Bats in Broom Closets

[Cheshire Pup]

Audrey wasn’t sure exactly when it happened, but at some point during the flight she finally started to breathe again. She didn’t notice until she climbed off the plane and looked around at the new surroundings. The air felt cleaner, and it was only then that she realized she was actually breathing it. She started laughing. She must have looked crazy. Some woman pulled her children aside, worried that a lunatic just landed. They might have been right, because as far as she was concerned what she was doing really was crazy. She could almost smell the bridges burning behind her as she walked away form that plane.

But she didn’t just walk away, she strutted. Walking one foot in front of the other, her head held high and her shoulders back, as if daring someone to try and fuck with her day. Just go ahead, try it. Cold black platform stiletto boots kissed the asphalt, every step dripping new found confidence. The slight chill in their air was warded off by her black leather jacket. The woman didn’t even seem to notice her breath as it fogged her bug eyed oversized sunglasses. Unlike the leather jacket her black leggings did little to shelter her from the cold, neither did her ruffled blue skirt she topped the leggings with, but her day was starting off much too well to be ruined by a chill. She’d rather get a cold later then deal with this now, but it was perhaps that ‘after the fact’ logic that landed her here in the first place.

As a child she’d been born into a silver plated life. Her daddy owned several big businesses and had a mistress for each one. The girl never knew her mother but she was never lacking attention. She didn’t think anything of her mom, in her experiences with ‘mothers’ it was some busty woman in skimpy clothing leaning over and pinching her cheek, telling her that they were going to be her new mommy. Eventually it stopped fazing the child. A woman would lean over, pinch her cheek and repeat the line. Audrey wouldn’t even look up from combing her doll’s hair. Her response would be a simply one. “Uh huh. Miss Stephanie said the same thing last week.” As one could imagine the women were never pleased with the response. Her father once tried explaining to her that it was a bad idea to tell women about the women that came before them, but that never stopped her. Just because they were pretty and easy they thought they would find their way into her family and that wasn’t something she was going to let happen. Sadly enough, it wasn’t something she cared much about anymore.

She had been daddy’s little princess, and just like any princess she was fixed up with someone for the good of the kingdom, or rather, her father’s bank account. It wasn’t an arranged marriage, with the way the news was these days it would be all over everything, and bad press for both businessmen. They did however set up a few dates and Paul , the other man’s son, was as sweet as he could be. He held the door for Audrey and pulled out chairs. He bought her presents ‘just because’ and he never seemed to mind when she wanted to spend a night with the girls. She didn’t know exactly when things changed. They started so beautifully but they couldn’t have ended much worse. One day Paul started to get mean. It started small, like bothering her about wearing such revealing clothing, or wanting to know exactly what her and the girls were doing, and she could have handled that but it didn’t stop there.

He would go into fits of jealous rage. Audrey was an attractive woman, so it was not uncommon for her to be flirted with. She didn’t know who her mother was, but if she looked anything like the woman her father still bedded then it was no wonder where her looks came from. Audrey wasn’t quite as top heavy as the busty bimbos, but she was very proud of her Cs. They were complimented by a tiny waste and an ass she worked out to achieve. The large glasses hid her honey brown eyes, the only thing she seemed to get from her father, but they also hid the black beneath her right eye. It had been swollen when she boarded the plane so many hours ago, at this point she knew well the bruise to expect beneath it. She could have dealt with Paul’s jealousy but it was his abuse that drove her this far.

The first time he hit her it was in a fit of rage, he apologized profusely immediately after and worked for a week to be the best boyfriend ever to make up for it, then, just when she was starting to trust him, he did it again. She couldn’t say why she stayed. She should have left then but she didn’t. Paul had been such an amazing guy before then, she wanted to see if she could get that Paul back, and to believe that he hadn’t just been hiding this part of himself the whole time. This went on for several months before she finally found the courage to leave him. Her courage was rewarded with a number of new bruises and two broken ribs. He beat her for her attempt and he kept beating her until she promised to never leave him, then he hugged her and kissed her and told her everything would be okay so long as she stayed. Audrey was terrified. She wouldn’t be able to get rid of him on her own. She told her father because surely he would do something.

Her father did. He spoke to his busyness associate who spoke to his son who denied the whole thing, and of course why would the associate not believe his son? Her father charged her with trying to sow more discord, like she did with the many women that he took to bed with him. He didn’t believe her and told her to make things work or he would cut her off entirely. She did her best to make things work but nothing she could do would fix things. Finally, she told her dad to cut her off, she couldn’t do this anymore. He did and she fled. Paul found her. She had moved across the country, even found a job and started seeing someone. Paul and money and he had resources, and he used those to find her wherever she went. He would beat her and whoever she happened to be with half to death until she just stopped seeing other people for fear they would get hurt too. Nothing seemed to be working and it seemed like she was doomed to a life with him until she concocted this little idea.

Audrey looked down at the large diamond on her painted finger. She did her nails electric blue before the flight. That ring wouldn’t be there much longer and she was already eager to get rid of it. The last time “her boyfriend” found her she greeted him with open arms. He was so confused he didn’t even hit her for running. She promised him that if he was done hitting her then she was done running from him, and they could get married and start a family. He was thrilled. Engagement announcements were made, her father accepted her back and it was as if she never left, but Audrey didn’t relax, she knew it wouldn’t last but for a time she had the Paul she first knew back. It was the night before when he broke that promise, but she had been ready for it. Audrey smiled wickedly all the way to the bank, only two pieces of rolling luggage behind her. She had slowly been siphoning money from his accounts, and even her father’s accounts. Now she was on her way to the bank in her father’s tax haven. He had several undeclared bank accounts he wasn’t paying taxes on and if he should suddenly report the money stolen the government would destroy him with back taxes and audits.

It was easy to move all of the funds to a private bank account, one that her father and her ‘fiance’ would never be able to find. Once that was done she looked at the ring in her finger. She wanted to pawn it, but if it went back out on the market and found it’s way back to the states he might be able to follow the ring back to the store she pawned it at. With a sigh she realized that if she wanted to be sure he couldn’t use it to find her she would have to keep anyone from seeing it. She took it off and tucked it into her pocket. She would deal with that later, right now she wanted to get to her new home.

It was a long ride, first by car then by carriage, to a little village that seemed stopped in time. They still had modern conveniences, but not everyone wanted them. This fact was evidenced by the woman seen behind their homes hanging cloths lines and people coming and going places by horseback instead of by car, she could however hear the sounds of a television inside a local pub. This was part of the reason she had picked this village. Sure, it seemed in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but she had enough excitement for a while and she was hoping to just lay low for a year or two until her lunatic of an ex-fiancé gave up on trying to control her life. She touched her the side of her chin gingerly. Makeup hid a few more bruises, but the busted lip was the most difficult to hide. The chilled winds blew her short brown hair. The style was that of convenience, not preference. With a side part it was only several inches at its longest point, coming down to just above her earlobe. The hair at the top of her neck, too low to fall into this short hairline, was cut boyishly short. Paul used to grab her by her hair and she soon found the less hair she had the less he could grab onto. Now that he was going to be gone from her life she planned on growing it back.

In the mean time when she arrived at her place she was not impressed. It was a large house but it was not well kept at all. Several rooms had windows entirely boarded, shutters hung off windows by one hinge, and with vines overgrown it really did look like a haunted house, but that wasn’t going to stop her. The past owners had at least installed electricity before they left so she would be fine for the night until morning came and she could have a chance to get to work fixing the place up. She was not afraid of a little hard work. Not used to it, but certainly not afraid of it. There was little she feared, however that didn’t mean that she was not easily startled.

She spent the rest of the daylight hours looking around the house, and when she finally found the room she would call her own, cleaning it spotless. The bed was a huge four poster bed with dark wood and white sheets still turned down, as if waiting for someone to finally make themselves comfortable in the bed once more. Audrey might have just taken the bed up on its offer had it not been for the cobwebs that covered this room much like every other room in the house. She sighed as she went about cleaning the bedroom up and making it livable again. Cleaning the cobwebs, wiping the dust and changing the sheets to a clean set she found in the room’s closet. The rest of the house could wait, but at the very least she would have a clean bed to sleep in for the night. By the time she was finished with everything it was almost nightfall. She hurried out to buy some groceries, making it just in time before all the stores closed. It seemed that everyone closed things up at nightfall. This was a fact that she would have to keep in mind for the future. She wondered if it really took living in a village without a nightlife to get a good night’s sleep. Before Paul she had been somewhat of a party girl. She would spend all night out at someone’s party, wake up missing a few critical pieces of clothing, and occasionally snatch back some pieces from other sleepers before she was able to return home.

She made herself a big pot of pot luck stew and found some old bowls in the cupboards. There were also cups, plates and silverware that looked like it might actually be real silver left behind. Audrey tried not to think too much about it. Like the kitchen she found the rest of the house to be furnished. There was a lovely dining set that she had dinner at, couches in the living room, paintings on the walls, knickknacks and vases where you might expect them to be. As she ate her soup she could not help but wonder why the last residents hadn’t appeared to have taken anything with them. Perhaps they had just died off and left the house to no one. The people of the village seemed happy enough to leave it be and never bother it. Perhaps she could ask them about the house tomorrow. Audrey put the rest of the stew that she did not finish in the fridge, happy the house had working appliances. After dinner she went through the house checking all the doors and windows that they were shut or boarded. She brought some boards, nails and a hammer just in case. When she got to the end of the hall on the second floor she sighed, seeing another open window. She was tired and wanted to get to sleep, but she would wait until she made sure the house was closed up.

