Marry the Sea // Notes In Constellation

Kailani Sage | Human


When she was a child, Kailani would often sit around one of the fires her village held at the beach, the smell of food roasting on the air. She'd sit with the other children, face warmed by the crackling flames while the familiar scent of tide and surf permeated the air about her. Once the food was eaten, the children tuckered out from chasing each other about the warm sand, Kailani's favorite part of the bonfires would come. When the children gathered about the elders in the village, and they'd tell stories of wondrous beasts beneath the ocean's surf. Magical and powerful beings, half-fish and half-man. The guardians of the oceans. Kailani would listen for hours about the merfolk, how they could change the calmest, gentlest breeze into tempests. Or how they'd trick fishermen out at sea with their beautiful songs. Pranksters, the elders would tell the children. Yes, as a child she had often fawned over the merfolk. But things changed. The little blonde ball of energy grew up as all children must.

She matured with time into a young woman, and daughter of the village's chieftain. Though, more often or not the blue-eyed beauty preferred to spend her time down in the surf, wasting countless days beneath the warm rays of sun. The monsters she'd been told about growing up became nothing more than a mark of her past immaturity. Whenever the elders began to speak of the merfolk, she'd merely roll her eyes. She refused to let superstitions rule her life. These days though, she thought little of the merfolk. Though, tonight was one of those rare days that her cerulean orbs, a mirror of the expansive blues of the ocean, lingered on the horizon of the sea. It'd only been a couple hours ago that a horrible tempest had stormed it's way through the village. Sheets of rain had blown in from the sea, and even her grand home in the center of the village had creaked and shook beneath the furious howls of wind. Once the storm had blown itself out, she'd been unable to resist sneaking out of her shanty to the beach, if nothing more than to see what kind of treasures the storm had spit out upon the sands.

So far, it was nothing spectacular. Driftwood was scattered about, seaweed washed halfway up the beach was strewn about, even a few shells one normally had to wade out in the surf for dotted the coast. ''What a mess...'' The woman muttered, her brows furrowing together. Later she'd get a few of her village-folk to comb what the sea had spewed onto the shore, to see if there were any resources they could use. Silver streaks of moon bathed the young woman in a celestial kind of light. The only sound that split the air beneath the pre-dawn twilight was the sound of waves beating upon the shores. There was a slight chill in the air that rose goosebumps on her arms as she wandered down the shore. She had no real destination, simply Kailani was enjoying the silence and freedom. She knew this beach like the back of her own hand, and wasn't scared to be wandering about it so early in the morning, before the other's in her village awoke.

Perhaps it was minutes, or an hour as she made her way down the shores, mind a million miles away when her gaze first caught the glittering of a single, beautiful scale partially buried in the sand. It was a breath-taking shade of dark burgundy, the edges tinged in glittering gold. There were a few blood-splatters around the scale and curiously she bent down, scooping the beautiful scale up while shaking some sand from it. It was bumpy, slimy, and about the size of the palm of her hand. It hadn't come from any fish she'd ever seen before and curiosity got the better of the golden-haired woman. Her sharp gaze picked out a few more blood splatters, a trail. Perhaps she'd find something to cook for breakfast. At the thought her stomach rumbled with anticipation and she took careful, silent steps following the trail of blood. At first it was little drops of blood; though the further inland she followed the trail, the heavier the trail got. Overhead the sky had lightened with the first rosy streaks of dawn, giving Kailani slightly better visibility. Quiet feet carried her further inland, towards the cove she loved to fish and swim in.

A few gulls had begun to call back and forth to one another by the time she noted the blood trail disappearing behind a rock, on the shore. Had the storm blown a fish out of water? Perhaps it had gotten disoriented. Cautiously the woman approached, wondering if it was predatory or prey. Slowly the blonde approached the rock, and peered around it- but what she saw was not something she could of possibly prepared herself for. At first her gaze fell to the scales, the same burgundy and gold of the scale, still held in her hand. Though as her gaze traveled upwards- that's where she found her surprise. Scales fused and gave way to skin, smooth and human like. Once the woman processed what was lain before her, what the scale and blood had fallen from a surprised noise, akin to a squeak, bubbled past her lips. She was ready to turn and flee, find help, her father or the elders, when the... the monster stirred. It was feeble and weak, but it was alive. And she was torn. The elders had always said that if a merfolk ever washed up on shore, you should catch it. Trap it, ask for some favor granted through their magic, keep their tail for good luck. She didn't think they would help the beast. It stirred again, a feeble attempt perhaps to wriggle back into the surf.

