Catherine shrugged, leaning agains't the wall. She honestly had no idea, but it was getting dark and her mother would be home soon.

"I don't know. Um, so, we should get going. The thugs become more active around here when it gets darker, and I have to get home." She turned, walking out of the alley before spinning on her heel. "You guys coming?"

Streets became more familiar, the dim lights illuminating the way to her home. Houses passed by as she jogged, most of them a deep brown or light grey. Her footsteps echoed across the streets and off the brick walls of a store. Everyday, Mr. Maegram, the man who owned that store, would come out, water his daisies, and buy milk. His wife had died three years ago, and his children were off at college. Catherine had spoken to him only once, but she could tell he missed his wife. He was a regular at the restaurant Juniper worked in, and she had been told he had a slight caffeine addiction.

After about twelve minutes, she could she the front gates of her house. A raven sat on the edge, perched precariously. Catherine shivered. Crow always made her feel uncomfortable, though she had no idea why. Maybe it was because she had only shifted that day because of a crow. Maybe it was just because they were creepy and all over the city. Catherine just didn't know, and right now she didn't care.

The gates clicked open as she pushed past them, making sure her guests were still there. She opened the wooden door of her house, relaxing. Juniper wasn't home yet. Catherine slipped off her shoes, beckoning the others in.

"Well, this is it. Hope it doesn't look too messy, I din't have time to clean it before I went out." It was true. Usually the elderly woman next door cleaned it, but she was visiting her daughter and grandchildren away from the city, and Catherine wasn't quite the cleaner. She could keep things neat, but somehow they always fell out of place one way or another. Blame the crows.

Seamus shrugged a bit when Freedom said staying at this brunette’s home would be a better idea, after all, he really had no preference. ”And I’m Seamus, what about you?” he asked the girl curious like. But she spoke up about thugs and he nodded, figuring it was best to do what these outsiders suggested. After all, if they were still alive out here, they must be doing something right. So he followed, not saying anything along the way. He did notice a few crows on the path to the girl’s home and an ease would come on his face when he did. He would always identify more with the birds than any other creature.

He did hesitate at the gates the girl pushed through, a sudden, caged feeling overcoming him. Like a fear that once he went past them he’d never escape. But he looked at their height and reminded himself he could easily fly over them if necessary, and forced his feet forward before blocking anyone for too long.

After the sterile, lab environment he’d grown up in, this girl’s home did seem messy to him. But, it didn’t bother him at all. It was rather cozy. A nice change. It made it seem not so much of a cage like he’d been afraid of, even though part of him still longed to be outside. He’d never seen so much of it in one day before and he felt like he really couldn’t see enough. But of course, resting indoors was much smarter for now. ”Um, may I take off my jacket when we’re inside, or is it still not safe?” he asked, looking unsure and speaking with an even tone, forgetting that only Freedom had seen what lay beneath his clothing.

Catherine turned to Seamus as he spoke, thinking. No one else lived here except her mother, and neighbors weren't usually nosy, but it was better safe than sorry. She ushered him in, nodding.

"Yeah, it's okay. Lemme just close the door... There we go. Okay, now you can take it off." She shut the door behind them, peeking out once more in case of her mothers arrival. "Uh, well, I would offer to make you something to eat, but I'm kind of a bad cook." She smiled sheepishly, leaning against the wall.

Pushing herself off, Catherine walked into the living room, motioning for the others to follow. She grabbed a large quilt from the dresser, carefully laying it down on the couch. Once she found the blanket sufficiently fluffed, she stepped back.

"Uh, so. Hi, I'm Catherine. I, uh, I can shift into a cat I guess." She fiddled with the loose seams of her jacket. She knew well enough not to invite random strangers in, nor tell them about her 'abilities', but they were different. They were like her, and for once she could talk to someone freely. She back up, sitting on the floor cross-legged. Juniper was due any minute, and Catherine wondered how she would react to strangers in her house. Jean seemed to have a place, but Catherine wondered about the other two. What was she going to do if they needed a place to stay? All she could do right now was smile and be polite.

