Claire stood for a moment on the sidewalk curb, breathing deeply and attempting to get her emotions back under control. While doing so, she heard a voice clear from somewhere behind her. She turned and blinked a little. In her haste, she had not notice anyone else outside.
The old man certainly looked the part. His hair stuck out at odd angles in puffy masses from a wrinkled balding head. His eyes, though rheumy, held a sparkle of a sharp wit behind the weather-beaten face. Despite his age, his body seemed fairly hail if rather bent from the years. He slowly sat back down on the folding chair he had been so rudely vacated from a few moments prior. "Well you're in a hurry, missy."
Claire shook her head for a moment, "Sorry, I didn't see you. I was..."
The old man cut in with a chuckle, "Lemme guess. Relationship troubles?"
Claire blinked then knitted her brows, "How'd you guess?"
The old man laughed, "Missy, I've been around here since the town was founded. Heck, I've been around here since b'fore your grand-pappy was born, I'd wager." He coughed slightly at the end of the laugh, "Name Ham. Hamlin Brock. Heh, figure I'm prolly the oldest werebadger around these days. And definitely old enough to know better than to stay inside when some wolf's makin' the whole place echo with that racket." He bahs, "Told 'em they should invest in more sound-proofing for these buildings... but do those young weres ever listen? Ooooh no, not to Mister Badger." He snorts and pulls out an old worn pipe, starting to light it up.
Claire cleared her own throat, "Yes.. Well, it's the werewolf that's problem." She bit back a growl of her own as she turned away, "I was stupid enough to think he actually cared."
Old Ham snorts, "And you're so sure he don't? I'm assume it's a he?"
Claire could feel her face flush but she nodded, "Yes. Ryan Conners. The one making all that noise upstairs."
Old Ham laughs, "Missy you got a lot to learn about weres."
Claire couldn't hold her temper back as she finally snapped at the old man, "I don't need to learn what it is to be cast aside for some fling! I know what that's like quite a lot thank you very much. Grah...I don't know why I'm even talking about this with you, I should just go... I'd rather be in that CELL that listening to that."
The werebadger waggled a crooked finger at the young lady's back, "And you are all so fired up you didn't even stop to think that may, just maybe, your knight in shining armor was doin' fer yer own good, hmm?"
Claire turned, "MY OWN GOOD?!"
The werebadger blew a puff a smoke from a long draw on the pipe, "Aye. Yer own good. Now you as miss gorgeous but if you were as interested in him as you say then most likely there somethin' back from him to make you think that. So I'm gonna assume he loves you. You must turn him on... weres got it bad when it comes to the libido. Parta the whole animal instinct thing. The mind controls the beast but those urges are always there. Now what do you think might happen if he slipped up causa somethin' buildin' up, hm?" He shrugs, "Since yer in trouble already, might not make difference to you but the police force don't take to their officers neglectin' the rules."
Claire frowned, "You're saying... Let me get this straight, he's doing it just because he doesn't want to hurt me by losing control of his...sex drive?" As ludicrous as it sounded, there something to be said for the possibility... Her anger cooled as she started to think about the situation but she still felt hurt. Maybe she should talk to him instead though...
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For a note to a previous author: Biologically speaking females can enter physiological puberty as early as 9-10. Thus the girl could have been an early bloomer and still fallen within the realms of all the rules stated while still not being fully developed socially.