Curiously her gaze swept over the thing again. It was then she noted what was wrong with it. It's side bore deep gouges, bite-marks. Likely from some sort of predatory fish. Kailani frowned, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and thinking for a moment. It was clear it was in pain, and perhaps that was what had Kailani approaching, closer. Close enough to smell the salt and ocean on it, and just as she was about to crouch by his side, the thing's eyes snapped open. Dark as the ancient rocks that sat at the bottom of the ocean, ripping boats open, they were unfocused. A lock of thick inky hair had fallen forward over it's forehead and Kailani nearly fell back onto her bottom, though quickly regained herself. ''You...You-'' She stammers unsure of where to start. Her mother had given her some medical training before she passed away, and finally Kailani finds her tongue, unable to state the impossibility of this situation. ''Do you speak English? I don't want to hurt you... I just want to help.'' She announces, a tremor of fright running through her tone. And as she crouches just within arms reach of the wounded monster, she has to admit that Kailani is afraid of it.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Alexander Killenger | Alpha Werewolf


Thousands of years ago, werewolves used to roam free. They owned the forests and the mountains- and no one would dream of caging a wolf. They used to have their own societies, their own packs. But that changed with the wars, the wars which the humans won. When they had figured out some of the wolves' weaknesses... Well it was only a matter of time until they were rounded up or killed. And in the present day? The wolves alive today, most were born in captivity, like Alex was, and his parents before him. His first breaths had been inside the detainment centers built to cage werewolves. And his last breaths would be too- as his parent's and their parents before them had. And life was hard inside the detainment centers- they did things to a wolf. Eventually the kind of life they were forced to lead, it got to them. They would just... Lose whatever human-part they had and go feral. Rabid. Attack werewolves and the humans that ran the detainment centers.

Alexander sighs, shifting in his small, dirty mattress. There was no use in moping over his situation. That would just... Just make going rabid that much easier. And if nothing else he was a creature of survival. He was determined to survive this place. If not for himself, then for his pack. The male's gaze slides towards the door of his cell. The nurses who came to give daily check-ups, and deliver food wouldn't be at his cell wouldn't be here for awhile. And his cellmate, a young golden-haired male had been euthanized for taking a snap at a guard the other week. Which meant that he was alone for the first time in awhile. It was times like this, in spaces too small that Alex felt the pull of his wolf. The beast pacing beneath his skin. It dreamed of things it had never known. Open spaces, fresh, crisp mountain air. It dreams of a life outside of this cell room. And it's those hopes that keep Alex going. Restlessness creeps into Alex's veins and a soft growl creeps from his throat.

It's only the beginning of the day, and since the place ran like clockwork- Alex knew he had a couple hours until he was let out of his cell, to the common area of his floor to interact with the other wolves, and his pack. Some days that was the only thing that kept him sane. So with little other choice, he remains on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the cell room he'd called home for thirteen odd years or so. He drifts off into his thoughts, gaze vacant, fingers tapping against the off-white sheets of his bed occasionally. It's not until he hears footsteps approaching his door that he's jarred from his thoughts. It's breakfast, and Alex recalls that his floor was getting a different nurse. The last one hadn't wanted to work with wolves anymore from what the fill-in had said. It didn't surprise him. Most humans burned out in this place. Whether being exposed to supposedly rabid wolves, or having to euthanize those rabid wolves... One or the other usually got to them. The footsteps are light, and graceful, and stopping outside his cell door. If he had to guess- Alex would gander it was a woman.

Soon enough he hears the the proximity reader beeping, granting access for the woman to open his door. Even from the thick silver coated door, he can smell the fear on this woman. So he tries to make himself look less... Imposing. Broad shoulders are pulled together, and his back slightly hunched. As if Alex was trying to make himself appear smaller than he was. Slowly the door opened, and before him was revealed a woman. She was dressed in the usual scrubs that nurses wore, her dark hair pulled away from her oval face. With this closeness the smokiness of her fear which tainted her scent was unmistakable, and a twinge of... guilt curled in his stomach. He doesn't know why, Alex normally doesn't give a damn what the humans thought of him, but he feels like the monster that the humans made him out to be. His gaze briefly flickers to the tray of food she has, before his gaze finds her's again. A smile, riddled with trepidation stains his lips, a small gesture of friendliness. ''Hi.'' His greeting is simple, soft. ''I'm Alexander, but everyone calls me Alex. Are you the new nurse?'' He feels words fall off his tongue, a weak attempt to placate this woman, to curb her fear of him which Alex feels is misplaced to begin with.

