Monday, February 22nd, 2016

It was a full moon. Which meant all of them were coming together at the Cabin. First dinner, then Grimbold would have a job to give to them.

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It was only february, and it would still take a month before the sun would rise above the mountain again. The frozen leaves rustled under Robert's boots as he walked through to forest on his way to Grimbold's Cabin. He knew some of the others had to tell their parents stories of where they were going. Maybe they would say they were helping this old man who could use an extra hand. How noble. Or maybe they told them they went to their theatreclub practice. But not him. Robert lived alone and just needed to make sure nobody saw him when he went out, or where he was heading. It was simple enough, but a necessary thing to pay attention to. He thought of the time that he had had no other choice than to transform into his fox form to be stealthy enought to get past some people without being noticed. Ofcourse he had to leave his clothes behind. So the entire evening he had been wrapped up in one of Grimbold's blankets to cover him and to keep warm. They had made fun of him. But it happened to others from time to time as well.

Grimbold opened the door slightly and peered through the opening with one eye, as he always did.

“Ah, Robert my boy! Come in!” The man said with a heavy voice that wouldn't look strange on a seasond sailor. He patted him on the back only slightly too rough to be comfortable. “Almost everybody is here already. Just a few more. Come! Give me your jacket and take a seat. I made soup!” The man practically took Robert's jacket of him before he was even prepared for that. He just let it all happen. It was meant as a nice gesture.

Robert went into the cabin where he found the familiar comfortable, cozy and sort of romantic cabin atmosphere. It smelled of forest and smoke and vegetable soup. It was the wood, the fire place, the hand-crafted furniture, that all made it seem so welcoming. And there were the animal skulls on the wall, and the old fashioned candles everywhere, that gave of something slightly sinister. But it was a perfect place for them. It seemed to match Grimbold's personality as well. Warm, comforting, mysterious and slightly off. Entering the room, Robert saw about half of the crew already at the table. Chatting, eating the soup Grimbold made, telling jokes, arguing. The way things usually went on these gatherings.
“Hey guys!” He said while looking around for Eddie. Sitting down, he sighed. It had been a long day at the library. And the night had yet to begin. “Pour me some soup, will ya” He said to the person next to him, as he stretched out his arm with his bowl in his hand, towards the large stockpot. “So, how was your day?”

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Grimbold liked to have them all meet up at his cabin. Most people should probably be wary of an old man who invited a bunch of young adults to his cabin all the way in the woods far away from the eyes of society but then again, most people don't have the ability to transform into little woodland creatures. They weren't exactly normal people. Grimbold was nice enough to serve them food each time they made the trip up there though. Today he was serving some sort of vegetable soup.

Unfortunately, Terry was not very hungry. She doesn't make it a habit to eat at Grimbold's cabin and always made sure she ate beforehand. So she sat quietly at the edge of the table while everyone else was chattering about their day or what not. She was simply waiting for Grimbold to begin the meeting so she could figure out what she needed to do and go home. But they could not start because not everyone was there yet. "People should learn to come on time," she thought to herself as she made another count of who was here.

Just then, Robert had arrived and had taken the seat next to her. "Of all people..." He was the only person that didn't seem to get when she didn't feel like talking, which was most of the time.

She stared at him, then his bowl, then back at him. "What am I? Your server?" she muttered quietly before grabbing the ladle. Despite her annoyance, she did get the boy some soup. It wasn't out of her way and she didn't want him reaching over her to serve himself anyways.

"You should really learn some manners," she added coldly after his bowl was filled. "And get a haircut while you're at it."

Eddie smiled at Robert as he took the seat between him and Terry.

"Hey man, how was the library?" Eddie asked while Robert got his soup.

Eddie actually really liked coming to the cabin. Normally a large open fire would put him on edge, but here it made him comfortable. Far away from everything else, with his friends, with Grimbold. He could even tolerate the people who are usually really pushy.