Juniper had been stuck here at least an hour more than she was supposed to be. She had left a note for Catherine at their house, but she still felt guilty. They were supposed to be spending time together, playing a board game or talking or anything really. Sighing, she continued scrubbing the counter she was working on. A particularly messy group of young men had eaten there, and Juniper was left to clean up after them.

Her extra shift was almost over, and she threw the rag she had used into the towel rack for dirty rags. Washing off her hands off in the diners kitchen sink. Finally finished with the dirty work, she settled against the counter, coffee in hand.

Sighing, he left the two to Catherine and made his way towards a nearby diner. It was far from a respectable establishment, but one couldn’t expect much from a business in this sort of area anyways. The prices were alright, the food was decent, and it was, most importantly, convenient. A set of bells jingled as he pushed the doors open, disturbing only the music played by an old radio set. Unsurprisingly, given how close it was to closing, the restaurant was almost devoid of customers. What did cause his eyebrow to rise was the employee, apparently taking a break, by the counter. “Ms. Connor. Didn’t expect to see you around at this time,” he remarked as he walked up beside her, waving at the cook in the kitchen behind as he did so.

Juniper checked the clock once more. Two minutes, just two more minutes until her shift was over. The only employees left were her, the cook, and another waiter who was currently serving the last customer. Or what she thought was the last customer. Juniper inwardly grimaced as she heard the bell jingle, but looking up she gave a soft smile at the man entering.

“Hello Mr. Stein. Out late again?” She set her coffee mug down on the counter, walking over to him. “So, what can I get you tonight?”

“Job ran a bit later than expected, I guess it’s the same for you?.” Taking a moment to think, he figured four times the usual would be enough. Jean doubt any of the “kids” could put away as much as he did anyways. “Just four of the usual. Got some guests to feed tonight.”

“Oh really? You finally made some new friends?” Juniper knew Jean well enough, he was one of their regulars, and quite a nice young man in her opinion. Juniper also knew that she was one of the few who she knew about that thought so. She didn’t know him very well, but she did know that for him, friends were rather uncommon. They were for everyone in this city, including herself, and her daughter. Right, her daughter.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, would you like to come over sometime for dinner? I have a daughter a few years younger than you, and she could use some company.”

He took a seat on one of the counter stools and leaned back onto the countertop, shrugging at her question. “Interesting acquaintances would probably be better.” He couldn’t really picture the four of them as friends, even putting aside the fact that he’d known them for probably less than ten minutes. Years without a close friend tended to make imagining hard.

Blinking in surprise at the sudden invitation, he tilted his head as if in thought. Jean recalled Juniper had mentioned her daughter in a few of their past conversations, though the details escaped him. “I wouldn’t mind that. Company though eh?” He grinned at the barely veiled implications, though meant it in a joking manner. He might not have remembered much, but her love for her daughter stuck out quite clearly.

“Very funny Mr. Stein. But no, not that kind. You should know I would never let her have a boyfriend until he proves he’s a good man. Ha, most girls have protective fathers, but she’s just stuck with me.” Juniper called across the room, taking a medium sized box from the cook. “I hope you meant for those orders to go, because you’re coming with me!” She grinned at him, placing the box on the table in front of him. Her hands slowly untied the knot of her apron, and she let her brown hair fall free from its ponytail. She leaned against the table, relieved that her shift was finally over.

“How disappointing,” he murmured with a sad sounding sigh, before sliding off the stool and taking the warm boxes filled with food. In their place he left a few bills, and then motioned towards the door with a nod of his head. “Shall we get going then? I’m sure your daughter misses you, and they probably want their food.” He’d have to excuse himself afterwards, but Jean figured he could at least accompany Juniper back home.