@ mollymurach



Groaning, Sohail tried to move, to open his eyes, to do something. Though all he felt was pain upon pain wash over him. The cloudiness that his head was filled with made it hard to think, or to want to do anything. Soon he was able to ever so slightly shift himself closer to where he could hear the ocean. Sohail didn't need to have his eyes open to know that he was beached on land. And that was a dangerous thing. Though it wasn't until he heard a voice speaking over him did Sohail find the will power to snap his eyes open.

A beautiful girl stood over him, and Sohail was almost memorized by her beauty. Her blond hair, her bright ocean blue eyes, and her gentle face was enough to put him at ease. And it took him a moment to remember where he recognized her from. It was the human he had been watching from afar. He must have gotten beached on her village. Though as he looked down her body, seeing her legs had snapped him back to reality and dread ran through his veins.

Sohail had been watching her village and her from about a month now, and he had heard many tales of what happened when menfolk got beached onto their land. And while this girl spoke of helping, he was sure that it came for a price, one that he was probably unwilling or unable to pay due to his current injury. Immediately, Sohail had the instinct to sit up, though right as he tried to do so, a sharp consuming pain rain up from his side and into the rest of his body. With a gasp and then a loud groan, Sohail fell back into the sand.

It was hard to remember how he had gotten in this position in the first place. Had there been a storm? Was he attacked? Did Sohail act like a fool and got too close to shore? With his head clouded the way it was, it was hard to remember or even think. He wasn't sure what it was but at the moment it didn't matter, he had a human to deal with. Quickly, Sohail reached out, grabbing the human by her wrist and pulling her closer to him. "Please do not harm me. I am weak now but I can grant you a wish if -" Another sharp pain ran through Sohail and he instantly grabbed onto his side and ever so slightly curled into it. He groaned before letting out a small gasp for air. When it passed through, leaving just a ever present throbbing pain, Sohail looked back at the girl. "Help me heal. Please. I will grant your wish if you heal me and bring me back to the sea." Normally, Sohail would think himself above begging. Though all he could do was hope that either the girl was merciful or that she was greedy. Either would assist him in getting the human to heal his side and bring him back to the ocean.

---

Closing her eyes tightly, Victoria allowed herself a moment to recompose before entering into the next cell. She was quite shaky, and already her confidence torn to pieces due to the other cells she had gone in. Most of the wolves did their best to ignore her and keep out of her way. However, some of the more pissed off wolves tried to cause trouble for her. They were pissed off about being there, and wanted to remind her of that. As well as try their best to intimidate her. It had worked.

Not that it would have been difficult for them to do it. Just seeing the wolves made Victoria's heart beat faster. What if one of them decided they had enough and decided to attack her? Sure there were safety plans in case of those events. But still she wouldn't be able to really protect herself if one of them turned and attacked. Sure it was unlike they would, do to the punishment of being euthanized...which Victoria didn't want to do either.

It was hard to believe that she really did accept this job, and Victoria was close to rejecting it. Though the pay was great for a new nurse, since it was hard for them to get people. And they were willing to pay off her student loans if she worked here for two years. Hopefully, it would be worth it and she wouldn't be torn to shreds before being able to move on somewhere else.

Once Victoria had managed to calm down a little, she slowly opened up the cell door. Peering inside, her eyes landed on the werewolf on the other side of the room. Keeping her eyes on the hunched over man, she moved into the room and to the desk attached to the wall. With shaky hands, Victoria set down the tray full of food. Though as the wolf started to introduce himself, her eyes widen a bit. None of the others had been....she supposed in a way he was trying to be kind. Though it worried her that Alex was acting in this way. Did he want something from her? "Hello." Victoria said quietly, some worry showing through in her voice. "I am the new nurse. My name is Victoria." Pulling her clipboard from under the tray, Victoria moved, pulling the chair at the desk out a bit and in front of Alex. "Can you please sit down for your daily check up. Once we're done you can eat." Everyday the nurses had to get the wolves' vitals and ask a few questions. It was for the research team and the physician to work with.

