Ink and Parchment PV Colin McCoire & Quinn Root Closed

Colin bowed his head as he waited for the sounds of running feet or cries of disgust or insults or really anything other than what he actually heard. He had dreaded the moment of telling them he was a werewolf; but he also knew that he had to tell them. His friends had the right to know.

"Colin I will be your friend no matter what! you're nice and that's all that matters"

"Erm, that um.. must've been rough for you."

"There's nothing wrong with it, of course."

"Your so brave!! Telling us this! And jumping in to save your siblings!!! I will always be your friend!! no matter what!!"

"I-I appreciate you feeling comfortable to tell me."

It took Colin a few moments to understand that neither girl had run away, neither had drawn a wand on him, neither had said anything disgusting. Tears flowed freely and he shoulders shook with each sob. Only now, the tears were not born of fear but of the love he felt from his friends.

Colin slowly raised his head up, looking from one to the other into their faces again. Quinn was sobbing, crying even harder than he himself was! Charlie looked troubled and unsure, but not repulsed by him. He gave Charlie a little smile through his tears.

Colin stood up then. He tried to step closer to Charlie, but held back. He wasn't sure quite how to approach her --- and maybe she wouldn't want a werewolf so close! So he just smiled again. He was certain she could see his fangs.

He turned towards Quinn and took the hesitant steps that closed the gap between them. "Um." He didn't know quite what to say. "I was really expecting both of you to, you know, run away. Or - or throw things at me. I ---"

He reached out and drew Quinn into a hug. He thought it might feel weird --- but it didn't! She was his friend after all!

"Thank you," he whispered. "Both of you. I won't forget this. Ever."

@Quinn Root | @Charlie Grace

WC: 220
@Colin McCoire @Charlie Grace

Colin had been truly astonished by the girls' reaction to his news. He really had expected nothing short of violence and rejection. While Quinn seemed to be nearly overcome, not so much with grief, it seemed to Colin, but perhaps more with concern; Charlie's reaction was, Colin thought, actually a little more sensible. He was shocked and also very much relieved by Quinn's instant acceptance and even determination to protect him by keeping his secret; Charlie, though, seemed more reserved, more unsure. She asked him some really good questions.

In a way, Charlie's response came as a relief, too. He knew that he now had friends who not only would look after him and defend him, but also be really aware of what his condition meant. "Aye, aye, lass! I undergo the Change, as we call it, on the monthly. Every full Moon. I usually get really irritable and cranky --- I've even growled and snarled at kids in the corridor a couple times! Though that only gets real bad like two or three days before." He laughed. "So, lasses, if I get snarky with ye or start growling in a fortnight or so, you'll know why! I've also been getting really hungry like the week before and, well, you've seen me hunting! But then, like the day before the Change, I just lose my appetite! And that won't come back for a few days. Otherwise, I've noticed I sometimes get weird mood swings, like I'll be really sad one moment and a few minutes later I'll be ecstatic about something!"

He thought about the Change itself and decided he'd spare them the gross details! "They give a potion, though, wolfsbane, about a week before full Moon. Guess I'll be starting that in about a week and a half! Let me tell you, that stuff is absolutely disgusting! I'm surprised I don't vomit right away. I just hope some potions master or healer can up with a better tasting potion! It helps, but the Change is still painful!"

Colin felt more comfortable talking to them now that Charlie was asking questions. His eyes lit up when she asked about his being bitten. "Och, aye lass, I got bit and scratched up! Me and my brother and little sister were playing up in the hills beyond our house, and she saw something skulking about! Well, I thought it must be someone's dog, or at worst, maybe a wolf! When we went to check it out, my sister got scared. It didn't look like a dog at all! It wasn't huge, maybe a little bigger than me. Anyway, I had to protect Liam and Ciarán, so I picked up a big stone and tried to chase it off. But it wouldn't be chased off! We fought. I whacked him with the stone and he scratched me! I kicked him and tried to strangle him, and he bit me! So I bonked him again! He fell limp and I thought he was dead, so Liam bound up my wounds with our shirts and we got back home. Our seanmamó used a potion to heal the wounds, but I've still got the scars! Wanna see!?"

Colin was positively excited about telling the tale to his friends that he was no longer afraid they might do anything to him. He drew up the right side of his shirt and showed them the claw scratches on his belly and right side and the tooth marks on his chest.

"And check this out!" Colin pulled something out of his shirt. It was a huge tooth made into necklace. "Twas his right upper fang! Ciarán found it some time later. Turns out I knocked it out of his face during the fight!"

@Quinn Root | @Charlie Grace