This window seemed to have the glass intact. The only thing was the window was left wide open. She frowned, going to shut it when suddenly a bat few in just past her ear. Audrey screamed a very girly shriek and instantly grabbed one of the boards, swatting at the flying monster. The little thing was agile, it flew around her and Audrey dropped the board to cover her head, then it flew off. “Oh you little bastard- Get back here!” She chased the bat down the hall and in and out of rooms. It lead her through several cobwebs and almost made her trip over a fallen chair but finally she got it. Along the way she had picked up a broom, waving it at the creature like some demented game of areal wack-a-mole. The girl was surprisingly agile in those boots, much more than anyone might have expected. Finally, Audrey got in a lucky shock, nailing the creature with the soft part of the broom. The winged animal struggled in the air, another shot knocked it into an open room to which Audrey quickly shut and locked the door. She was well aware she caught the animal in the broom closet, and felt a little bad about hurting it, but she couldn’t let it fly around her house while she slept, it might be diseased!

With the bat trapped in the broom closet she got ready for bed, changing out of her well thought out outfit into an oversized rock and roll T-shirt that went down to her mid-thighs. She washed off her makeup and sighed. The bruise around her eye would be big, but her sun glasses would hide that until it went away. The swelling in her busted lip was gone, the scab should heal totally soon. The bruise on the side of her chin on her jawline was big, red and angry, still tender from the day before. This time she hadn’t wasted any time in getting away. Paul wasn’t going to follow her this time, she felt sure of it. With her mind at ease and feeling safe in her new home, she climbed into the large bed and slept peacefully through the night.

When she got up in the morning she knew that she would have to deal with the bat. She didn’t care for the little flying creature but if she left it in there it would starve to death and then she would have to deal with a dead bat in the closet. Besides, she felt terrible trying to eat left over stew while she knew the creature had nothing to eat in her closet. With a sigh she looked around for possible ‘bat catching tools.’ What she found was a sheet and a large pot. Audrey was hopeful that she wouldn’t have to hit the thing again, she felt bad for doing so last night but it had startled her. She heard once that if you are nice to a creature that finds its way into your house then it would never leave, and this big place with all the cobwebs and furniture covered in big white sheets was creepy enough without adding bats into the mix.

She stalked over to the closet with her new bat catching tool in her favorite pair of huge, fuzzy, pink slippers. In her mind they looked like yeti feet, only pink with no claws, and they were absolutely comfortable to wear. The chill had found its way into the house and with no pants on it kept her feet warm, but more than that, it seemed some of the floors needed to be polished and she didn’t want to risk getting a splinter in her new home. The idea of how much work there was to be done around the house made her groan, she wondered if anyone from the village would be interested in helping her. These were the thoughts that ran through her mind as she found her way back to the broom closet. She told herself she would open the closet, sneak inside and close the door behind her so the animal couldn’t get out, then she would light the light and catch the thing in the sheet. Once she had the animal wrapped up it would be a simple matter of transporting it to some cave somewhere and letting it go where it would be safe until nightfall and hopefully never go back to her house ever again.

She slipped into the closet and closed the door behind her, groping around in the air until she found the cord for the light. It never occurred to her that it might not work, but when it did she almost wished it didn’t. What she found before her was not a wounded little bat, but a naked man in the closet that she just shut herself into. Audrey screamed and threw the pot at him, dropping the sheet she fled the closet, shut, and locked it behind her. Grabbing a chair she propped the door closed for good measure. Her heart was in her throat, choking her words but somehow she managed to get them out, “Whothehellareyouandwhatareyoudoinginmyhouseandfortheloveofgodwhythehellareyounaked!” She yelled from the other side of the door in a panic and wondering what the number was to the local police. Or perhaps she just had to run outside and yell help, the village seemed old timey enough for that to work.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Mickel awoke in darkness. Disorientation had him wondering where the fuck he was but the space was cramped enough to let him know that he'd changed back in the night. A musty smell pervaded the space, like damp hay and dust but he was warm at least, despite being naked. Feeling groggy, he sat up slowly and put a hand to his head, instantly hissing as pain flared around his left eye. Gently touching it again, the skin was soft and sensitive, his cheekbone feeling like it'd taken the brunt of the impact but nothing felt severely damaged. That was when he remembered the Mädchen and her broom. That wasn't what gave him the bruise - she actually hit him in the arm and the side with the bristles - but still it was enough to get him to wake up fully and force himself to start thinking critically about the situation.

Getting onto his knees, Mickel opened the closet a crack and peeked into the hall, morning light falling in to illuminate a strip of pale, tattooed skin and a single gray-blue eye. Breathing deeply, the new scents of the Mädchen invading this old house were most prominent and his nose wrinkled as he listened to the sounds of her bustling around in wakefulness. Gently, he pulled the door shut once more and sat back on his haunches, leaning his head against the wall.

Großvater was gonna kill him. It was bad enough he'd gotten into a fight with a couple guys from one of the other families but now he was stuck in here with their secret minutes away from being discovered. Hm, and wasn't it just 2 days ago that he'd gotten yelled at for his rash behavior? Good thing he hadn't made any promises to do better or else have his privileges revoked. ...oh, wait.

Rubbing a hand through his short dark hair, Mickel puffed out his slender cheeks and let out an even breath in resignation, once again trying to figure out the best course of action to avoid discovery of his family's secret. He couldn't change back yet because he was still messed up from last night, so he decided to just wait until she left the house for the day. Hopefully, that would be soon so he wasn't left waiting in here forever. It wasn't like luck to ever be on his side, though, and Fate decided to kick him while he was down by leading the Mädchen back to his hiding spot. Slowly, warily, he stood up in the small space, inching away from the door as it opened, holding himself perfectly still as it closed again, wrapping the both of them in darkness. He could see her clearly in the gloom, her face fearful yet determined merely a foot or two away from his own and her scent filled his lungs with the luscious odor of feminine, sweat-stained sleep and some sort of meat on her breath. Dizzy and confused, he realized she still thought he was a bat and as she reached up to the string dangling from the bulb on the ceiling, he desperately, anxiously tried to force himself to change back. There was a flicker of power from within, but he was too distraught to get it to work before the light clicked on, brightness filling the space and flooding her face with surprise.

"Heh," Mickel started to smile awkwardly before the pot in her hands collided at high speed against his head and she ran from the closet screaming. "Ahk!" Mickel shouted, holding his hands to his head and hissing in agony. "Bitte, nur eine Sekunde lang warten! Ich kann erläutern gibt es keine Notwendigkeit sich aufzuregen!" When the pain subsided, he was at the door but it was jammed shut somehow and he could hear her shouting something at him from the other side. What? Was that English? Standing in the lighted space, he sighed and bit his lip, staring at the ceiling and trying to figure this out. What the fuck could he say? 'Hi, my name is Mickel and sometimes I change into animals. Please don't tell anybody and have a nice day?' Seriously. He was going to die because Großvater was going to fucking kill him when he learned about this.

"Hey, um, Fräulein, I am sorry I have scared you," he said hesitantly through the door in heavy accented English. Looking down at the ground, he realized she had dropped a cloth of some sort and he picked it up, wrapping it around his slender waist to cover himself. It was a bed sheet, paisley floral pattern and faded with age, the demure color looking bright against his pale skin. From where he tied it on his hips, a couple of his tattoos peeked above the cloth just below his abdomen. Knocking lightly on the door he laughed a little in his throat and said, "There is misunderstanding only! I have covered so we can maybe talk about this decently, ja?" It was important to get her calmed down. He had an obligation to his family to keep their skills hidden and although it wasn't his intent to do her harm, he couldn't allow her to tell anyone else about what he was or what she thought was happening. If he couldn't get her to stop panicking or eliminate the risk she posed, he would be forced to deal with it permanently. Not that he had any qualms about it when it came to self-preservation but he sympathized with the situation being partly his fault. "I am not frightening. I just want to talk."

 

[Cheshire Pup]

Audrey’s heart threatened to beat out of her chest as she stood on the other side of the door and waited for a response. Her mind raced through all the possible things that this could be. He could e a home invader, someone from the village that saw her arrive and thought they would take advantage of her. He could be interested in killing her for all she knew, but there was something else disturbing about the encounter. Why was he in the closet with the little bat?

She hadn’t taken a chance to get a good look at him before she threw the pot at him. She heard him do what she could only presume was curse and smiled victoriously. She didn’t like hurting people, but it served him right for hanging out naked in her closet. A worrying thought crossed her mind. What if he spoke no English? Audrey was not bi-lingual in any language, she would need to get someone from the village to translate and that would mean alerting them to the situation.

He started speaking. Audrey glared through the wall as she listened through his heavy accent. At least he knew English. He seemed sincere but Audry had learned the hard way not to trust kind words. She rubbed her cheek. She hadn’t checked the mirror today. She hadn’t yet bothered with make up or done a thing with her short hair. He wanted to talk? “Talking? Then it’s a good thing I can hear you from the other side of the door because I’m not letting you out until I get some answers. Who are you? What are you doing in my house and what happened to your clothes?” She demanded her answers, a bit more calmly this time. Her eyes darted around as she waited for him to respond, her mind wondering where she left her broom.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Scheiße. Well, at the very least, she was talking to him and willing to listen, but he didn't like the control the situation gave her. She could keep him here for as long as she liked and until he could get his powers working, there was no way out of here - and honestly, she had him cornered. If he transformed into anything right now, she'd know without a doubt that was what had happened and she'd probably tell people about it. Getting her to open the door was the first goal. Convincing her that he was normal was goal number 2. So. Answers would get her to open the door. "I am called Mickel," he said, awkwardly introducing himself through the closet door. As far as answering her questions, he wasn't sure exactly what to say. He could play stupid but that might draw more attention to himself than a convenient lie would. If he admitted to anything that sounded negative, she would likely call the local authorities - where was he, by the way? From his spotty memory of the flight last night, he thought maybe he'd been over Raddell or somewhere nearby in the western Deutschland countryside. It couldn't have been much farther from Mainz unless he'd flown farther than he thought last night.

