Liz sat quietly listening as to what her mother would say and give as advice. She'd generally kept rather close ties with her mother, particularly with the fact that her father had been killed in the Iraq War, leaving her mother without a husband and her without a father. In the time after her father's death, her mother had not only been there for her but also had heavily impressed on Liz what was to be expected from someone of their social standing, be they weres or not.
This often meant the importance of either great business success or some noble lineage. Within werelion society, it would also pertain to being able to claim the throne as "king," and that had the potential to be difficult, as it might often clash with other perceptions and ideas as well. The most scientific explanation for the existence of weres often related it being the result of a radical mutation in a virus that commonly could cross species barriers, like Rabies, but so far were scientists had been unable to truly determine the virus from which the Were Virus came from. Rabies was simply a good guess, as it did cross species barriers very easily.
It had also stood to reason that as man began the process of domesticating wolves, leading to the rise of the domestic dog, that this was when the Were Virus actually first appeared, regardless on what disease the Were Virus came from. In this, a diseased wolf bit a human and instead of being killed by the disease, the human became the first werewolf, and from there the Were Virus began to develop. Humans that came in contact with it became werewolves while animals that came in contact with it became carriers of a new strain until they came in contact with humans again and created the new were species. It was for this reason that werewolves, weredogs, and werefoxes were among the first weres to appear, according to those assumptions, as man had greater contact with those animals for varying reasons and that it eventually took time to transition to many of the other.
The various feline weres were actually among the last were species to appear. Some of this was guessed to be the result of cats generally being solitary with only lions living in large social groups, and thus meant a lower amount of contact with humans or weres. And that the animals that became the carriers for the feline strains of the Were Virus only became carriers after hunting prey that had been hunted by weres and managed to escape. Liz could remember all those lessons that went along with a Middle School elective class that was there to help prepare weres who were born weres for their first transformation. But that was ancient history and something that were society wasn't one hundred percent sure on, as there were plenty that had a more spiritual or magic based theory on the Were Virus's origins, which was something that helped better explain some of the unique quirks that various weres had.
And none of that related the perceptions and expectations that Agatha Brookshire had taught her daughter over the years as to what was Liz's place in society. The Brookshire family had come from a long line of relatively successful English/Welsh businessmen, and by the Twentieth Century businesswomen. Agatha could never remember precisely when her ancestors or her husband's ancestors became werelions, as both had been involved in various trade issues that had taken them to Africa which went back to the early 1800s at the absolute latest and the late 1400s at the earliest, and it was at that time that the family lineage that would lead to Liz Brookshire became werelions. They eventually settled in Moon Lake and had some success running some of the local shops and the theater performing plays, often Shakespeare's for the people of Moon Lake to enjoy. In this, Agatha and her husband had both felt important with regard to Moon Lake's economic and cultural prosperity, and after her husband was killed in the Iraq War, Agatha added war hero for democracy to the Brookshire family resume.
In all of this there were only two real families that Agatha Brookshire respected, one was the Talbots, as Leon Talbot had successfully challenged the previous werelion King and with his brothers had formed a rather stable coalition among Moon Lake's werelion prides, which Agatha had admitted had been a see of battles and rivalries between various pride males for years. In this, Leon Talbot, while his restoration business wasn't the most upscale, was a good leader for Moon Lake's werelions and earned Agatha's respect in that regard, not to mention that he and his brothers were also very good at other things as well, but Agatha never really told Liz about her past liaisons, partially as her husband had been the only man that Agatha could say she truly loved. Though, Agatha did think that Peter Talbot would be a good match for Liz and would do well for both family's social standing in Moon Lake. The other family in Moon Lake that Agatha openly respected was the Tachibanas, for both the fact that it was a noble house in Japan, though Akane's place in it was very minor and it was generally an unknown as to whether Akane No Tachibana had married a werefox and had been born into the noble house or was the werefox who married into the noble house. Regardless, Akane No Tachibana was of a noble house and had attained a great deal of corporate success in America after she and her children, and some of her grandchildren moved to Moon Lake after World War II.
