RP:The Wolf Within

Summary: Lanara wakes up to discover that she’s now a lycan and that her beloved tikifhlee had been sacrificed during the ritual. Tiber hasn’t left his mate’s side for the three days that she slept, and he helps her come to terms with accepting her inner wolf. The couple spends some quality time together and makes plans for their future, before retiring for the evening.

Part of the Lunar Tides and Silver Linings Arc

(Post 1 of 3) Lanara :: It has been three days since the ritual had taken place, in which Tiber had shifted and bitten the witch, thus turning the nature loving beauty into a beast that bows to the moon. Lanara’s body had rejected the curse, and so her beloved familiar had to be sacrificed, to appease the Goddess; a life given is equivalent to a life taken. Thankfully, the offering of the tikifhlee had garnered positive results, as the seizures had subsided and the witch slipped into a deep sleep. Cinder had assured Tiber that Lana would awaken shortly after she had been buried, but perhaps the sadistic feline had pulled one final prank on the Catalian. Will Lanara awake from her coma? Will she sustain any brain damage or lasting effects? Had Tiber done the right thing in turning the animal empath into an actual animal? Will their love still be as strong, their cosmic bond be tightly wound, or will the woman loathe the man that had done all he could to save her life? Only time will tell. The three days are likely agonizing for the lycan, but it seems that Lana isn’t experiencing any pain, as she sleeps soundly atop the bed, her chest rising and falling with each precious breath. All of the swelling had left her face, the bruises had faded dramatically, and the sutures healed nicely, all indicators that the blood of the wolf was flowing through the veins of the woman. She survived a grave ordeal and all that’s left for Lanara to do, is to wake up from the nightmare and move forward with her life.

(Post 2 of 3) Lanara’s stomach growls loudly, as it has been days since she had last eaten, and this is what seems to spark the will to wake up. The sun is fading in the distance and only a sliver of light shines through the window, casting a spotlight on the woman, as her eyelids flutter and her lips slightly part. She’s parched and hungry as she turns her head and nuzzles the pillow, inhaling the scent of the man that had laid her atop the mattress. The musk of her mate brings a faint smile to her lips, though there is a fearfulness in her mind, as she still refuses to open her eyes. Is this Heaven? Did Tiber’s ritual work? Swallowing hard, she tries to replay her last memories and a single tear escapes her closed eyelid. The glass shards from the hourglass pendant. Tiber shifting into a wolf and chomping down on her left wrist. The searing pain that swept through her battered body. Asha, the inner wolf, introduces herself upon their first meeting. And the word ‘mate’ repeated in her mind, until she fell onto the pillows and began to convulse. Lanara remembers it all, at least until the point where she lost consciousness, and she wonders just how long she has been asleep. The sound of crickets is heard and she focuses on this, as all of her senses seem to kick into gear at once, and she instinctively senses that her mate is somewhere nearby. She can smell and hear even the faintest of scents and sounds, and it’s both exhilarating and terrifying. “I’m… Alive?” Unaware that she’s spoken aloud, Lana spends a few more moments concentrating on the enhanced senses and her surroundings, as her hands clutch the blankets and her face contorts into an expression of apprehension. It’s at this precise moment, while she’s mildly disoriented, that Asha announces her presence from within, “About time you woke up! Get along little witchy, I want to see Luca.”

(Post 3 of 3) Lanara nearly faints upon hearing the voice inside her mind, and it’s a sickening feeling, as this is -exactly- what happened when she had misused her magic! She had been placed in an asylum and they had to perform an exorcism, until the entity left her form. Had she used astral projection? She doesn’t think so, but -why- is she hearing voices?! Tiber didn’t tell her that psychosis is a side effect of being turned, either! Asha continues muttering reassurance and Lana shakes her head, “GO AWAY. I refuse to believe -any- of this… I’m going crazy!” Needing to see Tiber, needing to feel that she’s -really- alive and not in some warped dreamworld, Lana opens her eyes and slowly sits up. A wave of dizziness hits and she rests the back of her hand against her forehead, as though she feels faint, but the sensation quickly passes. Bowing her head, she sees that her nightgown is heavily stained with crimson, and she knows that it’s blood. She cannot recall taking any sort of wounds to her midsection, and she touches the fabric, assuming that she’s been asleep for at least a day or two as it’s seeped through and dry. “Oh no…What have I done?” Instinctively, Lanara knows this isn’t her blood, and she worriedly begins to whimper as she frantically tries to tear the cotton garment from her form. She wants the voices to stop, she wants the nightgown off, and she wants to escape this cottage, because right now it’s all causing her great mental distress. She doesn’t have any memory of Cinder’s sacrifice, and it will be too much too soon, if she’s to discover that she is coated in the gore of her beloved familiar. The woman fears that she horribly wounded Tiber, or perhaps Gia and Maude had returned, and she maimed one of them? “I...I killed… Oh my Goddess… GET OFF OF ME!!!” Lana is dehydrated, starving, and her fingers seem to keep getting in the way of the buttons, so she claws at her own bloodstained flesh and tries to pull the bloody cloth over her head. Asha chuckles and makes a comment about ‘butter’ fingers. Between the spastic motions, the haste in needing to be free of the gown, and the panic that bubbles in her gut, the witch literally falls off the bed. The tumble sends Lana onto the hardwood floor, where she wrestles with the nightgown that is now bunched around her shoulders and head, and she fights to breathe as she wildly kicks her legs and curses. “Get. Off. Of. Me. NOW!” Lana begins to cry as more colorful words fill the serene cottage, and her screams grow louder, “TIBER. Help me! Please… Help me. I can’t… Get it off! HELP!” If the man is to enter at this moment, he will see his girlfriend on all our fours, tangled in a red and white nightgown. To make this even more comical, the witch is wearing a pair of underwear with a smiley face on the rear, as though even her own garments find this to be amusing!

