RP:Reading Between The Lines

Summary: Meri invites Alvina out for a bite to eat at Khitti's bakery, but the conversation quickly sours as uncomfortable realizations are made but not spoken.

Ginger Snapped Bakery and Sweetshop

Meri had written a letter to Alvina, trying to follow up on her request to meet up for lunch that she made during the Yule Ball. The letter had requested Alvina meet Meri up at Khitti's bakery for a quick bite. Not much served here actually equates to 'lunch' but as Alvina is probably well aware, it is not a wise idea to tell a pregnant woman what she should or should not be eating. Meri has found a corner table for two, where she is currently sitting with a piece of chocolate cake in front of her and a cup of hot coco. Kicking her coffee habit was hard, but hot coco would at least suffice. When Alvina enters, she'll have no trouble spotting Meri...who is more plainly dressed for the norm. Trying to look cute is just not worth the hassle while pregnant, so Meri has on a baggy long-sleeved shirts and a pair of cotton drawstring pants. Speaking of pregnant, she definitely looks...significantly further along than last time Alvina saw her. Well further along then what one might expect for your boring ol' human. Which may or may not be a red flag. As much as Meri wants to eat her cake, she's also very strangely and anxiously nervous for this conversation.

Alvina’d planned to arrive a little earlier to secure a comfy, isolated booth in the back just in case the conversation took a bad turn…what with the wolf business and all. Hudson had advised (demanded) Alvina to drop the link – apparently the intangible mental and physical ‘connection’ that binds wolf and maker. Alvina had tried but her and Little Miss were not in agreement. Even though Hudson was her husband and Alpha, she couldn’t will the link to sever completely. So when she enters and spots Meri from the doorway, Alvina knows she’s screwed. She orders a hot chocolate and eclairs (finger food) and makes her way across the bakery. Alvina looks…nervous. For an overly emotional woman like Alvina, that isn’t entirely out of place. It’s been a while since the two have been able to sit and have a proper discussion. She’s able to tell, earnestly, that Meri is indeed pregnant now. Alvina’s no stranger to –why- she’d be further along than human pregnancies might be but she has to be careful about what she says and what she knows. She still isn’t even –sure- it’s Meri. Maybe it won’t be and everything’ll be fine. “Hey!” The bard chirps anxiously, slipping into the booth with a short wave. Her hair is loose but neat and she tucks it behind her ears. She privately tests the ‘link’ they should have but feels little to no reaction. Maybe the severing was…successful? “How have you been? Geez, it’s been ages.” A beat. “How are you liking the bow? Have you gotten much use out of it? Is the tension still good?”

Meri maybe the link was indeed severed. It's kind of hard to say based on Meri's reaction, which is to say that she doesn't seem to be providing much of a reaction....And that is about the norm. Before it could be attributed to the large crowds and all around confusion on Meri's part. It's not like she's really had anyone to guide her through this process and tell her what the various feelings mean. She's had a book shoved at her, and was told to read it. Then again, maybe Meri was slowly starting to come to the realization that there as something -different- about Alvina. It was harder for Meri to pinpoint what was different, Hudson and her children were werewolves so maybe Meri was just misjudging due to her crazy pregnancy brain. "Heeeey," Meri forces a smile, her this sinking feeling in her stomach intensifying. Sure this talk was going to suck, Meri was going to learn all about what single mom life would with a werewolf child was going to be like...but she felt so much more sickeningly nervous than that. Maybe cake and coco was not a good idea. "I'm glad you could make it. Do you want something to eat or drink?" Back when Meri was not pregnant, she probably would have gotten up to fetch whatever Alvina desired from Khitti's bakery without bothering the waiting staff. Her desire to get up has waned, so if Alvina wants something, Meri will wave someone over to their table.

Alvina finds both terror and relief in Meri’s shared uncertainties. They –might- be bad actors. “Oh, I already ordered?” She sounds uncertain but hitches a thumb over her shoulder towards the counter. Serendipitously, a waiter brings her order by and gives both women a nod and tame smile before departing. Meri doesn’t answer Alvina’s barrage of questions, which Alvina will attribute to pregnant brain, but does look quite serious in her own way. In a way that made the hairs on the back of Alvina’s neck stand at attention. Her hands reach out gingerly to curl around the warm mug. She goes to the trouble of looking down to center the hot chocolate on the table perfectly before trying to think of a polite way to repeat the most basic of her inquires. “How have you been?” Emerald eyes will pull themselves up and away from the ‘centered’ mug to rest on Meri’s face.

