Annabel was about to pick up her puppy, when Seth offered to pick her up. She nodded, and gently lifted Lulu up, and handed her towards Seth. She knew her little baby was in great hands. In fact, wonderful hands.
Ella sighed happily, once her stomach felt much more fuller now. She washed her hands, which were stained slightly from the burger, before her feet took her out of the kitchen, and into the actual cafe. She leaned against the counter, before she rubbed her face slightly.
Ari took the burger and smiled. "Yea well, all in a day's work when you're a shifter."
Ari took a bite and sat on the counter. "So, what are you guys gonna do on this lovely morning?"
((Good luck to me))
A blond haired girl was taking off her scrubs, ready for her shift as a nurse to end. She looked at the clock. It was 9:08. Two minutes before she could leave.
Aayla felt the time pass by slowly but finally her shift was over. She sighed and grabbed her bag. Bursting through the doors, she ran to the nearest cafe', Marley's Mornings, to grab a bite. She opened the door slowly.
Seth gave her a breathtaking smile, well mostly all girls he smiles at call his smiles breathtaking, and took Lulu from Annabel's offered arms. He scratched the little dog under her chin as he led the way to room 2. He opened the door and held it open for Annabel before he closed it and set the little dog on a little table. He put her file down on a table and first took her height and weight measurements. Seth wrote them down on the file and then went on to check Lulu's ears, nose, and eyes. "How have you two been lately? It seems Lulu is getting along fine, what about you Annabel?", he asked her casually for he didn't like to keep patients in awkward silence. He used a scope to check Lulu's ears, they were fine. Then her eyes, fine. Then her nose. Also fine. The young man then checked her nails, saw they were a bit long so he took a file from the counter and gently set to work filing them down so they wouldn't hurt the dog.
"So, what are you guys gonna do on this lovely morning?"
Kye ran a hand through his white hair as he put down his napkin, satisfied at brunch. "Well this morning was fun wouldn't you all agree? Nothing beats kicking some human butt in the morning, especially if they're the ones who started it.", he said a bit sarcastically.
Alister chuckled and patted the wolf shifter on his back. "Yeah yeah we know how the Directorate works your arse off Kye. I'm clean up duty, how do you think I feel?", the snake shifter asked his co-worker and friend. Kye chuckled and nodded to the younger shifter. "I suppose that's true. But this case with the women murders is sure making the humans edgy. We need to find the culprit fast before the humans really start an all out war with us.", Kye said as he took a swig of his whisky. He frowned a bit, not liking whisky as much as Alister did, but drank it anyway, he needed something strong to keep him awake.
Marley hear his the bell on his door sound as a lady came in. The deer shifter smiled as he walked over to her table. "Hello there Miss. Sorry this place looks so desolate, we had an issue this morning so most the customers left. But we're back in business now. What can I get for you today?", Marley asked the lady kindly. Marley was a shifter who didn't have a much hatred against humans, he thought they were nice folks but he knew there were some, like those thugs, that just didn't want peace.
Kye and Alister looked over at the person who walked in. Kye lightly sniffed. "Human.", he said lightly under his breath so only his table would hear. Alister whistled quietly. "A pretty human though you gotta admit.", the snake said as he eyed the lady approvingly. Then the snake shifter turned back to Wren. "Don't forget tonight Wren.", he winked at her with a grin.
Aayla smiled at Marley. "That's okay sir. I just had to get away from work."
Ari jumped off the counter and faced Kye. "You really should've let me get my hands on the leader. I could've done just as good with him as I did the other guy. " she said under her breath so Aayla couldn't hear.
"Oh, I'm fine. Going to college, working at my part-time job, taking care of Lulu, and having some chill-out time." It was hard, for Annabel to work around her schedule for at least an hour of relaxing time.
Ella saw the customer, and her nose wrinkled up a bit. Human. The Wolverine shifted got behind the counter, and shifted some stuff into perfect position.
"I won't," Wren said putting away her phone. "And what is wrong with you Haylum?"
The Arctic fox shifter looked over to her sister. Her green eyes were narrowed more than usual. Her skin was the same pale color it always was. She began to eat while staring at Haley.
The fox shifter jumped when Kye asked her a question. Her red hair was falling out of the bun. Her brown eyes were wide and her skin was paler than normal. Haley smacked Wren's shoulder hard.
"Wren, ain't that Erica Fisher? The one you got aressted? The one who's after Calla?" Haley growled. "Outside. She's watching us!"
"What? Wren asked her head snapping to the window.
Sure enough Erica Fisher was standing there, meanace and all. Wren had convicted her for killing Calla's father. She'd probably killed her mother too. Why, Erica hadn't told anyone. It was confusing, but she'd wanted to finish what she started. The Anaconda shifter smiled wickedly at Wren before mouthing, "After the kid you're next."
"Call Calla now!" Wren told Haley.
Haley took out her phone and called the Jaguarundi shifter. She was nervously waiting for Calla to pick up her phone.
