Chapter Title: You! You Were the Dog That Licked Me Earlier!
Summary: Nico, Maki, and Umi have an eventful time at the cafe.
Time frame: Present, Main Story
AN: Meet Umi guys ^-^ Well one physical form and one side of her personality anyway...
- SKIP TO BOTTOM FOR REVISION OVERVIEW IIF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT AGAIN. -
The revision has to be read for proper story flow and foreshadowing as it's been revised purely for the characters' backgrounds.
Again, I encourage reading this on archiveofourown, there's art work and everything isn't thrown together into one messy collection like this is beginning to be due to extra one-shots.
Of course the cafe had the classic tinkling noise when the door opened. Of which Nico saw the adorably sulking Maki wince from and the redhead's scowl became just a little more realistic and less of a pouting sulk.
Nico filed the information away for later and instead lightly grimaced at just how small and oddly decorated the cafe was. "Nozomi, you still have zero taste for places that look more than half-decent."
Nozomi merely chuckled, "what does appearance matter when the food and atmosphere is pleasant Nicochi?"
Nico rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something about how it helped the business when Maki stole the words from her mouth. Well, more like she stole some of them.
"Appearances effect the overall business," Maki drawled with a look of disinterest on her pretty face, "however, that's not the case here and if you have a problem with this place you're welcome to just leave Nico." Her purple eyes flashed briefly, "this place gets plenty of business without a stuck-up mage whining about it."
Nico narrowed her eyes at her, "I was just commenting on it's appearance! How's it bad to have a more refined palette?"
"That's called being picky," Maki deadpanned with narrowed purple eyes, "and a picky eater is someone who's afraid to try new things-"
"Nico!" Eli was now standing at a table and casually interrupted Maki with a smiling wave that appeared just a little tense if Nico's eyes weren't deceiving her. "Nozomi! Over here!"
Nico felt Nozomi's finger brush her arm and she looked up to see warm green eyes looking back at her. "Don't judge appearances too much Nicochi," she commented before turning toward the blonde with a smile and walking toward her, leaving the pair of newly revealed soulmates to themselves, "coming Elichi!"
A smile that Nico wished someone would smile at her like. The smile where someone's eyes softened in affection and their lips pulled up in a way that showed a little teeth but displayed the emotion they held for the smile's recipient.
Nico's eyes flickered unknowingly to Maki and her now standard flat scowl. Would she eventually warm up to her? Or was she stuck forever with an awkward and adorably klutzy woman who didn't show many positive emotions on her face and would never really like her?
Maki's purple eyes seemed to briefly unfocus for so little time that Nico couldn't be sure it even happened before Maki's sharp eyes were focused and directed at her out of the corner of her eye. Her hands tucked casually into the pockets of her capris and her body language more relaxed than it had been just seconds ago.
"Take a good look around," Maki's voice was lighter, more of an even request instead of a smooth and irritating command. "You seem to like reading the room so get a read on it before you judge this place." With that the redhead followed Nozomi's lead with Nico's eyes focused on her retreating figure.
Take a good look around? Okay, sure I guess, Nico gave a mental sigh and her fingertips briefly glowed a soft pink, a color change that Nico actually enjoyed as it was her favorite color, and the sounds around her distorted. Sound and movement slowed down until all at once it stopped at the command of her temporary time freeze spell that didn't require a visible gesture.
Once everything stopped, the young mage took a few steps forward, her footsteps echoing around her as the only sound that bounced around the four walls of the small cafe and began to explore.
The cream and orange painted walls appeared to have been painted just a little sloppily with strokes visible in the paint and some childish splatters thrown into the walls. Nico ran her fingers over the rough wood of the circular tables and noticed quickly with a wince that the tabletops weren't as smooth as they could be and why the cafe used trays.
It's not professional done at all, the mage admitted as she approached the counter where a woman had her thick dark blue hair mostly let loose with a single hairband at her shoulder level and mildly taming the waist length navy locks. The woman's long fringe and bangs hid most of her face from Nico's side view, but her neat and professional get up made her stick out slightly in the cafe's very informal near childish aura Nico was now picking up on.
The counter was well made, glistening metal and glass that displayed an assortment of pastries and rice related dishes with a small register next to a vase of delicately made origami roses and flowers of various colors. On the otherside of the counter was an assortment of pictures with one in particular that caught her eye.
