Friends with the Monster

[sunshincwitch]

"They really do, don't they" she agrees with another laugh, trying her best to help snap Sky out of whatever is going on in her head. The conclave felt like a maze filled with traps, and obstacles she had no way of preparing for. She had thought she could be of use to Arte, but at every turn it seemed like she was making things more complicated, which was the opposite of her goal. "Events like this just remind me of why I left my coven, and why I'm not interested in joining any others" she confided, snagging an hors d'oeuvre from a passing tray and popping it into her mouth before continuing. "Have you seen anyone you know? It seems like there are people from all over here."

[parkskylar]

She can't help the smile that stretches her lips hearing Cham laugh, it's a soft sound that calms something inside of her enough to make her drop her shoulders, the tension prickling at the back of her neck. She wants to focus on it, on the warmth that comes with the witch's laugh, in the comfort of her soft perfume mixed so sweetly with that flowery scent she's come to known as magic but now that she knows there's hunters around, she can't force herself to relax too much.

"Events like this remind me why I always preferred to stay at home." That and her parents wouldn't let her be in a place so full of everything she's a part of now. She looks away, thinks of the faces she's seen and the people she's encountered. And yes... she supposes but for some reason she can't bring to tell Cham just yet. "I ---no... I-I guess not? it's hard to... I'm not that social outside the pack and you."

[parkskylar]

🔴 RED CIRCLE — my muse's favorite/signature color(s)

/ blue

[felicityvanbrunt]

Sky starts answering and Flick starts walking again, briefly moving past her before, at the second bit, she stops a little short, the clop of her heels falling silent and she turns to the werewolf in tow.

"I don't need to do anything, Sky. That's the beautiful part. I can and I want, so I do. I'm not going to foist a sports-car on you or buy you a house or a hope diamond or anything, I promise." Another stop, and she turns back. "Unless you want a diamond - do you want a diamond?"

[parkskylar]

She knows she should had chosen her words better, as she knows Flick doesn't actually need to do most things, and there's no stopping her from doing what she wants. But she still stops to look at her the moment Flick turns, an amused smile on her lips that soon turns into surprise.

"What? No... no, no diamond." She frowns, because she can't tell if Flick's serious or just messing with her but still shakes her head. "Let's just get some clothes, and maybe I'll let you get me an ice cream or something."

[huntedarte]

The weeks following the Conclave fell back into some semblance of a routine. The visitors all went back to wherever they had come from and as far as Arte had heard, no one else had been murdered with symbols carved into their body. Hopefully, that would stay the case considering there were other things at play.

Since that night, Arte felt a little more at ease with the position they had claimed. They had survived their first conclave without anyone challenging them, and maybe... they weren't as awful at this as they thought? They mulled over the idea silently, red hair spilling over the seat of the ragged couch while their legs dangle over the back of it. The sound of the side door of the Alley opening makes them blink their eyes open, and an upside-down vision of Sky enters their field of view.

"H-hi," they say, twisting their neck slightly to follow her approach, and then wriggling their body into an upright seated position on the furniture. "Is um, are you good?" they ask. She's been quiet, quieter than normal, and Arte isn't sure if they had done something wrong. "How's Foam?" / @parkskylar

[parkskylar]

She hadn't expected to find them there, though in all honestly, maybe she should had. Arte seemed to have a talent to be everywhere at once, especially when Sky was more than ready to lock in on herself, push everybody out. She can't help the amused smile that tilts her lips still, just a little, at their position on the couch, a light tilt on her head to take them in.

"Hi." She answers easily, walking further into the place. She's not sure still, what she feels about it, not quite home or familiar, but comfortable enough to be around. Feel safe, whatever that meant these days. Nodding, she lets herself fall onto the nearest couch, staring up at the beaten ceiling.

"Oh he's just fine, just trying to keep him away from all the coffee waste and the syrups... it's like he knows his fur is all white so he can get especially dirty." She comments, an easy smile on her lips as she turns to look at Arte. She's avoiding their other question, and she's not delusional to think they won't notice. But she hopes they don't press.

