Child of the Moon

Naomi Acker. Werewolf. 36. Bodden Pack Beta. Chef.

[naomiacker]

charliekwensi​

It had been just a couple of minutes ever since she was able to go back into her usual and preferably form, which was enough of a chance to finally grab her phone and call the Uber that would drive her back home. But it was naive of Charlotte to assume everything would turn out the way she wanted it to, because before she would be able to continue her path back to Birchwood and stay indoors with her pets in a safe distance from where she was standing, everything changed. From the crash, to the driver not being in a good shape and then shifting into someone else… again. A long sigh escaped from her body while Charlotte moved up, grabbing her phone in case the driver needed some help and an ambulance. “Yeah… I’m you.” Frustration was carried in every word exchanged. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, because you’re beautiful but I’d prefer to be, well, me. And maybe it’s the full moon, I sure as hell hope it’s just the full moon so I can stop shifting into everyone that ends up touching me.” She ended up chuckling. “Is weird, isn’t it? Like staring at yourself in the mirror but in this case this image doesn’t move according to your movements.” I’m seeing two of you, the driver mentioned pointing out at Naomi. “No shit, Sherlock. But don’t worry this isn’t because of crash it’s just… an unfortunate event.”

—

Charlie had described it perfectly. It was like she was looking in the mirror but that mirror was projecting back some alternate universe and not what she was doing in this world. “And you can’t turn back immediately even if you wanted to?” Naomi probably should’ve been paying more attention to the injured driver. But they were talking and that was a good sign. Taking a few steps back to her car Naomi grabbed a small first-aid kit from the backseat and returned to Charlie’s side. Which was like returning to her own side. “I guess now I know what it would’ve been like if I was a twin.” She tried to brush off the weirdness of the entire situation with a joke. Then it was like a lightbulb had gone off over her head as she opened up the first-aid kit to take out bandages and gauze. All this time since the crash her attention had been focused on the obviously injured driver and she hadn’t taken the time to make sure that Charlie was okay. “You’re okay, right?” She gave the other woman a quick once over—yet another reminder of just how strange this situation was—to try and spot any obvious injury she’d missed in the flurry of early activity. 

[naomiacker]

zomartinez​

when:  Nova Pangaea’s December Celebration where:  Birchwood Arts Centre who: anyone @astoriastarter​

           “As much as I appreciate the many stalls that sell limitless amounts of hot chocolate and chocolate infused everything, there is still part of me that would give just about anything for a normal latte right about now,” she spoke while wandering through the countless stalls in hope of finding the right gift and possibly something to eat even if all she could smell was sugar in the air. It was enough to make her stomach turn ever so slightly, until she managed to escape it long enough to focus on another rush of smells from the other stalls. “Have you been able to find anything? I swear this year is going to get the best of me when it comes to gift giving. And it’s not like I can just give free lessons at the gym, again.”

—

“I don’t think I’ve seen a normal latte with nothing extra added but there was a stall that had gingerbread and that’s about as close as I’ve seen to plain latte in this entire place.” They were surrounded by holiday flavours on all sides. Naomi had been paying close attention to any stall that had food on it, looking out for new and exciting recipes to try. Her plan was to walk all the stalls once and then decide which ones to go back and try. The same could be said for her idea on picking gifts. “I’ve seen a couple things that I might end up getting for gifts. I’m not completely sold on anything yet. The idea of getting a bunch of gift cards is so tempting.”

[naomiacker]

derrickbelmont​

It wasn’t often that Derrick closed Oblivion without notice, but his anxiety was running high with the full moon once again approaching - not to mention a lunar eclipse. If anything spelled bad luck it was this and he didn’t want to take any chances. He wasn’t up for dealing with people getting stuck for hours in the restaurant, or robbers trying to break in and loot and threatening his staff, or hell, people pretending to be in need of his help when really they had ulterior motives to lock him up for days - or any other nonsense that might happen around the moon. He wanted his staff home and safe. 