Meri didn't miss the questions! Her pregnancy brain has not quite taken that much of a hold of her mind yet. She did miss that Alvina had ordered, which is the real reason there was a delay in answering Alvina's barrage of questions. She was hoping that the waiter would come and go before they would dive into conversation, Meri's poor brain was to anxious to dwell on the chit chat. The waiter comes, confirming that Alvina did indeed order and Meri flashes her a sheepish smile. "The bow is good. Admittedly I have not gotten too much practice out of it the last couple of months, but that will change...uh. Soon. As for how I have been...Ah. Better. I guess I could be worse. I left Callum. I just don't think he would have ever been happy with dad life. I'm pregnant. I have no idea exactly how far along either, which is why I was hoping that you and I could catch up? Khitti...was telling me that, the last time you two spoke, you had mentioned that your pregnancy was faster than the norm...and that your children grow faster than the norm? I know it seems like a strange question, especially since you're human and typically the whole nine months thing is pretty standard. But she had mentioned because Hudson is a werewolf...things went faster? And well. Amongst all my other problems I am trying to wade through, I was bitten a few months ago. So I guess it would be nice to know...what I might expect. Am I going to pop tomorrow? How long were your pregnancies? How fast is the kid going to grow? Maybe a book could tell me but..." Sometimes it's nice to know that you have a friend. Then again, if links are to be severed by the demand of someone who Meri has been quite loyal to. "Well that is my barrel full of problems....I hope that you are much better than me?"

Alvina’s face shifts to a confused expression. At first, she’s trying to place Callum. Then, trying to remember if he was a werewolf. Meri continues and the pieces all fall into place, her nervousness was palpable and familiar. She gives her companion a smile she hopes conveys reassurance but her left eye twitches when Meri mentions her being ‘human’. She waits until Meri’s finished before answering, looking down at her hot chocolate and noticing they’d given her marshmallows. Gods be praised. “That is true, my children were born at about...one third the normal time and they are aging at the same rate.” Three months of pregnancy sounded like a blessing. “I was actually grateful for it, being pregnant was so miserable sometimes. 3 months versus 9 months? No contest.” A second passes. “My doctor was wonderful, I can give you her clinic information? They were really helpful the first time when I didn’t exactly...well, WE didn’t exactly know what to expect. The pamphlets aren’t the most in-depth.” Again, Alvina’s eye twitched in the corner when Meri mentions being bit. Alvina’d have preferred to hold the link with Meri. To help her through it all to the best of her ability but...it’s true that she could do that with the two of them being their own women. Without Meri feeling like Alvina was lording her ‘alpha’ status over her. Alvina would never want to do that. She just wanted Meri to feel less alone in the whirlwind of being a werewolf, being a mother, and being a werewolf mother. “I’m sorry, about your being bit. That must have been...absolutely terrifying.” Her lips flatten into a thin line. Is Alvina better than Meri? She was responsible for biting Meri but couldn’t tell her! A reporter is trying to blackmail Uma, Hudson, her family! She’d just watched Valrae give birth awkwardly!She’d recently met Khitti in this same bakery and revived horrible memories about the red head’s trial back to humanhood! Was she better? Well, she wasn’t batting a thousand. “I’m actually..uh, a werewolf too, now.” She clears her throat and swallows audibly. “Hudson turned me a few months ago because things in Cenril are more dangerous of late. It’ll help me protect our children if I’m ever in a situation without him. Not to mention, there’s some supernatural ‘link’ that binds family members together so if I’m in danger Hudson will know. It has it’s...advantages.” And disadvantages, mention the disadvantages. “It..really helps to have a good support network. It helps more if it’s someone you know and trust.” Can she trust me, since I bit her and can’t tell her? She’d know as soon as she saw me shift. “Hudson says it’s important not to fight the wolf as something separate from yourself but to try and make compromises with her because she’s...a part of you. Even if it happened in traumatic circumstances. He was bitten randomly and had to fight for a long time to get to a good place. I think his advice has helped me a lot, maybe it can help you too?” Alvina smiles, sadness staining her lips. She didn’t want to assume what she could or couldn’t do for Meri. Didn’t want to assume what Meri needed or wanted. But she wanted to do anything and everything she could. Not just out of guilt, but because she cared very much about Meri.

