Much of the rest of the day progressed quietly and with some degree of unease for Moe and Nichole. Moe had hoped there would be some reason for optimism regarding finding a possible spot for Moe's Pizza, and found that things weren't necessarily easy for the rest of his family, particularly with regard to Karen saying she would be the family were. This had clearly upset Nichole, whom he knew was pretty set on not being a were and not letting anyone else be a were in their family. A lot of it related to mandatory were law that at least one member of the family HAD to become a were, which generally speaking Moe could agree was unnecessary, but he supposed there was some good reasoning that had been put into the law, regardless of how good it was. And at the same time, there was the nagging feeling that if it meant protecting Karen from Marcus, becoming a were wouldn't be that much of a sacrifice.
"You're frustrated," Moe said softly to his wife as they sat together in the living room, knowing that she was watching him with narrowed eyes seemed to be even more frustrated with things than even when he'd returned a few moments before.
"Of course, I'm frustrated!" Nichole declared, "we've been chased around the country by mobsters that have no qualms with killing people because one of them wants to simply take our only daughter and we're now stuck in a town where just about everyone turns into some kind of animal and that WE have to join them just to stay here... which we have to do because of those mobsters! OF COURSE I'M FRUSTRATED!"
Moe sighed and looked down for a moment. All he saw was the tops of his shoes and knew that on certain levels that Nichole was right, and that if they'd known about Moon Lake's secrets before they came to the town, he probably would have picked a different location to try. But at the same time, Nichole was also wrong in that from what he'd found so far, both from talking with the Brooks the previous night and speaking with Tara Strange at the police station earlier in the day, he'd found enough that would indicate that Moon Lake's weres weren't the monsters that old legends made them out to be.
"I'd hardly think they're monsters dear," Moe answered, "if they were... don't you think the Brooks would have attacked us last night?"
Nichole took some comfort in that and relaxed a little, but her mind was still racing over things. It kept her lips pulled into a frown and she didn't answer while her eyes were focused solely on her husband.
"And surely, you've come across something that would be considered a positive?" Moe then asked.
"Well... the school does forbid transforming at school and no sex whatsoever, so that's good," Nichole said slowly, though she also looked down as she said that, "but that was also before Karen said she was willing to be a were anyway... and there's so much we don't know... what if something goes wrong?"
"I'd think generally we can say that nothing could really go wrong," Moe assured his wife, "the biggest thing would be that be it us or Karen that we know fully what we'd be getting into. The only were we've seen transformed has been Mrs. Twist, and she didn't attack us then, remember."
Nichole sighed and nodded, though that still didn't mean she was entirely over the shock that such creatures existed. In this she continued to stare down at the floor, not too far in front of her feet. Moe soon noticed that and squeezed her hand tighter, letting her know that he was still there. Eventually she did look up to him.
"Something about this is bugging you..." Moe stated, "and it's NOT the mandatory were law, it's not that the only were we've seen transformed was Mrs. Twist informing us on the mandatory were law, or even that Karen wants to be the family were. It's something else."
"Some of it was when I finished registering Karen," Nichole said slowly, "and well... there were students in the hallway, many of which were Karen's age..." She paused to look down again, and to Moe her voice almost sounded embarrassed. "And I... I... a part of me actually marveled at how good some of them looked."
"Well... weres DO look remarkably healthy," Moe commented, "Even Francine and Daniel look better than they did when we last saw them... and even in their human forms, the weres all seem to be similarly built."
"But these were teens!" Nichole blurted, "I'm a grown and married woman! I shouldn't be ogling teenage boys potentially younger than my daughter!"
"Did you do it deliberately, or was it just a passing glance?" Moe asked, guessing this was the thing that was really bothering Nichole and what had likely got her upset when he'd made the comment out him and Nichole becoming weres.
"It wasn't deliberate..." Nichole began.
"Then there was nothing wrong," Moe told her, "recognizing that weres seem to be built to attract attention and make lots of little weres is one thing. Actively desiring to get into that sort of thing is another."
"But... Francine's even admitted that becoming a were as driven her sex drive up," Nichole answered, "that'd have to mean that if any of us becomes a were, that would happen. Even if we don't become the monsters of myth and folklore, we'd still be different... not was we were. More interested in things we shouldn't... And we came here to get away from a low life who couldn't keep it in his pants."
