Leather and Lace Ch. 6
Spring Break - Part 1: Family Matters
By Shadowed Ember
March 8, 2014
Giacomo Estate - Evening
“Seriously, Daddy? Why do we all need to go to Mass together? It's just one Sunday.”
Holly closed her eyes in an effort to keep herself from rolling them at Bianca’s insistence on having this argument at the dinner table. Her sister had to know it wasn’t one she could win. It also didn’t help that she had to listen to said argument coming from the seat to her immediate right.
“Enough, Bianca. We are going together because I said we are going. Lord knows you’ve barely spent any time in His house since Christmas,” Nicolo responded curtly, leveling his gaze on his middle child. “Now quit your moaning, and let us enjoy this wonderful meal your mother made for you all.
Holly caught the intake of breath indicating her sister was prepping another volley. The youngest chipmunk took another bite from her salad, and firmly bumped the side of her older sister’s foot under the table without looking at her. The quiet huff as Bianca deflated was the most welcome sound Holly could ask for.
“Yes, Daddy.”
Holly did wish the acquiescence had come from less gritted teeth. A quick peek in her mother’s direction found only a blank expression on the chipmunk matron’s face. Thankfully her father didn’t press the issue, instead setting the example by tearing into the baked salmon on his plate. The silence hung palpably in the air, every second draaaaaaaaaagging along, until she felt compelled to try and say something to cut the tension. Finally, a viable thought materialized as she looked across the table at the twin hybrids sitting opposite her.
“Oh! Alle! Did they ever open up the spot with the Loreleis? Weren’t you saying something around Christmas? One of the girls was looking to bow out, right?”
The ‘younger’ chipmunk-squirrel hybrid perked up, and her eyes lit with enthusiasm. “Yes and no. The spot is open, but they haven’t started auditions yet. Violet said to expect them at the end of the month.” Allesandra explained, scooping up a forkful of roasted carrots. Alle, as she was often affectionately called, and Anna were twins, but they weren’t identical. They both had some chipmunk markings from their dad, Holly's late uncle Claudio, but most of their fur was black from their mother’s side. Their tails had also taken after Aunt Helena’s squirrel genes. The easiest way to tell the two of them apart, especially from behind, was their hair. Alle loved to keep her dark brown hair long and flowing down her back like Holly did, while Anna preferred to keep her raven-black hair shorter, just barely past her shoulders. “It should be a small pool for auditions. Only two of the other girls I've seen showing interest are really mezzos.”
Anna snorted and pointed at her twin with her fork. “As long as that—” she started, cutting herself short as she reminded herself who else was at the table. “—ahem, I mean, as long as Victoria doesn’t get it. She’s been hanging on Marcia’s arm since Debbie even mentioned stepping away, and acting like she’s the missing piece to them being world-class superstars.”
Alle grumbled. “You’d be a shoo in, if you even tri–”
“Absolutely not,” Anna interrupted. “I’ll practice with you any day of the week, but I’m never auditioning. The spotlight is your thing.”
“Guess some people just can’t handle the heat,” came the snarky voice from Holly’s right.
“Bee! That’s ru—” The youngest chipmunk started to admonish.
“Nah, it's fine Holly. She’s just jealous she doesn’t have the talent to justify that big mouth of hers,” Anna snapped back quickly.
“Oh, you bi—”
“GIRLS!”
Nearly everyone at the table winced, and turned towards the fuming matron of the home, who had risen to her feet and slammed her paws on the table.
“You’ve not even been home for half a day, and you two have bickered like hens basically since you arrived. I sincerely hope this is not how you represent this family when you are at school,” Lenora scolded. At least both antagonists had the decency to look embarrassed, and when Holly exchanged a confused look with Alle, the latter giving a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. The girls’ mother scooped up her plate, while Nicolo also stood silently and collected his own.
“Perhaps you both need tomorrow’s Mass more than we suspected,” the male chipmunk commented dryly as he swept out of the room.
“Honestly, you two really should know better,” Lenora gestured at each of the offending girls in turn. “Now. All of you should be ready by seven tomorrow morning. I’d prefer to start the morning without your father raising his voice. And you’d do well not to give him a reason to raise it the rest of tonight either,” she continued with a pointed stare.
“Yes, ma’am,” the four girls answered as one.
With a curt nod, their mother left them to relative silence, the only sounds the scraping of silverware on porcelain as they finished their meal. Anna finished first, stood and walked over to Holly to give her a brief hug about her shoulders and a quiet ‘good night’, then whisked off without another word, with Bianca staring daggers into her back as she left. Holly and Alle finished not long after, while the remaining sister picked at the plate, pushing a trio of peas around. Gingerly, they both rose to their feet. Their middle sibling maintained a laser focus on the rolling green beads. With a soft huff, Alle led the way out of the dining room, and the youngest chipmunk followed, slowing to a stop in the doorway.
“Have a good night, Bee…” Holly mumbled quietly.
All she got, in response, was a hmph.
Sighing, she made her way to the kitchen, where Allesandara was leaning on the counter next to the open dishwasher. “Are they… okay?” Holly asked warily. “I know she can get a little… obnoxious, but Bee usually doesn’t turn it on the family like that….”
Alle shook her head. “I don’t want to get involved, but I can say this much. They got into it over a boy back at school. It got a little messy, and now he wants nothing to do with either one. So they're both a little testy, and have been for weeks at this point. They were slowly getting better, but when Anna and I said we were gonna come home for Spring Break, we didn’t expect her to invite herself along. We thought she'd love having the apartment to herself for a week.” She glanced back over her shoulder at the archway. “And we’d kinda been looking forward to the break too.”
“Well, I hope they figure it out by Monday. Family drama is the last thing I want Leo to see when he meets everyone,” Holly mused, putting her dish in the rack and closing the dishwasher.
“Leo? Who’s Leo?”
“Oh,” Holly blushed hotly, biting at the corner of her lip. “Um… I kinda forgot I hadn’t said anything to you guys yet… Leo’s, well… he’s my boyfriend.”
The squirrel-munk’s eyes would have burst from her head if they were able. She dashed around the counter past Holly, who let out a startled yelp as the hybrid narrowly missed the chipmunk on her beeline for the pantry.
“What the heck, Alle?”
“Don’t start with me, Holls,” Alle called from the other side of the wall. “Just tell me what tea you want. Because I am making some, and then you are spilling yours.”
*******
March 9, 2014
Kalayo Residence - Late Morning
“Alright, who’s driving?”
Leo shrugged at his father’s question. “I can, it ain’t far.” The younger wolf tapped his key fob as he turned to the left, then spun on the ball of his foot when the beep instead came from behind him. He pretended he didn’t see Niall’s raised eyebrow.
“Too young to already be forgetting where you parked, son.”
“Yeah, yeah, old man. It's less that I ‘forgot’ and more that I just… really wasn’t paying attention when I got home. I just picked an open one, but it wasn’t where I normally park,” the teen grumbled. He unlocked the doors as they approached and hopped in smoothly, waiting for his dad to climb in before starting the vehicle. As he pulled out of the parking space, the bluetooth-to-FM receiver locked onto his phone, and the last song he’d been listening to picked up on autoplay.
—en quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do
You see, I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world…
Leo sang along with the song to the finish, smiling all the while. He turned down the radio when he caught the goofy grin coming from his father. “What? You can’t judge me, that’s your music.”
Niall laughed out loud, shaking his head. “I mean, I’m only judging a little. That’s a little softer than your normal fare.”