(Post 1 of 3) Tiber :: Not much had been done after putting the witch to rest that first day. Was the rest eternal? Would the Goddess bow into the sacrifice that was given? Was Cinder enough? Tiberius did not understand the aspects of Lanara’s background, and that was a moment of realization he should have taken time to understand that close part of her. She had done everything for him. She had supported him in multiple times of need and loved him unconditionally even when at first he could not return it. She was patient with him in her time of illness. Now here they were. Him with sweaty palms. Time ticked, and the Catalian had been staring at the figure of the blood-covered woman. Amber eyes were piercing over the woman’s face—waiting for any twitch or sign of life. Then, the seizures stopped, and a steady breathing came with a sound of slumber. Was this a coma now? Cinder said she would awake, right? Was Cinder pulling some sick joke? The man backed slowly after he saw that breathing and would find a nearby chair to sit in across from the bed. No movement. Just a stone man. Occasionally palms will fold and his back would hunch as he watched the witch with anticipation, but he was determined not to move. In moments, he found himself speaking aloud to the witch. Stories would flow from his mouth. One specifically about a lake where ducks came to settle before the temperature dropped so fast the lake froze. The ducks took the whole lake back to where they came from. A simple story, and one to keep him steady as he waited.

(Post 2 of 3) Day two, Tiberius did not sleep a lick as he sat in that chair, but… he finally was able to manage to stand and look at the Kelvarian clearly. Her puffed face had lowered down in the swelling. Her wounds were mending, and it was clear that her body was healing quicker than the average elf. The wolf venom had taken its course, but would she wake? Would she wake? The lycan attempts to brush strands out of the woman’s face in an attempt to wake the witch up, though she does not wake in the painless slumber that takes her. Aggression took over in moments as the man paces the room with Luca barking in the back of his mind. “We killed her. We killed her. We killed her. The coma will take her, and it’ll be your fault for not turning her sooner.” Fingers would lace through blonde strands in antsy behavior. The man does not sleep, however, no. Not until she is awake.

(Post 3 of 3) More time passed. The next morning, and Tiberius still sat in that chair again. No food, no sleep, just Lanara. Those golden eyes were steady and cautious of the woman. So very cautious. Her sleeping was like a soft rhythm, and his breathing began to reflect her own as he sat in the corner. His knuckles press against the side of his temple while his elbow sits on the arm of the chair. Then, a wave of exhaustion crept over his own gaze as he was stationary. How long has it been? Panic swarmed the room, but suddenly he was whisked away into darkness as heavy eyelids fell. An hour had passed by, and in the back of his mind, he could hear her voice. One full of sheer panic. ‘Tiber. Help me!’ Could he? The man felt like he could not do anymore as his body was closing on him with… sleep. ‘Get it off! Help!’ “She’s in danger, Tiberius!” An echo snaps him into the reality of the room and eyes snapped open. He scrambles out of the chair with tinted eyes from lack of sleep, and a scruffier face than normal due to the lack of trim. He stares at the woman who is wrapped within her own nightgown on the ground with a smiley on her butt. The smile makes him smile, but surely he is cautious due to Lanara’s frantic state. She was alive. Alive. That damned feline was right on the money. The man rushes over before getting on his knees to pull through the fabric of the nightgown, “Lanara, it’s okay! You’re okay! It’s me!” Once he pulls through the fabric, she would face as clear as day. A wide-eyed look with a small twitch of a smirk.