It was a framed picture of Maki sitting at a piano in a lazy hoodie and sweats with a bunch of kids sitting on the floor around her as she played, her fingers frozen on the keys and her head tilted in a way that made Nico wonder if she had been singing in the image.
Instinctively her fingers reached for the image before they stopped just shy of a milimeter from the picture. Did she really want to find out if Maki sang via another spell? Wasn't it something she should wait for the redhead to eventually reveal on her own?
Tick….
… Tock...
The brief ticking of a clock in Nico's ears made her pull away from the image and focus on one of the other images. An image of Nozomi with a mysterious look on her face holding a tarot card between two fingers and a very nervous looking brunette sat across from her while Eli was mid rolling her eyes near Nozomi.
Nico chuckled and rolled her eyes, her gaze wandering around the rest of the cafe.
That's when she noticed the small but beautifully made piano of the photo sitting tucked away from the rest of the cafe. Around the piano the walls were smooth and painted with care. Painted with a reverence for the instrument sitting there in the small cafe.
Nico took a seat on the edge of the piano stool and lifted the piano's cover before carefully running her fingers over the keys. The piano was a key link to her soulmate,
For someone she had just met, Maki was easy to read in regards to her opinions and her interests.
One higher pitched note rang out through the dead silence of the time magic, but even that one note sounded different than the way Maki had played her improv earlier.
Was it strange that the biggest thing she wanted right now was to hear the redhead really play? Not some stiff sorry excuse of classical music, but something the redhead really wanted to play?
Another few notes rang out, Nico's small fingers mimicking some of the stiff music Maki had played earlier.
It was so strange, Nico had just met the fiery and emotionally challenged redhead and yet it felt like she had known her for years, not mere hours.
I guess that's part of the whole 'soulmate' thing. Nico mused as her fingers moved slowly over the keys, who knows if that redhead even feels any of it with her attitude.
Tick.
Tock.
Nico sharply jerked away from the piano with a grumpy glare, stupid piano! Making me think about that klutzy redhead!
She refocused on the cafe and briefly closed her eyes. When she heard the whoosh of magic she reopened them, the world bathed in tones of grey besides the people. The people glowed with emotion and normally there was a lot of sadness and stress due to the college campus. However…
Most of the people here were happy, glowing a soft orangish yellow with only undertones of other colors. A woman with a small side ponytail was beaming yellow along with her shorter haired friend and the brunette behind the counter handling the pastries glowed a mix of yellow and blue.
Nico's eyes went to the table with Nozomi, looking for the emotional tones of her friends.
Nozomi was a soft mellow yellow like she always had been when she was happy with faint undertones of grey and blue, which meant that she was likely just a tad nervous. Eli was yellow too but she was a brighter yellow than Nozomi and had the same undertones. Maybe they had something to tell her?
Kotori was there, the angel mage however was guarded. Her emotional cues were almost nonexistent and Nico was startled to notice that despite the grey and frozen time, the angel's soft golden eyes had a pulsating neon green glow in the inner iris.
Nico nodded lightly in approval, a magic ward, good. She can protect herself. She had already guessed that Kotori would be able to protect herself even from magic.
Maki was hard to read, a mix of red like her hair, blue, and yellow but her cues flickered, telling Nico information she already knew. Now she was one-hundred percent sure that Maki wasn't great at handling her own emotions and probably didn't know how to express them very well.
However, the lack of a glow from a person caught Nico's eyes and her attention swiveled to the blue haired woman standing at the counter looking at her digital watch. The woman had no glow and thereby gave no cues at all. Which was weird in and of itself.
The only way to give no emotional cues was to have near robotic emotional and impulse control, and Nico only knew that from her family's teachings. She had never seen it in her person before and while she had heard of the rumors she definitely hadn't expected to see it in a place as casual as this.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Nico blinked and the world around her returned to its normal color as the spell's grip on time loosened and sound and movement began to lightly assault her senses. However, as the magic faded and Nico felt the tug in her navel of her being put back into the spot she had been at before the spell, Nico conceded. Maybe, just maybe, she had judged this place too quickly and Nozomi, not Maki, was right. Which meant she had a little work to do. After all, she wasn't an influencer mage for nothing.