“Eh. It’s a perfect song though,” the younger wolf replied with a shrug. “There was a whole thing on one of my dates with Holly about her eyes, and I think it’ll be a funny callback. And a ballad on an 80s night karaoke date should be an easy serve, right?”
“Wait, hold up. You said 80s? You can’t sing that on 80’s night, bud.”
“Oh, come on, what are you talking about, Dad? Elton John was prime in the 80s, wasn’t he?” Leo argued with a frown.
“Well, no. I mean, sure, he’s a legend. But I hate to break it to ya, all that’s old to you ain’t from the 80s. Most of Sir Elton John’s music came from the 70s, and that one was an early one for him, so it's not even close.” The older wolf quickly tapped out a search on his phone. “Following ‘Border Song’ as the first album single, ‘Your Song’ was released in the United States in October 1970 as the B-side to ‘Take Me to the Pilot’,” Niall recited, much to Leo’s dismay.
“Damn,” the wolf teen muttered, roughly smacking the steering wheel. “Back to the drawing board, then. I didn’t even think to check the date for that. At least I checked the other one.”
Near silence filled the space between the two wolves. Another song kept playing unsung, barely audible over the crackling of the speakers, the droning hum of the tires on the asphalt, and the agitated drumming of digits on the steering wheel by the younger wolf as buildings slid by.
“What else were you looking at?” the older wolf prompted, snapping the lull.
“Well, I have a Randy Travis song I want to do, that one I checked already to make sure it was in the right decade. I thought about Rick-rolling everyone, and that would be fun, but I was hoping for something with more… ‘oomf’, you know?” Leo pulled into the parking lot and tossed the shifter into Park. “I’m supposed to meet Megan sometime this week if shi has time, now that shi has hir wires out to do some practice, too, and hopefully narrow down my options with an outside opinion.”
Niall nodded. “Ya know, Elton John did have a hit in the 80s you could probably use, if you still want one of his songs.”
“Oh, it wasn’t about it needing to be Elton John, Dad. I was just really excited about the lyrics to that one in particular.” Locking the SUV with a tap after they stepped out, Leo led the way into the restaurant. “Still, which one is it?”
His father stepped up into the line for the host-stand beside him. “‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues’ was probably the biggest one he had from the decade,” Niall suggested. “I know it's not as much of a ‘ballad’, but it's pretty strong.”
“I’ll add it to the list. I know I’ve heard it before, but it's not one I have memorized offhand. I think–”
“Thanks for coming to Long Wok on Beech. How many will it be? Next in line?”
Leo's attention snapped back to the moment, realizing the line ahead of them had disappeared. He stepped forward to the stand manned by the teen snowshoe cat girl who sounded like there were a multitude of places she’d rather be, not that he could blame her. The younger wolf cleared his throat before responding. “Oh, yeah sorry, it’s just the two of us.”
As she glanced up from the stand, she straightened, flashing a bright smile in their direction. “Oh! Absolutely.” She scooped up a pair of menus and tucked a rogue hair behind her ear. “Right this way.” They followed closely as she weaved through the tables, and Leo was glad he was paying attention, as he barely managed to avoid bowling her over when she stopped abruptly, laying out two menus on the table to her immediate right. Once he sat down, she leaned over, her chest just in front of his muzzle, reaching for the nearly empty soy sauce dispenser on the far side of the table. Leo gently pushed back in his seat so she wouldn’t accidentally bump into him. After a moment, her target secured, she stood back up. “Let me get you boys a new one of these, and someone will be over shortly to see if you’re ready to order. If you need anything else, feel free to stop me.” She winked slyly at Leo. “My name is Layla. Enjoy!”
As the hostess took off, Leo and Niall shared a glance.
“Friend of yours?”
The teen shrugged off his father’s bemused expression and picked up his menu. “No idea.”
*******
Cavallo Italian Restaurant - Evening
“Seven, twelve, and twenty-one are all cleaned and clear, girlie. Ten and eleven look like they won’t be far behind.” Jameis stated, dropping a stack of freshly wiped menus into the tray on the side of the hostess stand.
Holly nodded to the cottontail, wiping the corresponding marks off the glass-covered diagram in front of her. “Thanks, Jay.” The chipmunk leaned back against the counter behind her. “You’ve been killing it lately,” she noted appraisingly. “Trying to get the next server spot?”
“You bet! I’ve been learning the menu too!” the bunny boasted. “I heard Christian is looking to leave when he graduates. He won't be giving back a ton of hours, but it will let me try out a day or two a week and see if I am any good at it.” Jameis rested his elbows on the hostess stand and his head in his paws, frowning. “Hey Holly, why don’t you have like… a manager’s job or sumthin’? Your parents are friends with Sofia, and you been here for a couple years, haven’t you? And you’re an expert at Italian! You could totally do it,” he asserted. “Probably make it look easy too.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “There are multiple reasons I’m not a manager here, Jay. Just because my family is close to the owner doesn’t mean I deserve special treatment. I want to earn my way, not just be given things. What’s the point of just skating through life on your connections?”
“I mean, it would be easier, wouldn’t it?” the cottontail reasoned. “All those trust fund babies have it made, girl. Do whatever you want, whenever you want, not have to stress about your next meal if you get laid off. Sounds pretty good to me.”
The chipmunk shrugged. “It might just be me, but I don't think I could live like that. Sure, it's nice to be comfortable, but I want to mean something. Like, I’m not saying I want to be famous, just to be a happy part of the lives I touch, you know?” she explained. “Besides, back to your original question, even if they did ask me to be a manager here, I wouldn’t take it. Too much stress I really don’t need. I am almost done with school, and working the hostess stand makes me enough to save money, without affecting my schoolwork. It's just… practical.”
The bunny tapped his chin. “I guess that makes sense. Still, I think you’re crazy. If I could get me a sugar daddy, hooo-weee. I’d learn to cook and clean, and be the goodest lil’ boy for ‘im.” He bumped Holly’s shoulder with his own, getting in close to whisper with a toothy grin. “I’d live on my knees, girl, let me tell ya.”
“Jameis!” she hissed under her breath, shoving the raunchy bun away. “We are at work!” The chipmunk shooed him away from her stand, blushing furiously. The sly grin the bun wore as he slinked away did not help. Thankfully, by the time the bell above the door jingled, her flush had subsided.
“Benvenuto! Welcome to Cavallo. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Holly called, scanning her board to get a fresh idea of what was available on the floor.
“Wait. Holly? No way!”
The chipmunk’s eyes flicked up in surprise as her mind struggled to place the vaguely familiar voice, meeting a pair of impossibly blue eyes. “I…” Recognition dawned on Holly’s face as the eyes, the voice, and the rest of the skunk they were attached to clicked into place, and a name surfaced from a few years prior. “Chelsea?”
The skunk girl’s face lit up with a wide smile, and a bit of relief. “Whew, glad I was right, or that would have been ahhhh-kward.” She looked back over her shoulder, and beckoned to the pair of older skunks behind her. “Mom, Dad! You remember Holly, don’t you?”
The couple approached the stand, smiling warmly. “Of course we do. You are Lenora’s youngest, I believe,” Chelsea’s mother, Nikki Campbell, affirmed. “She didn’t seem keen on having another when we last spoke, at least.” She had a stern, hawkish look that almost certainly served her well as an officer on the Naval Station. One might think her husband Mark also served in uniform with the way he carried himself, standing next to her.
“How long for a table of four, Miss Holly? It’s been a bit of a crazy day,” the older male asked, checking behind himself. “Chels, where’d your brother go?”
“Right here, Dad!”