Lanara is sure she’s going to die from suffocation, so as Tiber finally wakes up and pulls the gown the rest of the way off of her form, she hungrily gulps at the air. Asha is -still- chuckling, though she seems pleased that Luca is so closeby. The butterflies that the witch gets in the presence of Tiber are magnified tenfold, as her inner wolf is wagging her tail and sending the butterflies into a violent frenzy. Perhaps if Lana tried talking to Asha the wolf would calm down, but she has never used her empathic abilities on herself. She is now an animal. Will she still be able to wield her powers? She kneels before Tiber, wondering if she should confess that she’s hearing voices, because he may send her off to the nearest nuthouse. Or maybe this is normal after being turned? Is this basic knowledge she had skimmed over while studying lycanthropy? Even worse, will her boyfriend expect her to live with Alastor’s group of misfits, until she learns to control her wolf? “I’m… I’m not -me- anymore…” Lana’s gaze only now locks with Tiber’s, her vision cloudy with unshed tears, as she hurls herself into the males arms. “I’m still yours. But, I’m not myself. I’m… Alive… But… I-I am hearing voices. Laughter. It’s a female voice, and she keeps talking about Luca, and I’m pretty sure I lost my mind when you turned me. I’m going crazy. I’m hungry and my throat is dry, and there is so much blood. Tiber… Did I hurt you? Or Gia? Or… Cinder?” Frantically, she pulls back from the embrace and she looks around the room, trembling. “I can’t go back there.” A single tear slips as she loses any remaining composure she has, and she crosses her slender arms over her bare chest, as it sinks in that Tiber must be so disappointed. “I thought it would work, and you did your best! But… I’m sorry. I guess I just wasn’t strong enough, and that even though my body healed, my mind must have broke...” Lanara Banks truly believes that she has lost her mind and committed horrible actions during her black out period. “Please, don’t put me away. I cannot stand being locked up again… Maybe you can just kill me? Or let me free? I can go someplace far away, where no one will care if I’m crazy or a murderer. I can just hide, forever…” Having spent most of her years as a prisoner to the Academy, witch killers, homeland invaders, and in a mental hospital, it’s obvious that putting the woman in any sort of institution would be a worse fate than what she’s already been dealt. “I love you, Tiber… I’m so sorry. I don’t want to break up-” Her words cut off as Asha growls at the mention of anyone parting ways, as she flat out refuses to part from her mate. “Shush. I’m trying to talk to Tiber! Why do you always have to have the last word? You are so annoying.” Tiber hears Lana’s side of the conversation and can see her growing more and more agitated, when the woman's stomach rumbles. “I need to bathe and eat… Then we can decide what to do?” Sadly, she unsteadily rises to her feet, clenching her jaw so that she doesn’t continue bickering aloud with the inner voice. Asha chuckles and calls out to Luca, “I don’t think the witchy likes me very much…”

Tiber searches Lanara’s wild gaze as she gasps for breath. Amber eyes connect to the woman’s gaze and there is a glint in her gaze. A new amount of emotions that overwhelm him in the pit of his stomach. Especially when he had pulled off the nightgown from her. Her healthier physique. His mouth feels dry for a moment as he was staring into the future. The world. Though, along with the world and her spilling of word-vomit, came a dizzy man trying to keep up. The drama was something else. Her emotions were tenfold, and the man knew he had to bring the woman back down to level. The aftershock would be new feelings. Enhanced feelings. There is a dizzy look, but a grin on his face because she is here. The man reaches to cup the woman’s face and stare at her gaze as she blubbers about, and he shakes his head with a small laugh. Why the hell is she talking of an asylum? “Lanara, shh, calm down,” he is still chuckling at her spiral. His voice has a calm ring to it despite the laughter. “You didn’t kill anyone or anything. I’m fine. Gia is fine. You’ve been here. You’re you. Just not… feeling quite you? You’re just ‘extra’ you because you’re feeling oversensitivity. Emotions tend to enhance when you’re… one of us.” He places a hand behind his head to scratch it as he tries to explain. “You’ve been asleep for three days which is why you’re famished. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.” He takes a long pause on the next thought he had. Lips fall into a line. “You’re not insane... Err…” he looks at the gown. “Lana, I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to be mad,” he feels a pang of guilt as he begins. “When I bit you, you didn’t take the venom well… your body was shutting down. You were seizing. You were going to die,” he inhales sharply at the thought. “Cinder came to me. She wanted me to… kill her. Kill her for you. A sacrifice for… the Goddess. I had to… pour Cinder’s blood on you. Exchange her life for yours. It’s what Cinder wanted. And she told me you could bring her back.” His gaze finally tears away from his girlfriend’s because he knew she would be upset by the thought of him killing Cinder. “I buried her not too far from here. You’re alive because of her, Lanara. There wasn’t much time and Cinder was urgent that I do it because you were about to die.” There was a grim tone in the room. Luca, however, coughs, "Buzzkill," in the background. Clearly Luca had no empathy nor sympathy for Cinder through that sarcasm.

