'Nino?'

"Uh… yeah? Buddy?"

'Where are we going?'

"Paris."

'Paris?'

Nino looked away from his dog, watching the path ahead as it steadily got lighter with the rising sun. The two of them had been walking for a few hours, only resting for about five hours before heading out again. They hadn't spoken much, mostly because Nino was trying to cope with it being an option at all. Carter had been quiet, clearly worried and agitated but respecting Nino's silence for the most part. He seemed to pick up on the fact that talking to him made him uncomfortable, and Nino couldn't help the pang of guilt he felt.

"It's a city," Nino tried to engage, looking back down. It felt weird as hell when he spoke with the intention of Carter understanding him, his body reacted and it was… different. It was a different way of talking. He still said the words aloud but he couldn't talk to Carter and look away from him, some part of him understood the communication had a lot more to do with body language and tone then actual words. It wasn't anything obvious or even broad, it was just the way he held himself and always looked at him when he said something. It wasn't flawless, there were lots of things he couldn't convey, such as the name of a place having a meaning without explanation. "It's a place with a lot of people. Really noisy, really big. People live there, a whole lot more people then who lived in the houses near us. When there are lots of people who live and work in one area it's called a city."

'And this city is called Paris?'

"Yeah, exactly," Nino praised him, smiling a little when Carter's tail wagged. He was trying not to upset him, there was no way for Carter to understand why he was uncomfortable without him thinking it was his fault or something like that. In all honesty Carter barely seemed fazed by the fact they could communicate much easier than before. People and animals sort of have a vague gist of what other creatures are feeling anyways, especially pets like dogs, so for Carter it was just them being on the same wave length. It didn't mean much to him that now whole words and concepts were expressed instead of just emotions.

'We aren't going to go home are we? Even after Paris?'

Nino jolted a little, slowing down as Carter trotted forward to look up at him a little more easily. The Shepherd said it as plainly as he had asked what Paris was, not upset or accusing in the slightest.

Nino was quiet at first, looking away and down the road. It was about dawn now…

"No buddy. We're not going home. Or at least, I'm not," Nino explained once he looked back at his companion, tone serious. "I can't go home. That doesn't mean you can't."

'Why can't you go home?'

"Because I can't Carter," Nino huffed irritably, suddenly agitated again at the simple question his dog had asked once before already.

Nino looked away and Carter didn't reply, or maybe he did. He wasn't entirely sure he could understand anything that didn't have a sound attached to it if he wasn't looking, but he didn't feel like trying to work out the subtleties of talking to dogs just then. However, Carter wasn't exactly on the same page, and barked in a way that very simply said, 'Hey!'

When Nino finally looked back down, Carter was annoyed.

'I'm not leaving you. I'm not going home either. I'll protect you from what scares you, so stop it. I'm here now.'

Nino stared at the firm determination on his dog's face in silence, and slowly the two of them came to a stop on the side of the road, never looking away from each other.

Occasionally a car would drive by, but for the most part they were alone, and Nino felt a distant sort of hollowness.

"You can't protect me from this boy."

The German Shepherd huffed, stubbornly holding his head high as he defiantly said, 'Watch me.'

Nino was quiet for half a second, before suddenly he laughed. The sound was short and airy, betraying disbelief and to no small degree, affection.

It didn't matter how many times Nino tried to explain to him he was dangerous, or that what was happening was complicated or out of their control. His stubborn dog really didn't care what he considered possible, he was going to bark away lycanthropy if it was the last thing he did. He'd fight the monsters in the dark on his own if he had to, and Nino knew he meant it when he said he wasn't going anywhere. As far as the dog was concerned they were in it till the end. He'd follow Nino to the ends of the earth if he asked him to, and certainly go as far as Paris.

Nino stood at the side of the road, watchful and withdrawn as he considered the circumstance they had found themselves in. A man who was just as much an animal as the dog that stood beside him, and a dog that looked at him with more determination and strength than any man in Nino's life had ever commanded.

Finally, after a long and silent moment, Nino smiled. He looked away, chuckling weakly to himself as he slowly shook his head. Though at first he said nothing, Carter seemed to understand and in his own way, he laughed too.

