After a solid minute or two of looking, of which Tayla finished the business on her tablet and sat quietly waiting, Luna turns to look at the doctor. “...How long have I been here?”
Tayla looks up towards the clock on the wall. “About...three hours. You weren’t really in bad shape when you came in as far as I could tell, but I wanted to make sure. Better safe than sorry.”
“Where are my friends? Are they okay?” Luna asks, returning to her bed and swinging her legs up on top of it, sitting down
“Being detained. I saw Mr. Morales briefly. He had some lacerations on his chest, but he’ll be fine.” Tayla moves over towards the chair and picks up her book, sliding it underneath a shoulder. “The vampire simply required some blood. She’ll heal on her own.”
“That’s...uh...wait. Detained?”
Tayla nods. “That is correct Miss Luna.”
“Why?” Luna questions, her ears leaning back against her head.
Tayla shrugs. “I couldn’t tell you. You’ll have to speak to Jaune about that.”
A gentle knock grabs Luna’s attention, the door opening to reveal a rather classy looking werewolf. His fur was mostly black, but his long, wild hair was white. The underside of his throat leading down to a chest tuft also appeared to be white. He wore a white dress shirt with a black vest and pants. The shirt and vest are opened just enough to show that vibrant, almost curly tuft of white fur through. Two leather gun holsters rest on either hip each filled with a sizable handgun.
“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Tayla turns to wave at the newly arrived one.
“No. I was just getting ready to come find you.”
“Ah, no need. A proper gentleman is always on time, no?”
Luna picked up immediately on his french accent. She unapologetically stares at him as the male draws closer, his soft, golden yellow eyes looking down at her.
“Ah, the mademoiselle is awake! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jaune Delacroix, and I am the Werebeast Ambassador for the Duskguard. And you are…?”
Luna’s inner ears burn with embarrassment as she snaps herself out of staring at Jaune’s remarkable appearance, raising a hand to cover her muzzle. “Oh god I’m sorry, that was rude.”
Jaune takes it in stride. “No worries dear. Whenever you are ready.”
Luna nods, stuffing her emotions down. “My...My name is Luna Oswald.”
“Ah, it is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl such as yourself.” Jaune casually comments. “But from what I’ve been hearing, Miss Luna has not been having a beautiful time. Is that correct?”
Luna’s blush returns in full force. The need to progress the conversation forces her forward. “Yeah. I’m still kind of getting used to like...being this monster thing and I thought I was like, the only one or something. That’s on top of being shot at, almost blown up..it’s not been really fun.”
Jaune presses his thin frame down into the chair that Tayla had been sitting in, crossing one digitigrade leg over the other. Luna notes that he appeared to be barefoot, just like herself. “Why don’t you tell me what you saw and I can help clear up any misunderstandings you might have? You must be quite curious, no?”
Tayla speaks up. “Should I leave you two in private sir?”
Jaune leans his head back to look at the doctor. “If you would please. Thank you. And tell the others that the party will be ready shortly.”
Tayla nods and turns to leave the room, exiting it promptly.
Jaune rests his hands comfortably on his lap. “Ask away my dear.”
“Uhm...first thing’s first I guess. Am I...you know...normal?” Luna says, pointing towards herself.
“As normal as the world turning every day. There is nothing wrong with you. You are as nature intended.”
“What about these?” Luna points towards her large fangs jutting from the roof of her mouth. “People...keep telling me that they’re weird.”
Jaune shakes his head. “What they see as weirdness, an imperfection of sorts, I see but one more facet of a rare gemstone. You are what is known as an Aetherwolf. Are you not familiar with it?”
Luna shakes her head. “No, this is the first I’m hearing about it.”
Jaune smiles at her and gestures to his side with a hand. “Well, there are a few different kinds of werebeasts. The first are those who are merely just that. Werebeasts. We’re all unique in our own way and quite marvelous just the same. All werebeasts can use kinesis, or the ability to manipulate an element of nature. But there are those, who, either by incident or genetics, are Aetherbeasts. Or in your case, Aetherwolf. Werebeasts who can cast magic like mages, but still use kinesis like werebeasts. Neither form is better than the other, as they have their strengths and weaknesses.”