Lanara had been about to turn on her heel and head to the restroom to take a much needed bath, but Tiber’s words had her glued in place. She cannot move as her limbs go numb, the tears steadily pour down her cheeks, and she can physically feel her own heart shattering. Asha knows better than to chime in, and thankfully, keeps silent on the matter. A witch losing their familiar is akin to a wolf losing its mate, or a swordsman losing his dominant hand. Lanara cannot even find the words to say, be they to insult or show gratitude to the man that had saved her life, because she cannot think. Enhanced feelings have hit their peak at this moment and all she feels is pain, heartache, and she cannot help but blame herself for Cinder’s demise. If she hadn’t gone to Kelvar to reconnect with Natianara, if she hadn’t taken the curse upon herself, if she hadn’t agreed to become a lycan… The tikifhlee, the rarest of species of felines, would still be happily dwelling in the lands. Lanara catches a glimpse of her reflection and sees that she looks healthy and whole again, save for being a little thinner than normal, and she knows that her vitality has come at a great cost. The price of a life, her familiar’s life, and she narrows her gaze angrily on the mirror. She will not blame Tiberius for acting out of love, nor does she hold Cinder responsible, this is all on Lanara. A burst of power exits the witch and a second later the glass in the mirror shatters, the first magic she has used in nearly a year. Can she truly bring the tikifhlee back to life? Flicking her attention to Tiber, she parts her lips and tries to say something, but she fails to come up with anything meaningful. Had she truly rejected the change?! Her big brown eyes are mildly accusatory, but eventually her expression softens, and she shamefully glances away, “I’m sorry… This is going to be difficult for me, harder I think, than either of us expected. I am wonderful with animals, but now I -am- an animal. And my emotions have always been wildly swinging from one extreme to the next since I sacrificed my empathy a long time ago, and now they are even more unbalanced.” Inhaling, she meets his gaze, “This is going to take some time to get used to, but I will try my best to get where you want me to be… Thank you for saving my life, Tiber.” It’s obvious she’s unsure of herself, of all these new feelings, and of the wolf that resides inside of her body and mind. But the one thing she is sure of, is the man that is gazing adoringly up at her, and so she extends a hand, “Come help me wash all this blood off? I’m guessing that we both need to bathe, eat, and rest… You really stayed here the whole time?”

Tiber can see the witch hesitate. Perhaps this was just ripping the bandaid off, right? Why drag out the moment? Should he have lied to the woman staring with that pained face? He should have told her that Cinder was on some long-extended vacation and figured out another way, but he could not bring himself to lie to his opposite on this one. Her reaction was one that he was not expecting. The tears, yes, but not the way the mirror abruptly shatters. Oh, boy. Witch and wolf did not collide well right now. Tiberius is stoic and mixed with his own internal emotions, for he feels to blame on this one. He killed the tikifhlee. The companion. The blood still rested on his own cotton clothes in small splatters. It makes him vulnerable as if he should go change clothes and get rid of the evidence entirely. The man sits with hands in his hair in a stiff state. Perhaps he was not ready to handle this. Was he? Was now a bad time to crack a joke and say ‘at least there will be no crap in his shoes?’ no -terrible- idea, Tiberius. Luca thinks otherwise. Once Lanara’s face softens, Tiber carefully inches towards her direction and he shakes his head. “We both knew coming into this, it would be a tough journey. Nothing is easy from the start. I’m so sorry, Lanara. I didn’t know what else to do, but I know we can bring her back. -You- can bring her back.” Would it help Lanara to know that she was buried with some weeds? They were noxious, Tiber! No! Just keep it surface-level and genuine. “It’s not about me, Lana. It’s about you feeling comfortable with yourself. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you get there,” he steps closer. At this point, could he really eat? Yes, it has been three days. Do not kid, Tiberius. He is -definitely- hungry. No dead feline will stop that. Yikes. Keep it internal, keep it internal. “I’ll help you wash the blood off. I’m kinda dirty too,” true. Three days, sir. Bathe for god's sake. “I didn’t want to leave in case you woke up. I was awake until this morning… I think I fell asleep, but not for very long because… I’m still dragging.” The man would then reach out for the woman’s hand to stand before placing a hand on her lower back to usher her to go bathe. They really did need it.