"You're a good boy Carter," he finally muttered, taking a deep breath to center himself and looking to the sky. "Good boy…"

He wasn't looking to see, but Carter stood beside him with his chest puffed out, tail wagging steadily as they set off once again, walking side by side.

'I know,' he replied, trotting at a set pace as the two of them worked their way towards Paris.

It took a long time, and both the boy and his dog were weary and starving as they neared the finish line, but on Tuesday the 18th of October, Nino finally stepped one blistered bare foot over the city limit of Paris.

Carter was whining now with every step, really incapable of stopping it as he and his boy supposedly reached their destination. Both of them went on for another twenty minutes before they both together collapsed with their backs to the wall of a building, in an alleyway about as dirty as they were. It had taken their walk through all of the previous day, a bulk of the night, and all the way through dawn until morning but they were here. Carter licked at his paws and Nino cradled one of his feet in his lap, wincing at how raw the skin was. Traversing that far barefoot had been far from comfortable, but he was admittedly impressed he didn't have any sores. He was tougher than he gave himself credit for, apparently, but he was exhausted now.

They had started wading through increasingly populated areas for about an hour now, but Nino was forced to realize that he didn't have a plan once they finally crossed city limits. They had no food and Nino looked homeless at best.

'Can we rest?' Carter asked him, laying on the floor and looking up at his owner with weary eyes. He was laying on wet cement that smelled a bit foul but the dog hardly seemed to notice, both he and his boy barely out of sight from the street.

"Of course buddy," Nino assured him, a little out of breath as he stared up the long reaching walls of the buildings they rested between.

'You need to eat,' Carter reminded him, and Nino grumbled.

"We both do. Wait here buddy, I'll- I'll find something."

'I'll come.'

"No, wait here. I've got it, I'll dig up… something." Nino stood as he spoke, his legs screaming in protest but he tried his best to ignore it. Carter wasn't impossible to dissuade, but the Shepherd kept a careful eye on Nino as he ventured further into the alleyway.

What now? Nino couldn't help but imagine the worst as he took a look at the series of trashcans left outside of their respective businesses, hating that they were his only likely source for feeding himself and his dog. He might be able to convince Carter to go beg for scraps at a Café he had seen up ahead before they desperately needed rest, but he wouldn't get much that way. Nino was too proud to beg, for the time being, and him being so clearly school aged out begging for scraps during school hours would just cause trouble. He'd get picked up and marched off, and if his parents had reported him missing or something… it just wouldn't be good. Getting turned around and sent right back home where he'd just have to leave them again…

Nino sighed, looking carefully down both ends of the alley and watching foot traffic pass blissfully by before he opened the first bin.

Nino recoiled instantly, the smell hitting him like a tidal wave and making him gag. It was so potent; he could sort out a hundred horrible things just from the one blast alone. He stumbled back and let the lid drop nosily, swearing irritably as he did.

This was so frustrating. Everything was too much. The world was so close and loud and every smell was a million times clearer than it had any business being. It freaked him out, it overwhelmed him, he couldn't even open a trashcan without being thrown off. It was too new and disarming, every time something happened he couldn't explain or understand it just threatened to break him down again. He felt so freaking… weak.

Nino shuddered, fighting back the emotions that threatened him. He needed to get a grip, he needed to focus on the practical things. What to do next, where to sleep, how to get food, how to find that school if it even existed.

But it was so hard...

Why was this happening? Why him? It wasn't fair. It was just some random accident and now he was just this- this thing rooting through the trash for food and freaking out because he had nowhere to go except a place that might not even be real- and just- j-just-

'Hey.'

Nino felt Carter's head press into his hand, moving forward to rub his body against his boy's leg and give him what warmth he could offer. When Nino looked down Carter was watching him, large eyes confused but trying to understand. He wanted to understand, because he wanted to help.

Carter didn't fully know the gravity of what was happening, or the true extent of how much pain his boy was in… but he was there. He looked up and saw the tracks of tears on Nino's face and all the torment that consumed him, and he didn't know how to stop it. He didn't understand… but he was there.

'Let's look together,' Carter offered plainly, attempting to distract him and defeat the trashcan that had offended him somehow. He knew it wasn't exactly the trash, that it was something about Nino himself that was upsetting him so deeply, but the trash was the only thing he could beat. Nino was hungry and exhausted and scared… and even if he couldn't stop the last thing he'd fix the first two.