“Alright then, let’s go.” Juniper pushed herself up, walking towards the double doors. She walked through and held it open for Jean, before continuing. Streets passed, street lamps flickering. Juniper didn’t want it to be awkward, so she made small talk. “So, thank you for walking me home. I can fend for myself, but it’s always nice knowing you can rely on someone.”

“I’m sure you can, but better safe than sorry. The streets have been getting more dangerous since the military came in…” Malko wasn’t affected too much, but even he had changed a few things around. The small timers, unaffiliated? They got antsy with the show of force, even if the military’s job was to round up Shifters and not common criminals. He pushed thoughts of the business out of mind for now though, and paid more attention to where Juniper was leading him. A nagging suspicion that couldn’t be ignored prompted him to ask, “Say, what’s your daughter’s name anyways?”

Juniper turned to look at him, slightly surprised, before grinning. “Hmm. It’s a secret. You’ll meet her, and I think you would like her. She’s quite adventurous.” Juniper turned her eyes towards the sky, remembering all the good times she had had with her daughter. They had both been glad to get away from Junipers husband, as he had been very oppressive and slightly abusive.

“Ah, we’re here! It’s not very big, but it’s our home.” Juniper grinned, opening the gate that lead to the path up to her small house.

Ah… it was a bit disappointing to have to wait a bit longer, but Jean didn’t press. Simply nodding, he continued to quietly follow behind Juniper. Coming up to the gates, he didn’t hold back a small grin as he recognized where they were. “Mmm. It has a nice feel to it,” he agreed as he stepped through the gates, nudging it shut with a foot. “Hopefully your daughter isn’t too surprised to see me.”

“Hmm. Thank you!” She turned and closed the gate. Wait, what did he mean be surprised? Juniper shook it off, supposing that he just meant that Catherine would be surprised that they had a guest. She unlocked the door, stepping through and taking off her shoes.

“Cathy, we have a guest!” Juniper shouted, not harshly, just enough so Catherine would be able to hear. “She’ll be over in a minute. Oh, I bet you two will be great friends!”

Slipping his shoes off as he stepped in behind Juniper, Jean hummed to himself in thought. What was on his mind? Well, he was debating whether to keep quiet or say something as well. While it would probably be hilarious to see Catherine’s reaction to him alongside her mother, there was also the possibility that her reaction might make Juniper suspicious. Considering that she’d seemed interested in the “scent” of blood he apparently had, well that wasn’t exactly someone you wanted to find walking a loved one home. Taking all that into account, he called out shortly after Juniper’s echoes had faded. “And the guest brought some food too!”

Freedom was grateful for the invitation and accepted it from Catherine. She had been having issues with the group of people she had been living with recently and was already thinking of places she could rent on her own. Her eyes kept wandering over to Seasmus as they walked. She found him quite fascinating and new he had stories to share of where he came from. It was so unusual to see someone unaccustomed to the ways of the city. But what fascinated her the most was his story of escaping a lab. She had never heard of any Shifter doing this. What lab did he come from? Maybe he could get them inside and with Jean's expertise infiltrate the compound, setting it a blaze as a warning. A smile played across her lips as she thought about setting a testing fascility on fire.

She followed Catherine in to her home, looking around at the decorations and placement of the furniture. It was warm and cozy and absolutely perfect. After a moment Freedom turned to Catherine and said "it's great here, so comfortable and much warmer. Thanks for the invitation." She took a seat once Catherine had set the room for them, kicking her shoes off and crossing her legs together up on the couch. After Catherine introduced herself she followed suit."My name is Freedom. I shift in to a Maned wolf and I'm originally from Brazil." Her accent could be heard as she spoke. "Like you Seamus, I have noticeable Shifter features. My teeth" she opened her mouth and pointed to her long sharp fangs "and this" she continued, turning where she sat and lifting her shirt. Running down her back could be seen the trail of her fur coat following her spine. After a moment of showing them she turned back and lowered her shirt. "So yeah, uh I have to be careful. But not as careful as you Seamus!" She exclaimed, waiting for him to take off his jacket and reveal himself fully.