Lanara hates that her beloved is blaming himself, and she wishes that she was capable of rewinding time, for she would have guarded her emotions. The mana smashing of the mirror is just the tip of the iceberg, as in the coming days the realization that Cinder is gone will hit harder, and sometimes the only way to heal is to do harm. There will be more broken objects and perhaps a few injuries to others, but it’s somewhat expected. “Thank you for being so patient… I just don’t want to let you down.” Tiber had chosen her as his mate for life, and if she didn’t turn into the picture of perfection he imagined, she doesn’t know what she will do. As their fingertips touch she smiles, and she feels the stirring of Asha’s emotions, as they both react to having contact with their mates. Lana leads the way into the bathroom and as the tub fills with hot water, she perches on the edge and reads the bottles lined upon the side, before she pours some lavender soap in and waits for the bubble bath to reach the perfect temperature. The witch slides in and moves so that Tiber can get in behind her, before she rests her back against his chest for a long moment. She soaks and inhales the sweet scent in the air, welcoming the steam against her skin, and she relishes in the moment as Asha is content and lets her just enjoy the sensation of getting cleansed. The blood is scrubbed from her flesh and Tiber helps her to get the harder to reach places, and she does the same for him in turn, before they empty the tub and refill it. Will she ever feel truly clean? They repeat the process, but by this time, Lana is feeling more ‘herself’ and so she’s more talkative and turns to face the Catalian. “So… I’m guessing that the ‘voice’ I hear belongs to her… Asha. She’s my wolf, right? And your wolf and my wolf are mates…” She briefly fills him in on the parts that happened before she lost consciousness, before the sacrifice of her familiar, and idly she runs her fingers over the bite mark on her inner left wrist. Tiberius Lowell had marked her as his chosen mate, his forever, and this simple notion hits her heart so hard that she straddles his lap and passionately presses her lips to his in a kiss that leaves them both breathless. She’s overcome with love and desire, despite the fact that they are both starving, despite the fact that the male hadn’t slept in three days, and despite the fact that Lana is a newly turned lycan and cannot comprehend all that is happening with her life. “Let me thank you…” Dark chocolate melts against amber as she closes any distance between their forms, wanting to feel closer to her mate in every possible way, and to forget the nightmarish three days, “I believe you told me this will feel even -better- now that I’m like you..” Their meal could wait, because the witch has a different type of hunger in mind, and if Tiber doesn’t reject her, she will sate his every desire. Afterwards, Lanara will remain in his arms and hold him close, until the water turns cool and their fingers start to prune, “Shall we get dressed and get something to eat now?” Nuzzling his chin, she smirks, “Unless you want another round?” The bathrobes are within reach and she rises, extending a hand to help the man out of the bathtub.

Tiber is in a swirl of emotions with the newly turned lycan. Not because he did not feel connected, but because she was having a hard time finding solid ground. The next days were going to be long, he was sure. Patient. He was patient, she had said. Patience was a virtue for a greedy man. Did he ruin her life by turning her? Was his fear coming true? Would she dread being like him? The man follows to the tub before stripping down and seeping into the water behind her. The warm water touches his skin, and he feels an ease at the warmth. The warmth rinsing the guilt--for now. He feels timid, however, with his new stir of feelings that Luca had with Asha. Lanara’s skin brushes against his, and he can feel his cheeks flood with heat. Maybe the water was too hot. Why had he been so nervous? Perhaps it had been a mixture of tiptoeing and newfound emotions. He knew he had loved the girl, but they both knew they were taking a risk with imprinting. She was his mate. All this time they were linked to one another, and the slap of the face that he had waited for so long to love her settled in. Thankfully, Lanara begins to talk. When did he ever feel thankful about that? He gently rinses water over the woman’s back in nurture. “Asha, huh,” he is connecting the dots in his clouded state. “If there is someone talking to you, yes. She’s connected to you. She’s you. A piece of you, that is. Err..” he felt strange, for he never really talked about his internal state, for Tiberius had always been a lone wolf despite Nadine, but Nadine had been long gone on her own ventures. Branching. Growing. “Luca,” he starts, “he’s my… wolf. And yes, they are mates which in a way… makes us feel whole.” His words are slow and new as he pieces the puzzle of his own emotions together. Tiber makes sure to listen tentatively on what happened before Lanara fell into darkness. Eyes watch her touch the markings on her inner left wrist and she turns and he watches her as if she is in slow motion. A figment of imagination. Their lips connect, and his skin feels hotter than his skin in the water. The Catalian could not help but grin when the Kelvarian slips those silkenly sly words towards him, and he cannot help but bend to her, for he was captivated. “Something like that,” he reflects her tone before gently pulling her down for her to kiss him again. The two mesh and the intense hunger between them feels like a whole new level despite the grim sacrifice for their greed. He buries himself in her and forgets. Loves and forgets for the meantime. After, hands linger on her backside and trace along her small frame. Little circles. “As much as I am enjoying myself… I’m starving, but babe, do we have time,” he grins before giving her a chaste kiss. He was right, they had so much time. Both of them get out of the tub before throwing on robes. Tiberius does not bother getting dressed in actual clothes. Instead, he is content in the robe as he heads to the kitchen. “What the heck do they even have in this place anyway for food? I can’t believe I didn’t look to start.”