[felicityvanbrunt]

@parkskylar Boutique Row

God, she misses Rodger.

Pulling her own bags sucks. She has so many. It's summer sale time, after all, and she needs to stock up on things to wear once.

She's not sure Sky's as into it though. "You really need to just indulge, Park." she says. "I am offering you my diamond black card. Like, literally anything. What do you like? Where do you shop? The sky is the limit."

She eyeballs her. "When was the last time you went shopping? Please don't say never I'll be crushed."

[parkskylar]

Indulge. Her family always was more practical than indulgent. Sky focused on her studies and her training and helping around the house than actually indulging. And when they did, it was usually food related or maybe a new book. She did go out shopping, but maybe not as often as Flick would deem appropriately necessary.

"I... I mean I did go out shopping... before, you know, everything." She shrugs, looking around the stores as they walked. "I just haven't... in a while."

She purses her lips, looking back at Flick. "You don't need to buy me anything, Flick... and I wouldn't know what to do with that... lack of limit."

[kevma]

His sister swore that she only needed to meet someone for an hour and then they could go home, but Kevin wished she'd said something before she picked him up. As it was, he already looked stupid sitting alone in a cat café by himself, and he sighed as he pulled out his phone to try and mindlessly scroll through something. His truck was still in the shop for the time being, and he wondered when he got so old that his sister was now able to chauffeur his ass around. He remembered when he was in charge of taking her to school and back, and now the tables have turned so sharply.

He looks up when feet approach his table, startled to see a young woman with the softest looking kitten in her arms. He's not sure if this is an actual rule of being in the café, but the kitten takes that moment to yawn, its mouth opening in the pinkest, roundest circle that would melt even the hardest of hearts, not that Kevin's was particularly stony to begin with. His expression softens slightly, and he puts his phone do to take the kitten into his arms, who immediately finds a spot in the crook of his elbow and promptly goes to sleep.

"Good name for him," he says with a low chuckle, using his index finger to stroke the kitten's head gently. "Uh, yeah, can I just get an iced Americano...?" he asks, finally looking back up at the barista. He spies the nametag on the front of her apron. "Skylar?" he adds belatedly. "I think I've got enough Milk right here."

[parkskylar]

She nods once, an over the top movement as she takes in his order. Easy enough, she thinks, after Flick's ridiculous orders and Arte's overtly sugary once, Sky's still finding herself surprised when people actually order something more... normal. "Okey-dokey, one iced Americano, no Milk 'cuz foam has that covered." She nods once more, pointing back over her shoulder to the coffee machine. "I'll be back in two with your drink."

She walks back behind the counter to start the drink, and soon enough is done and ready. She mentally thanks the dude for making her job easy, maybe Flick could learn a thing or two about the simplicity of good coffee. Walking back out, she sets the drink carefully on his table. "One iced Americano." She looks around, the cafe is quiet enough and the few people inside are immersed in their own things, a cat around on their own tables.

"Sure I can't get you anything else? A cupcake? Another cat? We've got plenty of those." She murmurs, signaling around the whole place. "We have chocolate over there, she's the sweetest." And it's not even an irony from her name. She really is one of the sweetest cats around.

[ireneclermont]

Irene didn’t move when Skylar turned — just let her gaze follow, unbothered. The bar behind them buzzed soft with laughter and clinking glass, a scene too distant from the quiet standoff nestled in the corner like a shadow pretending it didn’t mind being stepped over.

Then, quietly, like it barely needed saying;

“Nope. Not a witch.”

She let that sit a beat.

“Just wearing a dress that belongs to one.”

There was no smile. No clever edge. Just a dry, easy honesty that settled between them like dust. Skylar’s nose might’ve been sharp — Irene didn’t doubt that — but no matter how good a wolf’s senses were, there was no way her spell would’ve slipped. Not this one. Not after the hours she’d spent binding it tight, layer by layer. The illusion was as seamless as it needed to be. The dress, though? That had been a risk. She hadn’t had much choice.

