Maki ditched Rin and Hanayo as soon as they got near campus and ran home, transforming in the shed and letting herself in the backdoor. Her mother was in bed, her father had been called in to 's. But sleep wasn't even lurking. She sat in the TV room, music videos running on the screen, twisting Nico's scarf between her hands. Not a strong Nico smell and someone else's mixed in slightly, a recent gift maybe...but there was still the trace of peach and vanilla and musk and magic that had become something she searched for whenever she went outside.
"Maki?" Her mother stood in the doorway, bathrobe wrapped around her nightgown.
"Was the music too loud?" Maki stretched for the remote, muting some random K-Pop group.
"A little." Her mother smiled, "but I'm glad to see you."
"Yeah," Maki returned to her default sprawl along the couch's length, "We've both been busy."
"Out for a prowl tonight?" her mother wondered.
Maki blushed, dipping her head, "Just a brief one."
"Be careful. And be discreet." Maki had gotten the same warning in the same strict tone ever since her first transformation at the age of eight.
Pacing back and forth in front of Cup o' probably didn't meet her mother's definition of discreet but Maki just opted to nod and smile, unmuting the TV while her mom searched her non communicative daughter's face and posture for any cues.
"How is your Cognitive Psychology class?" Maki's mother decided to take this rare moment as an opportunity.
Maki shrugged, "The cognitive aspects are more interesting than the social so it's an improvement on last quarter."
"Are you really interested in Psychology?" Her mother made certain to drain any judgement out of her voice as Maki seemed in a talkative mood.
"With the headache clinic, Papa spends so much time talking about how people's actions affect their health, I thought it might be beneficial to get some insights into behavioral sciences."
"But do you enjoy it?"
Maki wondered what her mother wanted her to say. The most honest answer would be 'not as much as music, but I know I'm expected to pick some scientific major to become the latest Dr. Nishikino in the long line of doctoring Nishikinos'. But this was only her freshman year, Maki still had a few quarters to play the piano, take a music composition class occasionally and dabble her way through sciences until one of them called to her like music - or the moon.
"I'll probably take my stats class next quarter and knock off a Distribution requirement in Anthropology. I think there's an ethnomusicology one being offered."
"Sounds like you have a plan."
Maki yawned, starting to feel the run in her muscles, "I'm going to take a hot shower."
"Good night, Maki." Her mother smiled fondly as her daughter slowly rose from the couch. "I'm glad you're home."
Nico hadn't run into any obstacles, furry or otherwise, on her way to rehearsal this afternoon. She wasn't on the call sheet, but she wanted to get a feel for the production and today, they were working on the choreography for the Jonathan Harker and the Three Sisters big confrontation scene. Micah Ling, the actor playing her character's fiancee, Harker, was a friend of Nico's. They'd been in a few ensembles together.
Nico recognized a certain dark haired woman lurking in the back row and slid next to her, voice an admonitory whisper, "You can't just come to rehearsals to ogle the dancers, Nozomi."
Nozomi raised an eyebrow and put on the sweet smile that had never once tricked Nico about the depths of dark truths Nozomi was willing to push, "You're here as well, Nico-chi."
Nico slouched in her seat, smugly confident, "Micah invited me. We're helping each other." Nico tapped the armrest between her and Nozomi to make sure she had the green eyed gossip's attention, "I'm mostly here to pick up tips on how the dancers express being under Dracula's thrall."
"Thrall..." Nozomi drawled.
"Thrall." Nico countered, decisively.
Nozomi giggled, "Oh, Nico-chi, you're so amusing."
Nico shrugged, watching the three women on stage weave around Micah, wondering which one Nozomi was here stalking. As far as she could tell, Nozomi didn't have a type, unless it were easily embarrassed so Nozomi could have as much fun as possible teasing them. Nico had had to intervene when Nozomi had gone to far with Umi one night and now if she wanted to see Nozomi, Nico went to her place. Umi had a long memory.
"Speaking of ogling, how's your new friend, Nico-chi?" Nozomi's voice had her usual mocking undertone.