Moe nodded and understood some of that. Tara had said something similar in relation to her growing up with her parents after they became weres. It reinforced his suspicion that weres had a higher libido than normal humans, but from what Tara had told him, she'd never been in danger or threatened by it. It was something that he guessed meant that weres were largely in control of themselves, which to a certain extent he already expected after talking with the Brooks.
"They are different," Moe admitted, "and there is a lot that we don't know. That's why I said that if Karen really wants to be the family were... than at least wait until we know more for sure... but I'm not sure we can truly say they're out of control..."
"Why else would the school outright forbid sexual contact?" Nichole asked.
"What school ever has allowed it?" Moe asked back, "they may not have it expressly written... but I remember high school. If a teacher ever caught a student having sex with another student there would be trouble, and if it was a teacher with a student, it'd be even worse."
Nichole was quiet for a moment, though she did look to her husband. He did look calm and concerned which created its own set of puzzling emotions. A part of her was glad he was staying steady, as at the moment, too many of her worries and issues were going in every direction that she probably couldn't be very clear and stable in her own thoughts. A part of her was in almost complete disbelief over how calm he was because of how different Moon Lake was from any other place they'd ever lived in. A part of her was embarrassed at the brief thoughts that flashed through her head that morning at the high school, and worried over her only child, already going through all the hormonal issues related to puberty having joining were society added to that.
"But why make it a strict policy then?" Nichole wondered.
"Perhaps it is some measure of trying to keep control," Moe commented, "and directly relating to the fact that it's likely that weres do have a higher libido than we do... but that could be something that would mean they're more easily aroused and interested, not necessarily that they lose control."
Nichole sat quietly, remembering what Francine had said at the Local Diner in how that when she was with her husband it was by her choice and nothing else. Francine had also commented on how if someone like Marcus tried anything with a female were, they could handle him physically in a way that would prevent the female were from being harmed and prevent Marcus from becoming a were at the same time. And on a certain level, with what the school administration had told her and the fact that the Brooks had never attacked them, a part of Nichole could even believe that to a degree. That still didn't mean she wanted to give up being human, to give up who she was, or lose her child as well.
"But wouldn't that mean it'd STILL be an issue?" Nichole asked.
"Perhaps," Moe gave a small shrug, "but it would be like what the officer who helped debug my phone told me... many of the things we think are issues aren't necessarily as big as we think they are."
"No doubt she was some busty were who wanted you to massage her chest," Nichole gave a disapproving grunt.
"Actually know... she's a normal human being who grew up in Moon Lake," Moe answered, "she was three when her parents moved to Moon Lake and they became the family were, and since she never moved out of Moon Lake and grew up here... the mandatory were law never truly applied to her. And she also said that she was never treated wrongly because she was human and her parents still loved her regardless. So... while there could be potential down sides to any were species, they may not be the sort of thing that says... oh... don't do it all! It'd merely be something look into and get all the facts and see as to what plusses outweigh the minuses given how things are. It's again where I made my point with Karen."
Moe scooted closer to her along the couch cushions and slowly wrapped one arm around his wife, feeling that her back was tense and that she really HAD been uneasy over things that related to mandatory were law and what they'd found out so far. He tried to hold her close to try and assure her that things would be fine.
"It's knowing more that we need," Moe said with a small smile, "and learning more will help deal with all the perceived issues and things. Because things like weres are traditionally only known through movies and other media, which haven't uniformly treated weres in a way that would match what we've observed so far. And even if you and I don't become weres... both of us know that we really don't have the funds to keep running and run our own restaurant. If we try this again after the Gambonis finally get their comeuppance, you know it'll mean working for places like Dominos or Pizza Hut... which may not be "bad," but..."
"It'll also be different from Moe's Pizza," Nichole sighed with a semi defeated tone, knowing full well that they didn't have many real financial options left that wouldn't negatively affect their credit or getting Karen into college.
"And who knows... maybe the more we learn, the better the idea becomes," Moe spoke, "as... if it is Karen's choice and she doesn't loose who she is... that would show that what the Daniel and Francine have told us would be correct, right?"
"Right," Nichole answered slowly.
"But that is all in the future," Moe spoke, "In the meantime, let's talk about something that isn't stressing you... As I did hear some things that would give Moe's Pizza a chance of success here and a site that we could acquire to work with."
Nichole nodded.
"Come on, let's get dinner started and I'll tell you about it," Moe gave a small smile and got up to lead Nichole to the kitchen.