Wearing Thera’s clothes wasn’t smart.

But it was necessary.

And sometimes, necessary got you killed. Or mistaken. Or talked to like you were something you weren’t. She turned her glass between her fingers again — a slow, thoughtful spin. No drinking. Just movement. Control.

Skylar’s question pulled her eyes back up.

“No,” she said plainly. “Not my business.”

Her voice was level, without weight. Not cruel, not dismissive — just honest. She wasn’t the type to play judge and jury unless someone made her. And Skylar… well, she wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. Not yet. She used to be one of them. Sad truth was, how anyone could be in her shoes. This was the reality they fought with.

“Just be careful out there.”

That was all she said. But something about the way her voice dropped — the subtle gravity in it — said more. That she meant it. That she'd seen what happened when people didn’t watch their corners. That she wasn’t here to start fires, but she’d walked through plenty already.

And maybe, just maybe, she didn’t want this to be another.

[parkskylar]

She lets her eyes linger on the other, nothing on her suggest that she's planning something but Sky also knew that's exactly what made people dangerous. But she nods, that would explain the faint scent of magic, even if it's still a strange decision for the hunter.

"Not sure if that was clever or stupid."

To wear something that belonged to a witch while being a hunter. It could very well paint you as an ally as it could an enemy. There are hunters that take pride in going after witches.

When Irene's eyes move up, hers are already waiting, expecting to find something that would force her to move, to do something but the answer catches her by surprise just as much as this whole encounter has.

She nods once, slowly. As if letting the words sink in, the warning that didn't seem like a threat but a genuine advice and she can't help the frown, the searching eyes as she looks at the other. Trying to understand.

"You as well." Is all she mutters back before she tilts her head in a silent goodbye. "Have a good evening."

[sunshincwitch]

Chamomile could sense the tension in Skylar, she wasn't enjoying the party very much, that was clear. Felicity seemed to be the only one at ease among the party and the supernatural politics that were mixing in the ballroom. But there was something else off with Skylar, Chamomile had lost track of her for a bit and when she came back she seemed shaken, withdrawn into herself. Coming up beside the werewolf, making sure to approach in her from the side where she is in her periphery so she didn't startle Skylar, the witch lays a gentle hand on her arm, squeezing lightly and not breaking the contact. "You doing ok there Sky?" she asked quietly, knowing she will hear her easily even over the noise of the surrounding party. "Need me to throw some magic around? Make a distraction so we can sneak out a backdoor?" she jokes, though she is more than willing to make good on the offer if Skylar really wanted an out.

/ @parkskylar

[parkskylar]

She was still reeling from her conversation with Irene. No matter how little it might matter, if the other was actually going to keep to her word and say nothing. Sky knew it was possible to be recognized by other hunters, she just had been confident it wouldn't happen at an event for supernaturals only. She could almost hear her father's voice, scolding her, already lowering her guard. And even know she wasn't sure what she'd do in a fight, who she'd protect, what side would she take.

The sound to her side pulled her out of her thoughts, and she cursed herself once more for making the same stupid mistake, lowering her guard. But still a smile grew on her lips when Cham's voice reached her ears and she shook her head slowly. "No magic needed... though the backdoor sounds tempting." She turned around, looking for an exit before turning back to Cham with a small shrug, even in her torn mindset, she couldn't bring herself to leave Arte alone in such event. "But that would make Arte sad, and they have the biggest puppy eyes I've seen."

[ireneclermont]

Irene didn’t push. Not right away.

She watched the step back, the chill in Skylar’s voice, the way her hands twitched like they wanted to bolt before the rest of her could catch up. And for a second, Irene just stood there. Silent. Not from indecision, but calculation — like she was weighing something heavier than what had been said aloud.

Then she shook her head once, slow. A breath, nearly a laugh, pushed through her nose.

“Huh.”

There wasn’t anger in her face. No flare of righteous fury or call to draw a blade. Just… surprise. The quiet kind. Like the kind that came from seeing a ghost show up to their own funeral.