Maki felt like something happened as Nico disregarded her polite request to look around in favor of wandering gradually toward them but she wasn't exactly sure what. It felt a little weird, as though something was telling her something at the back of her mind something but she couldn't understand it and it bothered her. She could feel her frown thicken and the confusion that ran through her system brought on wary anger, what was Nico up to? Was it dangerous? Did she need to be on guard? She didn't understand the short actress at all.
However, when Kotori gave a minute flinch then a giggle, Maki's attention divided itself between Kotori and keeping a wary eye on Nico who was casually walking toward the counter.
What in the world was she doing? Didn't Nozomi tell her to come to the table?
Kotori's fingers brushed Maki's arm for half a second in a motion of reassurance, "don't worry, you're feeling her magic Maki, there's no reason to be on guard."
"Magic's dangerous," Maki grumbled but she settled more comfortably in her chair. A sense of relief settling her restless wariness as she settled down and instead watched the pink mage.
"You might as well get used to it Maki," Eli pointed out and Maki's scowl deepened, "and you know why."
"Whatever," Maki huffed and pointedly turned away from Eli to watch Nico lean on the cafe's counter with a bright smile that had Maki frowning harder.
"Hey, cheer up," she could hear Nico speaking warmly to the shy brunette in the back, "your cafe's beautiful."
"O-Oh," the brunette stuttered but Maki could hear the warm boost of confidence in the brunette's voice. "T-Thank you… um…"
"Nico Yawaza," Nico grinned and she casually tucked a ten dollar bill into the tip container with a warm smile at the brunette's widened eyes, "you deserve it."
Maki then watched as Nico walked away from the counter and toward a quiet student hunched over a bunch of textbooks who gave off a very stressed aura.
She didn't understand what Nico was doing nor how she could see the soft almost glowing of Nico's red irises there were more pink than they were when she had first saw them.
"Her eyes…" she found herself asking without thinking, "is that...?"
"You can do it," Nico spoke soothingly to the stressed student, Maki's attention fixed on her and the student who visibly relaxed and straightened up to give Nico a tired smile.
"It's magic," Kotori hummed easily and Maki saw her lift her mug toward her lips out of the corner of her eye, "her eyes glow when she's using magic, Maki just like mine do."
Okay, that made sense. However…
Nico spun around in a dramatic twirl before giving the student a goofy pose and a grin to match, "Nico-Nico-Ni!"
The student started to chuckle and lightly shake their head, producing a smile from Nico and a fist bump before she moved on to someone else.
...That, the way she acted didn't.
"Hmm…" Kotori hummed, her tone rather curious, "she's pretty powerful, I wonder what type of magic she wields..."
"What exactly is she doing?" Maki heard Eli ask from behind her while she was busy watching Nico move around the cafe and spread some kind of infectious cheer around to the down occupants.
Was Nico an infection? Was her magic infectious and dangerous? If that was the case was she going to be stuck with an infectious parasite forever? Maki bristled at the thought. There was no way she was going to be the host for some leeching manipulating mage.
The soft brush of Kotori's fingers over her arm forced Maki to refocus and she took a slow inhale to calm down. It was okay, the alpha was here and so was Kotori, there was no reason for her to freak out, none at all. Sure her soul-mate may possibly be the most manipulative person on the planet, but it was fine. Maybe.
"I think she's an influencer," Kotori explained and kept her fingers gently resting on Maki's forearm, which Maki appreciated, the angel's calm and relaxed attitude seeping through to Maki via her touch. "Influencers' natural magic is emotion based and they can influence and detect and read emotion via their magic."
"So she's manipulating them?" Maki couldn't help but grunt, great, so she was right.
"No," Kotori's answer threw Maki for a loop and she looked over at the angel, "Nico's magic isn't grey so she's not manipulating them. It's…" she hesitated, "it's hard to explain to someone without magic Maki…"
"Great, now I'm lost," Maki huffed and rubbed at one of her temples as she watched Nico make her way all around the cafe, "magic makes no sense."
She watched Nico through the few moments of silence, aware of Nozomi and Eli's exchange of glances and Kotori's unfocused golden eyes.
"Oh," Kotori exclaimed and abruptly put her mug down with a rather loud clink. Maki almost jumped, key word almost, but she did turn and face her again.
"What?"