"Thanks…" Nino muttered in response, still too dazed to focus, so Carter took the next step for them both.

It was relatively easy to stand on two legs so he could reach the bin, grabbing to grimy foul smelling plastic and twisting his body to bring it down with a crash. They both jumped back, letting its contents hit the ground, and while Nino kept a look out Carter starting quickly sorting through it.

A whole lot of it not even Carter would eat, but he was able to drag out a few things that looked alright. To him at least, when he looked up to gauge Nino's reaction his boy looked far from thrilled, so he kept looking. Admittedly it felt weird to be allowed and actually encouraged to root through the trash. He would have never gotten away with this with the mother around.

Nino watched Carter work for a little while, nervously watching the streets and the two old rusted doors that acted as back entrances for the businesses they hid between. They looked barely used for anything other than the trash, but still… he'd rather not get shouted at and forced to book it.

He looked down when he felt something like a wadded paper bag hit his foot, finding that it was exactly that and tossed at him by a very pleased Carter. The dog was obviously chuffed with himself, having found something he deemed suitable for his boy to eat.

"Good boy," Nino praised absent mindedly, smiling weakly at first but frowning when he saw Carter turn around to eat something else he had found. It looked… well, probably not like what it was meant to look like, but Carter seemed alright with it. He had seen his dog eat much worse though, and knew Carter had a stomach made of iron and an unrefined palate.

Nino crouched and picked up the fast food bag that had been tossed out earlier that day, comforted by the familiar branding and opening it. The bag had kept it clean, which was good. It was scattered with a few opened ketchup packets and some wadded up burger wrappers that spoke of something probably much more appealing that had long been eaten by someone else. However, it wasn't a total loss, and he sighed in relief as he dug up the box of chicken nuggets from the bottom and felt some weight from it.

Nino walked a short distance away from the too potent trash before sitting, tossing the wrappers aside and grabbing a generous handful of cold fries to eat. Carter, seeing that the dining location had changed dragged over his own meal, perfectly content to gnaw at a closed Tupperware with a whole bunch of sticky looking nonsense inside until he could open it. Although as soon as he settled down he felt Nino tugging at it gently, raising an eyebrow at him when he grumbled irritably so he let it go.

"Bro," Nino laughed quietly, "you can actually ask for help now, take advantage of it." Nino unclipped the lid and looked at the… pie residue or whatever that was before handing it back, Carter's tail wagging as he snatched it back and set about licking it clean.

They ate in companionable silence for a while, Carter checking from time to time to make sure Nino wasn't having another crisis before padding back and forth from where they sat and the trash pile. His selection was a little wider than Nino's so he often took the best to his boy and took something else for himself, but Nino stopped him a handful of times with a grimace.

"No, Carter drop it seriously cooked chicken bones are bad for dogs. Don't. Give it to me."

Carter grumbled a little, tail drooping as he moodily tossed some gnawed chicken wings at him. Nino also didn't let him lick at the bitter coffee grounds or the sweet smelling foil he found, claiming he knew it wasn't good.

'Why not,' Carter pouted, holding half of a chocolate bar in his mouth as Nino scolded him.

"Because its chocolate. Chocolate hurts dogs too."

Carter pouted, figuring Nino just wanted it himself but… that was alright, so he padded over to give it to him before turning back to his trash picking.

"Dogs can't eat chocolate," Nino was muttering quietly to himself, tearing off the extra wadded bits of foil and about to eat it himself before he stopped, blinking once before pulling it away and eyeing it suspiciously. "Wait… can… I eat chocolate?"

Nino let his hands drop into his lap, pondering the question a little irritably when suddenly, he became aware of the sound of footsteps at the far end of the alley.

He didn't look up at first, focusing completely on the sound in a way that was… surprisingly effective. It was a steady, feminine gate, keeping its set tempo much like any other person who passed their alley way but this one was different in that it paused and then worked its way towards them. He could tell, just in the subtle shift of a sound in the alley versus one past it, and was unsurprised to look up and see a woman watching him.