“You do know there are actual files, right?” she said, voice low, not harsh, but not kind either. “For the ones who go missing. Not many of you, so it’s not like you get buried in paperwork.”

She lifted her glass and let the rim press just below her lip. She didn’t drink — but it made her look less like she was considering putting someone through a wall.

“Maybe they’re just fresh in my memory because I’m kinda new. Still getting caught up.” Her gaze flicked over Skylar’s outfit, then back to her face, pointed. “But I guarantee you the nice clothes won’t take you far.”

There was no threat. Not yet. Just a flat statement of fact.

“But hey,” Irene added after a pause, her voice softening just a shade — not enough to be warm, but enough to be real. “If I really thought you were a danger, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

She let that sit, let the tension hang.

“Just trying to figure out what kind of story this is. You don’t strike me as reckless. Or stupid.”

[parkskylar]

Of course she knew there were files, she had read plenty of those before, when she was still a hunter and her family wanted her to be prepared. She read every case of disappearance, the guy from that hunters family that left them devastated. And others. She just wasn't expecting anyone to go looking through hers. Most of the times when a hunter disappeared, they were given up for dead. Slaughtered in a hunt gone wrong.

But she pauses enough to hear, to smell.

"You're a witch." She said, matter of fact. It wasn't a question, but the frown on her face deepens, confused. Because she knows The Brotherhood worked with witches, she had before herself.

But she never saw one going through those files.

She scoffed, turning away from the girl, her hands going instantly into the pockets of her pants.

"Why do you even care?." It's not like she'd get something out of this. Not like they could do anything here, in a floor so full of supernatural beings.

Shaking her head. Sky takes in a deep breath. "I'm not stupid... and this wasn't a reckless decision."

She turns back to the other. "I'm here with my pack."

And for the first time, it feels right to say it. Even if it still feels weird on her tongue. "If you don't consider me to be danger, then maybe you just weren't trained properly. But it doesn't matter... not here, anyway."

"Are you going to tell anyone?."

[codie-mohren]

These finger foods look weird. Some are recognizable, like the meats and cheeses and stuff. The olives, too. But this one Codie's holding is kind of puffed up in a weird shape, and she's not sure what's inside. There's no sign or anything, so the best way to try it is... well.

Pop it in her mouth.

Eugh.

She opens her mouth and lets it roll off her tongue onto a napkin, green cream obviously being the offending culprit here. "Fish. And spinach." She thinks. It's shrimp, but she doesn't like that either. What else here looks good? Codie smacks her lips, "You think that purple lookin' thang is tasty?" She looks up at the somewhat familiar person next to her. / @parkskylar

[parkskylar]

She turns, not startled, she had heard her, seen her. But for some reason Sky wasn't expecting her to actually talk to her. You're part of the same pack now, you dumbass, she has to remind herself. Because it's still new, still shocking to her that she... belongs somewhere.

"I..." She turns to the mentioned snacks, and she can't help the expression on her face, pursed lips and weirded out eyes, because that doesn't look tasty at all.

"I wouldn't... if I were you." Shouldn't even trust something you can't make out what it is. "Maybe try those ones over there, that kind of look like... meat?."

[felicityvanbrunt]

"Fun!" She says, and throws an arm around her, making a big L with her thumb and forefinger to frame the party, squinting as she turns them around the room. "Mingle! You're a werewolf, go talk to werewolves, nobody's gonna give a shit if you're bit or not, and hell, nobody's gonna know - that stuff's for boomers and bullies who peaked in primary school."

She turns to face her, taking her shoulders up in her hands. "You'll find there's very few nights that are ours in this world, where we can just flaunt what we are. Just be. You can go back to angsty and quiet tomorrow, like when Cinderella turned back into a pumpkin."