Thankfully the day had been mostly quiet (it seemed the rest of the city had similar feelings to trying and stick out the moon in a safe and secure place) , so cleaning up had taken little time. But it certainly was a welcome distraction, and with a little time on his hands he was heading to the kitchen just as Naomi came out. 

“You’re probably right, everyone loves the guy spinning a random arrow sign that can’t be read on street corners,” he conceded to her joking, “Definite fits with the restaurant style and all that, too. Very classy. I should definitely take your advice more often.”

“They do. That’s why all the top, Michelin star restaurants in the world have at least two of them. It’s a secret part of the guide no one talks about. The best have four. One for each corner of the building so the most people possible see it.” She smiled in amusement at her own joke, picturing a town street filled with sign spinners. It would hit the point where no one would even be able to tell which restaurant the sign was supposed to be for. “If nothing else, it’d be pretty funny to send one of the guys on the line out there for an afternoon.”

It wasn’t that she disliked any of the line cooks. She loved working at Oblivion and she got along with her coworkers. The teasing was only because she considered most of them friends and knew they wouldn’t hold a grudge for her making the joke. “You can even tell them it was my idea, I don’t mind being thrown under the bus as long as we can film it.”

“You want me to make you anything for lunch?” She offered, pointing back over her shoulder towards the kitchen. Closing early obviously meant no dinner and even though they’d ordered less in preparation there was still enough ingredients left to pull together two more meals.

[naomiacker]

Location: In the road  When: November 29, 6:50 pm Availability: Closed │ @charliekwensi​

Internally Naomi was cursing herself. She should’ve been more careful, driven slower. The weather was terrible and everyone knew the key was to drive slow and keep distance when the driving conditions weren’t ideal. Immediately, she’d gotten out of the car and turned to helping the driver, apologizing just shy of a dozen times. Her next round of apologies were offered to Charlie, after all it was Naomi’s fault they were stuck in the terrible weather waiting for an ambulance to arrive so the driver could get help. She’s barely thought anything of it when she felt a hand brush against her arm while she was checking on the driver for what felt like the hundredth time in under a minute. That is, until she looked over and saw herself standing next to her. Naomi did a double take, stepping to the side in shock. “You’re me.” She couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice until it dawned on her that werewolves weren’t the only ones affected by this full moon. “Right, the moon.” She shook her head, but was still staring. “Sorry, I shouldn’t stare.” She tried to break her gaze away but kept glancing over. After living in Astoria her entire life it shouldn’t be such a surprise but it was still a shock.

[naomiacker]

elizabethzhu​

location: naomi’s residence status: closed | @naomiacker​

Mostly she wanted to check in on her friend and make sure Naomi was doing okay, but Elizabeth also wanted to thank her for helping her find a housewarming present for James. Smiling, she gave the other a small hug before stepping into Naomi’s place. “How are you doing?” It’d be impossible not to be a little worried with every passing full moon. Heading into Naomi’s kitchen, Elizabeth set down the food on the countertop. She hadn’t gotten anything too fancy for them, going comfort foods over extravagance because of the moon. “Hopefully I got your order right,” she commented, taking some of the containers out of the bag. Before she unpacked everything, she glanced up to look over at Naomi. “Did you want to eat in here or elsewhere?” 

— 

A visit from Elizabeth was always welcome. Naomi was happy to see her friend. There was also the added benefit that having Elizabeth there was a welcome distraction from the looming full moon. “I’m good, I am. How are you?” She reassured her friend, happily accepting the hug before stepping back so that Elizabeth could come in. “I’m even better now.” She rubbed her hands together in excitement, her attention turning to the food. She popped open one of the containers lids to take a look at the order. “You got it perfect, thank you so much Liz. Do you want to eat on the couch?” She turned to take out a bottle of wine from the fridge, setting it down on the counter then moved to get two glasses. “All I want is to be comfortable and cozy.”