"Carter," Nino said in a tense voice, standing quickly and alerting the dog who had been too focused on looking for more food to notice. Nino couldn't help but feel caught out, suddenly agitated and ready to run for it. Was it illegal to look through the trash? He was fairly certain though this woman didn't look like a cop, and to his surprise she stopped advancing and held her hands up submissively.

"Wait!" she called out to him, staying far away and letting her voice carry instead of crowding them. "Don't run! It's alright, don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

Nino watched her carefully, taking a step back despite her assurance and feeling something cold in his chest at seeing such a kind looking woman trying to help a lost kid. She didn't know any better, she had no idea what he- he…

He stopped, blinking once and looking closer as Carter shifted at his side, obviously aware of the same thing.

The woman herself was very pleasant looking, reminding him of a young mother or something similar. She was tall and slender, pale skinned and red-headed with very powerful looking teal eyes that stood out. She was youthful but clearly an adult, either very late twenties or early thirties and she had a professional yet nurturing look to her. She was dressed business casual in gradations of teal and white, her simple flats making a gentle sound as she slowly stepped forward.

But that wasn't everything, there was something else he couldn't place. She stood out to him apart from everyone else he had passed since entering the city, or any person at all since…

He snapped out of his thoughts as she kept getting closer, close enough now that he could clearly see the flash of pity across her face as she glanced once towards the trash, and then back to him to hold her gaze just off his eyes. Her hands were still up, presenting herself in an open way that… sort of helped, in some weird way. The same with the way she didn't stare him down, not exactly avoiding his gaze but more so like… making it clear she wasn't a threat.

She stopped about ten feet away, letting her hands down and folding them loosely in front of her now that she had made an impression. Nino didn't run, but he was very aware of his exits.

'Smells soft…'

"What dude?" Nino accidently said aloud, looking down at Carter and sort of hoping for him to elaborate before feeling a spike of embarrassment, realizing he just sort of openly addressed his dog. The woman for her part didn't look fazed, and Nino was forced to keep looking at Carter as he explained.

'Her. She smells nice. Soft.'

"Well that didn't help," Nino muttered to his dog, getting more and more uncomfortable by the second but Carter looked totally at ease. Nino was scrambling for something to say to her, ashamed to have been caught digging for food and covered in dirt without even shoes on his feet. He probably looked pathetic, and now insane, but she just kept looking at him kindly and he wanted to hide.

"I know you're probably afraid right now," she spoke up suddenly, her voice incredibly gentle and… kind. "You are alone with so many things you don't understand, but I'm so glad you're here. I've been looking for you."

Nino froze, feeling a chill creep up his spine as he sputtered out, "W-what?"

"I don't know your name," she explained softly, looking apologetic for that, "but neither did the woman who told us about you. If that bite on your shoulder is anything to go by then… you're exactly who I've been trying to find."

Nino stiffened, swallowing against the tightness of his throat. Without meaning to he raised a hand to cover his deep, twisted scar.

"Y-you know what I…"

"What you are?" she finished for him, her eyes holding a bit of sadness as she met his gaze. After a moment, she nodded. "Yes. And I meant it when I said I was here to help you."

Nino didn't respond, feeling a potent untamed mix of emotions in his chest. In a way, he felt sick. Sick and terrified to have it acknowledged and to be viewed as a thing, but… she wasn't… afraid? At the very most, she looked sad. And in another way… he was so… relieved.

"This must be so overwhelming," she spoke again, everything about her in that moment exuding compassion. "I can't pretend to know what it's like for new werewolves, but there are things we can do for you, and a place you can go."

Nino flinched at the word, taking a step away but letting her talk, mostly because he didn't know what else to say. He was laid so bare for this stranger…

"My name is Caline," she offered after a time, attempting to make him more comfortable as she laid a hand over her heart. "Caline Bustier. I'm a teacher at a very specialized school for children like you. We offer education, training, information, and in your case, a place to stay. There are people there who can tell you more to help you adjust, we'll provide you with a home and food and clothing. You'll be safe there."

"Why help me?" he interrupted her, voice tight as he clutched at the bite on his shoulder. "Aren't I dangerous? Why would you put yourself at risk like that?"

"You aren't dangerous," she said immediately, looking upset that he thought that of himself and speaking urgently. "You're just a child whose been thrown into something he doesn't understand. You're scared, but you aren't dangerous, not if you don't want to be."