Luna nods in understanding. “So...uh...how many have you met?”
Jaune runs a finger underneath his chin. “Well...I’ve been on this earth for one-hundred and thirty-five years...and I’ve only run into one other besides yourself.”
“Do they all have fangs like mine?” Luna asks.
Jaune headshakes. “Non. They are marked by another facet, be it a second tail, missing claws or in your case, large fangs.”
“Why are they so rare?”
Jaune taps a finger on the side of his head. “That I do not know. Ages ago, there was a conflict I am not aware of that was the catalyst, but Aetherbeasts are both rare and shunned for reasons I do not understand. I will warn you now Miss Luna, that some werebeasts and mages are petty and short-sighted and will look down on you for who you are. Please, do not think ill of them. Instead, teach them the error of their ways, and defend yourself you see fit. It would harm me greatly to know something tragic befell you because of bigotry.”
Luna gulps as she digests the message, her fingers toying with the blanket she was resting on. While she was quite used to poor treatment by nearly everyone, thinking about it possibly coming from someone who knew magic or was a beast like her was unsettling. Thinking on that topic in particular though, Luna’s brain forms another question.
“About tonight. I was fighting Scar, and I like...totally blanked out. What happened?”
“Blanked out? As in you don’t remember?”
Luna shakes her head. Jaune clears his throat.
“Miss Luna, tonight you did something that, with training, most any werebeast can do. You used your Rage form. It’s something that all of us have to contend with, so don’t fret about it much. Though, the fact that you can’t remember it is troubling.”
“Did we catch Scar?” Luna asks.
Jaune snickers. “Oui-oui! He was given quite the thrashing by you if the story I’m hearing is correct. Anything else you need to know Miss Luna?”
Luna nods. “Uhm...the night I transformed. There were these two creepy guys. They had a bear with them. They both had really weird orange eyes. Do you know anything about that?”
“Fenrir’s Pack members I suspect. Be very careful not to run into them. They wield some truly frightening weaponry and will stop at nothing to enslave or destroy anyone, be it Nightwalker or anything else.”
Luna rubs a hand over her stomach, recalling an earlier query. “...Do all werewolves have like, healing powers or something? I got shot in the stomach, and I healed it back, good as new in like, three days.”
Jaune smirks as he starts to push himself up into a standing position. “That is a question best left for a teacher, of which I am not. I assure you that I will help you find all the information you will need to know to adjust to your life, but I do believe we are needed upstairs. Miss Luna, can you walk?”
“Where are we going? Am I in trouble?” Luna says as she swings her legs down off of the bed.
Jaune smiles weakly. “Hmm...well yes...and no. Your friend Miguel has told us much, but we still need to speak with the three of you as a group. If you’ll come with me, we can get to the bottom of what went on upstairs.” Jaune opens the door and steps outside it with Luna
following a few short paces after.
Outside of the patient room looked quiet, with a few people talking in what seemed like a typical hospital office environment. They were talking in small groups, dressed in the nursing scrubs that Luna recognized from her scant few doctor’s visits she had growing up. Tayla herself sits behind a desk, absorbed into her work reading something Luna could not see.
Jaune leads Luna to an elevator and presses the call button. It takes a moment, but the elevator arrives, and several people brush past her, one of which looked like a jaguar woman holding a stack of paperwork. The werewolves enter the elevator, with Jaune presses the button to the 16th floor. He flashes Luna a confident smile as the elevator doors close, which brightens the concerned look on Luna’s face.
“So who are we going to go see?” Luna says after an uncomfortable silence during the elevator’s transit.
“The leader of the Ravenport Branch of Duskwatch and the Vampire Ambassador herself, Scarlet Summers.” Jaune remarks, crossing his arms behind his back somewhat officially. “I believe Alexander will be there as well. He’s the Mage Ambassador. Nice man, very curious at times but mages tend to be. It is in their nature, and yours somewhat, hmm?”