Eddie picked his bowl back up and ate, while listening to the idle chatter of the room. Wonder what old Grimbold has in store for us tonight? News? A new mission? Eddie thought, excited at the prospect of getting a new mission, and discussing plans with Robert. Hopefully the rest didn't run into any trouble and would get here soon.

Eddie's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking, and then the standard Grimbold greeting. He turns around to see who it is.

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The tattoo artist had been out of town for the last week, and even worried she wouldn't be back on time for Grimbold's dinner. So, after returning to her own apartment, unpacking, feeding the cat, and freshening up, she rushed over. Bundled up against the cold February air, she finally arrived and knocked at the cabin door. Ever paranoid, Grimbold peered at her before opening the door with a welcoming smile--one that she returned. "Thank you, I got it," she assured as she walked in, taking care of her coat and scarf and hat and gloves... Sloane liked the silence of the cold winter air, but she was admittedly a freezebaby.

Warmth comforted her as she stepped further into the cabin. The fire crackled and she inhaled the aroma of a good homecooked meal. A rare, genuine smile came to the woman's face as she unwound the knitted scarf from her neck. Even the creepy skulls and the air of mystery was enjoyable to Sloane, though everyone here was a little weird in their own way. She certainly wasn't the only one. Her grin faded and she looked bored again as she shoved her gloves in her coat pocket.

After putting her outter layers away, the click of her heels announced her arrival as she stepped into the dining area, green eyes taking the lot in as they got comfortable. Despite being late, Sloane wasn't one to apologize. "Hello, lovelies," she greeted as she stalked over to the seat across from Terry and Robert. She offered a friendly nod to Terry before she stretched her colorful arm across the table to fill a bowl with soup. She seemed to ignore Eddie as she sat back, shoulders straight, legs crossed, arms crossed, and her hungry eyes on the soup in front of her.

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'Of all the things to forget...' Cara sighed, shutting her apartment's front door behind her with a slam. She threw her bag off to the side, quickly checking her watch. She knew she was late, very late. Gandalf - I mean Grimbold - would probably not appreciate her tardiness, especially on the full moon.

Cara slid off her wedges, instead moving to her bedroom to change into something a lot more comfortable in order to meet the other critter-family at Grimbold's cabin for dinner. After fifteen minutes, Cara was dressed appropriately and feeling fresh, the stress from the morning medical lecture slowly draining as Cara returned to the front hallway, her hands in her hair trying to tie it into a bun.

Her apartment wasn't too far off from the forest, so Cara decided to hike it up to Grimbold's cabin instead. It took another twenty minutes, but she was finally there and knocking at the front door.

The door seemed to have opened almost immediately, as if Grimbold had been standing there the entire time. Cara gave him a charming smile, "Lectures, sorry." She vaguely explained, before slipping past the elderly man and towards the gathered group of misfits.

She took the seat beside Sloane, grabbing herself a serving of soup before sitting down. "So, did I miss anything important?"

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"I can't stop this feelin'.... deep inside of me.... girl you just don't realize.... what you do to me..."

Singing along - not too quietly - to her music, Angel grabbed her jacket from her chair, glancing in the mirror before leaving her bedroom. Not that this was necessarily first impressions, she still felt as thought people weren't too sure on how to judge her. Which meant impressions were still being made - ergo, her outfit was slightly more thought out this night. She was definitely feeling the rocker vibe tonight, despite the very jazzy and upbeat tunes of Blue Swede, and had dressed accordingly. Black leather jacket, ripped jeans, her favourite AC/DC vest, black boots, and dark make-up, she seemed good to go.

Walking downstairs, her boots made satisfying thuds on the hardwood flooring. She's probably nicked the floors more than once with her variety of heels, but Uncle James didn't particularly care. He didn't care about a lot of things - just as long as she and her brother didn't get involved with illegal activities or... y'know, died. Now, she knew for sure that her graffitiing and drinking of alcohol was breaking the law - but she was yet to come into contact with the police over it.

As for where she was going tonight, well... she doubted there were even laws that existed in the modern world regarding the strange little family she had recently found herself a part of.