Kailani Sage | Human


The creature is different, and an actual living, breathing thing of the creatures she didn't believe in anymore. It's enough to make Kailani's head spin. She can hardly process what she sees, the monster all lain out before her, bleeding and writhing in pain. "Please do not harm me. I am weak now but I can grant you a wish if -" The thing starts to speak, raspy and deep; akin to the way the waves rolled off the rocks. It's unexpected and again Kailani feels herself take a half step away from the creature. There's something sharp, and primal in her that inherently fears the dark haired half-man in front of her and it freezes her to the spot as the monster curls in on himself, and it's obvious it feels pain, that he's in pain. "Help me heal. Please. I will grant your wish if you heal me and bring me back to the sea." He speaks again, a plea really and it makes her stomach curl. As if flipping a switch in her mind, Kailani feels herself become unfrozen.

The panic at seeing the impossible numbs in her mind and she takes a few tentative steps forward. ''I need to look at it, if you want me to help.'' Her voice is soft, but firm. She doesn't know how long he's been bleeding on the beach, how infection may of set in, or how long she has before someone comes looking for the blonde beauty. Her actions as she draws closer to him, close enough that she examine the injury, are tepid and full of uncertainty. The wound itself isn't as bad as she feared upon initially finding him. It's deep, but there's not a sign of infection yet- but she needs to move quickly. ''Okay I can't help you with nothing. I need to go back to my village for some yarrow powder, among other things. Just... try not to move around too much.'' She speaks quickly, as she gets to her feet, backing away from the creature. The sand swallows the sounds of her footsteps as takes a few steps backwards, out of the small cove.

''Don't... Don't die.'' With that she turns and runs back towards her village. The cove wasn't a terribly far distance, but enough that she has time to mull over her decision to help the creature. She didn't know him, didn't know his species or what they were capable of. There were conflicting rumors, stories about merfolk; and some of them were dark. How they could lure fishermen to their death, to watery graves- devour their flesh and leave their bones. Was that the kind of creature this thing was? She hadn't seen that sort of malice in him; in fact the thing that struck her was how... human he appeared to be. There was emotion, intense and raw in his gaze, his voice. And while his existence frightened Kailani, forced her to accept the impossible, he himself did not threaten her. Didn't make her feel as if he'd sooner eat her flesh than accept honest help from her. As she hurries back to her small fishing village, she notes the beach is still relatively empty. Her village is likely still asleep, not quite up yet.

Overhead the sky is still tinged with rosy light, pink's and yellow's as the sun continues to rise steadily upon the day. The waves roll against the beach and seagulls shriek overhead as they scavenge for their breakfast. The thick scent of salt and surf permeates the air, a smell that Kailani had grown up on. It almost feels like the start of a normal day; save for the creature of legends laying injured in the cove. The thought of the male bleeding out has Kailani hurrying her steps. Soon enough she's nearing the village, can see their fishing boats by the shore, a few men working on pushing them out to the sea. There's smoke coming from a few of the homes further up, built where sand turned to dirt. The village was waking up, and Kailani would have to be quick. Thankfully it's not too hard as she sneaks through the village's gate, heading towards the center where the small medical building was. Some god must of been smiling down as her mission went off without a hitch. It takes about fifteen minutes but soon enough she's back on the beach, the hot sand beneath her feet urging her back to the creature, a small pouch with the things she needed clutched tightly to her chest. Hopefully no one would notice supplies were missing.

Kailani is half out of breath by the time she reaches the creature again; with the sun risen merrily into the sky basking the world with it's golden light. And as she stumbles into the cove, the dawn no longer casts the monster in half-light. She can see each of his features, notes the gills on his neck with a few scattered scales. The blood which had been flowing freely from his side is now extravasation, the thick dark crimson liquid coagulating. His eyes are shut and for a moment she's afraid that he'd taken his last breath. But then they flicker open, and she finds herself exhaling with relief. ''Okay, I'm going to start now.'' Kailani carefully picks her way down the large rocks until she's nearing the little inlet the male is. She can feel his eyes on her as she approaches, water lapping at her calves. She's nervous, fingers trembling as she begins to set to work on the merfolk; hoping that his physiology and her's weren't so terribly different that the herbs her village used, that they wouldn't work on him- or worse yet make him worse. He winces as she begins to clean out the wound, a watery mix of yarrow powder and ginger; so she does her best to distract him. ''Do... Do you have a name? I'm Kailani. How did you end up like this?''
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Alexander Killenger | Alpha Werewolf


