shadows all around you as you surface from the dark

[cleverness]

Bit by bit, Hermione has been easing down her responsibilities at the Lamplight over the past several weeks. While doing her best to maintain all of the inventory and services that people require for emergency reasons, Hermione's been deprioritizing some of the businesses she started up for fun alone. The tanks which once held dozens of pygmy puffs are now largely empty, save for the few that refused to be sold off to new owners, robust enough to hop around the store and occasionally coming around to nap on Hermione's shoulder.

In quiet afternoons like this, she appreciates their company, and in closing her eyes she can almost imagine herself being in Great Britain again, surrounded by friends and family.

But life in Darrow isn't lacking by any means, and today, Hermione only allows herself to doze off for the briefest of moments before she sits straight, hearing the poltergeist at the entrance get up in arms. It shrieks a few times, though whether in greeting or alarm Hermione can't quite tell. Either way, it's enough for Hermione to get to her feet, having previously been lounging in the soft rocking chair she's set up in the back of the shop to help her rest her feet.

"May I help you?" she asks, seeing the silhouette of a customer by the door, doing her best to blink the sleep out of her eyes.

Comments

[modern_alpha]

"Do you know you've got a ghost in the poltergeist stage there?" Biffy asked politely. The responsible thing, in his London, would have been to perform an exorcism to destroy the remains and let the poor thing lose its tether rather than continue going mad but that was his old London. Who was he to comment how the neighbors did the dusting?

He bowed slightly at the waist. "Nothing really. I was looking around. Your shop has an interesting scent." To explain, Biffy tapped his nose and then his pointed ears. "Magical."

[cleverness]

"I'm aware, yes," Hermione said with a smile, glancing over at the poltergeist with a wag of her brow. It hissed in her direction before retreating back into its hiding space — a small, ornately carved cuckoo clock hanging over the entrance. "She's been there since I opened the store, but since she seems relatively content, I haven't bothered trying to chase her out. Sometimes she gets a little sensitive, though."

She smiled, leaning lightly against the counter. "This shop is indeed a magic shop. Potions, amulets, texts, raw ingredients... I can't say that I have everything in my stock, but I do make the effort." She tilted her head. "Should I assume your strong nose is genetic?"

[modern_alpha]

"She's not suffering? Poltergeists in my world are a very tenuous stage, right before disanimus and final death." The poor things. Biffy couldn't deny he was glad that his excess soul had been consumed in metamorphosis rather than the slow second death of being a ghost.

"No, I wasn't born this way. Metamorphosed," he explained. "I's nice to meet you. Are you the proprietor?"

[cleverness]

"She hasn't been acting out in such a way. I know that there are many ghosts, poltergeists, and specters that may be in an unstable position, but I don't think ours is one of them," Hermione said, glancing briefly past her new companion to check the poltergeists again, looking for any indication that she wanted leave. Finding none, she gave a small, helpless shrug to Biffy.

"If I ever find that she needs help, I'll certainly do my best to offer it to her. But, until then," she added, holding out a hand. "Yes, I am the proprietor of this shop. My name is Hermione. It's nice to meet you."

She paused, hand pausing briefly by her lip before she spoke further in curiosity. "Do you mind if I ask what kind of form you metamorphosed from?"

[modern_alpha]

"Sandalio de Rabiffano," he said, giving Hermione a short bow. "But please, call me Biffy. Everyone does." Aside from his...whatever Dorian was; he seemed to favor Biffy's Christian name for reasons he couldn't fathom.

It was still one of those striking differences, Biffy thought. In London, his lycanthopic status would have been evident from the tips of his ears and pointed teeth. Assuming they didn't parse it out from the collar that could never quite lay flat and the similarly rebellious hair. Here in Darrow, they were but a curiosity.

"I was metamorphosed from a human into a werewolf, madam," he explained.

[cleverness]

"Biffy, then," Hermione said with a small bow of her head, before she took the information freely offered and began to pick out the little things about this man that might be an indication of his condition. The ears were what she noticed first; the collar around his neck, second. They weren't the same signs that necessarily identified werewolves back home, but there were similarities to be sure.

"Thank you for sharing that detail with me," she added with a smile. "I've known werewolves from my world, but as many things are different here than they are at home, I thought it would be best not to presume. One of my closest friends was a werewolf. He was in the city for a brief time."

[modern_alpha]

"It's a strange thing to me to keep it secret," Biffy confessed. "Where I came from, werewolves and vampires are as much a staple of British society as Parliament or afternoon tea."

Any other society, by his estimation, was incrementally less civilized than his own.

"I assure you that I'm no danger to you tonight. I'll only change if I choose to."

[cleverness]

"To hear that makes me hopeful. Before I arrived here, the bulk of my professional work had been to decrease the amount of discrimination against marginalized species in my largely human-dominated world," Hermione said, bowing her head respectfully. "Werewolves included. I think the nature of how lycanthropy was passed along in my world made it something especially easy to stigmatize."