[naomiacker]

Location: Santi’s home When: November 29, night time Availability: Closed │ @sbodden​

Relaxing in any way shape or form was next to impossible. Naomi couldn’t sit still, pacing back and forth while they wanted for the members of their pack to arrive. At the moment, it felt like she wouldn’t be able to rest until everyone arrived safely. It was a full moon during which they wouldn’t be able to turn, the weather was crap, she’d gotten into a small accident on the way there, and a shapeshifter had turned into an exact copy of her and that was an experience in and of itself. Letting out a heavy sigh she crossed her arms over her chest and forced herself to take a seat at the coach. Within a few short seconds she was gently tapping a finger against her arm.

“This is definitely worse than a normal full moon. Maybe we should’ve rented one big school bus, picked up everyone, and brought them here together.” She was joking. Mostly.

[naomiacker]

Location: Oblivion When: November 29, afternoon-ish idk time is an illusion Availability: Closed │ @derrickbelmont​

Saying the last full moon hadn’t been good for either of them would be a dramatic understatement. With the next full moon only hours away Naomi could feel a lingering dread she hadn’t experienced in years. There was always stress, that was unavoidable, but the sinking feeling was at a whole new level. Something had gone wrong—many things had gone wrong more accurately, and one of those chain of events had ended with her pack losing a werewolf. Derrick had been the victim to another string of horrible events entirely. 

Oblivion was closing early and things had been expectedly quiet. Work, no matter how short the day, had brought a welcome distraction that she was grateful for. When she was in the kitchen she could focus on whatever she was making, keeping her mind from wandering to one of the many other worries she could be stressing over. With the last ticket finished she made her way over to Derrick.

“If we had one of those people in a costume spinning a giant arrow outside we’d have a much bigger crowd.” She joked. “You never listen to my great ideas.”

[naomiacker]

chrisgarris​

location: coffee spells (hearthstone bay) time: 4:30 p.m., sunday

⍏

Chris knew he wanted coffee. It wasn’t often that he felt a pull towards the bitter drink. He fancied anything sugared and fast. Redbull stocked their tour van whenever they did manage to make it out of Los Angeles. On set, he’d pose a Coconut flavored Redbull to pull him over. He insisted the extra caffeine applied normally to his wolf genes. Perhaps, he craved something out of the ordinary because of the special night. He would need to seek shelter soon, hoping to tame his transformation with a pack if one would take him in. Despite his time in Astoria, he hadn’t explored the packs in town. He liked the idea of a lone wolf until he had to face the consequences of a full moon. 

Chris glanced over towards a person waiting beside him. He pointed towards a barista.   ❝   How many shots of espresso do you think she’s taken behind the bar? I’m saying at least eight with how her hand’s shaking.  ❞   He looked back at her, watching her move as her thick curls bounced in sink with the rush. She looked like she was preparing his drink.   ❝   I know it’s a shit idea to get coffee so late, but hey, what’s a little edging for the moon gods?  ❞ 

Another full moon was around the corner, inching towards them. At least thing moon didn’t come with the impending threat that when she turned there was no way for her to remain in control of her transformation. The last full moon had been...awful was the simple way to put it. They’d lost one of their own. Naomi would do everything in her power to keep that from happening again. But of course, she couldn’t control everything. A fact she was painfully aware of and begrudgingly accepted.   

The decision to grab a coffee on her way to prepare for what undoubtedly would be a long night was a split second one. Made when someone else had left the store and the scent of freshly brewed coffee had wafted out the door. There she was, waiting in light and staring at the menu as if she didn’t know exactly what she was going to get. Chris speaking drew her attention away from the board, a smile pulling at her lips. “Probably. Can you blame her? I’d do the same thing.” Thankfully at work Naomi was in the kitchen, not always face to face with the customers. “You and me both. At least I’m not the only one making the bad decision. It’s always nice to have company.”