His motions for friendliness apparently do nothing to quell her fear of him; and Alex admits he's a bit put-off by that. But he's still determined not to be a problem for her. Because he knows she's not just frightened. He can hear the worry in her voice and he supposes that's natural. Humans feared his kind since the beginning. And being alone with a strange new wolf; it would be enough to worry any sane human. "I am the new nurse. My name is Victoria." She speaks as she moves about the room, pulling a clipboard up. He knows it's his daily checkup; something he doesn't particularly look forward to. He remains on his bed as she bustles about the room, going to his desk to pull out a chair, motioning for him to sit. "Can you please sit down for your daily check up. Once we're done you can eat." He nods, getting to his feet slowly, purposely. The last thing he wants is for the nurse to panic and call security. That wouldn't end well for Alexander.

He crosses the room to take a seat at the chair, falling into silence as she begins her examine. Alex just watches as she goes about her work, observing at first. While she seems unsure about him, she seems sure in her work. There's a confidence as she goes through the examination with airs of professionalism that suits her. Besides, he'd rather have her know what she was doing. The last nurse hadn't been so competent. He was a pain to put up with. Each time she asks him to do something, or answer any questions he complies without argument. Usually he'd have a smart comment or two; but there's something... fresh about her he likes. Like a breath of air in this otherwise stagnant place. He sees no reason to stress her out purposely. In fact he does his best to take some submissive posturing with her, so Victoria knows he's trying not to be a threat. Soon enough, and painlessly enough the examination is over.

Once he gets permission to move again, he scoots the chair closer to the desk; ready to eat whatever gruel the detainment center's kitchens cooked up. It's not appetizing but it's food, but he's hungry. He takes a few tentative bites, his face scrunching at the taste. Only here could the kitchens find a way to mess up oatmeal. Above that Alex is rather acutely aware once he' done eating, it's off to be poked and prodded at by the research team, and then off to the main yard for his hour of exercise. That part doesn't bother him, but he detests the research teams. Their experiments, always trying to push the limits of the powers his werewolf blood granted him. So he stalls. ''So- your first day?" He questions between bites, setting his fork down to fix her with a curious gaze. There's no innate malice in his voice as he settles back against his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. There's perhaps the ghost of a smile on his lips, though it doesn't quite translate to his eyes.

''Can I ask you what made you want to work here?" Alex wants to know more about her. He doesn't get to meet too many new people, so when he does he likes to chat. On the outside he knows wolves have reputations as monsters, hungering for human flesh and whatnot- but it's not true. They're social creatures, sometimes his interactions with the staff here were all he got in a day. Besides, he doesn't exactly feel threatened by her. As he waits for her to answer he takes a few bites of his food the tasteless, thick paste sliding uncomfortably down his throat. He can still tell she's weary of him and Alex bites back a sigh, and an eye roll. ''You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not going to do anything to you.'' He chides lightly, calmly even though he feels the sting of exasperation. ''That would be a death sentence for me, and besides you're new and interesting.'' His rational seems solid to him, and he hopes that this helps to ease the nurse's worries about him.

@ Artax


Sohail laid there, as still as he could once the girl started to move closer to him. He could taste the fear and uneasyness coming off of her. If she would just get closer, see his injury, hopefully she would help. So he tried his best to stay still and silent as she moved forward, not wanting to frighten the doe like human. ”I need to go back to my village for some yarrow powder, among other things.” Though at those words, his eyes shot open, a new fear entering them. Sohail tried to reach out, trying to grab the girl. ”No!” He groaned out. Though already, she was gone, heading down the beach.

His eyes closed tightly while he shook his head. Now Sohail could only hope that she really would come back. That she wouldn’t bring her people back. But he truly feared that she would. And if the young maiden did, Sohail was sure to be butchered up and used as chow for the creatures of the sea. He closed his eyes tightly. Maybe it was best to just let himself die on this beach. At least then, he would not need to feel the torture and greed of humans. He didn’t want to be forced to grant wishes until his death. Reaching back down to his bite, Sohail gripped onto it tightly and let out another loud groan.

The longer and longer the girl took to come back, the more Sohail curled up, trying to ignore the aching, pulsating pain in his side. Though soon his body went limp, and he wanted for death. It seemed that the woman was gone for ages, that she wouldn’t come back to save his poor life… Though soon he heard someone moving down into his little cove and Sohail’s eyes flickered open, landing on the girl from before. Instant relief washed through his body at seeing only her. Oh what a blessing that she did not tell her tribe. And an even greater thanks to see the materials in her hands.