At first there was some relief on Meri's features. There was a clinic that Meri could go to that had already dealt with helping one werewolf family through their birthing process? That relief was short-lived when Alvina drops a bit of a revelation on Meri. It gets the woman's gears turning in another direction, but she does not voice her thoughts. Alvina may not be able to recall all of the details of the night that Meri was bitten, but Meri could. Vividly. What was sticking out in her mind the most was what was discovered at the scene of the assault -- a female's outfit left over from her shift. It was really one of the few clues that Meri did have outside of a 'white wolf'. Whomever she was looking for was female. Meri wanted to throw up, and it wasn't from morning sickness because she was well past that. It was harder to keep her composure right now, emotions were normally something that Meri could reel in sufficiently enough to get the job done so to speak...but damn hormones. "You're....a werewolf now too...." Meri only half hears the advice that Alvina is trying to give her, her mind is screaming as some sort of puzzle piece falls into place from Meri. She was starting to look at Alvina more skeptically now. The blonde wanted to outright ask, what color is your wolf? She's done it to a couple other's that she has learned are werewolves in her quest to try and find an answer to the question 'who bit me?'. She didn't. The words would not roll off her tongue. Besides, Alvina would tell her....Right? Meri's palms were starting to feel sweaty, the moment was definitely starting to get the better of her. "Ah. Yeah. That is. Um. Good advice." Look, Meri was even starting to lose her way with words. She may not be the most charming individual out there, but she does not normally fumble so much. "Yeah, information on the clinic. I think that would be nice. Pamphlets are great. Just great."

Alvina doesn’t want to notice Meri’s sudden withdraw and clear introspection. ‘She knows’. The siren blares through her mind so loud she can’t hear herself speak. She knows. She knows. She can read it on my face. She could tell by my shredded clothes. She can feel it through the link - I didn’t sever it cleanly enough. She knows! It’s the slow way Meri’s saying and processing what Alvina’s saying. She continues, though, hoping that Meri will snap back when she’s done talking. She’s hoping that Meri is just afraid. Alvina blinks, emerald eyes backlit by ten shades of concern and guilt and self deprecation. “Meri?” She says in a quiet, maternal way. Her tongue wants to stammer and flail uselessly but her fear feeds her wolf. Adrenaline pumps through her. “Meri?” She repeats, her own voice evaporated by the pump of blood in her ears. “Are you okay?” Alvina could see she wasn’t okay, what kind of ridiculous question was this? “What’s wrong…?” Hudson made her swear not to divulge the truth. Her alpha -made- her. ‘I wanted to keep the link, to apologize, to help…’ Alvina feels her chest tighten. She wants to say ANYTHING but she just keeps staring at Meri, frozen by the woman’s fragmented speech and seemingly emotional reaction. Meri? Emotional? Gods, what was she going to do...

Meri was trying to bounce back from the thoughts that were consuming her right now, to put on a better show for Alvina's sake. There was still room for doubt in Meri's mind, it's not like the woman knew for certain. It was just a gut feeling, instinct, a few too many coincidences linked together, or maybe a link that was not severed fully...or in time. But Meri did not come forward with her thoughts. Meri? Are you okay? What's wrong....? Alvina would not be the only one withholding the truth on this day. Meri lies, and in her lying she stands abruptly and begins to move away from Alvina with haste. "I feel sick. Like really sick...I need to..." She needs to run past the restroom that is meant for customers, and head up the stairs to the apartment Khitti has claimed for herself part-time. It is up there that Meri while hole herself up in the bathroom. Some might assume that Meri is just trying to be semi-mindful of the guests of the bakery. What is someone wants to use the restroom while the preggo is 'feeling sick' in it? Such things can take time, Meri probably does not want to be rushed. Which...Meri doesn't want to be rushed. At all. She wants to sit in that bathroom until Alvina leaves. This is Meri's angle. Her hormones and this conversation has rattled her so much that she just can't even, so much so that she's just done the ultimate dramatic girl routine -- locked herself in the bathroom with the hope her problem will go away.

Alvina’s eyes widen and she stands just as Meri does; abrupt and tense. She reaches out instinctually, trying to hold Meri a moment. Trying to stop her, trying to hug her, trying to apologize. At the last second, Alvina can’t make herself touch the pregnant woman. Her fingers open in empty air and her elbow bends to retract her arm. “Meri…” She calls, weakly, knowing that Meri will not come back. Alvina wants to wait but when she looks down at the table - the untouched food, hot chocolate - she feels her own stomach turn. That wasn’t morning sickness. That wasn’t pregnancy sickness. She looks over at the table she’d occupied with Khitti before, digging into the grooves of the wood for answers that don’t come. With a sigh, Alvina apologizes to the empty space while her heart drops into her boots. A few coins are left on the table, for the mess, before she leaves. The cold stings her skin as the bakery door slams closed in the wind. Slams closed, dividing the two women heavily. She was going to have to tell Hudson...and he was not going to be happy.