Nino was quiet, grinding his teeth together and looking away from her. He already looked like a vagrant… he wasn't about to cry in front of her.

"How did you find me…" he asked in a thick voice, trying to distract himself as he memorized the patterns of the stone walls.

He only looked back at her when she answered, very seriously, "Magic."

She took in his incredulous expression with grace, splaying her hands as she said with a soft smile, "Young man, with everything you've been through… is it really so hard to believe?"

Nino opened his mouth, intending to respond, but the words faltered on his tongue and he remained silent. No... he supposed it wasn't.

"There is a lot about your world now you don't know about, and will be hard to adjust to. Your view was limited to the world of humans, and now your life encompasses things so far beyond it that it will be hard for you to accept. However, it does not make them any less real."

Nino listened, swallowing again nervously as he let his hand drop from his shoulder and cling to his wrist in a gesture that probably came off as anxious. Because it finally occurred to him… that it would be very unlikely for a school of monsters to hire a human woman as a teacher.

Nino glanced down at his dog, counting on him to freak out if there was something that needed freaking out about like he had with the woman at the doctor's office. But no, Carter was sitting now with his tail wagging slowly back and forth, looking to all the world like nothing was amiss.

"Magic?" he finally asked, looking to her again and chuckling a little weakly. "That's uh… wow."

She laughed too, smiling in a way that put him more at ease. She didn't look anything like the ragged guilty woman, something about her told him she wasn't a threat to him.

"It is a very extensive and varied element of our world, it is impossible really to understand it all unless it is your direct field of study, and even then there are so many subjects to specialize in. Your lessons at the school would not so much involve it directly, but would instead focus on better understanding yourself and your new environment as a whole. Once you were comfortable and adjusted you could move on to whatever you like, try your hand at a fair few skills or develop ones you already have. How I found you is a very simple spell employed by the school and its teachers. It lets us know when a new, young monster enters the city limits." She smiled again, her hands casually resting in front of her as she said, "We had been told to expect you, but I had been out searching for you regardless. Of course school is currently in session but, well. The principal is acting as a substitute for my class. I considered finding you and much more important than a pop quiz I had planned."

Nino smiled a little at that, the expression actually genuine now as he asked, "What sort of stuff ends up on a monster pop quiz anyways?"

"Oh bits and pieces," she said with a dismissive wave, seemingly happy that he was engaging now and eager to keep him open. "We have many students from very different backgrounds, so what we cover as a whole is varied. Sometimes history, geography though the realms, origins, basic spell awareness and plants commonly used in charms. That sort of thing."

He snorted without meaning to, shaking his head and looking down in a stunned daze though he smiled still. "Yeah. Nothing interesting there…"

He didn't look up for a little while, letting silence fall over their conversation as he tried to pull himself together.

"You're still skeptical," she said without prompting, sounding like she understood completely. She waited until he was looking at her again before she said genuinely, "I'm expecting you to go very far on desperation and faith, I understand. Although, if it would help, I could offer you some faith in return."

"How do you mean," he said dully, entirely too distracted with thoughts of potions and charms and whatever the hell he could expect for classmates to focus entirely on what she could mean. He watched her equally as dimly as she gestured to herself.

"An example, I suppose. Something to let you know what to… expect, in a way."

"…yeah?"

She watched him for a moment before smiling again to put him at ease, presenting herself and her appearance as she spoke. "As I appear before you now is an example of magic, something very commonplace at our school and the world we live in. It is the result of a charm or spell referred to as a 'glamour.'"

"Glamour," he repeated, testing the word and still sort of out of it as she continued.

She nodded approvingly, glad to see he was trying. "Yes. Now isn't the time to explain to you how one is made or used, but it is important you know it's effects. I, as I am sure you have already assumed, am not human."

Nino was admittedly a little more focused now, picking nervously at the zipper of his jacket. He looked back down at Carter to see how he felt about this, but he almost looked bored at this point so he stood his ground.