"Oh, I'm fine. Going to college, working at my part-time job, taking care of Lulu, and having some chill-out time."
Seth turned from Lulu to Annabel with a smile. "I hope you aren't overworking yourself. Take care of your health.", he reminded her with a stern but jocular expression as he then put on two gloves and went through Lulu's fur for any fleas or ticks. He finished up, patted Lulu gently on her head and handed her back to Annabel. "Alright then you two are done for today. Her next check up will be in 3 monthes.", Seth said as he held the door open for the two.
"That's okay sir. I just had to get away from work."
Marley smiled at the lady. "Ok then that's fine with me. If you need anything, let me know. Would you like some water though? That has no charge.", he assured her.
"You really should've let me get my hands on the leader. I could've done just as good with him as I did the other guy. "
Kye patted Ari's head. "You've had enough excitment for one day Ari. Maybe next time I'll let you handel the big kahuna.", he smiled a bit as he finished up his whisky.
Kye and Alister both turned to the window to see Erica Fisher glaring at Wren and Haley. Kye raised a brow. "Does she know that if she kills any shifter out of pure vengence that the Directorate can kill her just like that?", Alister asked as he snapped his fingers for emphasis. The Directorate cleaned up troublemakers in the shifter community. If a shifter murders humans or shifters then Directorate has orders to dispose of the killers. No arguments. Erica Fisher had been in jail yes, but her next kill, and her neck was on the line. Kye grimaced. "If she goes after Calla, Kade will have an okay to kill her. And Kade is not one to be taken lightly. I'm sure Moose Man is with Calla now.", the wolf shifter answered as he started at the anaconda shifter outside.
"Yes, thank you." Aayla replied. She set her bag down on a seat and sat down.
Ari frowned slightly and stood up. "You mean one morning." she replied, looking out the window as she went to get another soda. "Erica Fisher? Hasn't she caused enough trouble already?"
She popped the lid and placed herself on the counter.
"Thanks." Annabel gently took Lulu, and gave her pup a little kiss on the head, before putting her back in her carrier case. Though, it looked like a purse. She took out her wallet, and started to take out some cash. "So, how much?"
Ella coughed loudly. Gosh, she could already smell her body odor. Wolverines were also known to be a tad bit stinky. She had just but on deodorant a few hours ago. Ella quietly walked up to Marley. "Their acting up again." Hopefully, he knew what they were.
"She does, but that doesn't matter," Wren said looking at Kye and Alister. "She'll kill Calla all the same."
Calla picked up her phone and waited.
"Calla listen to me. Stick close to Kade no matter what you do," Haley told her.
"Why?" the teenage girl asked.
"Um... I'll explain later," Haley said.
Calla looked to Kade. Her eyes narrowed questioningly at him.
"That was Haley. She told me to stay with you," she said. "Do you know why?"
Erica walked away from the shop. She was quiet as she casually strolled away.
(OOC: beware, my characters might rough up Erica a bit)
Seth walked back to the main desk and sat down in a wheeling chair. He wrote some information down in Lulu's profile and then filed the folder back in its place in ABC order. He then wheeled back to face Annabel and smiled at her. "$40 please.", he told her with a wink. He deducted her pay by like $10, regular prices were $50. But he placed a finger to his lips, telling her not to tell anyone of what he did.
Marley turned to his wolverine shifter worker and smiled understandingly. He pointed to the worker's changing room where they was also a few showers. "I'll leave a spare uniform on the bench, also a stronger deodorant.", the deer shifter said as he started walking back to his office to get the stuff.
"She does, but that doesn't matter," Wren said looking at Kye and Alister. "She'll kill Calla all the same."
Alister's yellow eyes glowed dangerously. "Not unless we kill her first. She's already on a kill list after Calla's parents. She lifts a finger against the jaguarundi and she's one dead snake.", he said with a vicious grin. Kye nodded his head. "Alister's right you know. Kade has the affirmative if Erica goes anywhere near Calla.", the wolf shifter said.
"That was Haley. She told me to stay with you," she said. "Do you know why?"
Kade looked down at the jaguarundi shifter. He grabbed their lunches for takeout and started steering her back into the hospital across the street. "I don't know but I have a bad feeling. I know you don't like the hospital Calla, but it might be a safe place.", the moose shifter said as he pushed the younger shifter out the food joint and back to the hospital.
There was only one person who would pose a danger to Calla herself, Erica Fisher. To think that they let her out, oh geez. But at least he knew that if she came near Calla, he had the ok to kill her. And the moose shifter had no qualms about killing people who killed others for fun.
Alister turned to Wren. "Why did Erica kill Calla's parents again? Revenge? Or for pure sport?", the snake hybrid shifter asked the fox shifter.
Annabel bit her lower lip, and let out a soft giggle. She, too, placed a finger on her lips, and let out a small,"Shhh." Before, she took out two twenty dollar bills, and placed them on the tom of the counter, with a huge smile. "Well, see you in... 3 months." Annabel sounded a little bit upset, but she shrugged it off.