[naomiacker]

valcalderon​

@naomiacker​

The full moon that had passed was worse than the ones she had gotten used to. Not to mention the fact that she had missed the rendezvous but the fact that they had lost one of their own and she hadn’t been there. Did she think that her being there would have stopped what happened from happening? No, probably not. She was still learning. But at least she could have tried. Valentina knew that keeping herself safe and making sure she didn’t hurt anyone was the most important but it didn’t stop her mind from going to places it shouldn’t. Once she let herself wallow for a few days, and to give everyone else their own space to grieve, she sent a text over to Naomi, asking her to come over for some pizza and beer and to talk about everything. She was relieved when she agreed and got to work making sure everything was ready.

Valentina still had a few minutes until the pizza would be here, when she heard a knock on her door. She moved to open it, knowing who would be on the other side. Seeing Naomi’s face, she gave her a small smile before moving aside. “Hiya! Thanks for coming over. I just felt like I needed some company.”

—

There was no escaping the guilt that had followed her since the last full moon. Naomi had been scattered and unfocused after the attempted robbery at Oblivion. Maybe if she hadn’t gone to the restaurant she would’ve been better prepared when the attack occurred. But there was no one she placed the blame on other than herself. When Valentina asked her to come over and talk Naomi had said yes immediately and without a second thought. Naomi hadn’t been able to protect Blake and there was nothing she could do to fix that. Val, however, she could still help. And Naomi would spend as long as the other woman needed sitting and talking, being there for her after what they had all been through. She gave the other woman a smile when the door opened. “Of course. Anytime you need to talk you can give me a call. And I needed the company too, I was glad to hear from you.” 

While she stepped through the door Naomi held up the cloth bag she’d brought over for Val to see. “I’ve got a couple bottles of wine. Because you can never have too much wine and that goes perfectly with pizza, right?”

[naomiacker]

derrickbelmont​

When: November 11th, 2020 - early morning Where: Oblivion Who: @naomiacker​

Part of him wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened, to go on as if everything were normal. But since he’d gotten back into himself (and taken a few days to be really certain that was the case), he also wanted nothing more than to shut out the world. His phone had been overrun with messages - from James, Naomi, Devon, his brothers, anyone who could’ve possibly noticed that he’d gone missing had left at least one text to check in. He appreciated it. Sort of. He knew they only cared. But picking up the pieces was difficult enough without having to reassure everyone again and again that he was fine. Fine was an easy and loose term to fill in the cracks. 

So he got into Oblivion early (not like he was sleeping that well anyway), checked things out and made sure everything was still in working order despite his absence. He knew he had Naomi to thank largely for that. Even without instruction it seemed she’d picked up where he left off, making sure despite it all that the world kept moving. Speaking of…

His eyes lifted at the sound of the door opening, thinking he might have to turn away a customer for coming too early, only to lay eyes on his chef. “What are you doing here so early?”

News had spread about the missing witches. It was impossible for people to not talk about what had gone on in their own city. Everything she heard only made Naomi want to go and check on Derrick more. Yes, he was her boss but she also considered him to be her friend. At the same time though, the werewolf hadn’t wanted to overwhelm the man that was likely dealing with an onslaught of attention from all the people that cared about him. So Naomi remained content with the reply that she had received from Derrick ensuring her that he was fine—even if she truly doubted that he really was fine. For now she would accept that without pushing any harder. 

In case Derrick needed more time to himself Naomi had planned to go to Oblivion early and make sure everything was properly set up for the days to come. That way she could make sure the man had less to worry about. But it seemed she wasn’t the only one that had the idea of coming to work early. Seeing Derrick in Oblivion brought a wave of relief even though she now knew he was home and safe.

“I could ask you the same thing, boss.” She gave him a warm smile, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it over a nearby chair. She’d move it to the back after. “I was going to go through inventory, see what we need to order. Want me to get some coffee started?”