"Nico's an amplifier," Kotori explained, golden eyes twinkling in a way that Maki knew Umi was involved in the angel's sudden exclamation. "Rather than manipulating people she acts as an amplifier for their positive emotion and siphons their negative emotions."
Maki furrowed her eyebrows, it made a little sense, but how did it all work? Did it hurt people? Even after all of these years around magic she still had no idea how it exactly worked. Science mixed with magic yes, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out how it worked.
Almost as though Nozomi knew what she was thinking, and she very well could've, the purple haired woman spoke up. "Maki, Nico's magic is completely harmless outside of a theater. The magic doesn't hurt, and she keeps her magic under control to only enhance positive emotions."
The future scryer smiled gently at the redhead, "Nico's the best actress and media influencer you've ever seen because, Maki…" her green eyes focused on the giggling mage who gave another student a high-five and began to finally make her way toward them, "Nico can make anyone smile with or without her magic."
Maki let the words sink in and she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "okay, I'll get used to the magic," she admitted quietly with the barest hint of a smile on her lips.
"What I miss?" Nico's ruby colored eyes wandered between the members of the table, only to lock on Maki's bare hinted smile with a tiny amount of white at the corner of her lips. What? She was smiling?
However she didn't get much time to appreciate it as Maki's ears turned red and she adopted a now familiar scowl with her arms crossed over her chest and her fingers twirling her hair again.
That hurt, just a little, but Nico stubbornly turned away from her. "No seriously," the mage huffed, "I missed something here, what is it?"
"Nothing Nicochi," Nozomi lightly shook her head and Nico narrowed her eyes at her but Nozomi ignored it and changed the subject. "Let's catch up okay? You missed a lot regarding Eli and I."
Now that perked Nico's interest and she picked up a saltine cracker and leaned back in her chair. Sitting with one of her knees bent and her sandaled foot on the chair with her, her other dangling with the tip just barely brushing against the floor. "Like what? You finally moved here to join your fluffy girlfriend two years ago leaving Nico all alone in the small city, you're some well known Seer, and I'm guessing Eli's the alpha of some werewolf pack here?"
She did notice out of the corner of her eye that Maki was studying her. The redhead's flat gaze was oddly intense and focused directly on her. However, it wasn't her primary focus, let the redhead stare and see just how great the great Nico-Nico-Ni was.
Eli blinked and laughed, long canines glinting as she laughed at Nico's general summary of all of the events in her and Nozomi's relationship. "Not quite," she explained after she stopped laughing in favor of giving Nico a toothy grin.
"You got most of it Nicochi," Nozomi smiled mysteriously.
Nico frowned, cracker forgotten as she looked suspiciously between her childhood friend and the blonde werewolf. "Seriously? What did I get wrong?" She leaned further back in her chair, "I thought I totally had that in the bag."
"Well first," Eli smiled, "how about you meet the rest of my pack first?"
Nico shrugged, "sure," and tossed the cracker into her mouth.
"There's Nozomi and I," Eli introduced and gestured toward Kotori, "then there's Kotori and her werewolf mate-"
"Hold on a sec," Nico sat up properly in her chair and narrowed her eyes at her two friends, "you two numbskulls got the liaison of supernatural and humans in your pack?!"
Eli nodded with a mildly smug smile, "of course, how do you think she knows so much about werewolves?"
"It's not that I'm surprised she's in a pack cause I'm not," Nico shrugged and returned to her earlier position on the cushioned chair, "I'm surprised that you of all people Nozomi joined a pack that just happened to have Kotori Minami there."
Nozomi clicked her tongue with a soft shake of her head, "you shouldn't doubt someone's abilities Nicochi," green eyes twinkled mysteriously at Nico, "you never know what may happen."
Nico rolled her eyes, "well I'm certain that you're perverted, Kotori's alteast half-mage as the whole world knows, Eli's under a spell of yours Nozomi, and that the redhead over here is a harmless klutz."
"Harmless?" Maki snorted, "as if."
Nico raised her eyebrows, "well excuse me princess, but my first impressions of you were that you're very clumsy in front of pretty girls and that you can play boring classical music."
"I'm not clumsy!" Maki snapped and crossed her arms over her chest, her finger twirling her hair again, "and I play more than classical, midget."
Nico flared, "midget?! At least I don't trip over my own two feet like you did when we entered this cafe!"