Glancing at her watch, Angel stifled a sigh as she reached her front door - perfect. Late. Hopefully taking the dog for walkies was a good enough excuse for the old coot.

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Despite her heels, it didn't take Angel all that long to make her way to the cabin - upon arrival, she was slightly out of breath, headphones dangling around her neck as she knocked on the door. Joan Jett could still be heard blaring from either speaker as she entered, offering up an apologetic smile to Grimbold for her lateness.

"I'll keep the jacket on, I think. I didn't really consider the cold when I was dressing myself earlier." She said with an easy smile towards the Mentor, and then taking her place at the table, beside Cara.

"Howdy all. Hope you didn't do anything fun without me." Grabbing a bowl of the soup as she talked, Angel was more than pleased that she had skipped dinner tonight. Homemade soup definitely trumped microwave chips.

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It was tiring really. Tobias had been working double shifts at his job, and now Grimbold wanted everyone to meet on one of the coldest days all year. Not exactly the break Tobias would get if he simply went home and slept the night away, but Grimbold was always persistent about these meetings, and he'd rather not have Grimbold show up at his apartment asking why he wasn't there.

After a short trek to the lonely cabin in the woods, Tobias meant to knock, but Grimbold was already there, opening the door for him. Creepy guy indeed. "Had to stay at work a bit to close, so I'm a bit late, I know." Entering the cabin, he could already tell everyone wasn't here yet. Robert, Eddie, Terry, Cara were already here. And Sloane, but Tobias would rather pretend she wasn't. His nerves would appreciate it if he didn't interact at all with her tonight. Work had already tested his patience, Tobias didn't need her to do so as well.

Tobias decided to stand next to Angel, hoping she and Cara would act as a buffer between him and Sloane. Also, it would ensure he wouldn't even have to look at Sloane at all tonight, as long as he didn't look to the side. The soup looked appetizing enough, but Tobias had eaten at work already, so he didn't take any of it for himself. Not to mention it would be a hassle to eat standing.

"Hey." Wasn't much of a greeting, but Tobias wasn't particularly close to anyone, so he felt it was adequate.

When people started arriving at the old man's cabin the feline moved into the shadows apparently going unnoticed as her intent.

Eddie and Teryn were the first to arrive. The slender black cat quietly watched as they sat at the table and ate Grimbold's vegetable soup. Lumpy four-eyed Eddie with his dirty sneakers and Teryn with her modelesque figure and shimmering black hair sat at the table with an empty chair between them. Eddie was the classic stereotypical nerd. He seemed to be a good guy with a good heart but never stood up for himself and thus made himself an easy target for those with more abrasive personalities. Teryn was confident enough in herself by all appearances but she could a little too strong-willed to the point of hardheadedness when it came to her opinions, even if proven wrong.

Robert soon arrived after them. If cat's could smile she would have when the young man with the long bangs entered. Out of the entire motley crew that had been brought together by old mysterious Grimbold she liked Robert the most. The young man had an adventurous spirit, and had a way of talking to people, of persuading them to help him in whatever plan he was concocting next. He was easy on the eyes too. If he would just cut back on the drinking.

Next to enter was the amazonian Sloane. The dark-skinned beauty was not only tall but lean and toned, and carried herself with an abundance of confidence. The black feline's green eyes narrowed as she watched the young tattoo artist make her way to the table to join the others. Despite Sloane's love of animals, she and the cat did not get along. Perhaps they were too alike in their near arrogant and vindictive natures.

Cute, petite Cara arrived almost immediately after Sloane. She was a beautiful young twenty-something girl with her brunette hair up in a tight bun, a curvaceous figure, and an enticing British accent. Shame she wasn't into girls. Then again, Cara could be more than a little bossy. She and the cat had a complex relationship, one that could be defined as frenemies. One day they could the best of friends while the next day could be determined to claw each other's eyes out.

Angeline followed a few moments after. The rocker chick with the gorgeous blue eyes was the newest member of the group, so new that the black feline didn't truly know that much about her. As for now, they got along just fine.

