Frances quietly led the boys out to let Samantha talk with Akane. She hadn't seen the Skulk leader as much as Samantha had, given that despite all the things that Akane no Tachibana had seen and endured in her long life the Skulk leader had never come to her for therapy. From what Frances had seen, she even wondered if Akane even needed therapy. She seemed to be rather strong in all things, despite her advanced age. So, as such, Frances hadn't had that much interaction with her, while Samantha had, given that the town's government frequently included members of of were-species and a proportionate number of Moon Lake's normal population and this commonly brought Samantha as the Town Chancellor into contact with them.
"Well that was neat," Nate commented as they walked along on the sidewalk toward the Anderson family home. Though... I kinda expected a kimono..."
"She probably does own plenty of them," Frances said politely, "but she has adapted quite a bit to American culture. And it would probably be advisable to be respectful to her. She is the Skulk's leader and an elder here in Moon Lake."
"Are all werefoxes that formal?" Eric asked.
"No not all of them," Frances admitted, "much of Akane's behavior is shaped by her age and ancestry. She is a minor member of a noble family and was born around 1815... so she was raised to be formal."
"But you two did well with the introduction," Ben added, "and should show that you'll both have friends here."
Eric politely looked on and nodded. Of course, some of what Akane had said to him kept him wondering over how things went with Julie, and the teasing Nate had given him. He remembered turning to see Julie in her full mer form and felt himself becoming aroused as she hugged him, declared her friendship, and even smiled to him. And she was sweet and they had so much in common. It left him wondering if Julie liked him as more than a friend or if he should like her as more than a friend, or if what he felt was more than friendship. And this raised further questions for him, and they revolved around his own fate. For, what if he did love her? Could he and Julie stay together and he stay human? Or would he need to become a "were-mer" as she termed it to be with her? They were, however, questions reserved for later, as the night was supposed to be Nate's official induction, which he guessed was why the Twists had been invited for dinner. Samantha Twist had told them about Moon Lake's society and with Frances had befriended his mother, and Nate had struck up a friendship with Ben and volunteered to become a werewolf. It made sense that Nate's induction into were society would be celebrated, now that his mother was a were, herself.
As they came up the front path, they found piles of leaves raked up in places, the sign of William's work to clean the gutters. Frances also thought she heard the soft clattering of metal coming from the back of the house. She guessed that William had returned to that after Akane had left the Anderson house. Nate moved forward and took the lead to the home. He opened it and stood aside to let Frances and Ben enter. Eric moved to stand next to his brother, since respecting guests had always been important.
"Go on in," Nate spoke and then hollered into the house, which made both Ben and Frances both cringe a little, as sensitive were ears probably weren't good to scream into, "MOM! WE'RE HOME AND HERE!"
Nate then blinked as he saw the werewolf and werecat cringe and then said weakly, "Sorry."
"You'll understand by tomorrow," Frances commented as she rubbed her left ear for a moment.
Frances then entered and then smiled as Martha's werecat scent came closer, and soon followed by Martha coming around a corner the living room. There was something in her face that indicated some level of worry over something, but that she was powering through it. Frances was curious, but didn't want to say anything in front of Nate and Eric, in case William had done something. Martha, though, smiled when she saw Frances and came forward and hugged her, rubbing the side of her head to Frances'. Frances returned the gesture.
"Hello, I'm glad you could make it," Martha spoke as she greeted Frances.
"We could," Frances smiled back, "and it will be good to celebrate Nate's joining Ben's Pack. These sorts of things are always big events."
"And we're all friends," Martha answered with a smile back, "it'd be nice to do things as friends."
Martha then looked back behind Frances and Ben as Nate and Eric came inside and then asked, "Where is Samantha?"
"She's still talking with Akane no Tachibana," Frances answered, "she should be here shortly."
Martha blinked for a moment, which Frances caught, wondering what was going on, as she hadn't heard from Akane about the threat that Yvette posed if she could escape punishment. She wanted to ask, but figured it best not to do so with Nate and Eric nearby. She eventually asked a different question.
"So... how has your day gone?" Frances asked.
"Rather well... from what I've seen today and from what Ms. Tachibana commented on regarding werefoxes and their bonds... the fox in William should keep him loyal, maybe more than that," Martha answered, "better than he was... Which I'd suppose is a good thing."
"Oh," Frances said simply, "Well... even as it is, the handbook does mention that a werefox with a bonded mate is fiercely loyal to that mate..."
"And I am still bi-sexual," Martha added, "So he is still physically attractive... maybe MORE SO with what he has between his legs."
"The brush like tail?" Frances asked, "Remember, Samantha and I are lesbians. William's equipment is of no interest to us."
Martha shrugged, while Eric stood quietly listening.
"Mom is bisexual?" Eric wondered to himself.