Holly flinched as a much younger, maybe teen, boy spoke next to her, then darted around to his parent’s side. Where did he come from?! She coughed lightly. “Oh, um, actually, you don’t have to wait at all! Let me get you over to a table. You said four, sir?” When the couple confirmed, the chipmunk snagged the correct number of menus, marked off the table from her list, and started to lead the way. “It’s really nice to see you all again. Are you all just visiting, or did you get reassigned to the area, Ms. Campbell?”
“Mom is taking over a command role. It's super cool!” cut in Chelsea quickly. “We really need to catch up, here!” The skunk girl reached into a little bag at her hip, and ripped out an old receipt and pen, jotting down her number and shoving it into Holly’s paw once the chipmunk placed down the menus. “I know you probably can’t stand around and talk right now, but we should totally hang out this week. You’re out of school for break, right?”
Holly slipped the bit of paper into her pocket, and blinked rapidly, trying to process the quick barrage of information coming her way, before nodding. “Uh… sort of,” she confirmed. “I’ll just text you when I get off work tonight, and we can see when we are both free.”
“That’s perfect!” Chelsea gave the chipmunk a quick hug before sitting down across from her father. “Man, it’s been so long, but I’m really glad you were the first of my old friends I got to see coming back. We only got in last night, and have been dealing with the PCS team all day trying to get our stuff moved in.”
“Well, don’t you worry. Donna will be over shortly to get your drinks, and you can relax with some of the best comfort food in Marblecliff,” Holly asserted with a smile. “Have a good night you guys!” Spinning on her heel, she jogged back over to the hostess stand, calling out to the bovine family waiting next to it. “Is it just the three of you, or are there more in your party, ma’am?”
*******
March 10, 2014
Giacomo Estate - Evening
Llyulf Kalayo tapped on the steering wheel of his SUV as he stared up at the three story Giacomo home. No matter how many times he approached it, it never felt less… surreal. It was still huge. But that wasn’t the source of his bout of minor anxiety. The house never really bothered him. No, it was the at least five new faces he was expecting if everyone showed up as anticipated. Holly said everything would be fine, and he did believe her, but that didn’t make him worry about first impressions any less.
The young wolf stepped out into the brisk air, stuffing his paws into his pockets as he made for the entryway. The metal knocker siphoned off some of his warmth as he rapped it against the heavy door, the teen wincing at the sharp sound. It’d been almost a week since the last snowfall, but there was still enough on the ground to leave that muted stillness effect on the world. It also made the soft click of the deadbolt that much more obvious, so he was able to meet the figure opening the door with a smile instead of surprise. “Hey there, Mamma G.”
“Hello there, Leo,” the matronly chipmunk replied, sweeping him into a warm hug. “I hope the first day of your break went well.”
The wolf returned the embrace, nodding. “I didn’t do much of anything today, to be honest. And I gotta say, it was pretty nice. Hopefully all the extra bodies in the house aren’t driving you too crazy.”
Lenora snorted as she pulled Leo through the door and shut it behind him. “Oh, it's about what I have come to expect when everyone comes home. A little bit of squabbling, but otherwise, nothing terrible. It is nice not to be managing the kitchen tonight. I do love cooking, especially for my family, but getting to sit back and relax a little is never a bad thing.”
“Care to spoil what Holly’s grandmother has in mind for tonight?” the wolf teen inquired as he followed her down the hall. “Holly wasn’t sure when we talked this morning.” He sniffed at the air. “It smells like…” He stopped as he detected something familiar swirling on the currents between the heavier scents from the kitchen, whirling around to nab the chipmunk girl attempting to creep up behind him, utterly betrayed by her perfume.
“Ack! No fair,” came the muffled voice from the muzzle buried in the chest of his black polo shirt. She squeezed him tightly with an exaggerated sigh, planting a peck on the underside of his jaw as she extricated herself from his grasp. “What it smells like is Carbonara. It’s Nona’s favorite, to cook, and to eat. And Mamma said she and Nona already made dessert, even if they didn’t say what yet.” The pout she directed toward her mother only got her a knowing smile in return.
“Carbonara? I think my mom made chicken carbonara a couple times. Anything with bacon is amazing,” Llyulf asserted, only to have a finger pressed to his lips to silence him.
“Leo, hun, I’ll forgive you for not knowing, because I don’t think most people do.” Holly’s eyes slid shut, and her body language shifted. “‘There is no bacon in Carbonara’.” The wolf teen raised his eyebrows, though she completely missed his look as she continued with her eyes closed. “‘There is no cream in Carbonara. There is no chicken in Carbonara. It has 5 ingredients, and 5 only. Pasta, egg yolk, guanciale, black pepper, and parmigiana reggiano. Replace or add any ingredient, and you do not have true Carbonara. You have the bastardized American Carbonara, an affront to the Old Country’,” she recited, as if from a script. He stared, and her eyes opened to what had to be the most bewildered look on his face. Whatever she saw, it certainly elicited an adorable snicker from her at the very least.
“Good girl. Nona Rosa would be proud,” Lenora praised with a chuckle. “I am sure you’ve already gathered this by now, Leo, but this family is proud of its heritage, and when it comes to the kitchen, if you are going to cook traditional meals, you do it the right way.”
The wolf nodded slowly. “Duly noted. I uh… I don’t really cook too much, but I swear, I will never disrespect a family recipe if I’m ever given any.” He gave a weak smile. “That’s if I’m brave enough to try cooking it for y’all to judge, anyway.”
Holly slipped her arm through Leo’s and squeezed his bicep, tugging him toward the living room. “Now c’mon, enough stalling. It's time for you…” She lightly booped the tip of his nose. “...to meet the rest of la famiglia.”
“But I wasn’t–” he started as she led him on, before deciding that it ultimately didn’t matter, and let himself be dragged along.
His girlfriend led him over to a slumped back figure in the large leather armchair first, and nudged the snoring male’s shoulder. “Luca,” she whispered none too softly. “Luuuuca.” The napping male stirred. “Nona Rosa is almost done, and I want you to meet someone before we sit down for dinner.”
Where the family’s youngest seemed to take almost exclusively after her mother, the oldest could easily have passed for a younger Nicolo. Luca was stocky, broad shouldered, with the same piano black hair, and darker brown eyes as his father. “Alright, alriiiight. I’m up.” He groaned as he rolled to his feet, steadying himself with a paw on Leo’s shoulder. “Oh. Uh… Sorry about that. Leo, yeah?” The chipmunk male shook his head to clear it, then rested his other paw on Leo’s shoulder, scrutinizing the wolf. Llyulf was a hair taller, but Holly’s brother was definitely wider. A brief nod, then the wolf felt a solid clap on the outside of his shoulder before he was yanked forward into a firm embrace. “Pops says you’ve been good to my baby sister,” Luca declared, releasing the teen. “S’long as you keep that smile she’s got on her face right now, you and me, we’ll be peachy. I’ll warn you though, if I fall asleep and you’re talkin’ to me, it's nothing on you. School’s just kicking my ass.”
“Luca is in his last year at Harvard,” Holly chimed in. “He’s super close to graduating magna cum laude.”
“Nice to meet you, Luca. Wait, Harvard? Like Harvard Law?” Leo asked.
“Not like Harvard Law. The Harvard Law. And yeah, some more sleepless nights, and I should be done with this mess,” Luca replied, flopping back into the chair and pulling his paws down the front of his face. “Unless you really want it, and I mean really want it, I absolutely would not recommend my track, or professors to friends and family. If I wasn’t so worried about wasted time, and/or money, I might’ve called it quits myself. But I’ll be damned if I don’t get the piece of paper I’ve almost snapped my sanity for.” He looked over at Leo with weary eyes. “You know what you’re doing once you escape Chimera yet?”