Then, came Tobias. Six foot tall, handsome and fit, looking as if he just walked out of a Clavin Klein ad. He and the cat didn't get along. She didn't know why, but they seemed to rub one another the wrong away. Still, it didn't stop the little animal from admiring boy from afar.

With the majority of the group here in the cabin, Nina finally decided to let her presence be known to the others. She had been the first to arrive, roughly fifteen minutes earlier than Eddie and Teryn. Having gotten into yet another fight with her mother and stepfather, the nineteen year old had little choice but to sneak out of her house in feline form. With her home towards the opposite end of town it took a while to reach Grimbold's cabin in the woods. When she finally arrived she was more than a little cold, and the old man quickly invited her inside to warm herself by the fireplace. Now, warm and rested, Nina silently padded towards the table, not making a sound as she weaved through the chairs and table legs, rubbing herself against Tobias in greeting. Yeah, they really didn't along, but he was hot. She did the same with Cara and Angel, sliding against their legs underneath the table. Ignoring Sloane and Eddie, Nina made her may to the opposite side of the table to greet Teryn and Robert in the same way, rubbing the side of her sleek little feline body against there legs, her long black tail up in the air.

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Somewhat taken aback by Teryn's reaction, Robert was glad she still poured him some soup. Actions always meant more than words. Technically you are my server right now. He thought as she took his bowl. Her other comments he just ignored. "I take it you had a rough day then." He said half to her and half to himself. He still had no idea why she was acting like this. And the different forces inside him, like his curiosity for her and his pride, were a frustrating combination. But tonight he was not in the mood to play this game. So he was glad his friend showed up right on time.
"Thanks" He told Teryn with a wink, that he assumed would probably piss her off.

Robert made some space for Eddie as he came to sit between him and his soup-server. It was unclear whether Eddie had chosen that position strategically, or whether it was just a random move. But Rob was thankful nevertheless. "Hey Eddie, good to see you!" He said as he fistumped his homie. "It was boring as usual. There was a guy who just wouldn't respect the silence rule. So I made him fall from his chair. It made a lot of noise. After that he was too embarrased to say anything else. So yeah.. that was the most exciting part of my day." He ended with a sigh. It was actually pretty pathetic.
"So how was college today?"

Robert started eating while he listened to Eddie's answer. It worked miracles on his mood. Good food after a long day, nothing better.
"You should try the soup" he said to Eddie while glancing at Teryn, who was in a way better position than he was, to help his friend to the delicious meal..

Something rubbed against his leg. Looking under the table, Robert saw the familiar black cat greeting him. "Hi Nina!" He said while petting her. It was a weird thing to do with humans, but in animal form it became way more natural. To him at least, it was a form of friendly communication. "Did Grimbold bring you the clothes? I can get them for you if you want."

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Daniel hated doing inventory. He hated his worthless manager even more. Releasing a heavy sigh, he placed the last box of cream and sugar on the shelf. Grabbing the clipboard from the counter, he finished checking off the last couple items, thinking back in frustration how his manager had "volunteered" Daniel to assist in end of the month inventory then running off to an "important appointment". Daniel wasn't stupid. He had overheard his manager talking to some of the other employees earlier that day about a party. Taking one final glance through the checklist, a sly smirk ghosted his lips as a rebellious thought popped in his head. He didn't know if it was because of his exposure to Grimbold and the group over the years, but his subtle acts of rebellion were becoming more frequent it seemed. Erasing a checkmark, he instead wrote, "Expired, one box" next to an item and signed off on the list. Setting the clipboard back in it's rightful spot under the register, Daniel grabbed his jacket and a box from the back before leaving the cafe, locking the door behind him.

It was a cold February evening, the stars twinkling overhead while the full moon illuminated the cobblestone streets in shimmering shades of silver. Tonight they were to meet at Grimbold's cabin. Checking his watch, he knew he was already running late but he couldn't really bring himself to care. Daniel had been making the trek through the woods at the edge of town for the better part of five years already and figured he had earned himself some leniency at least. Shoving his free hand into his jacket pocket for warmth and adjusting his hold on the box in his hand, Daniel took his time walking, enjoying the silence of the crisp winter evening.