"You tripped me!" Maki shot back, "and you almost ruined my sheet music in the process!"
"Oh please, those pieces you were playing are the kinds of pieces every person who's taken a music class has heard," Nico waved her off. "Classical music is too slow and doesn't have a good enough of a beat to sing to."
"Hope your singing is better than your normal voice otherwise I may actually go deaf," Maki deadpanned.
"My singing is top notch thank you very much," Nico snapped, "I'm as good of a singer as you are being clumsy around me!"
"I'm not clumsy!" Maki snarled and Nico could've sworn she saw the tips of white canine teeth poking out from beneath Maki's upper lip, "I work with instruments and surgical equipment everyday, how can I be clumsy when I never falter in either of those?!"
Nico gave a dramatic toss of one of her low pigtails, "by being around a pretty girl such as myself, clumsy-ass."
Maki slammed a fist down onto the table, "I'm not- "
"Wow, you two certainly have a fiery relationship," Kotori giggled, golden eyes twinkling softly with laughter.
"M-Kotori!" Maki snapped but the angel didn't so much as flinch, instead she merely smiled gently at the redhead, golden eyes twinkling with amusement.
Nico merely rolled her eyes and snatched another cracker from the table, "whatever, Maki's still harmless."
"I wouldn't say that Nicochi," Nozomi hummed.
"Then what are you Oh-Harmless-One?" Nico rolled her eyes and gestured toward Maki with the cracker.
Maki slouched back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest and snarled at her, canine teeth like a dog's out for the whole world to see, "I'm a werewolf, stupid."
Nico stared at her, scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes as if hoping she'd be able to really tell she was a werewolf. "Are you serious? Nico's not impressed or convinced, you're more like a fluffy clumsy puppy than a wolf Maki."
Maki wrinkled her nose and bared her teeth at her, her canines lengthening further to enhance the snarl. A growl emerged from the redhead's throat with the snarl, "I'm a werewolf , not a dog you dumb-ass."
Nico held up her hands in a sign of mock surrender, "geez, relax. That does explain the whole smell comment though."
Maki's cheeks dusted pink and she sulked in her chair with a scowl, her canines barely poking out from beneath her upper lip. "I have a strong nose," she muttered flatly and looked away from Nico.
Eli chuckled at the two's antics, "Maki's part of my pack Nico, that's why all of us knew when you two met."
"Wait, seriously?" Nico grimaced, "ew, that's kinda creepy."
"Not really," Kotori chuckled, "it's not as though we can hear each other's thoughts or feel their feelings or anything."
"It's just telepathy," Maki explained without looking back at Nico, her cheeks still a little pink, "we can pick and choose who to talk to and respond to conversations at our own will. The only one that can contact all of us at the same time is the alpha."
"Which is Eli, right?" Nico asked, feeling a little confused with the new flood of information. Even if seeing the redhead's face was to die for right now.
Eli shook her head, "no, I'm the Beta, but I don't lead the pack. It's been around for much longer than I've been here."
Nico narrowed her eyes, "but Nozomi's not a werewolf and neither is Kotori, so…" her eyes landed on Maki and she groaned, "you?"
Maki looked insulted, "I am an alpha-beta class werewolf thank you very much, but no. If I was, I'd chase you away from me," she deadpanned.
Nico ignored the jab, "then who's the alpha?"
There was some light footsteps before a sixth voice joined in on the conversation. "Sorry about that, Rin was rather talkative today," a couple of trays were set down before a suit coat was draped gently around Kotori's shoulders, Nico hadn't noticed till now that the ash-blonde had been missing her earlier blazer the entire time she had been here at the cafe.
"That's alright Umi, nobody can be pried away from Rin's ramblings about sports."
"Unless you're Umi-chan of course," Kotori giggled and tucked the suit jacket more comfortably around her shoulders.
"Why?" Nico asked curiously.
"Because," the sixth person, apparently named Umi, carefully sat down beside Kotori, "Rin's a werewolf and I'm the alpha around here."
The sixth person was the blue haired woman from next to the counter in a white and black striped button down long-sleeve tucked into black slacks, with a dark blue necktie and kitten heeled ankle boots.
She had sharp angular features with an almost claw-like scar going across her nose, a mild almost invisible set of puncture scars on her lower lip, the tip of her right canine poked out from beneath her upper lip, and she had analytic dark amber colored eyes.