Resting her hand on her stomach, Hermione tilted her head curiously. "So, you are able to choose the circumstances of your change, if I understood you correctly? When you do, do you retain the same level of awareness and judgment?"

[modern_alpha]

Biffy nodded his head respectfully in reply. "It goes back to Henry VIII in my world. He broke with Rome and his Catholic wife over whether or not to incorporate us into society. Well, not me among them. I've only been a werewolf for a year, but I do know some who have lived for centuries. It's transferred by a bite, in my world, from an alpha werewolf."

In the back of his senses, Biffy thought he could very nearly perceive the baby's heartbeat, smell the pregnancy in the woman across from him (what her normal scent was like would be an interesting comparison). "No...closer to the full moon, the less I remember myself. On the night itself, I become a slathering beast."

[cleverness]

"In my world, the history dates back a little earlier — but of course, the further back the texts, the more unsure any of us are over the accuracy," concedes Hermione with a small smile. She's always enjoyed the scholarly aspect of learning, no matter what the topic. It's interesting to see the color that time paints on events long past.

With a hand smoothing over her belly, the baby inside having shifted, Hermione briefly presses her lips together in consideration. "I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I did brew for some time a potion which enabled my friend to retain his human mind during his time of transformation. I know that odds are that your lycanthropy is not identical to his, but I wonder if some of the same principles might apply. If I might be able to find a potion that will enable you to pass the full moon more peacefully."

[modern_alpha]

For a moment, Biffy's mouth hung open at the prospect she dangled before him. A way to keep under control during the full moon, rather than be forced to lock himself in a cage? It would be lovely, being able to rest in the familiarity of his own home without having to fear for his neighbors or his wardrobe.

"If you could do such a thing, I would be forever in your debt," Biffy admitted. It wasn't the preserving touch of a Soulless, but it sounded wonderful nonetheless. "I am willing to pay, if you'll forgive me for discussing something as crass as money."

[cleverness]

Hermione quickly raised a hand, not so adamant as to seem rude, but wanting to make her own motivations and capabilities clear to her new companion. "I can't promise that what I brew will be successful, and I refuse to collect a single cent unless the potion actually works as it's intended to," she clarifies. "And even then, I only ask for as much as it would take to replenish the materials the potion requires. This type of support should be offered to everyone, and not become a business intended to generate profit."

She smiled then, her eyes brighter than a moment before. "But, not to seem overly modest — I am very good at what I do."

[modern_alpha]

Again, he was reminded of Alexia, how practical and forthright she was. And, in her own way, how generous. Already, he was thinking of the appropriate thank you gift he could get at the very least. Something for the coming baby.

"I don't doubt it, madame," he said. "And I intend to compensate you for the work you do and the materials needed. Can I be of service in providing them?"

[cleverness]

Hermione paused, deep in thought. She had been forced to start looking around the countryside for materials recently; though replicating some supplies was always possible, each iteration made the items less reliable. Hermione knew that she only had so many times she could take the shortcut.

"There are some herbs that you might be able to help me find. I have everything that I need in the store, but I don't have much of it — how acute is your sense of smell? I could give you a small sprig of each herb and direct you to the relative location on the countryside where you can probably find each plant."

[modern_alpha]

"Of course." Biffy glanced outside where the light was fading. Soon he would be able to walk freely without aching in the weak sunlight. With the scents memorized and a list in hand, he could be there and back within a matter of hours. Whether or not Hermione could say the same was uncertain. She was, after all, past the stage of what would have been confinement for his era.

"If you keep late hours, I can have them to you by sunrise. If not, simply point me to your mailbox." He sighed apologetically, "Regrettably, I cannot walk in any but weak sunlight."

[cleverness]

"You have an aversion to sunlight?" Hermione asked in surprise, blinking at the revelation. Such a limitation certainly didn't apply to werewolves of her world, and she immediately raised her hand to her lips, frowning in thought. "Do you know what it is that causes your inability to walk in direct sunlight? What type of symptoms do you suffer when you try?"

It was certainly a symptom that she had to take in mind in altering the Wolfsbane potion. If there was some type of allergen, she'd have to make sure that it wasn't included in any process of brewing the potion — and were she really ambitious, perhaps she could even find a solution for the problem.

[modern_alpha]

There were plenty of scientific theories about it, why werewolves started weak to sunlight and grew stronger against it while vampires did not. Something to do with the particular attributes of werewolf or vampire blood, he'd read. Put on the spot, of course, all of those theories scrambled in his head a bit.

"In my world, werewolves are as undead as vampires. Young wolves, like myself, start out weak to sunlight though with age and strength we are able to go out again," Biffy explained. "I can walk outside just after dawn and just before sunset now."

[cleverness]

"That's... fascinating," Hermione murmured, eyes widening for a moment before she settled into deep thought once more. Were it not too presumptuous to do so, she would have stepped forward to feel Biffy's body for his temperature, for any hint of a pulse. Undead, he said, and yet the fact that his body changed over time seemed to suggest that something wasn't caught in the equilibrium that death often suggested.

"Does the fact that you're undead mean that that you're immortal? Could you theoretically live on provided that you don't succumb to injury or illness?"