Twenty minutes later found him at the door to the all-too familiar cabin. He knocked twice and waited. It didn't take long for the wizened old man to open the door and let him in with a warm smile. Daniel handed him the box in his arms and hung up his jacket on the hook by the door. At Grimbold's questioning look, Daniel merely shrugged and said,
"A gift from the Cafe," as the sweet smell of cakes wafted from the box.



Daniel gave a brief wave in the direction of the group as he took a seat at the table, quietly serving himself a bowl of soup.

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"Hi Nina!" greeted Robert from beneath his bangs as reached down and gave Nina a little pet which she welcomed with a tiny mew. When she first was able to transform into a cat Nina had been hesitant to let anyone touch her. As a rule, the nineteen didn't like to be touched unless the touch was invited. But, then Grimbold picked her up in his warm arms, cuddling and gently rubbing her, and before she knew it Nina was purring. So now, Nina was a little less wary when it came to letting people pet her while a feline.

The one down side to transforming from human to feline was that Nina lost her clothing. She either had to undress beforehand or wiggle her way out of them after transforming. Tonight she has stripped before changing, opening and leaning upon her window so after she could jump out of her room through the window with ease. Nina's bedroom was on the second story of her family's large home so her window lead to the roof. From the roof Nina the cat padded over to the large fir tree beside her home, her footsteps inaudible. An effortless jump from the roof to the closest branch, taking but a couple seconds to steady herself before carefully leaping down to the next branch. And then the next. And the next. Until she was close enough to leap down to the ground below. Nina was well practiced at descending the tree for she had done it quite a few times in the roughly two years she had been blessed by Grimbold's gift.

"Did Grimbold bring you the clothes?" asked Robert. "I can get them for you if you want." Nina had thought about simply remaining in her current shape for the rest of her time in the cabin tonight, perhaps in curled up in someone's lap. But, after a moment decided she should join the others at the table properly.

Walking away from Robert and the the others with her long towards the shadowy room where Grimbold kept the extra clothing, her thin tail in the air, Nina began to revert to her human form. Her figure started to lengthen. Silky black fur seemly gave way to her natural lightly tanned Caucasian skin tone, except for the top of her head. Upon her head feline fur turned to human hair and grew and an uncanny rate. By the time Daniel Reyes entered the cabin and made his way to the table Nina was fully transformed and quite naked. Her backside towards the table as she sashayed slowly toward the room. Her long dark hair tickled the middle of her bare back, the light from the fireplace giving her heart-shaped derriere a beautiful orange glow. Her hips swayed flirtatiously with every movement of her endless legs. Looking back over her shoulder she smirked at Robert. "I can handle it, Mr Fox," she said sweetly. And then, Nina disappeared into the room.

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Sky washed her hands in the bathroom sink before looking at herself in the mirror. Moving a red lock of hair behind her ear she looked carefully at herself. Was she really turning 22 in six days? "I'm glad my twenties are looking better than my teen years." Sky thought to herself before leaving the bathroom.

In moment she was sitting down again at the table and it wasn't long before everyone started to arrive. She herself had gotten to the cabin early as her shift at work had been from 8am to 5pm. Not the best hours in the world due to how much of a night owl she is but they worked for tonight. Now-a-days she found herself waiting for nights like this. While she saw a lot of these guys around town and talked to each other often, it was different being together as a group.

Serving herself some of the soup Grimbold made she started to eat. The soup was nice with how cold it was getting outside. The trek up here could be very cold at times. To her the cold was welcomed as the heat and harshness of summer made her annoyed. The soup was a nice way to warm up though and made sure no one was hungry when the meeting came around.

As time went on she was sitting next to Sloane and across from Foxy, Eddie, and Terry. Nina, Angel, and Cara sitting on the side of the table she was on. Toby took a seat amoung the group and it seemed like everyone was almost here.