Right, she was waiting for more answers. Well, for lack of a convincing story off the top of his head, he decided to stay closest to the truth. "I was in a... an altercation last night. Drinking. A... fist fight. After I was beaten, the men who fought me stole my clothes as a humiliation and left me for dead. I became scared that they might come back and ran to hide. I did not know this building was occupied and I am very sorry to invade your privateness. I just wanted a place to rest before going home in the morning." The blanket tied at his waist slipped undone and he quickly grabbed at it, holding it up on his skinny hips. "Please, I may go home now? You will not be bothered again. I am wanting no trouble."

It was mostly true, minus the part where his opponents undressed him - although they had given chase and sent him frantically flying away for miles to make sure they didn't find him. The clothes coming off was a natural occurrence whenever he changed forms. Of course, he couldn't tell her that. "Question, Fräulein, may you please tell me what city I am in?"

 

[Cheshire Pup]

He had a name. Good. It sounded local. Her mind kept running through a list of possibilities as she waited for him to finally answer her questions. Judging from the time it was taking he seemed to be thinking. Audrey made a tick mark on a mental list. Never trust someone who cannot give you a quick answer, it generally means they are trying to think up a lie. When he finally came out with a story she did her best to listen with an open mind.

It figured it would involve alcohol. When one woke up naked alcohol was almost always involved. But his story pulled at something in her chest. She gingerly touched the spot below her eye, it didn’t feel excessively swollen but it was still very tender. She knew a little something about running from a fight. She rubbed her arm and looked down at her bright pink yeti feet slippers. He sounded like he meant what he said. Was it possible she was just keeping an innocent naked guy locked in her closet? Wouldn’t the tabloids have fun with that one?

When he asked her his question a smile returned to her features. Finally, a way to check his story without calling him a liar. She remembered the way her father called her a lair when she tried to tell him about Paul, that crushing feeling like the walls caving in and the only person that could possibly help not even believing you to be in trouble. She shook her head to shake those thoughts clear of her mind. “One second.” She said, finally leaving the door. Had she still had her smart phone her plan would have been easy, but she ditched that before she got on the plane. She’d left it in a cab, asked the driver to drive it around with him all day then he could have it.

Not having her phone or any of her contact made her unreachable to all her friends, but that was the point. If someone could reach her they could find her and so would Paul. Not that she really had friends anymore anyways. Paul had effectively isolated her long ago. There hadn’t been that much to leave behind. She went back to her room, retrieving a map she had bought when she landed. After a moment of forethought she went to the fireplace and grabbed one of the pokers. So much better than a broom. “I just arrived in town last night, so I’ll need a minute. Tell me, where were you when you got into your fight? Where is your home? I don’t have any men’s cloths and I can’t exactly send you away in ladies wear.” She pointed out. It was a simple and harmless question, if he was telling the truth. With the map open she could see all the cities, there were a few towns that could be considered within running distance, if he was a skilled runner, but she had picked this place because of its isolation. She needed to be sure things added up before she let him out.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Listening through the wood, Mickel could tell when she left him for a moment and he quickly took the opportunity to try the door again, pushing his weight against the handle to try to open it. There was a small give to it so it was likely a chair or something pressed against it and he thought maybe with enough force, he could dislodge it and get it to pop open. When she returned though, he was on his best behavior, pressing his ear to the door and listening to the faint rustle of paper.

At her questions, he bristled, wondering why she needed to know any of that. She knew he was lying, that's why, and she was trying to trap him into telling her the truth. Or maybe she was calling the authorities now and was trying to get information from him. Honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal for her to know where he lived but he was feeling a little hurt by her unspoken accusation - no matter how true it was. "You are playing the games with me, Mädchen, I think! You need to let me out now!" Mickel paced a little in the small space and banged on the door with the flat of his hand in frustration. "I do not know where I was! I was drunk! Why are you keeping me here? I told you I am not wanting trouble and I do not! If you think I may hurt you do you not think I could have done that last night any time I was wanting?"

This was taking too long and he wasn't going to convince her. All he wanted was to get out of here and get home as soon as he could to try to defend his actions from last night before someone decided without him, based on the accounts of others, what his punishment should be. And here she was wasting his time and trying to trick him! This dirty, Fräulein! Dropping the cloth to drape around his ankles, he stared at the door and breathed deeply in the enclosed space. Trying to calm himself, he sought to harness the power that he was born with, letting it fill him to the very edges of his being, his short spiky hair prickling all over his scalp. He thought of forests. Running. Warmth. His blood rushing hot. The thrill of the hunt. Calling out to his brothers. Running. Running. Powerful muscles pounding into the soft, musty earth.

Without realizing it he was crouching down, his body shrinking and fur sprouted over his smooth skin, covering his tattoos. Black fur with slender legs and a narrow snout filled with sharpened teeth, pointed ears pricked up and listening to the sounds beyond the door. Everything became simpler in this form, his thoughts formed in tiny half-sentences and sensations. Out. Open space. He needed out. There was no guilt or shame of discovery or thoughts of what awaited him at home. He simply wanted to be free to run. Cool water. Breeze. Birds. With a heavily muscled shoulder he ran in the space provided and collided with the door, shaking it on it's hinges. Darkness still. He tried again, rushing at the barrier with all of his might, the middle of the door cracking outward slightly. Spurred on by this, he made another run at the door, but other than more cracking noises, he couldn't get through and he was worn out from the effort of trying.

Now with a whining growl, he realized he was stuck for the next five minutes as a wolf. And he was still locked in the goddamn closet. Without conscious thought, Mickel panted and let out a deep, mournful howl, lamenting about his craptastic situation.

 

[Cheshire Pup]

His response made her back away from the door. If this was just truly an honest mistake why not tell her? Why keep the truth from her? Aside from trying to figure out if he was a pervert who came to do unspeakable things to her, like being naked in her house would suggest, he should have nothing to hide. Hell, he was already not hiding anything. She would have offered him something to cover himself, perhaps even food and an aspirin for the hangover he would likely have.

He banged the door and that made her jump. This was not going well. What he said made her shudder. The house in this condition, someone could pull the boards off one of the windows and break in. Why would he say something like that though? Had that been his original plan? He claimed not to know because he was drunk, but you typically knew where you were going to get drunk before you were drunk. He should have had an answer.

He didn’t say anything after that, but when she heard a loud bang she was so startled she dropped the map. She realized he was trying to break down the door! She held the fire poker with two hands and yelled at him. “Stop that! You stop that! This is my house! There’s enough damage already just, just stop!” he kept charging the door, she watched it crack, it didn’t seem like it would last much longer. Then, he stopped. Audrey’s heart was racing in her chest. She thought she heard a growl, but then she heard something unmistakable. A very inhuman howl coming right form the locked closet.

Her knees felt weak but she remained standing. Her heart racing in her chest. There had been a man in that closet, she had seen him, she had just been talking to him but now… there was a wolf. “M-Mickel?” Her voice shook as she called his name. It seemed there were only two possibilities. Either the man was just crazy enough to know how to let loose a very wolfish howl, and do so in annoyance, or there was actually a wolf in the closet. “You… you… I have a fire poker and I’m not afraid to use it!” She yelled, waving the thing for good measure.

She had him trapped, she should call the police but she didn’t want any attention. The police would think she was crazy, claiming a wolf was a man. She thought she was crazy, having somehow finally lost it overnight. Even if it was just a crazy man in her closet, she didn’t know for sure. If it was just a man then it would be a great time to get the police but the attention… If a police report was put on file in a digital database he’d find a way to hack it, and then he would find her again. It took conscious effort to remain standing. She couldn’t let herself be found again. He wouldn’t let her live long enough to run away again.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

The fear coming off of her tasted like a sour electric shock on the back of his tongue and he shook his head with a small whine, aching for his human form again. He didn't like the panicked tone that had entered her voice either and he felt ashamed for having caused such distress. He thought maybe if he could just get out of here right now, he could leave and deal with this later when he had time to think of something better to tell her. Now, it seemed, with her threatening him with a fireplace poker on the other side of the door, all he'd done is made things worse. This. This was the exact thing he kept getting yelled at for. Because he didn't think things through before acting on his impulses.

It was how the fight started last night. Because some Arschloch from another Magicking family decided to come into his turf with his entourage and act like he fucking owned the place. They weren't exactly shapeshifters like his clan was but they did have the ability to transform, being bloodsuckers and all. It disgusted him the way they treated everyone as their toys and slaves and although Mickel's family had many truces and treaties with the other families and he'd been warned before not to cross any of those lines, he thought a little brotherly ribbing couldn't do much harm. But what started as playful teasing soon became about wounded pride as they treated him like an animal, spit at him and called him a sabbern Biest. Annnnnnd.... he'd decided to prove them wrong by challenging them to a fight and attempting to kick the ass of the group's Alpha. It wasn't a fair fight since the demons didn't play by the rules and he found himself flying away from a herd of vampire bats while trying to find a place to hide. After a few miles they must have given up the sport but he kept running just in case. And Terrien had probably run to his Großvater by now, whining and crying about rebellious little Mickel picking fights.

