The warm scent of fresh pastries at Bread & Breakfast immediately soothes something tense in my chest. The same cheerful brunette woman from before, with her piercings, waves at me from behind the counter.
"Oh, hey, finally back again! You know, I was wondering if we’d see your hair in here someday."
Feeling a little awkward about being called out to while there is a line ahead of me - because it feels natural enough to the royal me, but shouldn’t be natural for ’just’ Helene... I wave at her shortly before getting into the expected wait.
> You’d think with a place this busy, they would expand. But I guess it’s not so simple as all that, is it? And it’s not like I would suggest them to do so... with what is coming. Truthfully... that would be lovely enough right up until she decides a fated bond doesn’t have to mean forever. Probably around when I give birth, most likely. Yes, for the record I think it can. Stop barking so much. I know you’re happy I’m talking to her!"
"No. Well, a little...? We’ll call it ’among other things’. But I did have an awkward encounter last night. Another werewolf caught your scent on me and... made some assumptions."
> No, I do not have to tell her that I made them worse! I didn’t *have* to tell her any of that! Stay out of my conversational choices, Vrika! <