5.24 Hunter's Frost

At work.

At home.

At play.

Spring isn't completely comfortable in this household yet.

Though Olive has a way of making everything feel so welcoming.

Despite not wanting to put much pressure on their relationship right now, Olive finds it difficult to keep her hands, and lips, to herself.

"Don't be casting that magic with your boyfriend around," Dysen warns.

"He's sleeping in!" Olive protests. "And I have to practice my spells sometimes, or I'll get rusty."

Dysen gives up. He doesn't have to tell her to be cautious. The fear of Spring reacting poorly to her magic has been at the front of her mind since she began to fall for him.

The stress of his mother's death and re-acclimating to a new home has tanked Spring's grades. He's trying to get them back up now.

At least there are cats. Spring loves cats.

Holland has secrets to keep and is thus nervous about Spring's inclusion into the household, but always invites him to join in playing video games.

Spring tries to stay out of everyone's way, but doesn't turn down invitations to socialize. He doesn't want to be seen as unsociable or ungrateful. He isn't quite sure what to make of Olive's brother. Every interaction with him is polite, but seems surface level, as if the other teen is scared to fully engage with anyone. Spring can sort of relate, but with Holland it's just... different somehow.

Even when Holland is around Suzetta, his cute redheaded girlfriend, he's closed off and lets her do most of the talking.

Though as someone trying desperately to mask their sadness, Spring doesn't have any room to judge someone else for seeming a bit down.

"Did you know these markings on the floor are protection runes?" Suzetta's enthusiasm for mysticism never ends.

"My mom had some spiritual beliefs and good luck charms, but I don't think they did anything," Spring says.

"There's a lot of scams and fake stuff out there. But Dysen Whitfield has actual magic powers."

"I don't know about all that." Spring lives in a house full of magical artifacts, but why would he assume they're anything but decorations? He's never seen Olive's father do anything extraordinary.

While Holland is content to play video games all afternoon, Spring is drawn towards physical activity for distraction. Dysen is happy to spend time with the boy like this, reminded of the many afternoons spent with his eldest daughter and her sim-fu training, and of his own teen restlessness. It seems so long ago now that Dysen was challenging his father and uncle for pack dominance.

When Spring's head gets too full of thoughts, he goes on a run to help clear them.

The biggest issue with Spring's presence is, of course, the full moon's effects on the household werewolves. When that evening comes, Dysen dares go no closer to his own home than the rosebushes at the edge of the property.

There are some ruins on a hill not too far away. People don't tend to go there, other than to illegally dump junk. It's a relatively safe place to hide out for the night. Plenty of places to hide among the piles of garbage and weathered columns.

Holland resists the change, fighting it for as long as he can.

Werewolves brawl for a wide variety of social reasons. Holland can't stop his father from instinctively trying to fight him, but he doesn't really put up much of a fight, either.

"Homework," Holland growls, once his father has calmed down a bit.

"We hunt now," Dysen whines, motioning to their surroundings. "We dig."

Holland grunts. "No. Mess."

"So low-energy!" Dysen complains.

Dysen spends the night clawing through trash, to no real purpose.

Sometimes it's hard to clearly remember what happens in the werewolf form. Sensations are so different and overwhelming, the experiences are too alien for the mind to fully sort through once the feral change is reversed. In the morning, Dysen and his son find themselves howling at a strange carved pillar.

Seems like they have pissed it off.

The world glitches. Snow and nanites fall from the summer sky.

A hunter's frost.

I hope you two are happy. You ruined some perfectly good warm weather with your bullsh*t.

Olive and Spring are out playing in the sprinkler again when the sudden change in temperature forces them to flee back inside. Olive pauses while Spring's back is turned, casting a hygiene spell on herself as she stares at the sky, worried about her father and brother. They should have been back home by now.

Her fears were for nothing. Dysen and Holland return in a couple of hours, and after a thorough shower Holland is back to his video games.

"I'm sorry you couldn't come home last night because of Spring," Olive says.

"Why? You didn't decide he should be here."

"We both know Mom and Dad took him in because he's my boyfriend."

"I don't mind. Bit of charity won't kill us. We'll graduate soon anyway. Then I can live on my own."

"Please don't move away to China or Egypt or something. I will cry big fat tears," Olive warns.

"I was thinking more like renting a place down the road next to the woods..."

Holland could live in the other house the family owns, last inhabited by Izalee, but that place is not quite as far out on the outskirts of town as he'd like. A werewolf requires more privacy.

Dysen and Molly are getting old. They both retire... one from a career of fraud and showmanship, one from a career as a master forger. According to in-game text, entire divisions in police departments in several cities are devoted to tracking Molly down, though none know her name. She has done excellent work for 'the organization', and they reward her with a pension in her twilight days.

Dysen has had a lot of fun as a celebrity psychic... and seen a lot of cringe. He's tired, now, and would prefer to spend his remaining energy on... well, whatever he wants. 

Most of his social ties to the business have by now also retired or passed away, so there was nothing holding him there but money. He and Molly have just enough to live the rest of their lives comfortably, and he's satisfied with that.

Grim shows up to steal another cat.

Goodbye, Ambiance.

Two cats left.

Trilobite and The General.






_________________
 Etc.: CHAPTER 150

*confetti*

Spring Duffy has moved into the household, but he only has a few days before he turns YA and would move in anyway, so really I'm just moving in my heir's love interest early. As penance, I'm making Olive donate to Geese Unlimited every day.

The first time I played through (before a major, major crash) Spring aged up and story progression made him a firefighter, so I'll make him do that once he's aged up.