After a minute or two, he transformed back and crouched at the door, his energy levels depleted to the point that he felt like he might pass out. "Please... I am just wanting to leave..." he said desperately through the door, leaning against the wood for support. Not having the energy to say anything else, he rubbed a hand over the barrier and sat against the right wall of the closet. With his knees propped up, he held his head in his hands trying once again to think of what he could do to salvage this situation. Nothing came to mind so again, he tried with the truth. "I was in Mainz at the Immer Frei bar," he said quietly in resignation. "That's where I live. Mainz, I am meaning. I do not live in a bar."

 

[Cheshire Pup]

It was some time before she heard human words coming from the other side of the door again. He sounded desperate and tired. They seemed to agree, because after that little display she wanted him gone as much as he wanted to leave. Her mind was racing. How was she supposed to let him loose and ensure her own safety? She could tell him to break the door down, that would give her enough time to get away but he hadn’t persisted. Perhaps he didn’t have the strength. If that was the case then that wouldn’t work at all. She would have to let him out.

She listened to what he said and looked down at the fallen map. Her eyes found the location. She stared wide eyed and swallowed hard. “You’re about twenty five miles from home.” She said quietly, turning to look at the door. She didn’t know of the bar, she didn’t know the area, but she sure felt like she could use a drink right about now. Screw it being ten in the morning, she had a naked wolf man in her closet. Her mind raced as she tried to think. “I want you out of my house.” She said finally, speaking slow and keeping her voice calm despite her fear. “I want you out of my house, and I’ll let you go on your way, but how can I be sure you won’t try and come after me when I open the door? I could beat the crap outta you with this fire poker, which would be fine against a person… if you stay a person.”

She shook her head. This was crazy, but it happened, she heard it. She saw the door crack, heard him howl. He had been a man before and he had been a man again. Could it be this was the bat she had trapped the night before? She didn’t want to think about that. She wanted all of this to just be a dream, or at least something she could write off as a dream later in life. She just needed a ‘later in life’ for that to happen. “How do I know you won’t hurt me?”

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Mickel closed his eyes when he heard her hesitate over calling him a person. He could probably still push the fact that she hadn't seen him transform but there was doubt within her now, seeded and taking root. No matter what he could say to try to convince her that he'd just been making noise, she would always secretly suspect. And all it would take is for her to feel safe with the right person to let the truth slip free and come back to bite him on the haunches. All because he couldn't be patient and just work through this verbally and now he didn't have a fucking choice about it anyway. Shoot himself in the foot twice. He wanted to laugh but he didn't have the energy for that either - last night's flight was still taking it's toll but at least now he understood why with her declaration of the distance he'd traveled. But he didn't take comfort from that knowledge since it canceled out his story and he could hear the suspicion etching a nest within her tone.

The family could not handle another outbreak of rumors. This kind of shit happened several years ago when his rabid uncle decided to kidnap children from small villages along the countryside - and he decided to do it while transformed as half-human creatures, like a man-goat and a gigantic bat. He'd earned the nickname Großvater Nacht and several newspapers ran articles about him during the early 20's, wondering what sort of monster he was and if there wasn't just one but more of him that needed to be hunted down. It wasn't just bad for the Obermayer clan, Mickel's clan, but had been wounding for several other families that lived in the country and conducted business here. As soon as Mickel's uncle was caught and silenced there had been stricter rules set in place to prevent regular people from finding out about them. And Mickel was tiptoeing the line to setting all of it aflame again. In this day and age, the family would likely not survive the backlash and it would mean more than just a simple exile. They would make Mickel a martyr for the family's survival.

He let out a small sigh through his nose at her last question and shrugged tiredly. "You don't," he said simply, with a small lazy shake of his head. "You are going to have to trust." Maybe it was asking too much of her considering the situation and the anxiety he could still smell on her but he was truly at a loss of what to tell her at this point. So long as he was barricaded in here, there was nothing he could do to reasonably convince her that he wasn't an enemy. She'd have to take the risk and let him show her that he didn't want anything to do with her.

 

[Cheshire Pup]

Trust. He wanted her trust. The thought was almost enough to make her laugh. She had none left to give. She trusted a man with her heart and he took it and beat her with it. She trusted her father to keep her safe and he let her down. All of her friends left her, they couldn’t put up with Paul. And this stranger who she was almost positive wasn’t fully human wanted her trust? She looked down, telling herself that it wasn’t trust. There was no trust in this. If he promised not to hurt her he could easily be lying, Audrey had to look at the facts.

She looked over the almost broken door. He seemed tired now, but he would recover, and the door wouldn’t mend. Eventually he would break out. Her mind went back to the local authorities. They could get him out, lock him up and keep him away from her, but if Paul found the police report, strange news like naked guys found in closets tended to travel… She’d rather take her chance with a wolf.

“No sudden movements.” She said, going up she removed the chair from the door, pulling it to the side and unlocking the door. She swallowed before speaking again. “All right, you can come out now. No sudden movements. I don’t care what you are, just get out of my house.” Audrey tried her best to sound like she was calm, but inside she was panicking. She held the poker out in front of her, pointed at the door. She backed away to give him space. She wished she looked more menacing. Her slippers weren’t exactly threatening, neither was the oversized band shirt. She wondered if she should have went and put on pants before letting him out. She pushed the thought from her mind. If that was what he wanted pants weren’t going to stop him.

Her hair was a mess, sticking up in odd places. For once she wasn’t even thinking of her bruises. The lack of clothing exposed others. One on her leg where she’d been kicked was greenish in color, obviously old. There was a bruise on her wrist in the shape of a hand from once when he’d grabbed her. But these had been such small incidents, she hadn’t run yet. She should have run sooner. She should have run elsewhere, maybe then she wouldn’t have run into Mickel.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

She... she was letting him out? For several moments, Mickel sat staring blankly at the door, not really sure what to do with this information. Blinking away his confusion, he weakly got to his feet using the walls of the closet as a crutch to haul himself up. Breathing deeply and leaning against the wall, he listened to her warnings through the door, wincing again at her hesitation in referring to him as a human. Gathering the strength he'd need to walk out of there, he ran a hand through his black, close-cropped hair that spiked up unevenly in certain places and wondered what she would think seeing him come out. He didn't look innocent, that was for sure. Standing at 1.73 m, he had a slender, wiry frame, his limbs and torso looking elongated from how skinny he was. He didn't have any large, bulbous muscles to speak of, although his shoulders and arms possessed a hidden strength from the types of animals he tended to change into. And tattoos decorated his body with splashes of ink here and there - there was his family crest over his heart with the ancient tribal symbols of their clan swirling around it and traveling over his left shoulder onto his back a little bit; his right arm was wrapped with different spots of lettering and vines on the interior down to his wrist and there were a couple of skulls and miniature naked women on his calf, thigh and his stomach just below his flat belly button. That, added with his pale skin and the fresh, black and purple bruises that speckled his face and body, certainly made him look like a man who was up to no good. And to top it all off, he was naked in her house and he'd lied about it.

Grabbing up the sheet, he wrapped it around his waist again, keeping it there with a firm hand as he opened the door, slowly poking his head out. And of course, there she was, ready and waiting for him with the aforementioned 'poker' aimed at his head. Despite his wariness at sight of the weapon, immediately his eyes were drawn to the Mädchen herself and he stopped in the open doorway for a moment, getting his first clear look at her. She was pretty to say the least but he found his eyes catching the smaller details and holding them close, curiosity niggling at the back of his mind. Her face, held firm with a facade of bravado and intensity was marred by bruising and a broken lip. More bruises were littered on her form and even with his brief inspection he could tell which ones were old and which had happened more recently. Who had done this to her?

His eyes narrowed in curiosity as his gaze came back to her face and he started to open his mouth to ask what had happened to her but seeing the look she gave him, he stopped himself, realizing he'd overstayed his welcome by a long-shot. The hidden wounds buried deep in her eyes that he touched merely from noticing the marks were screaming at him and once again he felt even more exposed and vulnerable than he had upon her discovery of him in the closet. Quickly glancing away nervously, he kept his free hand up in a nonthreatening gesture and made moderate eye contact with her as he made his way down the hallway in the general direction he thought the door might be in. Keeping himself facing her, even when he passed her he backed down the hallway near the stairs. Then, thinking he couldn't leave without just one last reassurance, he stopped when he'd made it a few meters and said, "I am sorry. I am man. I am just a man." And with that, he turned his back on her and made a beeline for her front door, quickly letting himself out and closing the door behind him.

He released a breath of relief to be out of the house finally but then he tensed again, finding himself 'on stage' once more. Mickel awkwardly avoided eye contact from the few neighbors who happened to see him walk down the little path to her door, ignoring them as he stopped to look back at the house and made note of the design and the number on the front of it. Walking fully away from the house, he set about finding where he was and almost choked when he heard the name, Kastellaun. That was 40 km from where he'd been last night! But what had she said? It hadn't seemed that far... Oh, right, she spoke English and she'd told him a number in 'miles' making him think the distance had been much less. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a heavy breath and trudged through the streets before finding his way out of town. Once he was in a secluded location and made sure no one was around to see him, he let himself transform into a deer and started running home.

It wasn't the smartest thing to do since he was already exhausted from his previous transformations but without any money or any other way to get home, he didn't have a choice. Still, to conserve his energy, he let himself drift off into becoming a deer, pushing the form to make it's way home - and also to hang onto the sheet he kept with him - but other than that, letting himself fully revert mentally to the animal brain. By the time he got home to the family estate in Mainz several hours later, he'd pushed himself to his limits and ended up passing out on the front lawn. Mickel didn't remember talking to anyone or seeing anyone but when he woke up in his room later and noticed it was daylight again, he realized someone must have found him and put him to bed.