The door slides open and leads into a hallway with a distinctly nautical theme. Pictures of ships and naval scenes decorate the walls and on either side of the hallway were a few doors that likely lead to other offices. The carpeting is pleasant for Luna’s bare feet, a far cry from the clinical cold of the hospital downstairs. At the end of the hallway sat a large, heavy double door with the gold name plate resting above it. It read ‘Duskguard Commander’ in an eye-catching serif font.
As the two walk down the hallway, Jaune lowers his voice to speak. “One word to note about the commander. Speak only when you’ve been spoken to, refer to her as Ma’am when it allows and uh...pardon her eccentricities. She really is a good woman.”
Jaune opens the door for Luna into the commander’s office. The room is rather large, and if Luna didn’t know any better, designed to be the captain’s quarters inside of a ship. The walls were made of wood, with various old, authentic looking nautical instruments hanging on them. One panel of the wall had the nameplate likely scraped off the side of a ship. It read ‘The Sky Hawk’ in bold letters. The center desk was huge and kept somewhat tidy of paperwork. The back wall of the office was dominated by large windows that lead out to the cavernous city far below them.
There were three chairs sitting in the room, two of which were populated by Sakura and Miguel, though the former was handcuffed behind her seat. Miguel’s left arm still hung limply at his side. Both turned to look at Luna and seemed relieved, but Sakura quickly turned back around, still trying to work her hands out of her bindings. To the right of the desk stood a relatively lithe, pale man with large rounded glasses. He wore a white jacket with a hood drawn back, dark green slacks and shiny loafer-like shoes. His hair also appeared to be naturally white, though a few of his bangs are a light blond. A large, somewhat fancy looking red book rests in of his arms. Jaune passes the man a wave, who reciprocates in kind.
Luna takes a seat as Jaune takes his place to the left of the desk, holding his hands behind his back and noticing that the counter appeared to be empty. Jaune looks over towards Alexander with a raised brow.
“Where is Scarlet?”
Alexander gestures a thumb over towards the door on the far side of the room. “She had to feed Damien. She’ll be with us in a few min-”
Scarlet bursts open the side door in that instant, holding a bottle in one hand and a wine glass in the other. Alexander sighs quietly.
“...Now apparently.”
Luna’s first thought of the commander was that she really enjoyed the pirate look, as suddenly the design of the office and the room before it made sense. The woman is dressed in a blue jacket that was exposed to reveal a ruffled white shirt. Her hair is a vibrant dark red and seemed a bit longer than shoulder length. Her dark grey slacks were saddled on one side by a somewhat threatening looking saber that looked as immaculate as it did deadly. On her left hand was a golden gauntlet that housed a red gemstone slightly smaller than a coaster. The gauntlet still exposed her fingers and merely covered the back of her hand and a little ways past her wrist. A rounded, dark blue corsair hat sits on her head somewhat crookedly. Rather than the parrot, Luna was expecting, Scarlet’s shoulder housed a white snake with blood red eyes.
Scarlet swings around behind Simon and takes a seat at her desk, the commander leaning her arm down to let her pet slither down. Once it had hit the desk and coiled up, she takes off her hat and places it over the serpent.
“Well well well,” Scarlet says, placing her wine bottle and glass down on her desk. “So it’s you bunch that have been making a mess of the code. State yer names an’ age.”
Scarlet pushes the computer in the center of her desk out of the way so that she could see the faces of the three in front of her. She uncorks the bottle with a bare hand and pours herself out a nearly full glass of dark red liquid.
Miguel starts first. “My name is Miguel Morales. I’m 37.”
Luna goes second, speaking apprehensively. “Uhm..I’m...Luna Oswald. 18.”
Sakura grins sarcastically. “So...are we talking like...normal years or vampire years, or maybe even dog years because, let me tell you, the math gets complicated.”
Scarlet finishes pouring her glass and shoots Sakura glare that would desaturate the color in a rainbow. Sakura’s face shifts rapidly to a less jovial expression.
“Sakura...Just Sakura. I’m 75. Turned when I was 16.”
“See now, was that so difficult?” Scarlet muses.“Now tell me...why I shouldn’t slit yer throats and save myself the trouble? You there. Handsome.”