And Liz had grown up with those perceptions, but now, in the aftermath of her plot to try and trick Karen Yuletide into leaving Peter and Moon Lake, either by a job opportunity or by pointing to some of the more polygamous nature of werelion society having blown up in her face... She really didn't know what to do, and that was why Liz had called her mother. They were close, but Liz wasn't the sort to call with any little problem or issue, regardless of what it was. But the rivalry with Karen for Peter's heart, and the fact that Karen had won that battle was something that had brought things to a point where Liz felt she needed her mother's help, and that was why she was listening for her mother's response.
"I must say that I'm very disappointed in you," Agatha Brookshire said over the phone, startling Liz a bit.
"What?!" Liz gasped in surprise.
"I can understand you wanting to be with Peter, and I'd even say you would be the better match for him than some commoner," Agatha answered, "but to turn to such under handed and trickery to try and make her seem less? To persist in such a case when from what you've told me that Peter Talbot has made his choice regarding his bride... It's bad enough the werefoxes decided to flip my Hyacinths and Roses for their Halloween prank... but to have you engage in this and earn the ire of the King... You do realize what this will do to our family standing?"
"But you'd always said that Peter deserved someone of proper standing," Liz commented.
"And he does," Agatha answered, "and if you hadn't gotten into such actions trying to get him, his choice of a commoner over you would be most disappointing... but in the end, what you've done is on par with the werefoxes and their games of trickery and relates many of the squabbles between Moon Lake's various werelion prides before Leon Talbot took on the previous King and built the coalition that's kept us from fighting each other. You do remember what I'd told you about that, right?"
"Yes," Liz said slowly.
And werelion society could have the potential for that sort of conflict. Sometimes it was between males wanting some position of leadership in their respective prides. Sometimes it was between females wanting to be the wife of the male at the head of the coalition of males in the respective werelion pride. Sometimes it worked well and peacefully, but sometimes the rivalry could escalate into full on fighting in which werelions could potentially kill each other in the course of said fighting. Death didn't always happen, but that didn't make the issue of the rivalry any lower, and the previous King had seemed willing to ignore that sort of rivalry, which essentially helped set some of the larger rivalry with Moon Lake's weretigers over the whole "King of Beasts" debate that often went on between lions and tigers, with African and European cultures supporting lions and with Asian, and particularly Indian, cultures supporting tigers. In this rivalries within werelion society had seemed to make it seem like the weretigers had avoided the related scandals that went along with it.
"And the weretigers will surely gloat at this," Agatha answered, "that a Brookshire engaged in such lowly behavior... and bad enough that they take pride that the College dean beat the King during the winter wrestling tournament."
Liz sighed at that. The tournament was a sort of sporting event that Moon Lake's werelions and weretigers put together as a sort of compromise with the two champions for each side engaging in a Greco-Roman wrestling match for the proverbial "king of beasts" title. It made the rivalry more of a sporting rivalry rather than something that could lead into outright fighting.
"Okay... I understand that," Liz eventually huffed, "I screwed up, happy?"
"Happy that you made such a decision?" Agatha answered, "no. I'd like to hope you would act with the etiquette that would be fitting of someone of your position, and that would require being polite and not deliberately antagonizing people. If the Lion Prince truly loves this commoner and wishes to lower himself to her level... that is his decision. And perhaps he deserves the right to that decision, however bad it may be. For love is always important. Just as I loved your father."
"So... what should I do?" Liz asked, "I mean... I've liked Peter since were kids. I thought we made a good pair. You even said so!"
"And you would make a good pair," Agatha gave a sigh, "but it appears that is not meant to be, as the Lion Prince has made his decision. In that, you are to act with responsibility and honesty that would reflect well on you as well and essentially repair the damage you've done."
"Like what... befriend her?" Liz asked.
"If this commoner is open to it, that's possible," Agatha answered, "as there are times when even those of us in higher classes need friends from other circles... though at least an honest apology will suffice. An apology to the Lion Prince for giving him personal grief and likely ruining any chance of being part of his pride within Moon Lake when it is established. An apology to his love for trying to belittle her standing to try and lift yourself up. Because... I know you're better than that Elizabeth."
"I can do that..." Liz said slowly, "though... I don't think I'll be able to do that directly until this Friday... after Peter has turned her. As I said... it's gotten to a point where the King is involved."
"I understand, dear," Agatha answered, "and I'm sorry that Peter didn't choose you... the only thing left to keep calm and carry on, as it were. We'll get through this. Just as we did when your father died."