"My kind are known as Cervitaurs," she explained, as casually as if it was the weather, and she gestured to the world beyond the alleyway with one hand. "We cannot pass for a normal human in the human realm, though our upper halves resemble them our lower halves do not, and attempting to move among them without a glamour would cause a panic. Beings that operate through the other realms and that are aware of the magic in all of our worlds have found it… safest, to leave humans in the dark. While I personally believe the right approach would integrate our worlds to great benefit I also understand that in some circumstances it is a lot to ask of them, and respect the laws dissuading our exposure to them." She gestured to herself again, continuing to explain. "However, if I am incapable of passing for human and need to move through human territories such as Paris, I am able to use 'glamour' to alter my appearance through magic and allow me to move about while looking like any other human woman."

Nino swallowed dryly, fidgeting with his zipper still. "Okay…"

"I know it might be a bit much for you however, I think you should see. So that you are not so completely caught off guard by the variety of appearances and forms at our school."

"Well, I- I get that," he was suddenly scrambling to say, the words hollow as he fought between his need to avoid it and his insane curiosity. She was so nice looking, what… what was she? "But uh, we're in an alleyway and someone might see and like uh- uh…"

"It's alright," she said with a laugh, knowing he was uncomfortable but insisting still since it was for his own good. "You'd be amazed what humans miss in the corners of their eyes."

Nino was trying to find something else to say when she made a gesture like a sharp flick of her wrists, sweeping her arms down her torso like she was casting something off. All at once the air in front of her shimmered loosely, wavering and bending like things did sometimes when it was very hot out. He felt no heat from this, but it distorted things in a similar way as he tensed against a kind of static he was abruptly aware of. Carter was on his feet, tail out straight as they both watched in a manner of seconds the woman's form shifted.

There wasn't a transition really, it was like he blinked and she was replaced with something… vaguely similar… sort of. The top half anyways.

It was her, her hair fashioned in mostly the same business casual bun as it had been before except now there were flecks of pale brown spots along one side. She still had her blazer and collar and necklace and all that, honestly the spots in her hair were the only thing different about her upper half. But uh… her lower half?

"Jesus CHRIST," Nino couldn't help but scream, trying to back up so quickly he tripped over himself and fell sprawled out on the ground. He kicked at the floor to back up some more, heart pounding as he looked up at the half woman half deer that stood looking at him with an understanding smile and her hands on her hiiiips… not hips… like uh, shoulder of the deer part? Kiiiind of? Like a deer centaur. With a deer instead of the hor- oooooh. Cervitaur. Deer centaur.

"Holy WOW, wow, I'm sorry," he said quickly, looking her in the face when he could tear his eyes away from the deer part for a second. "I'm sorry, sorry, that's rude but oh wow. Wow. AAaaah, jesus."

She crossed her arms, chuckling a little at his reaction. "It's alright, I know you've never seen anything like this before."

"NOPE," he said tensely, still staring in a way he was sure was rude but wow.

'Deer!' Carter was saying excitedly, hopping a bit as he barked and danced around her. He wasn't very helpful, but it wasn't exactly his fault. He was very pleased to finally place the smell memory that had been bothering him, he knew the smell was familiar. 'Deer woman!'

He kept barking, never jumping on her but Nino noticed a little late that she was eyeing the dog a tad uncomfortably. Her hooves clattered on the cement a little as she stepped away, continuing to smile but keeping an eye on the dog.

"Carter," Nino finally said, starting to stand so he could grab the excited shepherd, "Carter! Stop, down. No barking!"

Carter turned to look at him, stopping dead as he stared at him in utter disbelief. Like it was completely unacceptable that Nino was not as excited about the deer as he was, but Nino just repeated himself, ordering the dog to stop.

'Nino!' Carter tried once more, indignant until Nino patted him on the head, scooting him away from the woman a little.

"You're not in trouble," Nino assured him, "but don't bark. It's rude."

Nino looked nervously up at the woman now, trying very hard to just look her in the face as he stammered. "Sorry, sorry about him. Sorry about yelling."

"It's absolutely alright young man," she comforted him kindly, still exuding that compassionate nurturing quality he had sensed from her since the start. She looked at the dog who was now sitting obediently, albeit a little peeved, and she chuckled to herself before addressing Nino. "Your dog is nice, though I find it inappropriate that I know its name before yours."

"Oh," Nino said quietly, suddenly embarrassed. "Oh, it's Nino, sorry," he apologized again, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I have a lot on my mind, I forgot I hadn't even told you. Nino Lahiffe."