Nico was paying close attention to the dancers so her reply was matter of fact. "Princess? She ended up at Cup o' last night, but I still haven't met her owner. Just two goofy girls who might know the owner."
Nozomi turned around in her seat, "You really did meet a dog?"
Nico chuckled, "And she is a pretty redhead."
Nozomi stared at Nico, genuinely puzzled, and then the tallest dancer, a lithe blonde crawled to the front of the stage, her movements long, slow and seductive, and Nico smirked at how fast her friend dropped their conversation. Crush mystery solved. Cue Nico's chance to bait.
"I didn't know you liked blondes, Nozo?"
Nozomi hissed out of the side of her mouth at Nico, hand gripping the armrest, "Her name's Eli, she's in my Economics of Gender class and she never gets a question wrong."
Obviously not the crush of just a moment so Nico let herself get absorbed in the action happening onstage. How did one cue the audience to 'under vampiric thrall?"
Maki had to eat lunch, she was starved and the dorm cafeteria was the closest but that meant Rin. Maybe if she just grabbed some cereal and ran, she could avoid her intrusive, seemingly caring friend.
Nope. Maki set foot on the stairs leading to the dorm and she felt someone grab her in a hug. Rin.
"Maki Maki Maki. Your barista is so cute." Rin shouted.
Maki pried Rin off, "Shut it, Rin. She's not my barista. We're not even friends. She's just interesting. A little."
"I bet Princess wants Nico to take her for a walk." Rin pushed Maki into the line.
"What, like Hanayo does with you?" But Maki's attempt at withering scorn was ruined when Rin nodded eagerly, excited by the idea.
"Rin and Maki can play and Nico and Kayochin can talk. It'd be awesome."
Maki groaned. Needling Rin about how she behaved around Hanayo never had any traction. They just orbited each other in a state of mutual adoration that deflected any harassment or criticism by others. But Rin wouldn't understand 'discreet.' Maki stopped and dragged Rin out of line, letting her eyes go full werewolf glow green to impress upon Rin the seriousness of her next statement, "Nico can never know about us, Rin."
"But…" Rin's green eyes dimmed.
"Never."
"She seems nice." Rin pleaded as Maki's grip on her arm tightened enough to bruise.
"Rin." Maki snarled again, loud enough to draw attention, eyes commanding agreement from Rin.
"Okay, Maki." Rin hung her head, and looked so sad Maki was sure Rin understood the gravity of the situation. "But Rin was excited about a new friend."
Maki's tried to make her voice soothing as she released Rin, "Friend, yes, but you know we can't trust just anyone."
Rin nodded and Maki felt a surge of empathy. Rin was so close to her animal side that it was hard for the smaller girl to hide it. Without Hanayo, Maki didn't know what Rin would do. The other two girls had met in elementary school. Hanayo had witnessed Rin transform at the age of 5 and been by her side ever since. Maki wondered what it would be like to have someone she could rely on like that in her life.
"Let's get lunch," Maki pushed Rin back toward the line.
Lunch, check. No class for another hour. Maki would have to remember to reserve a practice room for afternoons like this. Rin had gone off to her classes; Hanayo had an appointment with her advisor. The snow on the Lakefill was still fresh and relatively crisp to walk through...Maki had fun jumping into larger drifts, dragging her boots through and enjoying the sun as she drifted in the direction of Norris.
Nico...musk, peach, vanilla, magic, coffee, so close...just left Norris? Maki felt herself drawn in that direction and pushed through a snowbank, only to trip over a student veering into her path. Maki stumbled forward and realized a surprised Nico was practically in her arms, also suddenly aware that she'd caused Nico's coffee to spill. Now Maki's fisherman's sweater had coffee beading off it.
Nico's voice snapped, "So you drink coffee but you don't want anyone else to?"
Maki was still thrown off by the sudden appearance of Nico and found herself muttering an indecipherable excuse as the shorter woman, enveloped in a voluminous white quilted parka, brushed some of the liquid off Maki's sweater with a pink mittened hand.
Nico laughed, "Nico is kidding, Maki, student, coffee, black, fancy mansion, serious sweater. But you do owe Nico a coffee now."
