"What did I do?" Janice Harper asked, as Mrs. Jenkins stared at her, "John was there, so was Ginger. She kissed him and he looked happy. And from what I remember from when we first met them... I think Ginger likes him."
And in this she was fairly honest with her opinion. In some ways, she was actually a bit jealous that John had found someone that seemed to like him. Particularly as James Harper Senior had been so authoritarian with how the Harpers could make friends and interact with others. It was like elementary school kids needed to pass an FBI background check just to let any of the Harper children go to a sleepover at a friend's house or anything like that. And that had applied to all of the Harper children, which often made making friends difficult.
"Perhaps," Lisa Jenkins commented in a firm but calm tone, which actually made Janice shrink back a bit. She'd heard that tone of voice before, and it usually escalated into things that were far harsher and borderline abusive, if not outright abusive. "But don't you think that was a bit... harsh? To tease him?"
"But I wasn't doing it to be mean," Janice looked up to Lisa, "I'm actually quite happy for John. Ginger's been pretty nice, and she's seemed to like John... and this place... it's like a heaven of new opportunities and freedom from the things that our dad just went over the top on. In this, if I were John... I'd be overjoyed to have the opportunity for such a friend and the freedom to actually make that choice."
"Everyone enjoys having their freedom, dear," Lisa said calmly. Her voice remained firm but didn't escalate into the enraged yelling that James Harper Sr. often got into, "but your brother looked a bit uneasy with some things. I don't know for certain why... but that uncertainty seems to be a pretty big subject."
"But what's there to be uneasy about?" Janice asked, her own voice sounding puzzled, "John should be happy. Ginger seems to like him and they get along quite well. They could very well be happy come together, like Jenny did with Harry, and then they'd get married and have lots of happiness between them."
Lisa gave a small smile at that, and guessed there wasn't any real malice in what Janice had sang when John had come into the room. In that sense it was a good thing, and likely meant that it was probably just the same sort of sibling rivalry that she'd remember seeing between Huck and Harry while they were growing up. It was nothing abnormal or mean. It was actually rather normal and represented in many ways how normal families interacted, but there was the fact that the Harpers were coming out of a family that had been rather authoritarian and with the parents seeming to have more flaws than virtues.
"On that we do not know and cannot know," Lisa answered, "Perhaps your brother doesn't WANT to be a were. And even if he does... he may not know which, and since you and your brother are in Harry and Jenny's official care, you two don't HAVE to become weres under Moon Lake's mandatory were law. You are quite free, legally, to remain human if that is your wish."
"But Ginger likes him," Janice pointed out, "she's talked to him the way I've seen girls talk at school about boys they like."
"Perhaps," Lisa commented, "and perhaps there is some attraction on Ginger's part. Weres can be more easily interested in those sorts of things, and its why they pay so much attention to making sure that new families moving to Moon Lake have some degree of choice with regard to what were group to join. As once that happens, it is forever. And Moon Lake doesn't want to come off as though they're taking choices away from people and acting in ways that would seem like the rogues in folklore and movies. In this... Ginger has likely been reminded heavily by her parents not to force herself on anyone that doesn't want to be a were, and at the moment, we can't know as to whether or not John wants to be a were. In this... if it truly gets to that point, Ginger can't make a move until John has made a decision to be a were and to be with her before anything beyond talking can really occur."
"But why wouldn't John want to be a were and be friends with all of them?" Janice asked, looking down at her feet for the moment as she sat on the floor, "It's made Jenny happy..."
"Yes... but your sister was clawed by a rogue, and that is something that Moon Lake greatly dislikes as it would only confirm to people their old fears about weres," Lisa commented, "Your brother is in a different situation and there is no reason that would force your brother to be a were in order to be friends with Ginger O'Toole. In fact, Harry grew up a normal human being and only became a were because he'd already begun to fall in love with your sister and after she was scratched... a werefox's bond began to form between her and Harry... Which indicated that real love was there and was being returned in kind, which went beyond physical attraction. In that... Harry HAD to become a were if he wished to remain with your sister, which he did, because Harry loved your sister that much. But that doesn't mean Harry couldn't have lived out his life as a normal human being."