[parkskylar]

Ours. It still feels weird, to be part of something she had been trying to... get rid of that many months ago. It makes her wonder just once more if her parents are looking for her still, maybe they are. She doesn't think she wants them to find her. She snorts out a laughter at the words and touch pulling her out of her thoughts. She feels the furthest thing from Cinderella, but okay. "First... I know some that do give a ton of shit about if you're bit or not, like some... death eater shit. So it's safe to assume you're right on the peaking in school part."

She shakes her head, and for the first time moves boldly to take one of Flick's hand between her own. "I... guess I'll try, it's just..." Well, she's not that comfortable talking to werewolves, she's nowhere near ready to mingle with vampires, and gods there's so much people around. She doesn't voice any of it, looks down at Flick's hand between her own instead. "Well I was never the talkative kind, you make it look so easy."

[felicityvanbrunt]

"Oh, baby-doll, these kind of things are old hat to me." She offers a smile and a sidewise stare at Skylar. "You get used to tactical dissociation. My advice, enjoy the food, enjoy the booze if its your thing, don't assume honesty in anything anybody says unless you already know them - nobody likes these things, just what they can get out of them."

For her, she's here for a tale of two Alphas - on one hand, Avi Hassim, her best friend, newly minted and, despite what he might affect to anybody else, desperately in need of emotional support ahead of the evening's conclave hearing. On the other, Arte - also newly minted, and also in need of emotional support. It's split duty but familiar territory; she's never been ambitious - quite content to play the open ear or reassuring smile to power.

She stuffs her glass into Skylar's hands, steps behind her, and puts hands on her shoulder, perhaps unbidden, but Skylar has legs; she can pull away if she wants to, and does some light massage. "Lose the tension, Sky, you're here to have fun."

[parkskylar]

Baby-doll... the nickname almost makes her roll her eyes if not for the fact she's come to learn that's just how Flick talks. All flourish and ridiculous nicknames. Sky finds it more endearing now that she does annoying, and instead of annoyance, there's only a smile full of amusement growing on her lips. And what she says make sense, just by taking a look around. Sky's just always been more of a stay in her room kind of person.

"I wasn't really about to believe anything anyone said anyway... but thanks." Beyond the obvious fact that she didn't know many of these people, Skylar was still trained as a hunter, take everything people say with a grain of salt and be prepared. "Though I'm almost a hundred percent sure those guys over there actually do like these things." Vampires, by the look of them... and the faint scent she could get mixed with everything around them. Sky wasn't sure which clan they belonged to, but they looked very artsy, very... center of attention type of people.

She looks down at the drink shoved into her hands, and tenses for all of a second under Flick's hands before she relaxes into her touch, leaning just the slightest bit into it. "Fun... right." She scoffs amusedly, thinks back to Arte. They're definitely not having fun.

[sunshincwitch]

Not arriving to the Conclave with her fuzzpile beside her was a mistake. She seperated from her companion almost as soon as they entered, but finding her wolves was not as easy as she had expected. The sheer number of supernatural creatures in the event made her heart race, feeling out of her depth. She spied witches she had seen before around town, and werewolves that had wandered her way after spending time with Eventide. But even after her work with Aoife to create daylight jewelry vampires still made the hair stand up on her arms, and her spine stiffen in fear. And it was like the vampires could sense it, even though she tried to stay clear of the feeding zones, she felt herself being stalked across the ballroom. 

Her luck ran out when she went further into the building, seeking one of the outdoor sections in hopes that she would find her wolves there. Instead, she found herself pinned against a wall, a vampire looming over her, fangs extended and growling. It was like they were drawing her blood to the surface, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she found herself wishing once again that she knew more in the moment offensive magic. They were growling something about witch blood and being selfish keeping it all to herself, and Chamomile found herself scrabbling against the wall, looking around frantically for help. /

@parkskylar @felicityvanbrunt @huntedarte

[felicityvanbrunt]

A hand falls, manicured, menacing, on the vampires shoulder - grip firm. The Vampire pulls away from Chamomile - this is fine, and the intended goal, but where Felicity finds a problem is when the Vampire, in all his misguided bravado, hisses, mouth full of fang, in her face. That's when she pulls, spinning him.