[naomiacker]

witchy-ashling​

“Right?” Ashling shook her head at his poor sob story, that he’d found himself back at the shelter after having a taste of having a family. That had to be the worst. “Oh yeah, that sucks too. Or when the puppy gets big and turns into a dog and suddenly those puppy behaviors like jumping up aren’t so cute any more.” Ashling knew that sometimes things happened - you moved and couldn’t take your pet with you, or you lost your job and couldn’t care of them like they needed any more. And those were legitimate reasons to surrender an animals. But tossing them back after changing your mind? That was the worst. But when the other brunette shuffled closer to see the pictures, the smile returned to her lips. “Thanks. He’s me first pet, actually.” 

—

“Those types of people can’t have a heart, I swear.” She had no idea how people could bring a pet into their home, change their mind when it wasn’t a cute baby anymore or a trend and then dump it at a shelter. There were far too many people in the world that seemed to completely lack empathy. With the amount of time Naomi spent out of the house she hadn’t tried to get a pet, it didn’t feel like she could take care of one properly and give it the home it deserved. “It’s a much more exciting pet than my first pet. The idea of having a dog or cat in the house was an automatic no from my parents when I was growing up. Instead I got a goldfish.” She rolled her eyes at the memory though there was a smile on her face. “We had it for a couple of years. It had a good life for a fish.”

[naomiacker]

elizabethzhu​

— ◈ —

As they walked around, she nodded as she heard what shops Naomi wouldn’t mind stopping in. “Yes, of course. Feel free to pull me into the store if you see one you want to go into,” she chuckled. Naomi was right though, kitchenware would make good housewarming gifts. “Maybe I’ll find something if we go into one then. It’d probably have to be something useful but not something he’d have already.” Though she was unsure what that would be, but Elizabeth thought maybe she could find something that Maya would like too. At least it’d give them a reason to do more cooking whenever James had James at his place. “I will probably ask for your opinion though since you know way more about this stuff than I do.” 

—

“There’s one around here, I think a few stores down. You’d think I’d know better after spending my whole life in this city.” Naomi shook her head with a sigh like she was frustrated with herself when she really knew her lack of memorizing the street was a result of how little she shopped. “They’ve got to have something that’ll fit for a housewarming gift. I’ll help you look.” As she rounded the corner to a new block of store Naomi picked out one familiar name, pointing towards it. “That’s a good store to look. I always bee-line to their kitchenware but they have plenty of other stuff for us to look through that could be housewarming material. Want to take a look or is there another store you want to go to first?”

[chlazeve]

Mazikeen ♡ | 2x10 “Quid Pro Ho”

[naomiacker]

derrickbelmont​

~*~*~

Hiring Naomi as his head chef was definitely a decision Derrick didn’t regret in the slightest. She had proven herself to be reliable and creative and he knew he could trust the restaurant in her hands any time he needed to step away. Plus, she wasn’t afraid to try new things, which boded well for keeping the menu exciting. 

He chuckles lightly as she sets the two dishes before him and fetches cutlery. “I don’t think I could dislike anything you’ve made, not to mention would hate to have you storming out,” he remarked, surveying the options before him. “Tell me what you’ve done here.” 

—

Sharing recipes she had created with others always brought Naomi an excitement that had her entire face lit up. Feedback, in any form, was always something she appreciated and the two dishes she brought up were ones she was very confident in.

“For the first dish,” She nodded towards the one placed at Derrick’s right “we have sweet piquillo peppers that are stuffed with goat cheese. On top there’s a drizzle of a white wine reduction to add some depth. I wanted to add a new vegetarian option. The second dish is a slow-cooked crispy pork belly with a chili garlic sauce and cucumber ribbons. Enjoy.”

[naomiacker]

witchy-ashling​

location: honestly anywhere! open: @astoriastarter​  /  new encounters or established connections!

“okay, okay. i know it’s totally stereotypical for a witch to have a black cat, but just listen, alright. i saw him on the shelter’s facebook page. someone family adopted him two weeks before halloween, then dumped him back there three days after. like…they just wanted him as a spooky halloween prop or something. how awful is that? meanwhile, he thought he had a home. the poor little dude. so yeah, i went and adopted him. his name is nano now. and he ain’t going anywhere ever again. ——-want to see pictures?” because she has many. oh so many. ashling hadn’t even had him two weeks, and her phone was pretty much filled with photos of him. 