Sky watched as a black cat came out from under the table and transformed back into Nina. Being in the group, she's started to not really mind if some became randomly naked around her. It wasn't like you could transform and still have clothes on. When she did transform however she didn't want anyone to really see her when she untransformed.

"Sloane, how's your day been?" Sky asked wanting to start joining in on the conversations.

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Sloane had been relatively quiet while people entered, occasionally throwing a nod at the newest person to enter the cabin and listening to the conversations around her. Until, oddly, the table fell relatively silent and she cocked an eyebrow, spoon of soup half way to her mouth. She lowered it back into the bowl and glanced over at Nina, who had taken on her human form. Damn, she was gorgeous if insufferable. The thought brought a smirk to her face, and Sloane watched unapologetically as Nina disappeared into the next room. Amused but rolling her eyes, SLoane turned back to the table just as Sky spoke up.

"Long," she answered after clearing her throat. "I just got off the bus an hour ago." It wasn't news to anyone that Sloane tended to be in and out of Tallshade, her artwork one of the very few things that put the small town on the map. If it weren't for Grimbold and the family she made here, Sloane wouldn't still be here at all. She glanced to Sky finally, reminding herself of a third reason to stick around. She sighed, a little tired, a little exasperated with herself and leaned forward again. "What about you?"

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As the others soon piled into the cabin, Angel regarded them somewhat curiously as she ate. Tobias entered soon after her, standing nearby rather than sitting. The guy ticked all the boxes for tall, dark and handsome. However, he took the 'dark' bit just a little too far into the realm of mystery. Fair enough that she herself didn't know much about him - Angel hadn't been in the town for three months, if that. However, she had the strange inkling he was a mystery to the rest of the group as well.

Cara seemed to be the closest to him, from what she could tell - but then again, Cara was a total sweetheart in Angel's eyes. On her first meeting she'd been surprised to find a fellow English gal among all the yanks. Not that she had many ties left to England, other than an insane father and dead mother, but Hell, the surprise was a nice one all the same.

"Girl knows how to put up her own in an argument too." She added as an afterthought.

As for the others, they seemed cool. Robert was definitely someone to rock out with sometime. Sloane - obviously an epic artist, if her tattoos were anything to judge her by. Eddie... well, he hadn't really made many impressions on her, good or bad.

Grabbing a breadroll from the middle of the table, Angel broke it in half as she continued her own recap of her new "family". Teryn... Hmm. Well, the less said about her, the better. Fair to say, their first meeting hadn't gone swimmingly. In Angel's eyes, anyhow.

Glancing up as Daniel entered, followed swiftly by Skylar, she sent the latter a bright smile. Skylar was another friend she had made swiftly, finding her more than easy to talk to. As for Daniel - well, therein lay another enigma. The boy was harder to figure out than Toby.

And then Nina appeared - or rather, made herself more known. In the most revealing manner possible.

Now, Angel wasn't all too used to the whole shape-shifting thing. She'd shifted all of five times, and she was still learning how to run properly on all fours without eating a face full of dirt each time. Additionally, the whole naked thing was a surprise.

Yes, she had foolishly believed that clothes shifted with the body, Harry Potter style, because hey, with all the magic shit she'd been introduced to, it wasn't too hard to believe. Therefore, it had been surprising.

As it was now, seeing Nina's perfectly shaped ass staring at all of them. An unpleasant sight? Not really. It wasn't the first naked girl Angel had seen before. But for it to appear rather suddenly while enjoying a bowl of soup and a half-eaten bread roll, it caused Angel to avert her eyes for a few moments, stifling a giggle. Because when shown a full moon, naturally one has to find humour in it.

"Jeez, I really need to get used to this whole "going commando" thing we got going here." She said with a grin to Cara, sitting beside her.

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The feeling of fur brushing Cara's bare leg caused her to almost jolt in her seat. Cara knew she should've expected it, seeing as she's known this group of misfits for almost a year by now. Instead of peering down under the table, Cara moved her leg back in response, knowing that the furry creature below had already gone to greet other people in her odd way.