“Not yet. I have applications with some schools locally, but haven’t heard back from any of them yet. I love working with computers though, so I’m trying to run with that.”
“Oh, so he's a computer geek. Maybe Daddy can get him hired with one of the Boston firms when he gets out of school.”
Leo’s ears swiveled around toward the new voice, before he turned his head to follow them to the source. Other than the colors of her hair and fur, the chipmunk girl his gaze fell on seemed to have little in common with Holly. She had her brunette locks pulled back in a tight ponytail, mascara wingtips and a pale green eyeshadow framing her eyes. Her hot pink top was tight and form-fitting to her slender frame, as were the eye-searingly yellow shorts that clung to her hips. “Oh, hey. I’m Leo,” he introduced himself, extending his paw.
“Hmm.”
Leo waited patiently as the new arrival looked him up and down, before she finally gave his offered paw a delicate shake.
“I can see why Holly kept you to herself all this time. I’m not usually into younger guys, but you’re pretty cute.”
“Bianca!”
Holly’s mollified outburst caught the wolf by surprise, and he instinctively pulled his paw back and put it over hers with a gentle squeeze. Holly’s sister, on the other hand, seemed totally unfazed.
“What? I’m saying it looks like you got a catch, what's wrong with that? If anything it's a compliment for both of you. Sheesh,” Bianca griped. “No need to get all worked up.” She skirted around the pair to flop on the sectional, stretching out over a pair of cushions. She pulled out her phone and started tapping away, completely oblivious to the daggers being shot her way from Holly.
“Shouldn’t you put on something a little… warmer, Bee?” Holly inquired tersely. “Especially since we have company?”
“Ugh, I’m not going outside, sis, and it’s plenty warm in here,” the slim chipmunk replied without looking up from her device. “Besides, it’s just your boyfriend. No reason for me to be uncomfortable.”
Leo glanced at Luca, who just shrugged, shook his head, and looked back at the small notebook he was flipping through on his lap. The wolf slipped an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders, and gently guided her towards the bar seating behind the couch. Thankfully he could feel the rigidity melting away with every step she took from her sister. “I take it that’s the famous Nona Rosa?” he whispered into her ear, coupling the words with a gentle nuzzle to the top of her head in hopes of further distraction. He gestured to the figure on the opposite end of the kitchen with her back to the pair, stirring a steaming pot.
“The one and only,” Holly confirmed, nodding, a smile returning to her face. “Need anything, Nonna?” she called.
For as old as she had to be, given she was Nicolo’s mother, the elderly chipmunk could have passed for barely older than Holly’s mom, if you ignored the purity of the silver that made up her hair. She shuffled away from the stove to grab another pot from the cabinet, and plopped it in the sink with a large colander atop it. “Grazie, nipotina,” she replied. “But no.” She paused and raised an eyebrow after spotting Leo. “Il tuo amico è davvero carino, Hallelujah,” the elder chipmunk commented with a small smile. “La cena sarà pronta tra poco,” she went on, before turning back to her pot.
The wolf waved tentatively, then looked to his girlfriend for help. Holly’s grandmother had clearly been looking at him, but he had no earthly idea what she’d said. Unfortunately for him, Holly’s face was conspicuously turned away. “Uh, was any of that to me?” he prompted. “The most I think I got from that was ‘thank you’ and ‘friend.’
Holly scratched at her temple, and cleared her throat before she responded, still refusing to meet his eyes. “Er, she said she’d come over to meet you in just a minute.”
He pulled her softly to his side. Even if she was obviously leaving something out, Llyulf wasn’t all that worried about whatever her grandmother had said. He figured her reaction would have been a bit stronger if it had been something worth being concerned about. He hummed softly as she leaned into him, his eyes losing focus, only to snap to movement down on Nona Rosa’s end of the kitchen, promptly followed by an exclamation from Holly.
“Alleeeeeeee!”
Holly’s assertion that he’d immediately have had questions wasn’t unfounded in the slightest. ‘Alle’ had a much longer and bushier tail than any of the rest of the family possessed. Most of the fur on display around her thick red sweater-dress was black, with streaks of dark browns and some lighter tan and cream forming the more chipmunk-like markings around her eyes, cheeks and throat. Her ears came to tufted points that the rest of the family lacked as well. Her tresses were sleek and dark coffee brown, not as long as Holly’s, but clearly well taken care of. She waved to the pair, peeked over her grandmother’s shoulder, then ambled over to one of the cabinets. One stack of plates slid onto the granite countertop, quickly followed by a second. Then she slinked over and gave a little bow, grinning widely. “Hey, sorry, I wanted to get those out for Nonna before she needed them. You must be Leo.” Up close, she was definitely taller than Holly, much closer to his own height. The tip of her tail bounced behind her head, which was mildly distracting in his peripheral vision. “I’m Allessandra, but as you can probably tell from Holly’s little squeal, I usually just go by Alle.”
He nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alle. If I’m remembering right from what she’s told me, you have a twin sister running around here somewhere too?”
The hybrid climbed up into the barstool at the end of the counter, nodding. “Yeah, Anna will be down… probably. When her decision paralysis sets in, you never know.”
“Hey, rudeness,” a new voice piped up indignantly from the hall. “I’m not that bad.” Anna followed her voice around the corner, continuing, “I just prefer not to wing first impressions.”
While Alle’s outfit was form fitting but still conservative, and Bianca’s was loud and in your face, evidently the second squirrel-chipmunk hybrid had decided on something more modest than either of them. She was rocking a loose white button up and pale blue jeans, with a knee length purple cardigan. Out of the gate, Anna’s appearance answered a few more questions Leo hadn’t thought to ask. The twins were very clearly not identical, though they seemed to have close to the same build. She and Alle clearly wouldn’t be pulling any twin swapping pranks without a significant amount of work. Other than a splash of cream and chocolate brown around her eyes, some white fur on her throat and a pair of brown stripes on her tail, what little he could see of her fur around her outfit was almost completely black, and capped with a wavy waterfall of raven hair.
Anna surprised the wolf by pulling him into a group hug with Holly, with Alle joining in from the other side to sandwich the pair. “It’s nice to meet you, Leo.” When the twins pulled back, Anna grinned at Holly. “Hmmm. Immediate notes on the B-F, Holly. He gives good hugs, and that face isn’t likely to break a mirror any time soon. Knowing you, he also can’t be an idiot. I don’t know how, but you might have a keeper on the first try, lil’ sis. Mind sharing a little of that luck over here? For all the talk of ‘southern hospitality’, all the guys down in Raleigh kinda suck. ”
Leo coughed. “Uh, thanks. Anna, right? It’s great to finally meet you, too.” He looked between the pair of hybrids. “So you two are technically Holly’s cousins, right?”
The twins shared a glance, but it was Alle that spoke up first. “Sure, by blood. But Lenora and Nicolo didn’t hesitate to adopt us when our parents passed, and have raised us since elementary school like we’ve been one of their own.”
“They’ve fully earned the titles of Mamma and Papa, even if we’ll never forget our birth parents,” Anna agreed, adding, “And Luca, Bianca and Holly have always felt more like siblings than cousins.”
Leo nodded softly. “Sorry about your parents. I’m glad y’all have such a tight knit family. He took a glance around the room. “It’s kinda wild how different it feels with everyone in the house. It's not crowded, and it’s not like it felt empty before, but does feel ‘fuller’ now.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten used to it being quiet for the most part, but I love having you guys home again, even just for a little while,” Holly agreed. “When no-one’s butting heads that is,” she amended, sparing a glance over her shoulder at the back of the couch where Bianca was still lounging just out of sight.
