"This guy would really try and kill Jenny and Harry?" Karen asked nervously.
She was relieved not to be in any trouble, but the fact that trouble seemed to be around was enough to create some nervousness. She was fairly sure that Peter would take her in until this apparent stalker was caught, as she did want to be his lioness and would have to be with him eventually to do so, but that didn't mean that what the dean had just told her didn't make her nervous.
"From what I've been told, the one he wants to kill would be Harry," Dean Myers said slowly, "Jenny, he'd likely want to kidnap and hold hostage... and since we already had ONE intruder make it to yours and Jenny's dorm room, it was best to warn you of the situation and make sure there is a safe place you can go until this stalker is either caught or leaves Moon Lake."
"Maybe if Peter and I..." Karen mused softly, "once I'm his lioness... I could maul this guy."
"That wouldn't be appropriate," Dean Myers spoke, startling Karen a bit and making her look up. "Even in human form, most weres have far sharper hearing than normals do. Becoming a were to maul this guy, regardless of his transgressions, would not be appropriate."
"Wouldn't you want to maul him?" Karen countered, but looking down, embarrassed at the dean hearing her comment.
"Yes," Dean Myers admitted, "but for the purpose of protecting those in my care. Not simply because I can... and even there, I have to be aware that while I am a were, that does not mean I am above or immune to the law. We are weres, not animals, and we must control our instincts in order to serve the public good."
There was a semi awkward silence as the two sat quietly for a few moments. Dean Myers had informed his secretary to call both Harry and Jenny once their classes ended and summon them to his office to go over what safety measures they could take, and since Karen would technically be in as much danger as Harry and Jenny, having her input and involvement would good too. Her comment though also raised the fact that it appeared that Karen was involved with a were and was looking to join were society to be with him.
"So... Moon Lake's secret didn't put you off," Dean Myers said after a few moments.
"No, no, it hasn't," Karen answered, "everyone's been nice... and well..."
Her voice drifted off for a moment as her thoughts turned to Peter.
"You found someone," Dean Myers commented, "believe me, I've seen that look before."
"Yes, I found someone," Karen blushed, "Peter Talbot..."
"A werelion, eh?" Dean Myers commented, "Well... I suppose that isn't too bad..."
"Huh?" Karen wondered.
"Oh, it's nothing on Peter Talbot or his family personally," Dean Myers chuckled in assurance to her, "Just some friendly rivalry between weretigers and werelions... the whole who is "king of the jungle" thing."
"There's rivalry?" Karen wondered.
"It's nothing major," Dean Myers answered, "And nothing truly violent. About the only real contest between werelions and weretigers is a yearly wrestling match held here on the campus. Any werelion, werelioness, weretiger, and weretigress are free to enter. Shortly after I joined the weretigers, I did participate and wrestled against Leon Talbot."
Karen blinked, "He didn't mention that when I met him..."
Karen watched as Dean Myers puffed out his chest with pride.
"I won," Dean Myers smiled. "But we do get along quite well. If I had a car to be fixed up, I'd gladly pay him to do it. His company has done wonders, or so I've been told."
Karen only shook here head. It sounded as though she were listening in on a sports debate, but she figured that so long as things were friendly there wasn't that much need for concern. For a moment a part of her conversation with the rest of the Talbot family came to mind.
"Would the weretigers mind if a werelion fell in love with one of the weretigers?" Karen asked.
"To my knowledge, no," Dean Myers answered, "though the friendly rivalry may be a bit of a hurdle... but if the pair work at it, they should be fine. Why... are you looking to be weretigress?"
"No... I... I want to be Peter's lioness, I was just... asking a hypothetical question," Karen answered.
Dean Myers nodded, "I see. Well, Peter is a good boy and by his grades has done very well. And he won the tiger/lion wrestling match for his age and weight bracket last year."
Karen blinked, "He didn't mention that to me..."
"Modest son-of-a-gun, isn't he?" Dean Myers teased.
There was again a bit of a silence before Dean Myers returned to more serious matters.
"Anyway, if you become Peter's lioness, that is your choice," Dean Myers spoke, "but you will need to remember to follow Moon Lake's laws and abide by all of the customs and mores of werelion society, which I'm sure Peter either has or will share with you. You will also need to remember that at present were society is secret and hidden from the rest of the world. This man stalking your roommate may be crooked, but that doesn't justify risking the exposing of were society to frighten him... Not to mention that were society doesn't support such tactics. Weres have been hunted and killed far too much for that to be a viable option."
"You knew that when you joined?" Karen asked.
"No... Moon Lake has some histories of normals hunting weres at both the city library and here on the college's library that are from a were's perspective and we don't loan them out to anyone that isn't either a Moon Lake resident or a student here at the college," Dean Myers answered.
"Because a normal who's grown up in Moon Lake will be familiar with weres and knows they aren't like in the movies," Karen spoke, remembering that Harry had grown up in Moon Lake but didn't become a were until after Jenny became a were.
"And normal students that have come here from outside Moon Lake as well as anyone who comes in to work but doesn't live within Moon Lake's city limits sign legal waivers NOT to reveal anything that relates to Moon Lake's secret," Dean Myers added, "which demonstrates the ability to use the law to protect ourselves and our secret."
"But this stalker..." Karen said slowly.
"Will be caught if he persists," Dean Myers answered, "and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Either the Skulk's security services will find something, catch him, and turn him over to the police. He will commit some crime and the police will arrest him for it. Or he will come here do something suspicious, will be detained by campus security and then escorted off of campus back toward the rest of the town. If he does worse than simply being suspicious, campus security will arrest him and turn him over to the police. All within Moon Lake's laws, which aren't that different from any other town in America. The only places where Moon Lake's laws differ from other cities has to do with the were population and its secrecy."
Karen slowly nodded. She looked up to see Dean Myers give her a friendly smile, in a way that reminded her of her own father.
"I'm sure you'll make a fine werelioness," Dean Myers said to her, "Just remember that being a were is not an excuse to be a bully, which is something that were society has LONG rejected."