Robert's greeting to the feline shifter confirmed Cara's suspicions, a grin on her face as she realised that Nina would not have any clothes on if she shifted back in front of everyone. The situation would possibly be hilarious, seeing everyone's reactions. Cara snickered at the thought. Over time, Cara had come to love the group as her family, trusting them more than her true family back home even though she's only known the shifting family for a year.

Just like how Cara's imagination played out, Nina transformed back to her human self, quite proudly in front of everyone. Naked, just like the day she was born.

Cara was proudly a straight woman, liking her men more. But of course, no one could deny that Nina looked great. And she knew it too, with her confident stride and flirtatious attitude towards Robert. Supressing a snort as Nina returned to the room to change, Cara turned to Angel as she spoke up. "Jeez, I really need to get used to this whole "going commando" thing we got going here."

"Takes a while to get used to," Cara admitted. When she had shifted for the first time, the girl was lucky enough to have done it in the comfort of her own home, to try and test out her magical powers as soon as Gandalf - Grimbold - let her leave the library. "But hey, as long as we don't follow in Nina's footsteps out with the normal people, we should be good."

Eddie was busy recalling the highlights of his day to Robert, including but not limited to: giving static charge to every tool his teacher was about to pick up, skipping a class to test the new treads on his bike (the trip out here tonight was a breeze), and getting closer to one of his classmates. She was a tomboy redhead, and Eddie was smitten. He kept using his power to zap her and himself whenever they passed tools ("Wow, I guess there's some sparks between us!")

Once Eddie realized most everyone had stopped talking besides him, he turned to see what they were looking at. "I can handle it, Mr Fox." Eddie blushed and immediately looked at Robert to see his reaction. Eddie hadn't even known Nina was here, but that wasn't surprising. There were people he didn't get along with in the group, but Eddie trusts Grimbold, and Grimbold trusts them, so they can't be that bad. Plus, he had people like Robert and Sky to hang out with.

Eddie's mind came back to Nina transforming in front of everyone. All of them could change, under the same restrictions, but still. Eddie had only had to take his animal form twice. Once when his bike broke halfway, and the only way to be on time was to hide the bike and his clothes and come back for them later. The second was... a little more embarrassing. But that's a story for another time. Both times, though, Eddie made sure was completely covered in shadow before reverting.

"So... I guess there's that" Eddie said, almost inaudibly, as he reached for a pastry that Daniel brought. He leaned back in his chair and gauged the room.

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Terry was slightly taken aback by Robert's thanks. "You're welcome, I guess," she said as she rolled her eyes. She was not used to such forward behavior, especially since she scared most people away. Much to her relief, Robert was busy talking to Eddie now and left her alone.

If there was anyone who knew Terry well enough, they would notice that her face lit up slightly when Sloane arrived. "Hey Sloane," she said with a small wave. They didn't talk too much, but she always felt a little better once Sloane is there. She was interesting to talk to and even Terry needed some social interaction once in a while.

Then a black cat finally made her presence known to the group. The cat made her way around the table, rubbing against the legs of people she liked (or maybe was just okay with). Terry fought the urge to pet the cat when it approached her. The cat was a real person after all. That would be weird. Robert seemed to have no qualms with it though. Then suddenly, the cat turned into a Nina Constantine, a naked Nina Constantine. Terry's cheeks slightly reddened and she began to feel jealous of the girl's body. It was so beautiful and smooth. And the confidence that she wore with it...

After what felt like eternity, Terry finally peeled her eyes away and Nina had went into the other room. Shit, was she really staring?

More people have seemed to arrive. Or were they here before that whole scene? She wasn't paying attention nor did she really care.

"Though this place is starting to get really crowded."

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Daniel took his time with his bowl of soup, glancing around at the others at the table as he did. Everyone was like a giant dysfunctional family, more so than any family he had ever had living back in France. He must have been almost the last to arrive as he noticed everyone was here but Nick. Daniel hadn't realized he had been running that late. Maybe everyone else had simply gotten here early. He reached across the table to the bread basket and grabbed himself a crusty roll, perfect to go with the hearty soup. Daniel allowed himself a small smile as he ripped off a piece and popped it in his mouth. Nothing beat the taste of fresh bread. Not nearly as good as the bread back home but the local bakery here definitely knew what they were doing.

