a challenge given what I am.” She murmured softly before taking a bite of her sashimi and smiling to herself. This was nice, talking and relaxing. Tera was family to her and she thought of her as the big sister she’d never had. “I’m polite to him but we don't interact overly much. He seems sweet but there is this darkness around him. It’s different than the one around your dad. I can't explain it really.” She admitted as she looked at her friend, “I know your dad looks out for me and I appreciate it more than I can say.” Merry had her share of tragedy and it ate at her.

For a while she ate in silence not wanting to disrupt the lovely mood, after a moment she gave a mischievous gleam in her eye, “I finished the album I was working on. I’m hoping that it sells well so I can focus on schooling. Luckily my father has a good advertising firm taking care of the promotion.” The reality was that Merry didn’t need to work but it gave her something to do that she loved and it kept her from being depressed. She knew it as well as anyone but she still liked the idea of being known for her music.