[modern_alpha]

"You would, I think, get along with my Alpha's wife very well," Biffy said, smiling. "The Lady Maccon is both quite well-read and even more astute."

The last question was by no means personal, but answering it felt equally odd, if only because it was simply known in his world. To be the only one playing by such rules was at times puzzling. "I am, but I'm afraid I've only been a werewolf a year now. I can't say I've witnessed any centuries old marvels."

[cleverness]

Hermione smiled at the compliment, glad to receive it in a place where she often felt far from knowledgeable. It certainly wasn't for lack of wanting, though, she told herself. Whenever afforded the opportunity to learn about those around her, Hermione took the chance by the horns.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so open and willing to cooperate.

"Normally, I wouldn't pry into such private matters without first being invited, but it is all important for me to consider as I make adjustments to the potion. Werewolves in my world are far from immortal — they can have the expected lifespan of a human, but frequently live a shorter time than they might otherwise. Stress," she explained.

[modern_alpha]

"It's only proper," he agreed, understanding that answering her questions was to his benefit, in the end. "Like being fully candid with one's physician, I imagine. Though, to that end, I cannot become ill either. Nor can any human weapon do permanent damage to me."

Perhaps, if someone were to evacuate his head from his neck that might do him in, but Biffy thought he would not like to participate in such an experiment. "And I am quite vulnerable to silver, I'm afraid. And basil. All werewolves are allergic to the stuff."

[cleverness]

Completely focused on the symptoms and limitations described by Biffy, Hermione shifts in her seat, hand unconsciously sweeping over her belly. "Vulnerable to silver, you say? And basil? Do these things only incapacitate you temporarily, or do they deal permanent damage?" Hermione asked. "And do you have any sort of allergic reaction to wolfsbane?"

She attempted briefly to cross her arms over her chest, but finding the position uncomfortable, shook her head. "The potion that I brew relies on wolfsbane as its primary acting ingredient. But if wolfsbane is not a substance that you react to, I may need to rethink how to brew the proper potion. Basil as a primary ingredient..." Her voice trailed off as Hermione considered what other ingredients could be used together with basil.

[modern_alpha]

"We do, though it's less of a concern in the middle of London than a chef trying to be a gourmand and including all manner of herbs," Biffy said. Though he had been fond of the trend toward more flavorful food he was, at his heart, still raised on the bland flavors of Victorian England.

"It numbs the mouth, basil, and leaves a lingering and unpleasant taste." He wrinkled his nose delicately before looking to her change of posture. "You aren't tired are you? Please, sit if you need. You have no reason to stand on my account."

[cleverness]

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to completely rework the Wolfsbane potion. While she believed that she could probably arrive at the right brewing recipe in time, she couldn't guarantee that it would be without a large amount of strife and strain on Biffy's body.

Which brought her back to her own aches and pains, and Hermione smiled sheepishly as she sunk back down into her seat. "Thank you," she said earnestly, running her hand once over her belly. "Sometimes I forget that I can't quite handle as much strain as I used to. But, at any rate, I can definitely brew the potion. And I'll prepare an antidote as well, in case something doesn't sit well with you physically. I'll be very curious to see if it works."

[modern_alpha]

Biffy had found that he was a sturdy type, for all his dandy behavior. Becoming a werewolf had only made him hardier to the point that Lyall had expressed surprise, more than once, while Lord Maccon constantly assured him that he was a strong wolf. Effete and fastidious among the rest of the pack, all burly military types, he had not felt he could honestly agree.

"When are you due?" he asked. "My own alpha's wife was due for her confinement herself, when I was home in London. Though I doubt anyone would actually be able to confine her."

[cleverness]

"The twenty-second of May," Hermione parroted right back, with enough easy to make it clear that she had been obsessing over her due date for quite some time. She hadn't yet let herself become tied to the house, wanting to remain outside and active as much as possible, but she knew that the day would inevitably begin to draw closer.

"Which is, I'll assure you," she added quickly with a reassuring smile, "far away enough that I can certainly get started on your potion. It takes some weeks to brew, but fortunately the need for attention is less of a physical one, and more a matter of being awake at the right time. Wave of the wand, and all that."

[modern_alpha]

"Many felicitations. I hope you'll allow me to prepare a gift, at least, for the upcoming child so that I might thank you." It was only proper, especially if Hermione didn't intend to take formal payment for her efforts.

"And please, don't rush." Manners dictated he say it, though truthfully Biffy prayed that he might sample the potion's effects sooner than later.

[cleverness]

"Well, I suppose I can't exactly deny my child a present, if you feel inclined," Hermione said with a small laugh, nodding as Biffy found the one area in which she could relax her principles. She didn't like helping people at a price, but neither was she the type to deny others presents, unless they were being offered as some type of a bribe.

This hardly seemed like it fell in that category.

"And I promise you, I won't compromise quality for the sake of timing. But I'll do my best to accommodate your needs as soon as I can. It'd put me at greater ease as well if I'm able to help you retain your mind on the full moon."