At the sudden silence that fell around the room, Daniel looked up and nearly choked on his bread. "Oh la vache," he stuttered out as he swallowed. Mademoiselle Nina just made herself very publicly known and Daniel quickly averted his eyes out of respect for the lady. He realized Nina liked to flaunt her body on purpose but Daniel was still a gentleman. Instead he busied himself with observing everyone else's reactions. Skylar didn't seem bothered much by the situation. It was expected after all. They had all been warned in the beginning by Grimbold that this would happen should they transform back into their human forms. Sloane openly stared and Angel stifled a giggle while making a joking remark to Cara. Cara didn't seem too bothered either, just like Skylar, and simply continued conversing with Angel after giving Nina a brief glance. Edward blushed and looked down, much like Daniel had, then turned to Robert. From Daniel's seat at the table, he couldn't quite tell how Tobias and Robert were reacting to Nina's performance but he was quite curious what was going on in Robert's mind. Her little act had been obviously directed at him after all. It wasn't too difficult to tell the two had something between them, be it one-sided or mutual. Lastly, Daniel's gaze fell upon Teryn. Her cheeks were dusted pink with a slight blush but she didn't look away the entire time Nina sauntered across the room. "You're staring," Daniel whispered to Teryn with a chuckle. Only when conversation had returned to the table and Teryn shook herself out of her daze did Daniel conclude that Nina must have disappeared into the back room where the spare clothes were kept. He shook his head with a laugh as he returned to his bowl, finishing the last spoonfuls of soup. He leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh as he munched on the rest of his bread.

The sweet smell of baked pastries filled the cabin, and although Tobias had already ate it was hard to resist. After all, the cafe usually sold these cakes in small pieces, and they cost enough to to buy a meal or two elsewhere. The Castle Street Café tried to justify it through one hundred percent fresh ingredients or something, but it was probably just fancy vocab so hipsters would recommend buying an overpriced snack to their friends and family. "Thanks Daniel. Real nice of ya."

Though it seemed Daniel was averting his gaze from something. Tobias looked in the direction Daniel was avoiding, and it was naked Nina. "Oh come on...." Did she really have to use her powers now? It was hardly necessary to transform in front of everyone, this was just wanton usage.. She literally just had to walk a few more steps and there would be an empty room where she could change. Granted, seeing how almost everyone was gawking at her naked body, it might have been a grab for attention.

Hell, Terry was staring for quite some time. Tobias didn't want to jump to conclusions, as it might have been just pure shock, but it certainly seemed that she was staring out of lust. Yeah, Tobias was a guy, he couldn't say there was no impure thoughts, but even he and Daniel restrained themselves better than Terry had.

"You know, even though I'm sure a lot of us enjoyed the show, you might wanna change instead of being butt naked in front of the group." Tobias raised his voice a bit louder than usual just in case she couldn't hear in the room over.

---

It was as if Sloane had been waiting all night to pick on him. When he spoke, she held a finger up to Sky and turned her head, green eyes finding Tobias' blue ones. Even if it was Nina she was speaking to defend, she enjoyed any opportunity to mouth off at the guy. "Don't be such a prude, Toby. We've all seen each other naked," she said, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Some of us just look more impressive than others." She looked him up and down with a teasing smirk. Then she offered a melodramatic tilt of her shoulder before returning her attention to Sky, re-invested in the conversation they had started.

As she listened, she returned to eating her soup--and when she finished, helping herself to a pasty that Daniel had brought. As she did she nodded a thanks in his direction. The guy was cute and had a certain, quite charm to him. Though he never had a lot to say about himself; and on that thought, Sloane eyed him quietly for a moment. She could be pretty withdrawn from the group--all of them could--but he was particularly careful. She shrugged it off, though, and fell back into listening to the noise around her.