She gestures her head towards Miguel, who sits up a little straighter.
“Tell me what business you have blowin’ up parts of my town.”
Miguel smirks towards her. “Why, can’t I have a drink first?”
Scarlet passes Miguel an affectionate smile. “I wouldn’t try it. Bourbon and blood doesn’t slide down the throat of daywalkers like yerself.”
Luna sticks her tongue out in disgust, but Miguel shrugs it off. “Might make things a little more friendly. But anyway, I was specifically targeting Sc...Scardino. Benny Scardino. He killed my family and has been a pain in the ass for years upon years. But...things got a little more heated when I kinda found out he was a vampire.”
Scarlet swirls her drink in her glass and sips it. “Did you know he was a vampire?”
Miguel shakes his head. “No.”
“Did you know about vampires in general?”
“No.”
“So...I take it you don’t know the code?”
Miguel shakes his head again. “No idea what you are talking about.”
Scarlet rolls her eyes and leans forward in her seat. “And neither one of these useless chucklenuts thought to tell you?” She says, gesturing towards Sakura and Luna. She turns towards Luna now, pointing towards her.
“So what’s yer excuse sweetheart? Metaphorical cat got your tongue?”
Luna gulps as she speaks very clearly. “I...uh...didn’t know. I was just minding my own business with my..uh...normal life when I transformed one night.”
Scarlet peers at her accusingly. “Just up and did it huh? Where’s yer parents? They didn’t..you know...warn you about this?”
“I don’t know who my actual parents were. I was in foster care. Ma’am.” Luna admits sadly.
“Fantastic.” Scarlet sarcastically quips. “So where are your foster parents?”
Luna scratches the side of her head. “...Uh...well..probably dead?”
“You don’t sound very broken up about it,” Scarlet says, taking another sip of her drink.
“They...weren’t very good people.” Luna admits.
Scarlet snaps her finger over towards Jaune. “Do you have her registry information?”
Jaune shrugs towards
her with a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry Ma’am. I’ve been informed that the miss is quite unknown.”
Scarlet leans back like she’d been slapped in the face. She points a finger up towards Jaune. “This is what I HIRED you for, Jaune. To get everyone on board with the identification system?”
Jaune gestures towards Luna. “Miss Luna’s story suggests to me that she didn’t even know what she was. We’ll simply just have to take her word for it until we have a reason not to.”
Scarlet frowns unhappily towards Jaune but lets the matter rest for now. The commander then turns towards Sakura and holds open a hand towards Alex. The mage produces a few sheets of paper from his book and hands them over. Sakura looks a little nervous at the exchange, speaking up timidly.
“S-s-so...uh...what’s the paperwork for huh?”
Scarlet gets about halfway down the page before she looks over the top of the paper back towards Sakura.
“...Well screw me sideways and call me a tilted bitch.”
In a motion that was so fast that Luna could barely make sense of it, Scarlet leaps over her desk, unsheathes her sword, grabs Sakura by the throat and slams her against the far wall with such force that the entire room rattles in protest. Scarlet’s cutlass rests on Sakura’s throat, threatening to slice it open.
“I wasn’t aware we had an assassin in the room. Isn’t this the proper greeting for one of your kind!?” Scarlet yells, her grip forcing Sakura off of her feet.
The younger vampire looks shaken but shakily smirking at the commander who had her life balanced on a metal edge.
“N-now I know what you are thinking. Should I kill this...former assassin off? T-the answer might surprise you! So if you just hang on a moment...”
Luna whimpers quietly as she looks up towards Sakura’s predicament, turning to look at the two men on either side of the desk. They both stand resolutely, seemingly not reacting to the violence. Scarlet’s blade bites down just hard enough to push at the skin but not cut it.
“There are three things I hate more than anything in the world.” Scarlet explains darkly.”I have no love fer thieves. I have no love fer cowards. And I have no love fer murderers. Considering you are all three at the same time, you got some brass balls to be up here right now sister. An older me would have killed you instantly. But you tell me Sakura Vyers, what EXACTLY are you doing in my town?”
Ravenport: Luna's Awakening Page 25