Samantha was quiet as she made her way home, and she did her best to breath deeply and keep her cool. For the day had started with a great shock with the radio report that Moon Lake City Council had voted in favor of developing a plan that would at least reveal weres to the world. She'd had some general awareness on at least parts of the meeting's agenda, but so far as she knew that the plan had been to essentially convince the presenter to back out of the idea, which was generally something that was done successfully when these sorts of things came up in the past. Usually because the were in question was new and was wanting to come out as the new were was still in the euphoric state that came along with becoming a were and thus wasn't aware of the potential negatives that went along with it. In this, Samantha had been blindsided that the council had ended up voting the other way, if only narrowly and with Katherine Chambers, Moon Lake's Deputy Mayor casting the deciding vote.
And the results of the vote were pretty obvious, as City Hall had gotten a lot of calls from people who were concerned and worried about the decision. Some were excited and eager, but a good many were as worried as Samantha was when she first found out. That had been her prime reasoning for going in that morning and hopefully getting more detail as to what happened at the City Council Meeting. Talking with Katherine Chambers had helped confirm what happened and provide the understanding as to why the decision had been made, but Samantha also knew that this wouldn't be a decision taken lightly and people probably wouldn't be entirely comfortable in it for the immediate future, even if it turned out to be something that was necessary. Those worries were the things that had kept her mind churning as the day wore on. For she'd still have her own work to do, especially with a new family expected to arrive the next day, and so far, it didn't look as though things were going to change that much with regard to the were secret, but that could well change if weres came out into the open.
All of this had meant that she wasn't to interested in cooking when she'd finished what she could do for the day and after a few texts with Frances had found that she wasn't the only one wrestling with concerns over the City Council's decision. She could see that the lights in the living room were on as she approached the front door with the to go boxes from The Local Diner in her hands and guessed that at least part of the proverbial discussions were going on in there. She took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob while balancing the to-go boxes in her other hand. As she entered the sounds of the conversations going on easily reached her ears.
"I still can't believe you already knew and didn't tell us," she heard Alex Ramsey's voice come from the living room, "I mean... we've been friends for years, even before Nate moved to town. And... well... us hitting it off together doesn't mean you're not my friend."
"Well... I didn't know everything," she heard Ben answer, "and at the same time, with what I did know... to be honest with all the rumors that were going around the school, many of which were already ridiculous, it probably wouldn't be a good idea. I mean... the were secret is something that Moon Lake has defended pretty fiercely. It's the whole reason behind the mandatory were law and my mom's whole job in welcoming new residents to town."
"But will all this do to everything else in town?" she heard Nate ask, "the football game... the school... your mom's job?"
"Much of it won't be affected that much," Ben answered, "and once everyone gets over the shock of things, they'll hopefully move on. Which is often what happens when things like this come up just about everywhere, I think."
Samantha agreed to that and gave a sort of a cough to announce her presence and alert the guests to it. As she came into the part of the hallway that separated the kitchen/dining room from the living round, she found Nate, Ben, and Alex seated on the couch in the living room while Nate's parents, William and Martha Anderson were seated with Frances at the dining room table. They hadn't said anything and Samantha could also pick up the faint scent of pizza also coming from the kitchen. Her eyes focused on William for a moment with some suspicion, but he sat calmly beside Martha and Frances seemed at ease, so she let that go. Though, she still didn't expect to see William in her dining room.
"We had questions regarding things that we saw at the debate last night," Martha spoke up as she stood up, "and thought that you could answer them..."
"We didn't know you were called in, though," William added, but remained seated, "Martha and I ordered pizza to share with Nate and Alex and thus wouldn't interfere with your dinner plans..."
"I see," Samantha said slowly as she came into the dinning room and kitchen area hearing Nate, Ben, and Alex get up and move in the same direction. She set the to go boxes down on the counter next to the boxes of pizza and turned back to the werecat that she and Frances turned and her werefox mate, "you went to the debate?"
"Mostly out of curiosity," Martha answered, "with all the rumors that were going around... we just wanted to know what was really going on. But... while I suppose there is some reason to the decision... I'm still worried."
"And we'd both have questions," William added.
"A lot of people will have questions and concerns," Samantha answered, "not just you... and while there may be many who want to come out and there may good reason for it, that doesn't mean that every were will accept it. We've stayed hidden in Moon Lake successfully since its founding. That's not going to make things easy over night."
"And I'd managed to tell them that much," Frances commented as she got up and approached Samantha. The two women came close enough to hug before Frances gave her wife a small kiss on the cheek. "But that doesn't change that they have questions... and some of which I can't really answer."
Samantha nodded and returned the kiss as Ben, Nate, and Alex entered with some of the small spare chairs to set them around the table. Martha and Frances also moved to help Samantha with regard to collecting dishes and preparing them. It wasn't too hard as Frances went to the appropriate cabinets to pass to Martha while Samantha moved to sort out the to go boxes she had. The orders were pretty standard with regard to things that they'd ordered from the Local Diner over the years, so Samantha was certain which meal went to which person.
"So what kind of questions do you have that Frances couldn't answer?" Samantha wondered, "I'm sure you understand the reasons for which the City Council's vote went the way it did..."
