"I would advise against that," Megumi said in warning, "Statute 1A issues can be serious. It's why elected City Council members are contacted..."
"City Council..." Melissa began.
"While Moon Lake is a secret were community, we don't have some sort of separate organization apart from the city government," Megumi explained, "So, the City Council will deal with these sorts of things. And it's mostly a series of meetings to know what happened and what the police have reported. From there it gets turned over to the city's DA. And justice goes from there and would look like any other city's government."
"So... nothing secret..." Melissa began.
"Why have something secret from Moon Lake as a whole?" Megumi gave a shrug, "most of the people here ARE weres and those that aren't are aware of the existence of weres and will preserve the secret as well. So there is no need for anything super secret. And if weres were exposed... such things would only justify a negative reaction."
"That'd make sense," Melissa commented, "But why can't I..."
"Remember what I told you about a rogue werevixen deciding to force herself on at least two people?" Megumi began and waited for Melissa to nod, "well, she put the whole town on edge and the town's normals had to stay indoors as much as possible until the rogue vixen was caught and imprisoned. And right now, we don't know if this rogue is loose or not... or if the new were's transformation is incomplete. That situation could be dangerous for you. We shouldn't do anything until grandma comes back."
"So... what do we do in the meantime?" Melissa asked.
"You could talk on what you think," Megumi commented, "and what were you'd like to be."
Melissa sat back and thought for a moment. What Akane had said didn't really change her concerns or opinions regarding a werefox's bond being problematic when a loved one died. Akane had assured her that things wouldn't be guaranteed to be as bad as her father's mourning had been, but that didn't deny the possibility. However, the thing that struck Melissa the comment to do that would bring her the most happiness, and so far there had been only one option that sat there. She had originally looked at being a werefox because she felt her personality matched it, but despite being friends with Megumi, the greatest happiness she'd gotten was from Trevor.
He made her happy. He'd been there for her and introduced her to the group of friends that she'd made. And he'd been respectful to know when they were getting too close to a point where they might have gone too far to quickly and backed off and let Melissa be free to make the actual choice. There was so much about Trevor and simply being with him had made her happy. There was something special about Trevor and Melissa had felt it in her heart and her bones.
"Well... to be honest," Melissa began, "If I go with your grandma's advice... my only real choice would Trevor... become his werecow and love him as much as I can... as he has made me very happy, and so much of it just feels special."
"Yeah... you two do make a nice couple, and Alice and I could see that the two of you were moving slowly toward romance even before you two admitted it," Megumi smiled.
"We weren't that bad.... were we?" Melissa asked.
"Oh... you were both obvious," Megumi gave a chuckle, "but it'd still make me happy for you."
"Even if I don't become a werefox?" Melissa asked.
"Being friends is more than what one is on the outside," Megumi answered, "you become the prettiest werecow you can be... be insanely happy with Trevor and let me be the maid of honor at the wedding."
"And what about Alice?" Melissa asked, catching a joking tone at the end.
"She can be the best man," Megumi chuckled.
Melissa sighed and shook her head, knowing that she now knew what her choice was. Now, there was only to find out what had gone on that got Akane to go answer a phone call as a member of Moon Lake's City Council and figure out how to tell her father she planned to "roll in the hay" with Trevor to become a were, not knowing what had already gone on elsewhere.