He hesitated before reaching out for a handshake, assuming that since she had hands that it was still appropriate. She smiled as she accepted it, and she noticed with amusement that the confirmation of familiar human like touch reassured him somewhat.

"It's very nice to meet you Nino," she said genuinely, taking advantage of their proximity to lean forward a bit and place a hand on his shoulder, the one with the scar. He tensed, not from pain, but he was tense all the same. She kept the contact though, wanting to bring the scar to the forefront of his mind as she spoke again. "I'm happy I've found you. I know this is overwhelming, but you don't have to be afraid of this, of magic of any of it. And most certainly not of yourself." She watched as shock registered on his face, such a complicated tangle of emotions visible in his eyes that… her heart ached for this young boy. Her heart ached for the boy with eyes aged with pain and child-like with fear.

He didn't push her hand away, and he felt that tightness in his chest again as he struggled not to cry and expose himself even further. He couldn't help but be terrified of how alien this was for him, but he also… he was also so relieved. She wasn't afraid of him. She knew what he was and wasn't afraid of him, and wanted to help him not be afraid of himself either. She had answers and shelter and somewhere safe, she was something reassuring and calm when everything was so chaotic. He wondered if he was a fool for trusting her so completely… but he had to.

He had to trust someone to survive. He had to believe that there were answers and classes at some weird magic school that made this okay. He couldn't cope with himself any other way.

He felt himself shaking and hated it, bowing his head as he tried not to cry. He was aware of her placing her other hand on his other shoulder as well, comforting him in way she hoped he was comfortable with. And he was. He felt Carter move to his side, leaning his weight into his leg in silent comfort.

After a few moments he was able to pull it together, breathing roughly and clearing his throat. The woman let her hands drop, allowing him to take a step away as he looked at nothing, intent on being strong in a way she admired.

"Thank you…" he said after a while, his voice raspy with unspent emotion. He looked at the ground, petting Carter with one hand as he said, "For finding me… Thank you."

"Will you come with me to the school? I know you must be tired… I'd like to take you somewhere to get some food, let you clean off. But after that, I can take you there. Of course, Carter is welcome too."

Nino nodded, patting Carter and realizing he hadn't even considered what he would have done should Carter not be allowed, and was grateful to realize that wasn't a problem. He was silent for a moment, before he took a deep, steadying breath and looked her in the eyes again.

"Yeah, I'll go. It might be kind of a lot for me but uh… I'll do my best to keep my cool. And… I'd appreciate the food. I hate making Carter dig through the trash but… I don't have any money."

"We can set up an allowance system," she assured him, her expression thoughtful as she turned away. "I'll have to see our budget… everything you need is taken care of but you are young, you deserve money to spend on yourself any your own things, and things for Carter as well. Yes, we'll look up the rates of human money, I'm assuming you won't be purchasing things from other realms for a while. I'll let Mr. Damocles know, I'm sure he won't object-," She kept talking as he turned away, taking somewhat loud steps back in the direction she had come. She was talking mostly to herself as she planned things, and Nino tensed a bit in surprise as she almost absentmindedly somehow reapplied the glamour with a swish of her hands. Just like that a totally normal looking woman was striding down the alleyway, expecting him and his dog to follow, which they did.

Nino trailed behind her, feet sore and aching but he knew he didn't have much longer to walk, and the promise of warm food and a shower pushed him forward. And also, he realized, the promise of a safe place and discussion of the future. Talking about an allowance and room they had prepared and where to buy dog food just… it was normal. It was stable, and sane, even if it was in an empty classroom in a school full of god knows what.

Nino silently steeled himself, listening to her talk and watching as Carter trotted forward to walk beside her as if she really was as human as she appeared. A Cervitaur was only the first drop in the bucket, that he knew now. He had no idea what other kinds of things were really out there, and magic? But still, he was going to have to live with these people, go to school with them. He was expected to attend classes and stuff, to just freaking turn to like a… gargoyle or something and be like 'Yo what did you get for number three?' He couldn't freak out and scream on sight, he needed to be ready.

So, walking quietly behind a creature of magic, Nino quietly made a promise to himself to be as strong as possible from now on. He had the hope of some kind of future and answers to make things better…

That was enough for now.