The Gala is on Conclave ground. It's netural. Let this fanger cause a proper stink by pulling witch blood outside of the feeding rooms, he'll be staked out on the roof by sunup.

He says, well, something, as he snaps to his feet and she's not listening. "What are we doing here, blood-sucker, and at the conclave, I think you should apologize to my friend here."

He laughs again, and Felicity rolls her eyes, "No?" that's when she snatches him up, not by the throat or the shoulder or even by the back of the neck, but by that which men like him hold most dear because frankly, this whole thing is an affront to the delicacy of her nature.

Seems to disable a vampire the same as it would anybody else especially with a werewolf's grip. Flick casts her head back towards Chamomile for a moment, yellow-flared eyes fading back to more seafoam hues in offering a smile of reassurance, before she sends him stumbling backwards, towards Skyler and Arte, who are coming in at the rearguard. — @parkskylar / @huntedarte / @sunshincwitch

[parkskylar]

Sky was already on edge, reeling a little from her encounter with Irene and the sinking realization that she would care if anyone from the pack finds out. If Arte finds out. Against the conflicting idea of reaching out, of going back. As if she would be accepted, as if she could belong with them once more.

So when she hears the growl, followed by Flick's voice and her eyes catch sight of Chamomile almost trembling, and then the vampire in Flick's grip, Sky feels something inside her snap, and she moves, reacting with long learnt reflexes and the rush of a wolf that wants to protect. Her fingers stop fidgeting, as her hands ball into fists and she rushes closer.

There's some satisfaction almost, at the way she sees Flick grab him in an iron tight grip, and by the time she's close enough, he's already sent back, stumbling with desperate hands cradling what Flick was recently crushing, only to come face to her. She pushes him, both hands against his shoulders to send him back, down, hard enough that she can hear the way he hits the floor. She steps closer, looming over him.

"I think she said to apologize." There's a hardness on her voice that's usually not there, where she's almost always so guarded. Anger seeping into her tone, coloring her eyes a bright gold.

/ @huntedarte @sunshincwitch @felicityvanbrunt

[ireneclermont]

WHO: @parkskylar WHERE: conclave & gala

She hadn’t noticed her at first.

But then the name popped in her mind —Skylar.

A flicker. A memory. A half-forgotten moment from a past life she didn’t remember filing away. But the face stuck. It always had, there were not a lot of hunters who went missing after all.

And the mark on her ankle hadn’t stopped bothering her since she’d stepped foot inside this place, but now it pulsed —slow, steady, like it had found a name to attach itself to.

Vampire. Or wolf. Either way, not just a girl who, for a fact, used to be one of them.

Irene didn’t second-guess it. She made her way across the floor, glass in hand—not because she’d been drinking (she never did, not here, not when the stakes felt this high), but because it gave her something to hold. Something that didn’t shake.

When she stopped at Skylar’s side, it wasn’t abrupt. Just… precise.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Her voice was quiet, but sharp enough to cut through the music.

“You’re either very brave or very stupid.”

A beat.

“Are you even supposed to be here?” Her eyes scanned the room, not lingering long enough to draw suspicion. “Aren’t you afraid someone might recognize you?”

There was no heat in her tone. Just curiosity dressed up in suspicion. She tilted her head, studying the other woman more closely now—like maybe there was something she’d missed before. The way Skylar held herself. The tension behind her eyes.

Yeah. Something was off.

“I remember you, you know,” Irene said. “Wasn’t sure at first. Thought maybe it was just another one of those faces that looks like someone else.” She gave a small shrug. “But it’s you.”

A flick of her thumb over the rim of the untouched glass. She didn’t drink. Couldn’t. Not when her skin was buzzing like this. Not when every bone in her body was on alert.

“So.” Her gaze narrowed, just slightly. “You hiding in plain sight, or are you just that confident no one here would try anything?”

She didn’t say the word. Vampire. Wolf. Other.

She didn’t have to.