“Yeah, I know what you–”
“A tavola, è pronto!” Nona Rosa belted out from across the kitchen, cutting Anna off and startling the small huddle of furs.
Leo’s eyebrows floated up, once again looking expectantly to his girlfriend for assistance. The warmth that suffused him from the sound of her giggle and her sweet, sweet smile could have thawed permafrost in the Arctic circle. Thankfully, this time she obliged.
“It’s time to eat. She’s yelling for us to come get our food. C’mon, carbonara is absolutely the best when it's fresh.” She hooked her arm through the wolf’s, and he felt her drag him into the kitchen where her grandmother doled out nests of rolled pasta onto plates for everyone.
*******
Well, Holly’d certainly been right. That had been unlike any ‘carbonara’ Leo’d ever had, and absolutely orders of magnitude better, even if he wouldn’t say that to his mother’s face. The atmosphere of a full dinner table was definitely different with a large family. All told, it had been pretty nice. It had only gotten awkward for the wolf when Holly’s dad had asked him about his plans after high school, making Leo the center of most of the family’s attention. A followup question from Bianca had only thrown him more.
What about when Holly goes to Europe? She’s going to be gone for months, right?
Holly hadn’t even looked in his direction as he said quite honestly that they hadn’t planned that far ahead yet. She was too busy staring down her sister.
The rest of the meal was uneventful, and thankfully a little less tense for Leo as the conversational eddies spiraled up around the table. Afterwards though, Holly had been pulled aside on her way out of the dining room, and followed her father to his chair in the living room, where they started a quiet, but animated, conversation while Leo took a seat across the room. That had only lasted a couple of minutes before the pair had disappeared, presumably to Nicolo’s office.
When Lenora went by him into the kitchen, he’d tried to follow her to assist, but she quickly shoo’d him away. ‘Go sit and relax’ she says. Easier said than done. He felt kinda bad about not having a better, more sure answer to Bianca’s question. Rather than sit and stew in his own thoughts, he fired off a text to Megan. It would be nice to see hir this week, if shi was even in town. Hir reply was near instant, and they quickly settled on a day for him to drop in on hir at work. He was so engrossed he didn’t even notice when a shadow appeared at his side.
“Scusi, young wolf, may I sit?”
Looking up, he found Nona Rosa pointing to the empty space on the couch next to him. He nodded hurriedly. “Of course, ma’am! This is way more your house than mine.”
The older woman chuckled as she put a paw on his shoulder to stabilize herself as she dropped onto the couch beside him. “Ahhh. Grazie, giovanotto.” She chuckled and patted his knee at his mildly confused expression. “Oh. I’m sorry. Giovanotto is ‘young man’,” she clarified. “So, did you enjoy the carbonara?”
Leo nodded emphatically. “Oh, absolutely, ma’am. Honestly, nothing I’ve had from this kitchen has been anything short than amazing. Mamma G made some lasagna the first time I was here, and she sent me home with some for my dad. I was full, and I was still tempted to steal from the container she sent me with,” he admitted. His eyes flicked to the archway entrance as he caught movement in his peripheral vision, noting with a flash of disappointment it was not Holly, but her mother, entering the room. He returned his gaze to the Nona Rosa, only to find her giving him a very knowing look.
“Non preoccuparti, don’t worry, Leo. Hallelujah will return.”
The wolf felt his face warm. “Oh, I know, its just–”
“Lo capisco. You care for her, è ovvio. And,” the chipmunk continued, grinning slyly. “She is bellissimo, beautiful. I do not blame you.”
“I… yes, yes she is. Very beautiful,” he agreed. “I just… I wish I had a little more of my life already lined up. Holly is so driven, so focused, and she has her next few years planned out already, and I’m here just hoping I don’t have to go too far to college. I’m nothing special, just a pretty average guy, all things consid–” His words ground to a halt when the elderly chipmunk poked him firmly in the chest, catching him fully off guard.
“Che assurdità!” she exclaimed, poking him a second time. “My Hallelujah is a smart girl. She would not settle. You are a handsome young wolf, and she clearly finds you special. Not one other time has she brought a boy home to meet the whole family. You are the first, and only one. So far, I must say, I approve of her choice. You make her smile.”
“I– er, thanks– I try. She has a really great smile.” The poor wolf’s brain was spinning. The praise and support was nice, but he wasn’t totally ready for it, and wasn’t sure how to respond. Thankfully, speak of the angel, and she appeared. When their eyes found each other, Holly flashed one of those wonderful smiles, and the wolf’s nerves melted away.
A quiet snicker from Nona Rosa brought him back, and he watched her shift then roll to her feet, then she extended her arms to him. He stood, gladly giving the requested hug.
When the older woman released him from her embrace, she turned to her approaching granddaughter. “Anna ha ragione, lui sa abbracciare molto bene. Dovresti tenerlo.” The elder chipmunk winked in Leo’s direction, and there was an assortment of titters from both twins, Holly, and the grandmother.
If Leo was hoping for a translation from his girlfriend, it wasn’t forthcoming. Instead, Holly was content to grin and shake her head, muttering something the wolf couldn't hear as she pulled Nona Rosa into a tight embrace herself. The older woman whispered something in her ear, and the young chipmunk drew back suddenly with a gasp, her face lighting up. “Really?! I thought I smelled coffee earlier!” She turned to Leo, eyes wide. “Oooooooooooooh you are in for a treat, you have no idea!”
The wolf teen snorted. “You’re right I don’t. Maybe you should tell me, so I’m not left in the dark alone,” he teased. He wrapped his arms around her as she closed the gap between them, Holly leaning against his chest as she looked up at him.
“Nona and Mamma made tiramisu, and it's so good, you’ll think you died and went to heaven.”
The wolf pulled her tighter to him, gently nipping the edge of her ear before whispering into it with a chuckle. “So, basically the same way I’ve felt every time I’m with you?”
Holly wiggled a little, ear twitching under his onslaught. “Yeah, yeah, but seriously. If you like coffee… I’d put money it’ll be one of the best things you’ve ever tasted, and I don’t gamble.”
Leo released her, raising an eyebrow. “Then what are we standing here for? I love coffee. And for the record, there’s no way I’m taking that bet, after everything else I’ve had from your family’s kitchen. Just tell me what I have to do to get some?”
*******
March 12, 2014
Metro Station Diner - Morning
“Holly! Over here, girlfriend!”
The chipmunk tracked the familiar voice of her old friend over to a table to her right, smiling at the skunk. “Hey Chels. Sorry it took a couple days to get back to you. My sisters are back in town for the week, so the house has been… crazy,” she explained as she dropped into the booth across from the skunk girl.
“Aww, it’s okay. It’s been crazy at our place too, still trying to get everything situated. I’ve just missed ya. It sucked losing touch with everyone stateside,” the skunk chattered over her menu. “Rota was great and all, but Marblecliff is still my favorite station.”
“That’s right! It’s been so long, I forgot where you were! How was Spain?!” Holly exclaimed, her full attention on the skunk across from her.
“It’s so different over there. Spain was beautiful, and it definitely didn’t get this cold very often. You know it’s apparently supposed to snow tomorrow? The only time I saw snow over there was when we went skiing!” Chelsea laughed. “Anyway, how have things been here? Whatcha been up to?