Maki met Nico's eyes, the smaller woman gleamed at her and reached out to yank her back Norris-ward. "Ok." Maki managed to squeak out.
"Enthusiasm, I like that." Nico kept towing and teasing as Maki found herself tripping along.
Get it together, Nishikino, she told herself, ask a question, "Do you have a class, N...N...Nico?"
"No. Music rehearsal later for the play later. Nico stopped by to watch one of the other scenes and think about how to play someone under a thrall."
Thrall? Maki wondered what exactly the play was about? Werewolf form wasn't the best for retaining details and nuances, but Maki couldn't remember if Nico had said what she was doing.
"Thrall?" Maki stepped ahead to open the student center door for Nico who nodded gratefully as she swept past.
"Didn't I tell you? Oh, I hadn't gotten the part yet, that night. Dracula bites Nico and Nico is in a trance."
"Bites?" Nico kept rushing through words and Maki found herself getting a bit dizzy from the storyboard of visuals her brain was creating as she struggled to keep up with Nico's trajectory toward the Dunkin Donuts counter.
"Oh, no actual biting. Or fluid exchange. Nico is very careful." Nico glanced speculatively at Maki, "Nico skipped the donut last time."
Maki pulled out her wallet and ordered, "Two coffees and two donuts, one, toasted coconut, one…?" She turned to Nico.
"Strawberry frosted please. And make my coffee a medium in a large cup."
Maki watched the server put a very pink donut on a napkin. "Nothing should be that pink."
"Nico is that pink."
"On the inside, yes, after eating that." Maki moved to a table at the window looking out over the Lakefill. "Like a mutant."
Nico snorted as she slid across from Maki, "Nico is 100% Cute Girl ™ ."
Maki took a bite of her donut, watching as Nico poured creamer into her coffee, lots of creamer. That explained the larger cup. "Do you even like coffee?"
"Shush, serious sweater girl. Nico is a professional and knows what she's doing." And Nico winked. Then they both started sipping their coffee, with Maki yelping at the heat on her lip. She refused Nico's offer of creamer to dilute the coffee, but did hold the chilled metal container against her lip.
"That's embarrassing. And unhygienic." Nico chided.
Maki let her eyes go wide, "But it hurts."
"There we go with the pouty puppy eyes. Now I really recognize you." Nico stole a chunk of Maki's donut. "So do you have a class soon?"
"Probably in a half hour. Freshman seminar."
"Oh, WCAS."
"Yep." Maki put down the creamer and tried her coffee again. Drinkable.
"Nico is a theatre major."
"Northwestern's a good school for it." Maki remembered hearing that sometime.
"Exactly. The only one." Nico slammed her coffee cup down, "Nico was expecting to be in LA by now, but Fangs is the opportunity Nico was waiting for."
"F...fangs…" Maki spit her coffee out and Nico grabbed a napkin to clean the table between them, frowning.
"Fangs...the play Nico is starring in. Don't you pay attention to what's going on on campus?"
"No." Maki said flatly, amused by how Nico's mouth dropped open.
Nico made a fairly random and highly amusing exasperated noise, Maki couldn't help grinning, canine tooth peeking out. Nico glowered at her audience's disrespect. "Nico has to run but stop by Cup o' tomorrow night and Nico will explain the variety of arts this campus offers." Nico pfffffed, her cheeks puffed out. "Freshmen."
"Maybe." Maki winked, Nico shook her head, corner of her mouth almost quirked into a smile.
"Thanks for the donut, Maki." Nico air kissed and ran off, leaving Maki with half a coconut crusted donut she didn't actually want to eat. Fangs. Vampire. Nico. More visuals to process.
A/N A/N I like terrible puns. Share some (ʃƪ¬‿¬)
Casual Lunacy is now officially set at my alma mater, since I don't have time to research or make up another college, but it is definitely an AU Northwestern,as I haven't been back in awhile. Theatre department details are mostly my invention as I spent most of my time between Lakefill, library and books related to Shakespeare, Poe and whatever I was researching outside of classes any particular quarter.
Thanks for reading and for those of you who might miss her, Princess is eager for her return.
Reviews lacking puns are also gladly accepted d(-_^)