Lying in his massive bed amidst his expensive sheets and soft pillows, Mickel thought again of the Mädchen with her fireplace poker. He thought of her bruises, wondering about the things she said to him and what could have happened to her. Was someone hurting her? He didn't know but he understood now why it took her so long to let him out of the closet. If someone was beating upon her, then no wonder it was so hard for her to trust him, a strange naked man in her house. Thinking of that fierce look in her eyes and the bruises on her body got him remembering the way she looked sort of cute standing there... barely wearing anything... her hair tousled.... Growing aroused, with an arm draped across his eyes, he sleepily let his other hand wander down between his legs. Gently, he stroked himself under the sheets, his thumb rubbing swirling circles over the head of his cock, precum moistening the appendage with each pass. Letting his mind wander, he began to fantasize if things might have gone differently when he emerged from the closet. The both of them with their bruised bodies exposed and undressed, adrenaline pumping through them from the fearful situation and suddenly coming together in a moment of fitful heat and passion. Holding her petite body in his arms and pulling her close, kissing her broken lips and licking at her wounds, making her break the kiss with a feminine gasp... Reaching his hands down to grope at her firm buttocks, pulling her against him and slipping his fingers further down to caress at her wet slit--

"Whoa whoa! Okay, genug davon! Warte auf mich verlassen, bevor Sie diese Partei begonnen zu erhalten!"

Instantly, Mickel stopped pumping himself and sat up abruptly to look at the other occupant of the room. With a ragged sigh he plopped his head back into the pillows and groaned. "Creasy! What are you doing in my room?" he growled in German. The other man in his late 30s with a crew cut and ice blue eyes smirked at him while sitting at his bedside eating an orange.

"I was waiting for you to wake up, actually," Creasy responded, also speaking in their native tongue. "You surprised me quite a bit! Who knew that your rise and shine routine included a little 'private time'? How awwwwkward, ehhh?" Mickel groaned again and Creasy let out a deep, graveled chuckle while shoving another slice of orange into his mouth. "Großvater wishes to see you and I am here to make sure that you get to meet with him at your earliest convenience." He smacked Mickel's thigh encouragingly through the blanket, causing him to flinch defensively. "Come on! Up, up, Herr Sticky Fingers!"

Mickel just continued to lay there rubbing at his eyes and subtly stretching. Of course this was about what happened with Terrien and his gang of vampyrs the other night. Yesterday, he'd been perfectly ready to defend himself in front of his elders and stick it to that sick fuck Terrien for going to them first. But now, it seemed to pale in comparison to the other situation he'd gotten himself in. In-fighting and squabbling amidst the families was simple. Having rumors sitting on the wall ready to fall and break open like eggs was another matter entirely. With a hand curtaining his face and lying still on his back he murmured, "I cannot deal with this right now."

"That's too bad," Creasy said giving him a warm, fatherly smile. "It is ready to deal with you." Ugh! Creasy just didn't understand! And there was nothing that Mickel could tell him without getting himself into irreversible trouble. He had to fix this problem on his own somehow and before too much time passed. It was already a day later than it should have been handled. Creasy of course, misunderstood his hesitance. "It's not going to be that bad. You know the drill. Großvater just wants to make sure you understand your place. It's not like he's going to take your powers away over a measly bar fight with some pathetic vampies."

Ignoring his uncle, Mickel got up and scooted out of bed, heading towards the shining wooden wardrobe against the far wall and began pulling out some clothes for himself. As he dressed he looked at Creasy and said, "You're going to have to get me a rain check on that. Tell Großvater that I am sorry but I am going to have to let him exert his dominance over me another time."

Creasy smirked again but he was growing serious now. "Uh, Mickel, maybe you're not understanding the situation. You violated a truce and attacked members of another clan. You do not have a choice. You have to answer for this."

Buttoning his dark blue jeans, Mickel shrugged and said, "I just can't right now, okay? I'm sorry. I have something bigger to deal with and it can't wait."

Creasy was silent as he watched Mickel pulled on an expensive dress shirt and button it up, his scowl reserved and thoughtful. "Is it something serious enough that you need to inform Großvater about it?" Mickel merely stared into Creasy's eyes while he put on his boots. Creasy gave him a tight-lipped smirk before looking away and shaking his head. "How you always get yourself into these troubles, little Mickel, I will never understand." Then his shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. "Anything you want me to tell Großvater when I go to see him?"

"Just that I am sorry and I don't mean him any dishonor with this. When I can tell him myself what is going on, I will." Creasy nodded solemnly in respect, finishing the last of his orange. "Hey... um, do you know what happened to the sheet I was found in?" Creasy looked at him with a question in his eyes. "I need it."

After that, he was in his car driving down the road back towards Kastellaun with the freshly cleaned bed sheet folded neatly and sitting on the passenger's seat next to him. He arrived in the small town late in the afternoon with the sun high in the sky but making it's steady decent. Parking the smooth and shiny, dark blue car near her house, he took the sheet with him and only when he was at the door ready to knock did he start asking himself what he was doing here and what he was going to say to her.

Maybe she didn't even remember him? No, that was stupid. Hesitating, with his fist hovering over the wood of the door, he remembered the terrified look in her eyes when he emerged from the closet and realized this was completely different from the way he imagined things in his fantasy. She was scared of him. He had violated her sense of safety in this place, taking away her security just by appearing the way he did in her closet. Maybe coming back wasn't such a good idea. But the bed sheet... he wanted to make sure she got it back. He could leave it on her doorstep with a note? No, maybe a note was too much like he was assuming they were friends or something - after what had happened, that was a pretty costly assumption to make. But if he left the sheet without anything... that was kind of creepy. Almost like a silent message, '...I am watching you... yeah, I know where you live... heh heh heh...'

Mickel shook his head and stepped back from the door, biting his lips and quietly panicking about what he should do. Finally taking a deep breath and letting out a ragged growl, he turned back to the door, ready to knock again. What if she told people about him? What if she was waiting inside with her fireplace poker, ready to hit him with it? God! He was such an idiot! Hating himself for every moment of it, he finally knocked stolidly on the door, making his presence known and forcing himself to stay put. Then he quietly cursed under his breath and started to turn to run away but turned back to shove the sheet into her mailbox. But the goddamn thing wouldn't stay in, being too long and large to remain in the small compartment. Cursing even more, he flailed at it, pulling the entire thing out again and attempted to refold it... despite being incredibly anxious, his slender fingers slipping and dropping parts he would have preferred to hold onto and not knowing how to fold a blanket.

 

[Cheshire Pup]

The way he peaked his head out, like she was the threatening one. Sure, she was well aware of the pain that could be inflicted by a fire poker, but he was the one that had the ability to turn into a wolf. She wasn’t the dangerous one there. When he finally came all the way out she had her chance to really get a look at him. It seemed that at least half his story was true. She knew what a fight looked like when she saw it, though it seemed like he had been on the losing end of things. She wondered if it was really possible that his story was true. They beat him and took his cloths, but to go so far, and why run to the second floor?

No, she needed to focus. She looked him over, taking in all the details in case she needed to recall later. Audrey’s recall skills always made school easy for her. She could have gone anywhere, done anything she wanted, but she met Paul first, he wanted to be the one to take care of her. At the time, she had loved him so much she was content to just hang out and party. Why rush life after all? If her boyfriend wanted to take care of her, that just meant more time to pursue her passions. She could almost hear doors closing as she thought about it. She pushed those thoughts form her mind and focused on the man as he emerged. Tall and skinny, he was taller than her by four inches. She wished briefly she had her heels. She had a pair with pointed toes that gave a dangerous kick.

Her eyes wandered over his form, taking note and interest in his tattoos, especially the one over his heart. It appeared somehow symbolic but she didn’t have the slightest idea what it could be. Her eyes glanced up to his face and she noticed that he was not the only one staring. She stopped herself from touching her face. She hadn’t put on make-up yet. She hadn’t been expecting to see anyone. With her bruises in sight she felt exposed and she didn’t like it. Her gaze hardened, a smoldering temper flared, as if daring him to try and say something. He wisely kept his mouth shut. She followed him down the stairs, keeping the poker at the ready. He was insisting he was just a man? As if she wasn’t suspicious enough.

It wasn’t until he made a beeline for the front door that a thought occurred to her. “Wait you shouldn’t-” but he was already gone. She stood there for a few minutes, waiting to see if he would come back. She couldn’t believe she had gotten out of it so easy. When she finally snapped out of it she ran and locked the door. Now that he was finally gone she raced back upstairs to the bathroom. She wasn’t going to be caught faceless again. She just had time to finish applying her make up when there was a knock at the door. Audrey froze. Could he have come back? No. He wasn’t going to come back. She told herself he ran off to go live in the woods where he belonged, threw on a jacket and jeans, and answered her door.

There was a woman on the other side with a pot. This was the pattern for the rest of the day. She didn’t know if it was some ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ tradition or if there was an ulterior motive. It was the same with everyone that arrived. They’d bring some food with a name she couldn’t pronounce, come right in to bring it to her kitchen, scoff at the state of the house, and then ask her about the man they had either heard of or seen coming from the house. She hated lying to them but the truth wasn’t really an option. She finally decided that it would be a stay at home day and accepted the cycle of visitors. She stuck with the same story, so that things wouldn’t get confused. She didn’t need a reputation as a liar. She didn’t need to go food shopping by the end of the night either.

The following morning she was determined to make better use of the day. She woke up with the sun shining in her window, happy to have chosen a room with the window still intact. The thought reminded her that she needed to find someone to make her new windows, so she got ready to go into town. She wanted to keep things simple and low key today, so she slipped into a comfortable pair of beige wedge booties with a two inch heel and a pair of washed out blue skinny jeans. On top of that she added a gray tank top and a small white mini-jacket with three quarter sleeves. A red handkerchief tied around her wrist both added color to the outfit and hid her bruise. She’d done her make up to cover her eye so she went without the sun glasses today.