"Anyway," Martha then spoke as she placed her hands on Frances' shoulders, "William and I have agreed to take it slow... get through everything that that vixen did and so on, though as we move forward, things will probably still be rather open... for me, at least."
"Oh...?" Frances asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"William has agreed to share me with you and Samantha, to allow me to embrace all that I am... sexuality and all," Martha answered, "Now... I don't want it to be... "I'm horny, so I'll just go next door"..."
"Trust me, honey," Frances purred, "Samantha and I can be VERY romantic. And even WE don't have sex simply because we're horny... and if you still want your nights with William, we WILL understand."
Martha nodded with a smile and stepped back for a moment. In doing so, she gave Eric a full view of her new human form. Even in the clothing she was wearing, Eric could tell she looked younger, healthier, and curvier, which actually made him look away for a moment as he didn't want to have THOSE thoughts about his MOTHER.
"Hello, boys," Martha spoke, "Did you have a good day?"
"It was good," Ben answered.
"We got all the plans ready for my induction into the Pack," Nate added.
"Something you've been waiting for for quite awhile I'd imagine," Martha smiled to him, "You'll love it when it happens."
"I'm sure," Nate answered with a nod.
"How about you, Eric, did you have a good day?" Martha asked.
"Yeah... I went swimming with a friend," Eric answered.
"A girlfriend," Nate teased.
"Julie just happens to BE a girl," Eric shot back, "I don't have a girlfriend." (Yet...)
"Well... keep her close," Martha encouraged, "friends aren't a bad thing to have. It doesn't matter if she's normal or a were, so long as she is someone you can talk with. And the choice for you will always be yours."
"Thanks, mom," Eric said to her, and after a brief pause said, "You look good, mom... Younger, too."
"I feel younger," Martha answered as she moved kneel in front of Eric, "it's part of what I am now... a werecat... and your dad is in much the same boat as a werefox. We're probably going to live for a very long time."
Eric nodded, Julie had told him that the were-beats all had lengthy lifespans.
"And your father and I will have some things to show you after Nate's induction," Martha said to him, "and I want you to understand that we both love you."
"Okay," Eric said slowly.
With that, Martha then stood up and looked over to Frances, Nate, and Be, "Dinner is still cooking for the moment and William is cleaning the gutters. You're free to hang out if you want..."
"I can help with the cooking," Frances offered, figuring that Nate and Ben would take the time to get a travel backpack ready for Nate and Eric would do something else that might give her time to ask Martha had her worries over.
"That'd be nice," Martha answered.
"Nate and I will need to get some things ready for his induction," Ben spoke and then lead Nate off and was soon headed upstairs.
"I think I'd like to catch up on some reading," Eric commented and shuffled past his mother and left the two werecats in the entryway.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nate and Ben quickly made their way upstairs and went into his room. Ben placed his bag on Nate's bed and turned to look at Nate as he heard Eric's door open and shut. Nate was presently shifting through the floor of his closet before he finally pulled out an old backpack.
"This will do, I suppose," Nate commented, "What do you think I'd need?"
"Well... I've generally kept a spare pare of clothes, though I've often placed the clothes I wear to the event in it," Ben began.
"Just that?" Nate asked, "Your moms were dressed when they came over when dad began transforming in earnest..."
"They're also werecats," Ben reminded him, "while they are a bit bigger than they are in human form, it's not by enough to be too big for their clothing to fit. You and I as werewolves WILL be too big for our human clothing to fit comfortably."
"Is there any concern over whether it's clean clothes?" Nate wondered.
"That's up to you, really," Ben shrugged, "The clothes I pack may vary based on what I've done in the clothes I was wearing during the day. If I've had to do a lot of physical work... cutting the grass and so on during the summer, I may put in clean clothes. If it'd been a quite day... I might only put in clean underwear and then put the clothing I was wearing before changing."
"Okay," Nate shrugged, "this... though... we won't really be done until closer to dawn, won't we?"
"Probably not," Ben nodded, "though that will all depend on what we decide to do after you change..."
"I think I may just pack some new clothes so I'm ready for tomorrow," Nate answered, "and remember to keep the bag ready for other "wolf-nights." Okay?"
"Okay," Ben nodded. His ears picked up a soft mumbling, and wondered if Eric was talking to himself about something, or if it was something Martha and his mother were discussing. Or maybe William was frustrated by something with the gutters, as he could also hear some slight metallic clanging, like the gutters were shaking a little.
Ben waited patiently while Nate gathered up some clothing from his closet and began packing them into the backpack. He folded each article as neatly as he could manage and tossed the hangers onto the bed behind Ben.
"I'll put my shoes and socks in there before I change," Nate told him, making Ben nod, "anything else?"
"I've kept some deodorant, a comb, a toothbrush in there as well," Ben answered, "just to be safe."
"I may have to buy some more over the weekend," Nate commented, "I only have one toothbrush."
Ben nodded.