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara spends some extra time in the bathroom after Tiber steps into his robe and leaves, as she combs her hair, brushes her teeth, and studies herself before the mirror. She looks the same as before she had been bitten, but there is something in her stare that hadn’t been there in many years. Life. Being around the Catalian had always been a bit of an adventure and he’s the first to truly make her feel ‘alive’ so it’s obvious that he gave her the gift of life when hers should have ended. The man had given her a second chance, a new start, and a strong continuation of their romance. They are bonded in so many more ways than before and she clings to the hope that he won’t shy away as their feelings have reached new depths. She muddles over the words he had spoken before they fed on each other's lust, and she faintly blushes, as Asha and Luca had also been present and she couldn’t tell where one had begun and the other ended. They truly are two souls intertwined for eternity, as lovers, and as wolf mates. Lana is nervous about this unique shift in species, uncertain about if she will be able to control the wolf inside, and even worse, if being so ‘like’ him will turn Tiber from her arms. Asha snorts as the witch overthinks, and as those chocolate hues blink, the reflection in the mirror shifts to that of the spirit that resides within the woman. Asha stares back, with captivating amber eyes and silken brown fur a few shades darker than Lanara’s hair, as they each assess each other's appearance. No words are spoken or needed, as they each find the other to be stunning, and an unspoken agreement is made to try and accept each other. They have to, in order to survive, after all. The witch smiles and lifts a hand to brush her palm against the glass, and she wipes Asha away, until it’s her elven face looking back, and the wolf is tucked safely back inside where she belongs.

(Post 2 of 2) Lanara rejoins Tiber in the kitchen, both of them still clad in bathrobes, and she rummages in the cupboards, “It’s mostly junk food, but I’m sure we can pull something tasty together.” She winks, and the two cook alongside each other, as they manage to make some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, the perfect comfort food. “Score! Lunalesca stocked the pantry with stuff to make s’mores! Yes!!! She knows me so well.” The bag of marshmallows is snagged and placed beside the bowl of soup, as though the witch was eager to begin on her dessert before even taking a bite of her meal! “Tiber… Um… There is a pretty big concern that I have.” She pauses, before taking a bite of her sandwich, “I don’t want to stay with the others in Cenril. I know that I don’t have any control of my new, uh, race? But… I don’t want to be a prisoner, either. I’m not sure where I will go, and I know you can’t babysit me in your apartment all day…” Would he? Could he work from home for a few days or weeks and just be at her side? They are so close to being evicted as it is, and she doesn’t want to cause anymore trouble for the man, as he has enough on his plate. “I can’t go stay with Taly because she only has one room and she shares it with Krice… The sanctuary is not a safe place for me, as this is all so new, and I don’t want to confuse the animals. Penelope lives with the other healers, I think, so no room there! And Meri? I’m not even sure where she is staying, and the last time we were together she seemed not too concerned that I was dying.” She frowns and takes another bite of her sandwich, “I will write letters to all those I’m close with tonight, so they know I made it through the curse. Maybe one of them will know someplace that I can go?” Asha growls and grumbles, “Idiot. Tell him to buy you a house and never leave your side. Pull him back into the bathtub and do what you did earlier! I’m sure he won’t deny you -anything- after that!” Lanara would laugh at this on a normal day, but at least Asha’s words remove the pout from her full lips, “I’m sorry, Ty… I know this is all just a lot right now, but we didn’t really talk much about what happens -after- I’m turned.” There had been so many -ifs- because neither was certain the change would even work!

Tiber, even though he had not ate, was automatically looking for the alcohol cupboard. Something to take the nerves off. Luckily, he finds a bottle of wine. “Thank you, Lunalesca,” and then he proceeds to help his girlfriend make junk. “Literally, soup sounds -so- good,” hungry man. Once they have their food, he eyes the woman who is all about s’mores. “Shmoring.” Was he calling s’mores boring? There was a grin at his stupid word. The man dunks his sandwich in his soup before taking one gnarly bite. His face is full and soup is dribbling off his lower lip as she talks about ‘big concerns’. More concerns? He wants to choke back on his food, but the food is already trailing down his windpipe, and the man was not dying today. Instead the sandwich slides down a pipe which makes his esophagus ache from the lack of chew. He brings his fist up to his mouth to clear his throat slightly as he listens to her. It takes a moment, but he squints as he talks, “Why would I make you stay with them? Are you insane? I’d never make you share a room with Corrine,” he was annoyed by the name for a moment. The woman makes it obvious that the apartment is a no-go which she has a point. They would be homeless--well, at least for a little while until they could find something. Then again, the possibility of a damage fee? Yikes. He understands where the witch is coming from. She lists off different people, and it rubs him the wrong way that she would think of staying with others in the first place instead of with him. Luca did not like the sound of her words of being so far which caused Tiber to get a little agitated internally. He lets the silence fall between them in his salty way as she apologizes and he takes another bite of his sandwich. “Before you left, I was going to buy you a house. What makes you think my plans changed?” He pauses. The stubbornness in him of keeping the same itinerary for the witch. “Though, there is one -minor- detail. Extra baggage,” he says this ordinarily like buying a house was no big deal. “Meaning me.” He clears the air. “We can buy a house. Together. You. Me. Salem. Maybe even some of those pets from the sanctuary can come if we have enough space.” Tiberius seems to be piecing the puzzles of his mind. His tone was nonchalant that buying a home together was just something he was planning to do all along. Was he really suggesting her bring her -pets-? This man right here? The man then pops open the wine bottle before pouring him and herself a glass before he sips on his own.