Ella smiled,"Thanks, Marley." She darted into one of the showers, and imagined herself as a Wolverine. Within seconds, she was a brown and black Wolverine. When she took a shower as a Wolverine, it actually made her feel cleaner. She had to jump up, but eventually turned on some hot water, and just started to lumber around, before picking up the shampoo bottle, and squirting some on her body, before rubbing herself against the wall, causing a thick lather to appear on her body.
OOC: If I made a vampire RP here, would you guys join in?
{ I would. But, tomorrow. 'Cuz, I have to go to sleep now. Night-y night! Don't flood me. :P }
OOC: ya
IC: Ari stared out the window. "Who knows? Ask her before you kill her."
Aayla turned around to see what they were looking at.
Calla nodded nervously. She gazed around just curiously. She wondered how Shiloh was doing. He was her only family after all. The jaguarundi shifter's brown eyes flittered about. She pushed her shorter brown hair back.
(I'm counting on it....I don't care if she dies. I've got nothing else to do, and wanted to bring some MORE stress on Wren.)
Wren gazed back at Haley. Both fox shifters were unsure. Wren looked at Alister and said, "We thought about that. Erica never mentioned why she killed them. I always thought because she wanted what she couldn't have. Erica's father was a drunk and her mom was a druggie. The Fishers have a bad rep, and I'm guessing that put Erica at the low end of the totem pole. Calla's parents, the Alders, were more respected than the Fishers. Mr. Alder was a business man and Mrs. Alder was a dance instructor. They were respected. Calla was treated well by her parents. I'm not entirely sure what went on in the Fisher household. Maybe she wanted a nice family like Calla had, or some respect."
Kade ushered Calla into the hospital and then took her into one of the private rooms. He sat down the put the bag of food on the table in the middle of them. "I know you probably don't feel like eating now, but you need strength, we both need strength. So eat up.", he said as he took out a veggie burger and started eating it while his eyes scanned the area like a hawk.
Alister and Kye listened to Wren as she spoke. After she was done Alister spoke up. "Well that's a nice way to get love. Kill them off. Geez something must be wrong with her head. Maybe abuse got to her brain and now she's crazy. It seems that way to me.", the snake shifter said as he leaned back and put his hands behind his head.
Kye rubbed his chin with his fingers. "Alister's right about that. Her attacks probably had some psychological reason behind them. But still she isn't forgiven for killing. A crazy person may be erratic in their thinking and motions but Kade can handle her. An anaconda is no match for weapons, though it would be better if Kade was a bear instead of a moose.", the wolf shifter said. At least a bear had claws and teeth, a moose was a herbivore and hardly posed a threat to a reptile.
Calla nodded before hugging her legs. Right than she seemed more human than any other time. Humans seemed to think Shifters were incapable of the same feelings as they did. Any human could look at Calla right then and know they were wrong. She was very nervous, but she took her sandwhich and began to eat. She couldn't get Haley's words out of her head. Calla actually started to cry. Why did the world have to be so confusing? Her body shuddered as she cried.
Shiloh wondered where Calla was. It was confusing. He wanted to get up and find her, but he couldn't. The dhole shifter stayed still.
Wren put her head in her hands. The arctic fox shifter started to break down. She couldn't take much more of this! She had a murder case to solve and now Erica! Her white hair hung in her face.
Haley patted her sister on the back. She'd seen Wren break down before, but not in tears. Usually she'd scream and throw pillows. The red fox shifter sighed before saying, "It's okay. Kade will keep Calla safe. You will find the killer, and we will catch Erica."
Haley hugged Wren.
Kade scooted his chair closer to Calla's and wrapped a strong arm around her small body. He put her head against his chest, patting her head reassuringly. "Hey what's with the face? You've got one of Directorate here with you. Once you finish eating let's go visit your brother okay?", the moose shifter told the smaller shifter. Once they were in Shiloh's room, then Erica would have no hostage over Calla. Kade glanced at his pockets. He had a laser beam on him as well as a pistol and dagger. No anaconda, no matter how crazy, was gonna take him out.
Kye reached over and patted Wren on her furry white hair. They shared the same hair color though they were two different animals. He sighed. "Don't fret Wren, everything'll be fine. We're on the murder case. Let Kade handle Erica, I'm sure he'll call for backup if he needs it. The Directorate has more members than us you know.", the wolf shifter added with a small reassuring smile.
Alister nodded at the wolf's words, agreeing with them. Kade had a black belt in tae kwon do, the moose man could take care of himself and Calla. They should focus on solving the murder case.
Once Ella was done, she lumbered out of the shower, and imaged herself as... well, herself. Before she knew it, she was her regular 13 year old self. It was a little of a young age, to be working at a cafe was basically a full time job. But, being an orphan, it was her only way to survive. She grabbed the new deodorant, and applied it under her arms, before putting on her knew uniform, and walking out of the shower room.
Annabel had a little bit of a sad look on her face. "Bye... Thanks again. See ya in three months." She patted Lulu sadly on the head, before starting to walk out of the clinic.