She had to stop by a few different places before she finally found the man she needed to find and convinced him to go back to the house. At least all the gossip gave her a chance to learn about the place. Apparently there was a reason the people left it alone. The believed the place home to a monster. It was mid-afternoon before she could convince the half sober man to come by and see what he could do about her desperate need for windows. She was coming around the corner of the house when she saw him again.

The man was tall with broad shoulders. He was an older man, a little well fed, but otherwise still strong and able. He was carrying boards for the windows, Audrey was carrying the hammer. “Are you sure you can’t get any before the end of the week?” She hated living in a boarded house, but she wasn’t going to take the chance, someone had already gotten in once. “Ja, apologies Mädchen.” She sighed. The man was still explaining why when she saw Mickel trying to fold the bed sheet. Her arm twitched and her grip on the hammer tightened and she restrained herself from following her first instinct, which was to throw the hammer at him. She took the man by the shoulder, trying to steer him away before he spotted Mickel, but she had no such luck.

“Ah, you must be der fabeled schönen Bettlaken Jungen, with the bettlaken I see.” The man smiled wide and nudged Audrey who didn’t look the slightest bit comfortable with the situation. Why had he come back? Sure it couldn’t be to just return the sheet could it? Her mind ran through a long list of possibilities, none of them seemed good. “Well Fräulein, your Liebhaber has returned to keep you company.” the man laughed heartily. “I should be off, let you two finish, how you say, christening the house, ja?” He winked at the pair of them, oblivious to the panic that was slowly creeping into Audrey’s heart.

Then the man turned to her and it was curtain call. Like the flip of a switch her face changed, the panic vanished, leaving behind a sweet smile. Her voice and movements were calm and relaxed, she even managed a chuckle. “No, no, I told you it’s not like that. He is just here to return the sheet. He isn’t staying.” She kindly assured the man who seemed almost disappointed by the news.

“What? But you should relax, enjoy your liebhaber.” Audrey still had no idea what that meant so she kept up her smile.

“I’m far too busy. So much to do in an old house like this.”

“Then let the jugen help.”

“I’m sure Mikel has better things to do, he’s really rather busy.” That was a bold faced lie, she had no idea what he was up to. She could spot expensive cloths when she saw them, it made her wonder more about him. The wild man image he had the night before was gone, and now there was a well groomed attractive man fumbling with a bedsheet.

“Unsinn!” the man snapped. “A proper jugen is never too busy for his mädchen!” With that the man snatched the bed sheet from Mickel and pushed it into Audrey’s arms. Before Mickel had a chance to protest he’d find his arms full of the boards that the man had been carrying. “Now huschen inside!” he wasn’t giving the pair of them much of a choice in the matter. He opened the door for them and gave Mickel a pat on the back that was a little too hard. The man shooed them in before Audrey had another chance to protest, cutting her off with German she didn’t understand. When the door slammed behind them it sounded to her as if someone had brought down the axe.

In a moment she had tossed aside the bed sheet onto one of the couches. “I thought you wanted to go? That’s why I need a new closet door. Just another thing to add to the list of what needs to be repaired around here.” She didn’t raise the hammer in her hand, but her fingers gripped it so tightly her knuckles were white. Her arm was tense. She was obviously ready to strike should he try anything. Sure she was scared, but she was done cowering and begging. “Why did you come back? And don’t say the bed sheet because people don’t make special trips for faded linens.”

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Turning around at the sudden appearance of voices, Mickel's heart fell when he caught sight of her again. The way she was looking at him and holding a... was that a hammer? Oh, dear Gott. This was a mistake. He shouldn't be here and he shouldn't have come. At least he thought that until the burly man began addressing him as the 'beautiful linen boy'. What had she been telling this man about him? Who else had she told about what happened? Was that a guilty look on her face? Oh! Who was caught now, eh?

Mickel had enough pride in himself to look righteously disgruntled about it until the word 'Liebhaber' started getting thrown around. Wait.. what??? That wasn't--! No! That didn't make much sense. If it was a story she was telling everyone he seriously doubted that she'd been referring to Mickel as that! Then he remembered the way he'd left her house and the few people he'd passed in her neighborhood and through town and how things must have looked... It was a relief and yet it wasn't. Mickel lamely scratched the back of his head at the other man's offcolor suggestions but he frowned at the way the Mädchen kept trying to talk for him and get him to leave without actually talking to him. He wasn't ready to go. He still had no idea what he wanted to say or what he was doing, but he wasn't ready to leave. Not if the possibility that she'd been telling stories about him was still there.

He didn't have time to add himself to the conversation however, before the older man was suddenly grabbing the sheet from him, shoving wood into his arms and slamming a thick hand across his back, causing Mickel to tense defensively. Then in the next instant... the door was shut behind them both and he was standing in her house once again. Turning to her, he began to give her a boyish grin - his clean, yet crooked top teeth flashing at her briefly - but it vanished at the look on her face. Oh, right. Not funny.

She didn't waste any time tearing into him yet again but despite the hammer in her hand and the anger in her voice, Mickel wasn't going to let her intimidate him about this. That was when he noticed that she looked different. Of course, she had clothes on now and her hair was styled nice but it was her face that threw him off. He could have sworn he saw markings there yesterday but they seemed to have magically disappeared. Then his eyes zeroed in on the broken part of her lip and he caught sight of shades of the bruises around her eyes and realized the marks were still there. It was coverup. She was hiding and wearing a mask so no one would know about what happened to her or ask questions. He wasn't sure how to feel knowing that he'd gotten to look into her face when she wasn't hiding...

Looking towards the stairs he said, "I will fix it. The closet door, I am meaning. You do no need to worry about it because I am fixing it. Okay?" He shrugged with the load of boards in his arms. "I did not mean to break it. I was scared. You were scaring me. I did not know this place was occupied, how was I to know? All the windows are boarded. You wake me up in the morning and throws a pot at my head when I was just sleeping. All I wanted is to go home because there was importance situation I need control and you kept me locked in there, terror me and asking me questions." He realized he was basically just listing reasons why he'd behaved the way he did when she probably had just as long a list for her own behavior. Mickel let out a heavy breath and shrugged again. "It is just misunderstanding. We misunderstand and I apologize."

He wasn't going to hold his breath waiting for an apology from her for keeping him prisoner. Hesitantly, with his finger picking at one of the bottom boards he was holding, he bit the inside of his lip and looked down at her legs, remembering the bruises he knew were still there. "So... you have been talking with people...? What... I mean, what did you say about me? What have you been saying about what happened?" This part had him extremely nervous because he would learn whether or not this had already gotten out of hand.

 

[Cheshire Pup]

Audrey rolled her eyes. He was going to fix it was he? She’d rather him fix the mess that he had gotten her into with the rest of the town! When he tried to defend himself her eyes widened. Did he really honestly think that she was going to apologize or feel bad about anything that she did? She wished she’d thrown the damn pot harder! Maybe if she had just knocked him unconscious with it she could have dragged his naked ass out back and left him there until he woke up. If that had happened he could have just run off unseen and he wouldn’t be back visiting.

Why was he back anyways? She listened to what he said and laughed a humorless laugh. “What? Tell the town I found a naked man in my closet that might have been a bat the night before, but I don’t really know because he turned into a wolf and nearly broke the door down? Yeah, that just kind of rolls off the tongue!” she snapped at him. She didn’t want him here. She was hoping to never see him again and now he was back, and he had the nerve to say that he was scared.

“Don’t expect me to feel bad for you! I should have thrown the damn thing harder!” With this she waved the hammer. She might have thrown it at him but that would leave her unarmed, and she would have to actually get close if she wanted to hit him with it and that wasn’t an idea she was too keen on either. As it was the hammer would make a decent weapon if he came after her, but not the other way around.

“And you’re the one who’s scared?” she asked him, like it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. “I’m the one that found a naked man in my closet! And the windows are boarded because I have no glass to put on them. In case you haven’t noticed most of this place needs fixing. I don’t need your empty promises I need actual help.” She seemed to have calmed down a little bit, if only because she wasn’t yelling at him anymore. She halfheartedly waved the hammer at him in a shooing motion. “But it sounds like you have important busyness to attend to, so, I don’t know, go eat a deer.” And with that she stormed off into the kitchen.

She didn’t doubt what happened. She had a full day to think on it and was convinced that somehow, someway he had been both the bat she locked in the closet and the wolf that nearly broke down the door. She didn’t know how, she didn’t really care. She just really wanted him gone. Unfortunately he didn’t leave. He followed her to the kitchen. Pans and wrapped plates littered the countertops. When she turned and saw him she let out a sigh and put down the hammer. “You see this? I can’t even pronounce the names of most of these. I know that one over there is apple strudel, someone brought me what looks like it might be rice pudding.” She shrugged. “People keep coming with dishes of food and questions about you. I just moved in and you have me lying to the whole town. I hope you’re happy!” her tone made it clear that she didn’t.

“Everyone wants to know who is the schönen Bettlaken Jungen, I don’t know what that means! I don’t speak German.” She was clearly frustrated. “I haven’t got a clue of half of what they are saying. People keep calling you my Liebhaber. You want to know what I’ve been trying to tell them? I told them I met you at the airport when I came in, that I called you over to help fix the fire place and your cloths caught fire, and that you had somewhere important to go and that is why you couldn’t hang around to wait for me to get you some new cloths. If I told people what really happened they’d think I’m nuts.” She crossed her arms below her breasts and leaned on the counter. She glanced off to the side before glaring at him again. “Is that what you came back here for? Making sure I wouldn’t spill your big ass secret. Worried about torches and pitchforks are we?”