Lanara is taking dainty bites and watching Tiber’s emotions play on his face, fearing the worst, because he doesn’t look overly thrilled about any of her concerns. “I just thought since the group is being held there… Well… I’m new at this whole wolf thing, too. But, I don’t want to be kept there.” She wants to be at Tiber’s side, as does Asha, but she cannot just casually insert that in the conversation. He had already given her more than enough, and she wouldn’t dare ask for more, at least not this week! The sandwich is held a mere inch from her lips as the next string of words reach her ears and she drops it into the bowl of soup, her eyes wide, as her lips part in a gasp. “Wh-What?” Lana is in shock, and she’s beginning to wonder if all those seizures did give her some brain damage, because she can swear this is some sort of delusion. Or maybe she -did- die? This would be her version of Heaven, right? Having the Catalian all to herself, buying their first home together, moving in some critters from the sanctuary. Happily. Ever. After. “You need sleep.” She blurts out the words before she can stop herself, though it’s followed up with a giddy giggle, “You really mean it? I mean… I know we have been living together, but it was supposed to be short term, except I didn’t die… I just… I didn’t think you-” Had the possibility of her death truly affected him? Lana still finds it hard to believe that his feelings are equivalent to hers, at times, mainly because of her past experiences with matters of the heart. The witch is trying not to make a big deal out of this, because Tiber is just nonchalantly discussing -huge- relationship goals, but from the flabbergasted look on her face, it’s obvious she wants to jump up and down and squeal and go tell all of her best friends every last detail. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel obligated to give me anything, I just, I really want you to want this as much as I do.” The grilled cheese is floating in her tomato soup as the bread has disintegrated, and rather than eat her first meal in several days, the woman is gazing at Tiber, like some lovesick teenager. “I can bring Ranger?! He would -love- a little yard to play in and we can get him one of those kiddie pools so he can go swimming!” Suddenly, being a table length apart is more than she can handle, and so she walks over to Tiber and hugs him around the neck, “I! Love! You! So! Much!” A kiss is pressed to his forehead after each word, and she lingers at his side, “Are you a hundred percent sure this is what you want?” It had taken him a while to catch up, but from the light in her eyes and the color in her cheeks, it’s obvious she’s overjoyed at this change in events.

Tiberius blinks at the spurts of soup that fly onto the table due to her dramatically dropped sandwich. Was she really this shocked? He had thought they were over ‘testing the waters’. ‘You need sleep’. His nose sort of crinkles as if -she- was delusional. Well, he did need sleep, but he had been thinking clearly on this choice. “Why would I make it short term?” Clearly he could not be without her--in his mind. Was she oblivious? Or was he still too drawn back? She is flabbergasted which throws him a little internally. “I want you, Lana. I want you. I want us. And it’s too cramped and crowded in Cenril. Something quiet and secluded from all the drama would be nice. Not to mention the Backstreet Bastard. I don’t want him coming around you anymore either.” He pauses before his amber gaze holds her own. “I want this as much as you do. It’s in the plan.” In the plan? What plan? His voice is ordinary as if she knows the plan. Her gaze makes him smile like a goofy teenage boy and then the mention of Ranger makes him smirk with a nod in agreement to her excitement. The hug then makes him grunt a little as she squeezes him and the kisses make him laugh. Truly laugh. When she asks him one more time, he shakes his head with that lopsided grin. To see her light. To see her alive. Her cheeks flushing. Her eyes shining. She was here. She was home. “Shut up, already. We’re buying a house,” his tone was light and teasing as he would gently pull her down to kiss him with that smile still pressed against his lips. Yep, Tiberius Lowell was sure alright.