—

“So they basically adopted him for Halloween and then returned him when it was over? What assholes. Just as bad as those people who get animals for holiday presents and then dump them back in the shelter a few weeks later when they realize how much work it is.” She grimaced in disgust at the thought of those kinds of people. “They should be banned from adopting any other animal. But I’m glad Nano has a good home now.” At the invitation to take a look at the photos she leaned right over to get a closer look. “Very cute. He’s lucky to have a good home.” 

[naomiacker]

elizabethzhu​

location: around elkwood station status: closed | @naomiacker

“Thanks for coming out with me,” Elizabeth said, smiling over at Naomi. She couldn’t remember the last time she had wandered around some of the shops in the city, but since getting her daylight item she thought she would make up use of it. It was better than doing what she had been the past three years of staying home and barely going out. There wasn’t anything in specific she was looking for, though she didn’t see the harm in window shopping. “Did you need to get anything? Because I don’t mind running errands if you have things to do around here.” Adjusting the strap of her purse, she looked over the store names along the names of the shops. “I do think I still owe James a housewarming present. Not entirely sure what to get him for that though.”

—

“Of course, you can ask me anytime. I’m happy to join. It’s much better than shopping by myself.” Naomi offered Elizabeth with a smile. She wasn’t the type to go shopping unless there was someone else with her unless there was something she specifically needed that she couldn’t order online or get in a run to the grocery store. “Half of my non-stick pans aren’t non-stick anymore. I've used them about twenty or fifty too many times, if we pass a store with kitchenware I wouldn’t mind making a stop. There’s a good chance I’ll end up leaving with far more than just pans.” As they walked she looked over the store names. Many that she knew simply from having lived in Astoria for so long. “Things for a kitchen make good housewarming gifts too. I do have to admit that I’m biased though. I spend more time in the kitchen than most people.” 

[naomiacker]

charliekwensi​

▬ 

Charlotte couldn’t help the smile forming over her lips. Naomi wouldn’t know but her words were fuel to that fire within the shapeshifter who were always aiming for a challenge. To get better at fighting against someone else. It was strange how that had never changed when she didn’t need to attack anyone, anymore. Living in Astoria made her life more peaceful, there was no need to be in that constant sense of running away from something or, even better, someone. “Oh, nearly? I should try harder next time then,” it was easier to be there, it made feel better in the midst of Hunter’s Moon, knowing quite well that once against she wouldn’t shift alongside with a pack she once felt she belonged to. Life was different, some old habits had to die. The towel she had used to wipe off her sweat was reating around her neck, taking a sip of her bottle of water before focusing on the woman again. “Either way, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve also seen you around before but I never had the chance of training with you. Mostly because I play favorites, but the favorite one hasn’t been around for awhile. Still, it was nice to let off of some steam so close to the full moon.” 

-

Naomi had already made a mental note to search out Charlotte as a sparring partner the next time she came to the club. Despite what she said when teasing the other woman, Charlotte was a great fighter that had given Naomi a run for her money in the ring. “Please do. I’ll be looking for you next time I’m here.” Which probably wouldn’t be until after the full moon if Derrick didn’t make a miraculous reappearance, which she had a sinking feeling wasn’t about to happen. The rest of her free time would be divided between helping the pack and the restaurant that was missing its owner. Taking another long sip from her water bottle she let out a breath. “That makes two of us. It’s hard not to play favourites. You get used to them and it’s just easy going to the same person or couple of people. But hey, I’m glad that our favourites didn’t show today. So here’s to our favourites not showing up.” She held out her water bottle towards Charlotte to gently tap it against the other woman’s water bottle in a cheers. “Don’t remind me” She let out a soft groan at the mention of the full moon. “I’m not looking forward to it in the slightest. The sooner it’s behind us the better.”