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Mickel expected a lot of things to happen as a result of what he said. He of course expected her to be angry and scared that he was back but to soften her heart a little when she heard about how terrified he'd been while trapped in her closet yesterday morning. He expected her to feel sympathetic and forgive him since he apologized and offered to fix the damage. He also expected her to laugh off the transformations as if they'd been a dream or misunderstanding.

None of that happened. Not only were her suspicions no longer just suspicions but things she was screaming as facts - which had him glancing nervously at the door, praying nobody was walking by and that anybody who might hear her didn't know English - but she also decided to shove everything he said right back into his face. He knew that if he let himself get angry with her this wasn't going to go well and he wasn't going to get what he wanted - for her to shut her mouth about these ridiculous stories and lies! - but it was difficult to keep himself from shouting back at her. Right. Rash behavior got him into this mess and all it would do was make things messier. Needless to say, she wasn't as attractive to him anymore.

Mickel quirked his lips and scowled at her after the deer comment, all at once feeling annoyed by the implications - as if he were just some sort of animal; much like the things the vampyrs had said to him last night - and yet wanting to laugh at the cleverness of it. She had some spunk, he'd give her that. When she left him alone, he quietly set the boards leaning against a wall by the door and put his hand on the handle, looking to leave since it seemed she was done talking to him. But again, he found himself frustrated about her treatment of him and the way she refused to take any of the blame for this. He wouldn't have been in that closet if she hadn't scared the Tageslicht out of him and beat him with a broom. Sure... he flew into the house but it was just because he'd been tired and not really thinking clearly like a human anymore. And... he'd been chasing bugs... because they'd been congregating in a tiny swarm around the open window and the light coming from it. It was a tempting and tasty opportunity and he hadn't estimated his swoop right and ended up inside and then forgot how to get back out again. Look, it wasn't his fault! And it wasn't fair for her to keep acting like he'd intended to harm her when none of that happened either! Other than the bruises, which weren't even his fault, she was unharmed! Undankbare Schlampe!

With that thought in mind, he turned back around and followed her into the kitchen, some of the umf sizzling out of his thunder to see the cynical look she gave him - oh, right, he was invading again! No! They were having a conversation and they weren't done until he said they were done! Oh, and to top it all off, of course she blamed him for making her lie to everybody! How was that his fault??? He didn't put words in her mouth or tell everybody to come over! It wasn't his fault she didn't know how to be honest with people--!! ...no, wait...

After she finished telling him what she'd been telling people he felt a bit disappointed in how unclever she'd been about it - honestly, if she'd wanted to go with a believable lie she should have just called him a Liebhaber. It would have avoided something so complicated and also would have been readily acceptable as well - which, apparently, story or no, was already being accepted as fact by the people here, if the gentleman outside had been any indication. Honestly, he was a sucky liar and even he came up with better shit than she did. At least she wasn't telling people the truth...

Okay, being nice and reasonable wasn't working out and he was done fighting his impulses. Every time he tried to apologize or reassure her, she made him shoot himself in the foot and eat his own underpants. Well, enough. He was done with that. She'd get respect when she'd fucking earned it and until then, this was a conversation about a crazy Dame and her fantasies and he had every right to be here. Walking into the kitchen, he opened one of her cabinets and pulled out a plate, giving her a small frown as he blew the dust off of it. "You know... you're a very rude. And kinda verrückt." Then he looked over the plates and dishes set out on the counter top and selected some Gekochte Kartoffelknödel and put them on the plate before pulling out a chair opposite her and sitting down. "Is okay you don't want to say you are sorry. I understand you have a rough time in our country and you're new and surprised by every thing." He picked the Knödel up with his hand and bit into it, chewing politely before speaking more. "I mean what I say about fixing things and if it make you feel better, I pay for new windows too." He shoved the rest of the dumpling into his mouth and dusted his hands off before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Chewing happily, he pulled out ten €100 bills and offered them to her. When she wouldn't take them right away, he nonchalantly tossed them onto the counter in front of her.

"Okay?" he asked with an illustrative shrug. "New windows so you no more terror other men who think you house is a safe place to sleep off a drunk fist fight. If any body ask where money is from, I teach you some German you can say. Just tell them: Meine Zucker Papa gab mir eine Zulage. They will understanding and no more embarrassing questions and silly lies. Trust me. By the way," he said, taking another bite of the remaining Knödel on his plate. "I really came back here to make sure you is okay because I know the bruises I saw yesterday." His cool and confident demeanor shifted quickly to one more thoughtful as he rubbed at a crumb left on his plate and looked up at her with a sympathetic shrug. "I was a little worried you were in trouble with someone else and I thought I maybe could help." He suddenly smiled, embarrassed and ran a hand through his hair. "I do not know what I do to help... And you definitely do not needing help with that pot and throwing arm you have." Then the mocking confidence was back as he pretended to be serious and nodded at her. "But, no, your idea about the changing and super-magic powers is definitely good too and not crazy, even though none of that happen."

 

[Cheshire Pup]

Not only did he come back to her house when she was hoping to never see him again, not only did he follow her into her kitchen instead of leaving to eats a deer, but he got himself a plate and helped himself to her food. It wasn’t that she minded. She had been wondering if she would be able to finish it before it all went bad. Everything that she had tried so far had been fantastic, it would have been a real shame to see it go to waste. Back to the point, it was the way that he seemed to be making himself right at home, in her home, that bothered her.

She didn’t care that he called her rude, maybe if he didn’t like her then he would just leave her alone and stop coming back. She didn’t even bother to try and figure out what the other thing was. Her annoyance turned to curiosity when he said that he would pay for the new windows too. She was sure he had no idea how much they would cost, then he pulled the money from his wallet and she felt he might have more of an idea then she realized. She didn’t take the money from him, even stepped away from it when he put it on the counter, like it was a snake that would bite her if she got too close. She watched him, anger softened to surprise. He was… sincere? Really?

She listened to what he said and wondered what it meant. She thought she heard the word Papa, was he suggesting she say her father gave it to her? She didn’t ask. She didn’t get the chance to because he mentioned the bruises. She flinched visibly and heavily like just mentioning them reminded her of the pain in receiving them. She looked away. Why did he have to see them? Why couldn’t they have just gone unnoticed? She’d have rather him been too distracted with her lack of pants, but there were bruises on her legs too. Had she been expecting to find a man in her closet she would have hidden them. Had she not been so panicked she would have thought to do so before letting him out. Her hands tightened around her arms, just above the elbows. Her lips turned down to a gentle frown. “No one can help.” She said quietly, her voice sounded a little haunted. People had tried. All it did was get them hurt. Paul would make sure they couldn’t help anymore. She was happy for the change of subject.

“I never said anything about magic powers.” She said as she took his dish and got one for herself. She quietly loaded both dishes. “Is that how it works?” He would have to do better than that if he wanted to make her doubt what she saw. She glanced at the money on the counter again. He was at least being truthful about that then. She caste a glance over her shoulder at him before putting some vegetables on his plate, along with some ham and kaesespaetzle. “Butchers wife gave me a roast. Nice lady. A little lustful but I can’t imagine the butcher minds.” She said casually. “I can’t eat everything, and if you insist on eating here then you need to at least have a proper meal.” The nanny that took care of her would have slapped Mickel’s hand with a spoon for not eating a proper meal. She put his plate in front of him with clean utensils and a glass of water before sitting across from him with her own. The table in the kitchen was much smaller than the one in the dining room. She imagined this table had been intended for the kitchen staff to prepair food at, but was instead used to poker between meals. She’d found an ace stuck under it the night before. A few long moments passed before she sighed and looked up at him, clearly very uncomfortable with the situation.

“I don’t trust you.” She said plainly, without anger or enthusiasm. “But I don’t trust anyone anymore. If you really want to be helpful you should keep your money and offer your hands. It’s a big house and it needs a lot of work.” She sat a little straighter in her seat. “I’m fine doing it myself of course. I don’t need your help, but if you really want to make yourself useful that would be the way to do it.” She still didn’t like him, she especially didn’t trust him, but what if he was actually telling the truth? The idea was so foreign, it had been so long since she’d sat across form someone she could actually have any faith in. But, she had run all the way to Germany, she didn’t want to just hide away in a big house like a crazy old woman. She still had faint hopes for an actual life and she had to start somewhere. She told herself that if he intended to do her harm he would have already done so, besides, if he ate up the food she offered it might fill him up so he’d have less of an interest in eating her.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

There was an expected level of respect owed to the elders of the different families. Not just from members of other families in general but especially from those within their own clan. It kept the elders in control of their families and gave them the power needed to lead their own people and they were trusted to make decisions for the betterment of the society they lived in. So, when that due respect was not shown, it created a bit of a vacuum that brought all attention to the one missing from the equation. Namely, in this situation, Mickel. When the circumstances involved the expectations of another family, it was even worse because not only was everyone in Obermayer's clan watching but so were the Vampyrs and the erneut Trickzeichner. All eyes were on Großvater Obermayer to rein in the Welpen, even when it came to small infractions. Nothing but a small punishment was expected but an action was to be taken nonetheless. So, when a summons was ignored...