“Ugh, I’m so jealous. I know we talked about it before you left, but I’m still dying to travel. I’ve been saving my paychecks for a couple years now so that I can fund a trip myself after graduation without asking my family to pay for any of it. Papa isn’t really a fan of the idea, but he can’t argue too much if he’s not paying for it,” Holly explained. She went quiet, staring at the menu for a few before letting it fall to the table, and leaning back in the bench seating. Chewing at the corner of her lip as she debated on her choice of meal, her eyes followed the gentle sway of the lamp above the center of the table.
“Uh– hey Holly? Are we… are we good?”
The chipmunk blinked and refocused on the girl across the table from her, confusion clouding her face. “Yeah? Why wouldn’t we be?”
“I don’t know, you just got quiet all of the sudden, and… look, I know I kinda stopped writing back to you not long after I moved. That’s 100% on me, I didn’t really mean–”
Holly held up a paw to cut her off. “Hey now, stop it. I don’t blame you. We were in like, 8th grade when you left. Neither of us had cell phones, or real emails yet. Even if we had phones, I’m sure our parents would have murdered us if we tried calling each other. Besides,” she countered, waving the raised paw. “You recognized me as soon as you walked into Cavallo, didn’t you? So clearly you never forgot about me.”
“Oh hell no, I would never. You were my literal bestie.”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but my position for ‘bestie’ is open,” Holly threw out, hesitantly floating the idea. She really hadn’t been that close to anyone since Chelsea moved away. Not until Leo had stumbled into her life, but that was... different. “After you left, I kinda just… didn’t end up going to Chimera. I started a foreign language class online that summer and finished it before I was supposed to enroll. I really enjoyed working at my own pace, and asked Mamma and my dad if I could take all my classes online. They agreed, as long as my grades stayed up, which really helped out when I started working. I could work more shifts and still stay up on my classwork.”
“Wait, what? You aren’t at Chimera Prep? But…” the skunk girl stammered and trailed off. “Damn,” she pouted. “I was hoping to find out what classes you were in so I could try and get in a couple of yours. How am I supposed to be your ‘bestie’ again if we can’t share any classes?”
The chipmunk girl giggled. “Sorry Chels. You can still be my bestie though. Just means we’ll need to get together outside of school. Maybe you’ll end up in one of Leo’s classes, or at least with one of Leo’s friends.”
“Leo? Who the heck did I forget?” Chelsea muttered, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
“Oh, don’t worry, you don’t know him.” Holly giggled as she filled in her friend. “Not yet at least. He and his dad haven’t even been in town a year. You’ll like him though, I’m sure of it. We started dating a little over a month ago, and it's… it's been amazing, honestly.”
“Whoa, hold up. Let me get this straight. You are telling me my bestie has a boyfriend? When do I get to meet him?” the skunk demanded. “I gotta make sure he’s worth it.”
“Oh, trust me. He’s been through the ringer already,” Holly assured her. “Mama and Papa already like him, and he met Nona, Luca, the twins, and Bianca Monday night, and managed to survive them all.”
The skunk girl nodded appraisingly. “Impressive. Mad points for that, but I’m still gonna have to judge him myself, of course. It’s my sacred duty, one I didn’t realize I was neglecting.” Chelsea looked around almost conspiratorially, before whispering none too quietly. “Is he cute?”
That got a full on laugh out of Holly. “Mmmmf. Girl, is he ever.”
A quiet cough had both girls jumping in surprise at the jaguar woman suddenly standing at their table with a pad in paw. She looked mildly amused at their reaction, even if the prevailing emotion on her muzzle was clearly exhaustion. “Sorry about that. I can get you two girls something to drink if you need a little more time, or I can get your food in as well, if you’re ready. Oh, and sorry for the wait, too, it’s been a wild morning.”
“Oh, it’s okay. We aren’t in any sort of hurry,” Chelsea responded reassuringly. “I’ll take an orange juice, and a bacon breakfast platter.”
“How would you like your eggs?”
“Fried. Definitely fried. Over— hm, over easy.” The skunk tapped at her chin. “You know what, extra side of bacon too, please.”
“Gotcha. And you, miss?”
“I’d like an orange juice, and a water as well, if you don’t mind,” Holly said sweetly. “And to eat, a veggie scramble skillet, please, with extra mushrooms.”
“OJs for the table, plus a water for you,” the waitress read off, pointing to Holly before continuing. “Then I have a bacon platter, double bacon, and a veggie scramble, smothered in ‘shrooms. Anything else for ya?” When both girls shook their heads in unison, the waitress deftly tucked away her pad in her apron. “Awesome, I’ll get this up on the line, and it should be out pretty quick. It’s easy ‘nuff.” She started off, before doubling back. “Oh, and the name’s Britt, if you need anything, just flag me down.”
“Thank you, ma’am!” Holly called out after the jaguar as she padded off again. Turning back to her friend, she stared blankly for a moment. “So— what were we talking about again?”
“Only the delightfully fun fact that someone has a sexy beau, and he’s already passed the family test,” the skunk teased. “Oh, and that I’ll be all kinds of lonely in my classes,” she lamented.
“Oh, hush.” The chipmunk shook her head at her friend’s grandstanding. “You’ve never had a problem making friends with basically everyone you meet. I think you’ll be just fine. I am sure you’ll find some of the people we went to Manticore with that still remember you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m not actually worried. Just a little sad.”
“I promise we’ll find some time to hang out,” Holly swore, before her eyes lit up. “Speaking of which, what are your plans after graduation?”
Chelsea shrugged. “Honestly? I’d love a break before I get lambasted with more classes and coursework. I don’t think Mom or Dad will be cool with me just lazing about though. You?”
“Well, like I mentioned earlier, I’m wanting to take a trip of my own over to Europe before going to college. I would love to go backpacking a little bit, make my way across the continent. Gotta see Paris, Barcelona, Venice and Rome.” Holly’s fingers drummed on the metal tabletop punctuating each stop as she rattled them off. “We still have some family down in Sicily I would love to try and get in touch with while I am over there too. We went when I was pretty little, when I was like… five maybe? But I haven’t seen them since. Nona Rosa still gets Christmas cards from ‘the Old Country’ every year from Grandpa Leon’s family. It’d be cool to meet them and actually be able to remember it.”
The skunk listened with rapt attention. “Ooooooh,” she finally spoke up as Holly gave an opening. “Paris is pretty nice, the Eiffel Tower was cool once, but kinda overrated to me. Barcelona though, we visited there a few times a year. Super gorgeous cit–” They were interrupted by the arrival of their drinks, but she barely missed a beat, continuing as soon as the waitress was off again. “Anyways, yea, gorgeous city. If you backpack, there will be a ton of places there worth staying at. Just gotta know where to look.” She took a long swig off her glass of orange juice. “Hmmmm. Backpacking actually sounds like a really fun time. I wonder if I can’t conscript a couple friends over there to go with you. That sounds like it’d be right up their alley. Mine too, for that matter, though convincing the parental units to eat the cost might be a bit of a stretch.”
Holly gasped. “Oh, that would be great. Like, extra so if you can go, but if there are some people you know to travel with, I think my Dad will be a little less freaked out by the whole idea. He says he’s really worried about me being alone over there.”
“I mean, girl, if you’ve never traveled by yourself, can you blame him?” Chelsea asked, earning a reluctant shake of the chipmunk’s head in response. “I’m sure my pops would be losing his shit if I was trying to run around Europe alone, and I’ve covered a good chunk of it already. I can definitely put out some feelers with some friends out there I’m sure will be down, if I know them at all. And,” she added with a wink, “I’ll see if I can convince my parents that escorting you around the continent is totally in your best interest.”