Then voices could be heard. It seemed to be Catherines mom and...and she heard Jeans voice too. Maybe they met at the gate? With a deep inhale, Freedom could smell the food Jean brought and her mouth was already watering.

Seamus waited until Catherine closed the door before nodding but waiting to shrug off his jacket. He followed the girl into what appeared to be the main area of the home, considering the various places to sit. He felt awkward just sitting somewhere without being given permission to though. Was that normal? Hmm. He wasn’t sure. So he stood as Catherine revealed her abilities. His eyes widened. ”A cat? I’ve never seen anything but mice up close… and I don’t think they were people that became mice,” he said hesitantly. The thought made him wonder if there weren’t others at the lab he’d been at, just more locked up and secured than he was. Perhaps they kept them separated to avoid some sort of take over? Now that was interesting. Had he left anyone behind besides his nurse when he left? The thought weighed on him heavy.

Freedom seemed rather comfortable though, taking off her shoes and sitting cross legged on the couch. A maned wolf? He had only learned about wolves native to the USA. A maned wolf must be more native to south America. So, she was from Brazil? That was fascinating. He nodded as she revealed her teeth, and the trail of fur up her back. He smiled a bit at the two. ”Wow, so you can literally turn into an animal? I had no idea…” he started, when a voice yelled out and then another. Something about food. Oh he was starving. This was better luck than he’d ever imagined. Nice people, like him, a place to stay, food…

A feeling of relaxation came on his shoulders and he shrugged off his jacket, laying it over the arm of the couch. He spread his wings a bit, enjoying being able to do so, before half sitting on the arm of the couch he’d thrown his jacket over. It allowed more breathing room for his feathers than sitting back to the couch anyway. ”Thank you. For all this,” he said softly, not feeling like he deserved what he’d already gotten by being taken in and even admired it seemed by Freedom. He glanced to Catherine, wondering if she would be afraid or excited by his appearance. It was rather fun, to see how Freedom had reacted after all these years of him being treated like a lab rat.

Catherine nodded her head, grinning at the two people in front of her. She smiled as Freedom revealed her teeth, shifting her position on the floor. "A maned wolf huh? Remind me not to pick a fight with you."

She watched as Seamus stood, looking at him curiously. "Huh, just mice? Well, I've never met any other shifters, but I suppose it's different for everyone. I can turn into a cat, but I prefer not to when at home or around town. It's kind of obvious to find a pile of clothes around a cat, and even if I was a normal cat, people around here are getting more and more suspicious." She shrugged, watching as Seamus removed his jacket. Her eyes widened, mostly out of surprise and wonder. This man had wings? Brief thoughts of wondering if he could fly and whether he liked bread or not all drifted through her head, causing her to blank out before coming beck to reality.

"Well, I have some animalistic features, even in human form." Catherine pulled off her gloves, revealing her claw like nails before pointing up to her eyes, slit-like pupils focused on the children. "Though, they're pretty easy to hide. And there's no need to thank me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I cast you out. After all, I know how being abandoned feels..." Her eyes darted to the floor, unpleasant memories of her father ebbing at the edges of her mind. Before she could get lost in her thoughts again, the front door opened, bringing the delicious smell of fresh food. She perked up, smiling. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, but now seemed like the perfect time for food.

"So, who would like to meet my mother?" Catherine pushed herself up, walking happily down the hall that led to the front door. She grinned widely, taking in her mothers caring eyes, soft smile, and the tired yet attentive way she slightly slouched. Catherine didn't notice the second person until He made himself known, referring to himself as a guest. The grin fell from her face, replaced by a baffled look. "Wait, Jean? You're here... with my mom?" Catherine would never admit the way her voice seemed a few octaves higher, representing her complete and utter confusion.