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara melts at Tiber’s words, her heart as gooey as the cheese melting in her soup, because she can never get enough affirmations from the male about his feelings. “Thank you for reassuring me, Ty… I think I need that more than the average woman.” She had a lot of baggage, but she carries her pain especially well, on most days. Around the Catalian, however, she allows him into the dark trenches of her mind and shows him each scar that marks her heart, because she knows he will not judge her for her past, as he does all he can to piece her back together. Tiberius has not only reassembled the broken heart, mind, and body of the witch, but he has made her an even -better- version of herself, and she’s eternally grateful as he speaks about some ‘plan’ involving their future. “We’re -totally- buying a house…” Lana slides onto his lap as he pulls her in for a kiss and she smiles against his lips, as she can feel his grin, because nothing makes her happier than seeing her man in a good mood. If the couple isn’t making trouble, they are making out, and although this has the potential of turning into a long lasting session of lip smacking, Lana forces herself to break away. “Finish eating, because I’m going to make us some ‘shmoring’ s’mores for dessert.” She winks, before leaving his lap and returning to her own dinner, which doesn’t look all that appetizing anymore. Still, she is starving, and within a matter of minutes she’s finished with her cheesy tomato soup and looking forward to roasting marshmallows. “You never have to worry about Nick, because I don’t want him anywhere near me, either. I think he will back off now because I’m truly off the market, as an elf -and- as a wolf.” Nick hadn’t been deterred with her bearing the label of ‘girlfriend’ but wolves mate for life, and she’s pretty sure he will understand that more than most, as he is also a lycan. “Speaking of those we don’t want in our lives… We need to talk about Skitch. I cannot have him hiring hitmen or trying to capture my kin from Kelvar, that man is a menace, and he’s put us both in too much danger over the years.”

(Post 2 of 2) There’s a pause as she levels her gaze on Tiber, her hand clenching the bag of marshmallows tightly, “Skitch is going to be -my- kill, okay? It’s personal and I know that you loathe him almost as much as I do, but I have to do this to make things right.” The sketchy bastard had her abducted and put on the slave market, he then sold her to some psychopath who had manhandled her in a carriage, and she’s pretty sure he was behind some other unexplainable actions. Not to mention that he had set up Tiber! “You can be there, of course, as I -always- want you at my side… But, save the final blow for me, okay?” Is she truly plotting murder in the small kitchen, moments after a happy moment, and while proceeding to make s’mores? Lana’s mood swings had been pretty unpredictable in the past, but it seems that she’s in complete control, or maybe she just doesn’t see the absurdity in her emotional shifts. “I’m eager to test out my new abilities and strength and I cannot think of a better target.” She’d even go tonight, if her mate hadn’t been deprived of sleep! “We will plan something soon, Darling.” The grin remains on her face, though it’s gentler, as she carries on with talks about those that were rescued from Alastor’s grasp and how they need to bring them food and discuss their future. She talks about each of the group finding a job, learning their place in the world, and she hints at the forging of a wolfpack. Lana fondly speaks of Tybalt and how they should enroll him in school, she giggles about Bjorn’s womanizing ways, and those captivating eyes roll at each mention of Corrine. The lighter conversation has them both relaxing, as the past few days had been a whirlwind, and after an hour of just enjoying each other's company, a hand is lifted to hide a yawn. “How is it that I’m already exhausted? I slept for three days!” Lana knows that Tiber must be beyond tired and so she cleans up the kitchen and tells him to get to bed, waiting until she hears his first few snores, before she tiptoes from the cottage and heads into the night. She doesn’t tread far, just a short distance away, where she locates the grave of her fallen tikifhlee. The witch kneels upon the freshly dug earth and says a few prayers to her beloved familiar, before she dries her tears and heads back, to sleep beside the man she loves.

Tiber is lost within the longing of intense kisses, and then the witch suggests s’mores. He offers a sly grin at the other ideas for dessert, but he finds himself reflecting her with eating. He was also starving. “I think if Nick steps around you again, we are gonna have a problem,” he appears like there is no wiggle room on the matter of Nick. Though, the lycan does peer up from his soup at her when she mentions Skitch. Features are still and cautious when the Kelvarian brings the point of future shady plans that Skitch may have up his sleeve. The spoon is left to the side at this moment as Tiberius folds his arms over his chest and leans back at her suggestion of killing the slave-trader. Her kill. Tiber’s face is ice before he carves a small smile, but that fades. “Okay,” Skitch was her kill. Plain as that. As she goes on about her new abilities, he offers a tiny smirk. “Oh, I’m sure he won’t know what is coming to him.” That pleased the Catalian. The lighter conversation after the conclusion that Lanara would face Skitch eases the blonde, although talking of the members has him shaking his head. The members of the group were all ridiculous in their own ways. Then, the silence casts over them as the man hazily looks at the last bit of s’more to shove into his mouth. “Okay, not shmoring. Not at all, but I’m about to shmore. More like snore. Because I’m beat,” the man looked tired with those rings under his eyes. He stands and holds out a hand for his lover to follow, but drops it as she tells him to go ahead. “I love you. Don’t overwork yourself,” he would lean down and gently kiss her head in departure before disappearing to engulf himself in dreams. All seemed right with his world… Lanara Banks was alive.