“Ugh, that would be a dream come true. Seriously, Chels. Even though I’m not personally bothered by the idea of going by myself, I’m sure having company would help alot with the travel stress.” Holly leaned back as the jaguar waitress returned with a set of steaming plates balanced on a tray just a hair too small for them all.
Britt doled them out across the table with practiced ease. “Alright now, girls, plates are hot, just be careful, ‘specially with the cast iron on that scramble. Anything else I can get you before I leave you to it?”
“Nah, I’m good,” the skunk replied, bacon already in hand and en route to her mouth.
“I think I should be fine too. Thank you.” Holly agreed.
The waitress tore off the slip on her pad and left it on the corner of the table. “Alrighty, here’s your ticket. Take your time, no rush. If you need or want anything else, I can add it, and if you need to split the check, they can do that at the register for you.”
Chelsea snatched up the ticket before the chipmunk girl’s paw could make it halfway to the slip. “Nope, my idea, my check. I got you,” the skunk girl insisted around a cheekful of bacon. “You can pay me back by catching me up to speed on anything else important I missed while I was away. Anything fun happen?”
*******
March 13, 2014
The Rising Dragon - Midday
Llyulf both was, and wasn’t all that surprised to hear Megan had decided to work a couple of days over their spring break. After so long cooped up at home, then only getting away from the apartment to go to school, anything seemed better, even if it wasn’t just going out to take a break, have fun or relax. And it came with, ya know, making money.
The Rising Dragon Games and Anime Emporium wasn’t a shop he’d really ever frequented, even when he did make it to the mall. It sold all kinds of wares, as its name implied, lots of comics and anime, trading cards, action figures. The shop actually took up two side by side, connected storefronts, with the gate down on the first one the wolf passed. Inside, partially obscured by the bars was a collection of tables, a couple armchairs, a water cooler and an assortment of furs, mostly teens.
The big glass window next to the main entrance, normally a large display for supersized collectibles, was completely plastered over on the inside with a poster advertisement for Anime Con Boston, and the booth the shop was intending to run there. Rounding the corner, Leo spotted the bat he came to see chatting with a bespectacled blue-haired bunny woman over a stack of paper on the glass display counter. He smiled, waving once he saw Megan take notice of his approach.
“You’re a little early, LB. We can go grab food in about 15,” she– er, shi– called out, returning the wave.
It had been a very welcome sight the previous Friday when the bat had come to the school sans wires and casts. Sure, Megan still had on a boot, but from what it seemed it was more out of an abundance of caution. The doctor didn’t even have hir using crutches. The bigger news the day before they left for Spring Break at the lunch table was that Megan had decided shi wanted to openly embrace who shi was. All of hirself. As part of that, shi was choosing to use shi/hir pronouns, instead of just identifying as female, like Vic from Omen Breakers.
It didn’t ultimately change anything for Leo. Megan was still the same incredible person shi always was. It was just a superficial recalibration on his part, one he was more than happy to make. To him, it was common sense that everyone deserved to feel comfortable in their own fur. Who was he to call hir anything other than what shi felt most comfortable being called. It was part of why he had never really understood the divided sentiment towards herms in Marblecliff. It just… didn’t really seem relevant to him. It’s not like the parts you had determined the type of person you were. You could always be a dick, whether you had one or not.
“All good, Megs, I’ll just take a peek around. I’ve uh– never actually been in here before.”
“Alright, then. Just know if you break anything, I’m not bailing you out with my employee discount,” shi teased.
The wolf waved his paw dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know how to look and not touch. I’m not a four year old,” he countered with a chuckle. He walked up to a massive halberd that hung from hooks on the wall, a little paper tag dangling from the spike on the end. Reaching out with two fingers, he flipped the tag around, and blanched at the figure printed on it in sharpie. Letting the tag fall away from his paw, he took a half step back. The damn thing was apparently so sharp it could cleave the current balance in his checking account in half in one fell swoop. Continuing his wandering elsewhere, he bypassed the comics and manga. He didn’t have anything against them, they just weren’t his style.
A flash caught the wolf’s eye, and he turned down an aisle to his left. One half of the aisle was a shelf chock full of small bins, each filled to the brim with multi-colored stones. Actually, not stones. On closer inspection, they were dice. He pulled out one, letting it catch the light. It was colored like a smoky gray glass, super polished with quite sharp edges, and numbered up to 20. It wasn’t super hefty, so it had to still be plastic, but he was pretty impressed just how clear it was. In the center of the die was an off-white skull. A soft jingle from the end of the aisle tipped him off to the bat before shi rounded the corner. “You’ll never be able to sneak up on anyone with those unless you dampen them somehow,” Leo snickered without looking up. “These are pretty cool lookin’, by the way.”
“Jerk,” shi shot back, rolling her eyes. Once she got closer look at the thing he was holding, shi gasped. “Oh yeah! Those are great,” the bat agreed. “The skulls, and the numbers glow in the dark too.”
“Seriously? That’s sick.” The wolf cupped his paws around it and held it up to his eye. “Damn, that makes me wanna pick one up, but I don’t really have a use for it. It's one of those Dungeon and Dragons dice, right?”
“I mean, some people collect a bunch of them just because they look cool, and don’t even use them when they play, but yeah, that’s what most people that come in here use their ‘math rocks’ for.”
“That… honestly doesn’t surprise me, if they can look this neat.”
“Anyways, you ready?” the bat inquired.
Leo looked down at his watch, then back up at hir. “It’s not noon yet.”
“Heather said I could cut a couple minutes early, as long as I’m back on time.” Megan grabbed him by the shoulders and started steering the wolf to the exit. “But if you move any slower, it won’t matter anyway.”
“Okay, I get it,” he laughed, tossing the die back in the bin. “I’m going, I’m going.”
*******
Sequoia Square Mall - Food Court
A couple of fast moving lines later, and the pair were seated across from each other at a tiny table, hunched over their styrofoam to-go containers.
“So, I saw that big ass poster in the front window. You gonna be working the booth at that Anime Con thing in Boston?” Llyulf asked between bites of bourbon chicken.
“Nah, Heather’s planning on working the booth herself. I’m gonna be manning the shop that weekend, since we’ll still be open.”
The wolf raised an eyebrow. “Wait, so every anime fan with a dime to spend is gonna be at a convention in Boston, and y’all are still gonna be open at the mall? Sounds like the makings for a few boring days.”
“You’re not wrong, LB. But since we do have other stuff besides manga and anime, Heather thinks we might still get a couple people coming in. We’ll see. Shit, even if I was working the counter topless, I still don’t think we’ll pull double digits through the doors all day.”
“Eh, worst case, maybe I’ll come keep you company for some of it. Holly and I don’t have anything planned yet that I know of.”
“I sure won’t argue with the company.” Megan admitted. “It can get pretty old when everyone’s just walking by the store for 8 hours. It’s happened before when some big card tournament’s in town.”
“Oh, I bet. Now, back to that vague text you sent me. You said you had news. What’s up?” the wolf prodded.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Well–,” the bat trailed off, bumping around some of hir vegetable lo mein with the cheap plastic fork. “It’s been a week. When you texted, I’d just gotten my letter back from Berklee–”
“Oh shit! You got in?” Leo blurted out, before coughing and clearing his throat to try to cover for his embarrassment.
Megan shook hir head slowly with a sigh. “No, Leo. I didn’t. I know it's not like, the end of the world, and I know I already have an acceptance to U. Mass, but, fuck me, I didn’t apply there because I wanted to go.” The tiny table rattled as hir fist slammed down, then the bat’s body went taut, almost as if she was trying to lift her entire weight with that fist.