”Okay, I’m going to start now” Sohail have the girl a nod, trying to let her know that he understood. Though, at the moment, he did not have the enegry to speak. He could feel his life draining away at this point. Would he even be able to make it through this girl’s healing? Sohail was not sure. Slowly, he turned his head to the side, looking at her, watching what she was doing to him. Her hands moved with such catiousness. And as the mixture landed on him, he let out a gruesome moan, wincing at the main. Though as she continued to clean his wound, Sohail managed to stop himself from goaning in pain. Surely, it would only distract the human attempting to help. So, instead, his weak hands balled up into fists as tightly as he could. ”Do…Do you have a name? I’m Kailani. How did you end up like this?”

”I don’t re-member.” Sohail groaned out, his body moving sharply as another stab of pain went through him. Quickly, the intesitiy passed and he was left with the horrible throb. He gritted his teeth before looking to Kailani. ”I just woke up -in pain – in this horrid state. Maybe it was a storm, or a fight or some fucking shark.” Sohail shook his head, slowly ungritting his teeth. At this point, he didn’t want to scare or upset the girl. He was trying his best to be gentle with Kailani but he was finding it difficult to do that and deal with his side. ”Sohail, is my name.”

---

Once Alex was seated, Victoria started to check him. While her hands were gentle and cautious, Victoria moved quite quickly. She knew what she was doing by heart, and checking his vitals and asking questions were quite easy for her. Though what she paid most of her attention to was Alex’s small shifts in movement and his eyes. So far, the wolf was staying still for her, even taking a submissive stance for her – which most of the others had not done the same. The man even answered her questions without causing her trouble. Overall, she appreciated that Alex was trying to work with her through this. It seemed best to get this done as fast as possible and he wasn’t trying to raise her Hell.

After pricking Alex’s finger and checking his glucose level, Victoria stepped back, telling him that he was allowed to eat. She moved over to the other side of the cell, seemingly giving the wolf room. Though, she moving for herself, to give herself space. Even with the extra few feet, she could feel herself calming down. It was frightening to be so close to a wolf, even seemingly calm ones. Being here, so far, only showed Victoria that she should be afraid. Even when she had tried to be nice, they saw her as the enemy. And she could see how many of them looked at her…

Grabbing her clipboard, Victoria started to write down what she had found from the checkup. Everything seemed in order, which she believed was good. Well…at least she hoped the researchers would be pleased with the results. Though even after a few hours of working, just from listening to the other nurses, Victoria was not so sure that was the case. ”So-your first day?” Her pencil stopping, Victoria looked up at Alex. Her eyes filled with a mixture of emotions: Surprise, confusion, concern. ”Can I ask you what made you want to work here?” Victoria’s head tilted slightly to the side. The answer to his questions were quite simple. Though, she was unsure if she should engage with him. Alex was the only wolf so far that seemed interested in having a polite conversation with her. And that seemed worrying. Normally, she was encouraged to speak to her patients. But with these wolves it was different. They were encouraged to get in and out as quickly as possible. So, was Alex trying to trick her somehow? Wolves were tricky things and she didn’t want to accidently get wrapped up into something.

”You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to do anything to you. That would be a death sentence for me, and besides you’re new and interesting.” At his words, Victoria tensed up and seemed to turn a little pale. She dropped her eyes back down to her clipboard. She was afraid. Afraid of Alex and the other wolves there. And she didn’t feel comfortable with him pointing that out, even if he was trying to reassure her. ”Perhaps if you don’t want me to be afraid, you should not bring up that I am fearful.” Victoria looked up, her eyes softening a bit as she forced herself to relax slightly. ”I’m sorry. It does seem that you are only trying to help… It’s just that your friends didn’t like me much so I wasn’t ready for you to want to speak to me.”

As for his questions, she saw no harm in answering them. What would he do with that information anyways?

”And yes, today is my first day. I am your new nurse so you will see me almost every day now.” Victoria focused back on the clipboard, beginning to write again. Though her hand moved faster than before, her writing now beginning to get a bit sloppy. But she wanted to leave and to do that, she needed to finish up the form and send him down to the researchers. It all felt like a trick, somehow. Despite his apparent kindness and interest, Victoria had to remmber that wolves weren’t nice for the sake of it. ”I decided to work here because they were willing to pay off my education if I stayed for a while…That’s why there are a lot of young nurses here.”