BEFORE WE BEGIN....
Welcome back to The Werewolf Prince and the resumption of the Tad thread, as well as a big hello to Unnamed for joining the party with Tabitha and Lucie, along with the introduction of Mark and Stephanie Halbred finding Lena the cecaelia (octopi) girl.
It's nice to see the Moon Lake "family" growing.—tmw.
Now then, on to our story...
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As the applause died down, Akane Tachibana announced the meeting was adjourned and that refreshments would be served shortly.
With that, except for the closest werefoxes and werevixens pausing to personally shake the hands of the new inductees to the Skulk and say hello, everyone else started to file out of the meeting hall.
While the Skulk leader was still at the front of the hall, conferring with a couple of what was presumed to be her grandsons; when they found themselves relatively alone, William and Martha Anderson turned to face those behind them.
"So," said Martha, staring at her son Eric standing next to Julie Stovall. The young couple were holding hands (again or still, no one was certain), but the smile upon both their faces was quite obvious. "It seems like the two of you had a big day, indeed."
"Yes, we did," agreed Eric, moving a step closer to his girlfriend. The sparkle of happiness in his now deep sea blue eyes could not be denied.
"Young lady, do you love Eric?" asked Martha bluntly, while William was wondering if he would have to intervene with whatever his wife was planning.
"Yes, I do," declared Julie, as even her mother moved closer, wondering what was about to happen.
"Then please, call me Martha, and welcome to the family," said Eric's mother, as she leaned over the chairs to hug her son's lady. When they finished hugging, Martha stood erect again and observed, "I see that promise necklace I made for Eric looks beautiful on you."
Both Stovall ladies instantly realized that except for Eric, none of the other Andersons knew the true significance of the necklace. A single pearl necklace in were-mer society was actually their version of an engagement ring, and that Julie's acceptance and wearing of it meant she was now Eric's fiance!
"Yes it does," replied Julie, fingering it tenderly. "And someday..." she said, looking at Eric dreamily, who just stared at her in return.
"Mom, dad, I was wondering about something," said Eric, turning to look at his parents. "Since Nate is spending the rest of the weekend with Alex, can I spend the rest of the weekend with Julie?" he asked, hopefully.
Mister and Mrs. Anderson looked at each other, then turned to Mrs. Stovall, who had just shrugged her shoulders because this was the first she was hearing of it. "If it's okay with you..." was all Julie's mother said.
"You might want to stop by the house on the way home for some extra clothes," began Mrs. Anderson, wondering if Eric would actually need or be wearing them this weekend.
"But as long as you check in from time to time, and are back home by Sunday night, it's okay with us," added Mister Anderson, happy that both his sons were happily in love.
As Eric thanked them, his father added, "Now, let's go check out the refreshments," when Mrs. Tachibana approached them.
"Folks, do the four of you have a moment?" she asked, indicating the new inductees to the Skulk.
"Sure," said Harry, who had been talking with his parents and Jenny while the Andersons were talking to the Stovalls.
The Stovalls, the Anderson children, Alex Ramsey, and Harry's parents went on to partake of the refreshments while the new members talked Skulk business with their leader.
MEANWHILE...
Peter Talbot picked up Karen Yuletide in front of her dorm building at Moon Lake College promptly at 7, walked her to his car after kissing her in greeting, then drove her to his house.
Parking at the curb, in the dying light of the setting sun, Karen saw that except for an unusually large garage on the side of their house, the Talbot home was a modest one story structure like many other houses in Moon Lake. Where was I expecting them to live, a mansion?
Although Karen was doing her best not to show any visual signs of it, she was naturally nervous about meeting her boyfriend's parents. Granted, she would have been anxious about such a meeting under any circumstances. But in this case she was especially edgy considering that Peter's father was the local "lion king", for lack of a better term, and that as his only son, Peter was the "lion prince".
Peter walked with her arm in his up to the porch as the front door opened. Standing before her was a slightly older, and about an inch or so taller version of her boyfriend. If Karen didn't know better, she would swear she was meeting Peter's older brother and not his father.
"Greeting. I'm Leon Talbot," he said, holding out his hand. "You must be the young lady my boy is so infatuated with."
"Karen Yuletide," she replied, returning the handshake.
"Yuletide. An unusual surname," commented the elder Mister Talbot.
"My family is of European descent, although my side of the family tree has been rooted in America for several generations now," she explained.
"I see. Well, welcome Miss Yuletide. My wife Regina is making the final preparations on dinner and will be joining us shortly," explained Leon, as he stepped aside to let them enter the house.
As she walked in, Karen silently made a private quip about entering the lion's den as the front door closed behind her.
ELSEWHERE...
Ben Twist enjoyed a fabulous dinner with his girlfriend Kenya Adaeze, her aunt Tanya and Uncle Barry. Most of it had been prepared that morning and just needed to be reheated now, since both Tanya and Barry worked. Him at his convenience store and she at a nursery because of her botanical interests. If the older couple had any idea what the younger couple had done in the privacy of Kenya's bedroom before they came home, neither one let on.
Being polite, Ben offered to help, and assisted Tanya with clearing the table after dinner.
"Such a polite young man," her aunt whispered to Kenya, apparently forgetting that as a werewolf, Ben could hear everything. "He is definitely a keeper." A statement which made Kenya smile and Ben blush.
After dinner, the four of them sat around the table and talked until Barry asked if Ben was ready.
"Ready for..."
"To talk to Kenya's parents back in New York over the computer," Barry reminded him.
"Of course, if it's not too late," replied Ben.
"The hour is later there than here of course, but my brother and his wife would not have gotten home from their respective jobs before now our time, although there are times when I worry about my other niece Kendra being all alone in their apartment when they're not home," explained Barry, as he got up from the table and led the way to the "spare" room of the Adaeze home in-between Kenya's bedroom and their own, which was being used as a mixture of storage and office space.
"They say, once Kendra graduates high school, they will all move here. That is still a couple of years away since my other niece is only a Sophomore, but that day cannot come soon enough for me," said Barry, as Kenya sat down, turned on the family computer, and established a Skype connection.
Soon, the image of two adults sitting in front of a computer with a gawky 14 year old girl standing behind them appeared on the monitor as Kenya said, "Greetings mother, father. This is Benjamin Twist," she added, pulling her boyfriend closer to her so the webcam picked him up too. "The young man who has my heart, and I his."
The two adults in New York stared for a moment at what their computer monitor must have been presenting them. They turned to face each other just long enough to nod, and then moved to face the screen again.
"Greetings Benjamin Twist. My name is Adeola Adaeze. This is my wife Bolade, and our daughter Kendra. Welcome to our extended family," he said with a smile, as Ben released a breath he didn't know he was holding until now.
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For those curious, Adeola means "crown of high estate", while Bolade means "honor arrives", according to 20,000 names.com—tmw.