[parkskylar]

She didn't pay too close attention to the body stopping next to her at first, too occupied with fighting down the nerves, the anxiety. In an event such a this, the idea of there not being any hunters was almost laughable. And the possibility of crossing paths with any of them had her almost shaking on her spot.

It was only when she was addressed that she turned, dark eyes falling sharply on the girl next to her. She remembered her, from that dining place, with the fries and the milkshakes.

But her mind was falling short with the name.

A frown settled on her features, as confusion washed over her. Confusion that was quickly giving way to a freezing dread.

She couldn't help the step she took back, putting more distance between them. Like that would help, like that would erase the recognition growing in the girl's eyes.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." She spat back, with a cold voice that didn't trembled as much as she feared it would. Her fingers itching to tug at the cuffs of her shirt.

"I don't know what you want, but you've got the wrong person."

She tried hard, for the first time in months, to remember her father's teachings. Keep calm, breathe deep, don't hesitate, every second matters.

[parkskylar]

For: @felicityvanbrunt Where: The gala

She couldn't stop fidgeting, playing with the cuffs of her shirt and straightening her vest time and time again. Almost forgetting everything she had learnt as a hunter. Sky could almost hear her father's teachings, survey the area, take in everyone around you, study them and be ready for everything. Now she preferred to avoid eye contact as much as she could, dreading the idea of seeing any familiar face among a group of people she didn't think she belonged to anymore. She almost sighed of relief when Flick's scent reached her, the rich perfume mixed with the unmistakable tell of wolf. She smiled, looking at the blonde. "I feel like I'm suffocating here, how do you always look so at ease?." She wonders just how Arte must be feeling, if she was already feeling like bolting.

[parkskylar]

Skylar Part at The Conclave Gala

Galas like this weren't really Sky's vibe, not somewhere she felt comfortable at, but @huntedarte had been nothing but kind to her, opening their pack to her. And @felicityvanbrunt was also kind of hard to say not, and if she gets to hang around @sunshincwitch as well, she figured it couldn't be all that bad. So she's here to support her new alpha as best as she can, hoping to lay low and not have a run in with anyone.

[felicityvanbrunt]

"It's called networking, sweetie. There's only so many of us in this city, I like to see who the fun ones are and pencil in playdates, and find out who the miserable ones are so I can avoid them. It's usually easy to figure out which is which. You for instance, are fun, even if you don't know it yet."

She sips the coffee, unwraps the cake and indulges. She does love strawberry.

She smiles, sips again, nips at the cake, enjoys, swallows, licks her lips in a dainty singular sweep to maintain pride and dignity, and then leans in.

"It's important, when you're new to this, to know that you don't have to do it alone." She pats Sky's hand on the table, but doesn't let it linger, lest she feel like it's meant to be a pressure. "There are groups, packs, and they're helpful, mostly. Some more than others. And the really good ones don't care where you came from, just that you're there now. You're a friend of a friend, or so I've gathered. So I'm just checking in to let you know that."

[parkskylar]

"A friend of a friend." She repeats, because it's still strange to consider Arte a friend, but the idea that they consider her a friend ignites something in her chest that makes her feel warm like nothing has since she left home. She sips her own coffee with a pensive look in her eyes, almost disconnected from the real world for all of a second. Dissociating, her brain provided, thinking of nothing more but to belonging somewhere right now where she felt like a disappointment and nothing else. She already did her parents, how long until she disappoint them as well?.

She sighs deeply, breathing in the chocolate scent of her mocha, artificial. It would had never bothered her this much before. "I don't think I'd ever consider myself fun." She says finally, looking at the half-eaten strawberry cake. She brought them for the both of them, but now she doesn't really feel like eating. And there's something about seeing the other girl enjoy it that prompts her to let her finish it.

"Are you part of one?... you know, the packs?." the question is uncertain, and she expects the girl to be, else she wouldn't be here saying all of this. Did Arte ask her to do this? Is this like... an invitation of sorts?. No matter what the girls says, she feels like they would definitely care where she comes from. "I don't know... if... --I've never... I don't think I fit in."