Recovering quickly from the initial sharpness of the sound, the wolf put a paw over hir wrist. He could feel the tension, like an overwound string, barely moving after being plucked. “Megs, I’m sorry. I–” He trailed off as the bat took a sharp breath in across the table, followed by a very slow, very controlled, exhale.
“It’s… fine,” shi sighed, though hir monotone didn’t seem to agree. “I knew when I applied it was gonna be a really long shot. It’s not a local community college. The best of the best in the country are all trying to get in. Well, less than half actually did. It’s just, since I applied, every time I have thought about what happens after we graduate, it’s been how it would be at Berklee, you know?”
“I kinda do.” Leo gave the bat’s paw a gentle squeeze. “I haven’t heard back from any of the applications I put in yet. I had dinner with Holly’s family the other night, and at the table her dad, then one of her sisters asked what my plans were after graduation, and I was not at all equipped to answer them.”
“Yeah, you mentioned you were going to dinner with the whole family, didn’t you. What did you end up telling them?”
Llyulf shrugged. “Same thing I told you, really. I don’t really have an answer, and that it will depend on if I get any acceptance letters back at all.”
Megan snorted. “At all? C’mon LB, wake up. You’ll get accepted somewhere. Even if you weren't a total computer nerd, Ms. Hutcheson told me that just attending Chimera Prep looks really good on an application to any schools in the area. Something about a ‘stellar, world class curriculum’. Not gonna lie, I was kinda hoping the extra pull was going to make the difference for me.”
“I only started at Chimera this year though,” the wolf countered. “I don’t know how much weight that’ll hold, even with faculty recommendations, when I missed out on most of the ‘stellar curriculum’.” He groaned. “Sorry, I know the main reason I haven’t heard anything is because I was late to the party in applying. Which is my own fault, sure, but it’s still stressful. Let’s get back to you, though. What now? I don’t know how Berklee works. Is it possible to apply again to transfer there later?”
“I mean, they said I could in the rejection letter.” Megan grumbled. “Maykere knows someone - a film student, I guess, one of her regular customers - who might be willing to help me with footage for my next application video. I just… that doesn’t tell me what I should do now. Do I take a year off, and focus on my music? Or do I bite the bullet and just go to U. Mass, and take care of some core classes to get them out of the way?”
The wolf teen shrugged. “I mean, I imagine the classes are at least cheaper at a public college, if you have to take them anyway. Does Berklee even do gen ed?” The bat’s deadpan at his question could’ve won an award. “Okay, okay, you’re right,” he acquiesced. “That wouldn’t make much sense.”
“It’s still a bachelor's degree program. They just offer some unique specialty majors, and it’s, you know, Berklee. The name holds weight, and the faculty are supposed to be the best. Still, any degree that’s at least worth the paper it's printed on has to have the basics.” Shi stared down at hir lo mein. “In my head, I know the smart thing is to go U. Mass,” shi confessed, before the energy fell out of hir voice. “I just don’t want to get there, and feel like it’s okay to settle.”
“We both know that’s not you, Megs. If you go to U. Mass, you’ll kick ass, take names, and keep working until you have a battering ram to bust down the door at Berklee. You deserve it, and you’ll get your shot. It's not an if, to me, it's when.”
It might have been the visual, or just appreciation for the support, but whatever it was, the corners of the bat’s lips twitched upward. “Thanks, Leo.” Shi tapped out a little rhythm on the side of hir container with hir fork. “They recommended I continue ‘honing my skills’ and to do more in my community, and to reapply with a ‘more varied body of work’ next year. Practice is a given. That’s never gonna stop. Guess I’ll have to find some sort of club or something in Boston to do some community outreach with.”
A thought bubbled up, and brought a half smile to Leo’s lips. “Well, sis,” he started, dropping his voice and leaning in a little. “Not for nothing, we do plan on having you rock this community pretty soon. Organizing and playing an event like the rally could definitely go on your next application.”
“What would I even claim for that?” shi protested, “You’re the one doing most of the–”
“Megs, this rally wouldn’t even be happening without you. Everything Holly and I have lined up for the stage and audio came from the recommendations from you, and Omen Breakers. You also helped design the initial plans for the layout. Speaking of which, we got the email confirming the permit was approved yesterday. Just because Holly and I are in charge of executing the public part of the plan doesn’t mean your help in planning the event isn’t worth mentioning. And we are all spreading the word around where we can. So you better be claiming it.”
“I guess you’re right,” shi conceded. “I am really excited to sing for a crowd again. Being back in Vivy’s garage for practice felt so good. Oh!” the bat herm exclaimed. “I can’t wait for our karaoke night. You know what you’re doing yet?”
Llyulf started to nod, but didn’t make it fully through the motion before he reconsidered. “Ye– well, sort of. I know one of the songs I wanna do. I had one in mind that apparently I can’t use, which is kinda depressing. Been working on a couple others. I’ll have a few to try out with ya on Saturday when I come by. You?”
“Shit, dude, I basically had mine locked in since I had the idea.”
The wolf raised an eyebrow and rolled his paw. “Aaaaand?”
Megan’s teasing snicker was enough to clue him in that he wasn’t finding out today. “Hey, if you were gonna tell me yours, you already would have. So you’ll just have to wait and find out too, won’t you, LB?”
He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t keep his own chuckle from slipping out. “Fine, be that way.” The wolf stuffed the last of his chicken into his maw, salty, savory and sweet. Didn’t matter north, south, wherever you were, bourbon chicken just hit different at the mall for some reason. It seemed so stupid a distinction, but it just never was as good from a takeout place, even the best ones. He took a swig off his huge cup of root beer before a little light turned on at the back of his mind, harkening back to a conversation they’d had just before the break started. Swallowing quick– a little too quickly, Llyulf had to wait out a coughing fit to clear his throat before he was actually able to speak, and address the bemused look on his best friend’s face. “Blech, sorry, I just remembered! How’d it go with Matteo last weekend?!”
The way Megan’s entire posture changed in an instant almost couldn’t be fully quantified. Hir eyes lit up, and shi almost looked ready to vibrate like a spring under load. Shi checked her watch, before grabbing hir chair and sliding around next to Leo’s side of the table and whipped out hir phone. “We still have a little time. It was great, if a little dizzying. I’m not going to be able to go over everything, obviously, but I’ve got to show you some pictures!”
*******
“Alright, we did say Saturday at my place right?” Megan asked as they got back to the doors of the games store.
The wolf nodded. “You bet. I’d say you could come to my place, but let’s save that for when you are out of that boot.” He gently tapped the bulky plastic with the toe of his sneaker. “My place doesn’t have an elevator, and the stairs can get a little slick sometimes.”
“Fair enough.” A smirk crawled its way onto hir face. “I’ll just keep planning my revenge.”
Leo frowned. “What the hell did I do now?”
“Damn, keep making fun of my pictures of when I was little, and don’t even have the decency to remember. I see how it is,” the bat quipped, deadpanning at him.
The wolf stared back into hir purple eyes, gears turning until he finally realized what shi was referring to. “Oh, that.” He shrugged. “You can try, but I wasn’t kidding when I said there ain’t much to find.”
“Then I’ll just have to make sure whatever I do find is good.” Shi checked hir phone, and punched him in the shoulder, smirking. “Now get lost, little brother, unless you’re coming in to buy shit from me,” shi laughed, sticking her tongue out at him, before turning and making hir way back to the counter inside the store.
“Sure, I’m the child here. Little brother, my ass,” he muttered under his breath, letting out a little snort and shaking his head. But the smile plastered on his face didn’t waver the whole way out to the parking lot.
katarinalin