Janice gave a short "oh" and continued to look down at her feet and the carpet underneath them. After a few moments Janice felt a soft hand touch her shoulder and rub it softly. She turned and looked up to see Lisa Jenkins looking to her with a small smile. It was soft and understanding and Janice got some assurance that things were okay. That made her relax a bit.
"I'm glad you're happy for your brother," Lisa said to her, "and I'm glad you're happy to be here in Moon Lake. You will find it a much freer place than the place you were in... but that doesn't mean you need to rush into anything or push your brother into things that he might not be ready for."
"But what if he truly DOES like Ginger?" Janice wondered, "What if they're destined to fall in love and live happily ever after?"
"Then it will happen on its own accord and when both of them are ready for it," Lisa explained, "and it will be because they choose to be together, not because anyone is pushing them to be together. We can't and shouldn't force it. If John decides to be with her and become a weretiger, that is fine... and he would deserve your support. If John decides to become a different were, he'll still need your support and understanding."
"But then... what about Ginger?" Janice asked, "Wouldn't she be depressed if John doesn't become a weretiger to be with her?"
"Perhaps," Lisa nodded, "as weres do often pair up together... werefox with werefox, as Jenny and Harry did... weredog with weredog as Huck and Betty's pairing will be once they're married. But weres can and may often will engage in relationships that are between various were-species. In fact... your sister has befriended one of her college professors, who was also clawed by the same rogue that clawed her. He became a male werefox and from what I can tell, has offered a fairly platonic/parental type relationship for Jenny. That he would do what he could to help your sister when he can. His wife became a werecat and has agreed to that arrangement."
"And no one minds a werefox and a werecat together?" Janice asked.
Lisa nodded, which then brought a new question to Janice's mind.
"So... if I become a weremermaid when I'm legally allowed to, I could be with Ginger's brother if I wanted to?" Janice asked.
That made Lisa blink with some puzzlement at that, as it wasn't the sort of question she expected.
"When John and I first met Ginger, her brother was hanging out with her," Janice explained, "He actually looked kinda cute... but personally I'd prefer to be a weremermaid... sorta like in the cartoon."
Lisa gave a small chuckle and then shook her head. Janice's question was a bit of a surprise, but there was nothing that said that such a pairing couldn't happen. Though, Lisa didn't want to tell Janice that she and Henry didn't have that many interactions with the O'Tooles. Fred and Ginger's parents were a bit younger than Lisa and Henry and Fred and Ginger were well younger than Huck or Harry. In this, Lisa had no real way of knowing the social life that either of the O'Toole children had. This could well mean that Fred O'Toole could have someone that he was already seeing fairly seriously, and while that didn't mean that it would pan out, it was probably also something not to get overly hung up on. Things and tastes could very easily change.
"Well... I suppose it is possible," Lisa commented, "Though... it might be a good idea to be patient in that regard. For one, Moon Lake won't allow a normal human to become a were until they're fourteen at the absolute youngest, and will often demand that the partner they're with is the same age as them."
"The same age?" Janice wondered.
"Moon Lake's weres can be more "active" than people in other parts of the country," Lisa explained, "but they won't tolerate things that are considered to be abusive. And an adult engaging in those acts with children IS one of them."
"Oh," Janice blinked, and said nothing more for the moment.
"And regardless the mission is to be understanding and helpful with your brother," Lisa then reminded Janice, "If he wants to be a were, that's fine. If he doesn't want to be a were, that's also fine. And he will need us to be understanding of his feelings regardless... let him know that he will be loved, regardless."
"Okay," Janice answered, and that was something she could do. There was a lot that actually intrigued Janice about Moon Lake and she was quite eager to find out more, but she didn't want her excitement to make John uneasy. Her teasing before was not with malicious intent, and she'd honestly thought that John would be happy to have Ginger's attention. If he wasn't ready or wasn't sure... there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with that, it was just that Janice thought that John would actually share her excitement. She'd try to do better and assure her brother that she meant no harm or embarrassment.