"Yes," Martha nodded she carried a small stack plates to the table, "that the idea is to get things out while weres are still in a position to control the narrative before the reveal comes by accident or by a rogue somewhere else."
"But what would it mean for the town if it does happen?" William picked up, "Neither Martha nor I responded well to secret or the mandatory were law when you told us... My welcome to were society wasn't exactly a high point. Particularly when I was trying to get past the things that had brought us to Moon Lake."
Samantha nodded, remembering what she knew on what had brought the Anderson family to Moon Lake. That namely being William Anderson being so easily lead by his "equipment" that he'd repeatedly cheated on Martha and it eventually came back to bite him hard. Martha's repressing her sexuality may have played its role, but Samantha didn't see that as an excuse for marital infidelity. It wasn't necessarily that she was against an open marriage or married couples having "friends with benefits" with others, but so far as Samantha knew, it was pretty clear William Anderson head either never noticed his wife's "issues" or didn't care about them. As she got to know him better, she figured that it might have been more the former, but that still didn't make it right.
"But we've both felt better since becoming weres," William continued, "I may not have gotten to choose to be a werefox... but with as good as the bond feels when I see Martha smile... I wouldn't give it up if I could. It's helped us in ways I didn't think possible when we left Minnesota."
"And it's helped me be more open with my sexuality... not bottle it up inside me," Martha added as she returned and then carried one of the pizza boxes over and opened it before William, Nate, and Alex. Nate and Alex both took a slice, though William declined.
"So what would happen to the town if this happens?" William wondered, "if weres come into the open... and if things go well... what would happen? What would happen with your mandatory were law? Would we be allowed to be who we truly are whenever we want? And how would you make sure that things are received positively?"
Samantha gave a sigh, as there was a lot in the question that did relate to various things that she knew would have to be answered or developed, but at the same time she also knew that she couldn't be sure as to when the actual answers would come. She looked down and gave a deep breath while opening one to go box and finding it to be the order for herself and then moved to transfer the paper plate with the food on it to the plate that Martha had set while she tried to organize her answer.
"There is a lot to that that really can't be known right now," Samantha admitted, "as Ben said when I arrived... that many things probably won't change. As if the reveal only reveals the existence of weres but not Moon Lake, there is the possibility that the mandatory were law and the limitations on when you can be in your fursonas probably won't change that much... especially while the threat of a negative reaction, or at least a lengthy "civil rights" battle in the courts of law and public opinion, is a possibility and that much of were society will continue as it always has, even with the reveal. But much of those details will be hard to map."
"Why?" Martha wondered as she took the other pizza box and put a slice down on her plate and then another on William's plate.
"The biggest thing is that most of Moon Lake's contingency plans that relate to this sort of thing," Samantha said slowly rolling one wrist in the air, moving her hand around in a circle, "that we'd be reacting to something... somewhere and would be responding to things, something of a last resort. And as I'm sure from what you saw at the Council meeting, this plan is supposedly to be more proactive than reactive. Which could work... and in reality may be the best option available, even if many don't accept it right now... but how well the plan works will only be determined by what the overall reaction is. We may control the narrative, but that doesn't necessarily mean humanity's reception to that information will be completely positive."
"Which would preserve things as they are," William said slowly and then looked down.
"And could complicate things going forward," Samantha spoke with a sigh, "but you can remain assured that the city would do its best to protect Moon Lake. So that if people respond negatively to weres, the town's secret will stay hidden. If the response is more positive... then that could lead to more openness. But for the moment, that's going to be up in the air."
"This won't cost you your job, would it?" Martha asked.
That actually got Samantha to laugh about. Things were complicated enough that it had to be a serious question and it was on a serious subject, but given the scope and scale of the issue, protecting her job wasn't really a rational reason to protect the were secret. But it just came off as the sort of situation where Samantha couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm sorry," Samantha managed as she placed her food down and finished then setting down Frances' and Ben's as well. In the same time, Frances had gotten glasses of water for everyone. From there, Samantha sat down and finished the answer. "If things go positively and weres are accepted and the position I have now becomes unnecessary... that that is what it will be. And that might ultimately be a good thing, and if that happens, I really can't complain. And it wouldn't be as though I wouldn't have options to move forward on. And even a positive response wouldn't necessarily mean the end of my position as Town Chancellor. It may change some things, but many of the roles that I fill that would relate to helping those abide by the Mandatory Were Law might still have a place. It'd just be different."
"And if it's negative?" Martha asked, concern clearly evident in her voice.
"Then many things probably wouldn't change much, if at all," Samantha sighed, "as Moon Lake then tries to stay hidden and protect weres that live here, just as it always has..."
Samantha then looked up to Martha and found William and Martha both looking to her with the same look of worry. That made Samantha wonder if what they were really worried about wasn't them but Nate and Eric.
"And while I can't say that things will be easy or will go perfectly," Samantha assured them, "I do know that this plan won't go forward until its ready and Moon Lake will do its best to make sure that the town stays safe. Both for yourselves and for your children. You can be assured of that."
"You'll do that?" William asked.
"Within what I can do as Town Chancellor," Samantha nodded, "but it won't be limited to just me."