Creasy held in another heavy sigh as he walked through the halls of the Obermayer estate, shaking his head internally about little Mickel's issues with authority. The thing was, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened and this wasn't the first time Mickel had blown off a summons - which was why Creasy had been instructed to watch over the Jungen as he slept to make sure he came to this meeting as soon as he woke up. As he walked the old stone hallways, he tried to go back over it in his head, trying to understand his reasons for letting the Welp go instead of dragging him by the scruff of his neck to face the consequences of his actions. The boy wasn't a very good liar, so Creasy believed him when he said he needed to deal with something else at the moment, especially since it seemed serious enough that he wouldn't even talk about it. And he also had a soft spot for Mickel, sympathizing with the boy more than the idiots from the other family. After hearing about the way Terrien first went crying to the Vampyr Lord about the slight against his honor only to go bragging about it the next night, Creasy was inclined to think das Saugenschlampe didn't deserve an apology or retribution. But that wasn't exactly diplomatic, which was why Creasy wasn't the Großvater.

Finally arriving to the gardens, Creasy walked with his hands respectfully tucked behind his back, making his way amidst the trees and vine covered pillars to where the Großvater was pruning his roses. A few meters away from the older man, he stopped and waited politely. Finally, after a moment, the elder man, with white, slicked back hair and a bearded chin spoke without turning around. "Ho, Creasy."

"Ho, Großvater."

"Where is my little Mickel?" The timbre of the older man's voice was deep and soothing, the graveled quality adding ancient power to his words. Creasy was tempted to allow himself to be calmed by it but knew better.

"I am very sorry, Großvater," Creasy began. "He was not able to join you today."

Obermayer had a small grandfatherly smirk on his lips as he gently cradled a large rose head in his fingers while he snipped it at the neck with his shears. "Is he really that frightened of my wrath or is he just being stubborn this time?"

"Actually, he wished me to apologize on his behalf. He had some urgent business to attend to and it could not wait. The decision was not made lightly and he did not mean you any disrespect, Großvater."

"And you know this for certain, do you?" Creasy was silent as the ironic note in the other man's tone got a hard edge to it. "How many times in the last few months has he arrived late to my summons? I am running out of fingers to keep count and my patience is wearing thin. I can hardly talk to the Jungen when I want to anymore simply because he feels running off to do his own thing is more important than what this family needs!" The old man picked up his basket of dead flowers and carried it with him through the garden, with Creasy following. Deeper among the foliage there was a pavilion with a granite table and benches with refreshments laid out. Großvater set the roses down and a nameless, faceless servant quietly came by and retrieved the plants, disappearing from the same shade she'd emerged from. Meanwhile, Großvater poured himself a glass of bright, painfully red liquid from the pitcher sitting on the table and took a sip from it before turning to actually look Creasy in the eye. "Disrespect may not have been what he intended but it's exactly what he gave me when he failed to tell me to my face that he had matters to tend to. And you as well for letting him go when you were told to do otherwise."

Creasy had been silent up to now but filled with the impulse to defend himself, he started, "Großvater, I am deeply sorry, I meant no disrespe--Ahk!"

Großvater placidly drank from his glass while sudden discomfort and pain lanced through Creasy's body. The old man glowed with power as Creasy's body shrank, his limbs growing thin and his stomach distending grotesquely while his clothes grew too big for him and crumpled to the ground. All hair on his body disappeared, and he was left standing at 109cm, his eyes large and bulbous in his head, his chin and mouth impossibly tiny with floppy, pointed ears dangling on the sides of his head. Looking like a hideously deformed little old man, Creasy was a creature of pure agony, wailing in a reedy voice up at the man he'd loved and respected all his life and blinking his huge, watery eyes in anguish. Eventually, smacking his lips in satisfaction, Großvater allowed Creasy's form to return, leaving him panting and naked, kneeling at the older man's feet. With tears streaming down his face and still feeling shades of that internal pain, he bent low and kissed the older wizard's sandaled feet graciously, murmuring an ancient prayer for forgiveness.

"I could have you," Großvater said in a quiet, graveled voice, the timbre once so soothing now causing Creasy to shudder reflexively. "Anytime I want, you are mine to mold. This arrogance and immaturity will no longer be tolerated. He is 22 years old and he should know by now the appropriate decorum for getting the things he asks for. I don't care what business he is dealing with, you will find him and bring him to me. Do whatever needs to be done."

"As you will it, Großvater," Creasy said, his voice sounding frail and winded. When he was given permission to leave, he respectfully gathered his things in his arms and left the garden, his naked back straight and tense until he'd made it well out of sight of the older man.

***​

Mickel nervously watched her put food on the plates, wondering what he should say next to stave off her suspicions. He hadn't meant to say 'magic' or 'powers' or to put that idea in her head. But she was a little hard to read and he wasn't really sure how to get her to stop thinking that he was a shape-shifter. The fact that he actually was one made it even more difficult to know what to say. So, he decided to err on the side of caution and not say anything about that anymore. It wasn't like he'd encourage her disbelief if he started denying it now anyway.

He wasn't really sure what to say about no one being able to help her, so he decided not to talk about that again either. Thankfully, he wasn't forced to say anything when she set the plate in front of him and he quickly, economically set about eating what she'd laid before him. Growing up in a large, affluent family, it was second nature for him to use the utensils in a dignified way, the habits that he's been trained in instantly kicking in as he picked up his fork and knife - shoulders back, elbows off the table, etc.

Fully immersed in his meal, he paused mid-chew to glance at her when she spoke again, his eyebrow quirking when she offered a way for him to help her. Oh, she wanted manual labor help? Ugh... he inwardly groaned. He didn't like physical work. In fact most things that required physical effort, he did while transformed into an animal of some kind, simply because it made things go so much faster and easier. Did that mean he could have his money back? He didn't want to ask for it or just grab it back because that might make him look insincere in giving it to her - which he wasn't; if he could buy her silence then he would certainly try that - but if she wasn't going to use it then he wanted to have it. Whatever. She could keep it, then. It wasn't like €1,000 was gonna put him back or anything. For a moment, he thought of Großvater, wondering about the meeting he was supposed to have with the older wizard today and how Creasy was possibly handling it. Mickel was probably going to be in super big trouble if he showed his face on the estate grounds again. Großvater might even suspend him from using his powers for this... Nah, it'd be okay. Creasy would take care of it for him and he'd talk things over with Großvater later, no big deal. Good old Creasy!

That was when he realized he'd zoned out and she was still sitting there expecting answers. Abruptly he blinked and smiled at her, brushing the moment away as he said, "You want me to fix your windows? Yeah, sure, I can do that! No problem! I know where we can order the high quality glass and we get starting right away, okay? And no worries, I am paying for everything. No more bats flying into your windows on accidents! Heh." He laughed and shook a finger at her before returning to his meal. He had no idea what the hell he was still doing here and every moment made him more nervous that she was going to ask him questions that he wouldn't know how to answer. He needed to loosen things up and get her seeing him as a normal person. "You not trusting me because we are strangers, ja? Well, we can not be strangers anymore and then we will be friendly, okay? So, you having just moved here? Are you enjoying Germany? Well... uh... I mean besides..." Mickel shrugged and made an awkward expression while motioning at himself then waited expectantly for her response. "What are you called, by the way? I never got you name."

 

[Cheshire Pup]

She watched him as he ate. Not only was he wearing fine cloths, but he also ate with proper manners in all forms. Audrey had been instructed in the same way, when going to events with her father it was important for her manners to be impeccable, even as a child. Audrey had learned those lessons well and ate her own food with the same grace. She looked at him when he said he knew a place where they could get windows. “Right away? Seriously?” She asked, enthusiasm now leaking in a little bit. The house was so dusty, it would be nice to open a window while she was cleaning instead of having to remove and reapply boards to windows.

Then he asked her name. She looked down at her food for a moment before letting out a breath of air. “Audrey. But let’s not to last names. I won’t ask yours, and you don’t ask mine.” She continued eating her food. As long as her last name didn’t show up anywhere Paul shouldn’t be able to find her. She even purchased this house under a fake name. She didn’t want anything leading back to her. She glanced at the money on the counter. “Keep you’re money, if we can get the windows today I’ll consider that payment enough.” She said, she had a sizable bank account. The money she had been syphoning from Paul added to the money that her father had been keeping in undisclosed bank accounts. The combination was nothing to sneeze at, and it should last her for a very long time if she didn’t go wild like a monopoly winner. “If we can get the windows in before nightfall that would be fantastic. Germany has beautiful stars, and it’s a shame I cannot see them through the boards. I don’t like living in what looks like an abandoned house. As far as the rest of Germany? This is only my third day in the country. Second day in this house. You arrived the same night I did so imagine my surprise. I haven’t been able to go anywhere yet.”

When they finished their meal Audrey took their plates, washed them, and put them on a rack to dry. She asked if he would take care of ordering the windows, let her know when they were ordered, if she needed to do anything to pick them up and when he thought they would arrive. In the meantime there were still other things to do to the outside of the house to make it look like it wasn’t abandoned anymore. There had been a tradition of throwing rocks at the windows of abandoned houses, perhaps that was part of the reason why so many of these windows were broken. If she replaced the windows without making the house look occupied that would just make them new targets. “If you could take care of that I will get to work doing other things. The outside of the house is overgrown with vines.” The yard also needed taking care of but that was for another day.

Surprisingly, she left Mickel alone to handle the window situation. She didn’t expect him to be a thief and surely he had a phone to handle his busyness on. Aurdey changed into a pair of sneakers, better for gripping the ladder that she found overgrown in her yard along with a pair of gloves. This house really did have everything, like the previous owners just got up and left it. It was a little eerie to think about so she avoided the thoughts, happy for the ladder and gloves that saved her the trouble of seeking a pair out. She decided she would start with the front of the house, since that would make the most difference to the people passing by. She set the ladder against the wall, making sure it was steady before climbing up. She didn’t know if she would be able to get all the vines off today but hopefully she would at least be able to make a noticeable difference.