However, her eyes were vaguely familiar to Nico and it bugged her.
Then it clicked in Nico's head.
The wolf-dog with Kotori earlier had one silver eye and one amber eye that perfectly matched the woman in front of her.
"You!" Nico pointed an indignant finger at the blue haired woman who was silently folding up her striped button down shirt's sleeves to her elbows.
"Me what?" Umi replied smoothly, but there was amusement dancing vaguely in her dark amber eyes that told Nico that she knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Don't what me! You licked my leg earlier as that weird wolf-dog!" Nico accused, staring at her.
Everyone looked at Umi except Kotori who merely giggled into her mug.
"Nonsense, I merely bumped you with my nose," Umi shrugged lightly, "if I had not, Nozomi would not have let you go unless I spoke to her besides, it was highly amusing."
Amusing huh? Well Nico certainly had something up her sleeve to combat that.
"No, what was highly amusing was the fact that you were a freaking bumble-bee."
Umi shrugged, "it makes Kotori happy and gives me a place to carry all of my gear for a shift. Whether it's a bumble-bee costume, a samurai costume or there's a plush dog bone dangling in front of me on what looks like a fishing pole, as long as my getup is functional I don't particularly care."
"Wait, a dog bone on a fishing pole?" Nico's eyes widened, "you have to put that on her tomorrow."
Kotori gave Nico a sheepish smile, "I can't, Umi-chan and I have an early flight tomorrow."
Nico blinked, then her ruby eyes found her purple haired friend, "is that by chance the same flight you mentioned you were taking Nozomi that I'm supposed to do something to help with?"
Umi faltered and Nico saw a flicker of shock and confusion in her guarded eyes while Kotori's eyes casually widened, her golden pools open to some of her emotions.
"Oh," Kotori said simply while Umi's sharp gaze flickered between them both, the movements minute and hard for Nico to track.
Nozomi's green eyes twinkled lightly, "Yes Nicochi, Eli, Kotori, Umi and I have a flight tomorrow and you're going to stay with Maki."
Nico's mouth dropped open, "excuse me?!"
The three werewolves at the table flinched, well Umi's eye barely twitched, at the loud sound.
"Sorry," she apologzed at a softer volume, "now did I hear that right? Nozomi, you want me, a mage who's been in town for all of three days, to stay with her?" She pointed at Maki who didn't look thrilled herself. "A clumsy redheaded werewolf?"
"I'm not a disease," Maki drawled as she rubbed at one of her ears and fixed a glare on Nico that shifted immediately to Nozomi, "lycanthropy is a genetic curse nitwit."
"Stop insulting my intelligence," Nico brushed her off and narrowed her eyes at Nozomi, "are you serious Nozomi?!"
Nozomi merely smiled mysteriously while Maki and Nico glared at her.
"This is a terrible idea," Umi murmured under her breath and leaned back in her chair, brushing long blue bangs out of her amber eyes and mildly pursing her lips in disapproval.
Nico saw Kotori rest a hand on Umi's forearm before the angel slid her fingers into the alpha's. "If they need help you can always drop in and help Umi," the angel pointed out, "it would only take a second."
Umi's lips thinned but she gave a slight nod much to Nico's confusion.
"Hold up," Nico held her hands up in front of her, "first Nozomi cashes in a favor for me to babysit Maki, then it sounds like a werewolf can teleport? How does that even work?"
Umi merely held out a hand and a blue swirling bubble hovered briefly over her palm before it vanished. That Nico could believe, what she couldn't believe was that there were zero visible tells from her. "Kotori, and wings from a curse of a fallen angel," Umi explained simply and whipped a black feather out of nothing before she let it fall to the tabletop.
"Umi and Kotori are soul-mates" Maki spoke up in a rather haughty tone, "so Kotori wields magic and so by extent, so can Umi." She crossed her arms over her chest, "werewolves adapt to their mate's abilities, which allows that phenomenon to exist."
Nico wrinkled her nose, did she have to sound so high and mighty?
"Sure, Umi has more control over them than someone like Eli or I would because of her curse, but the basics apply to all of us."
"Okay, okay, I get it know-it-all," Nico grumbled and leaned moodily back in her chair. "When am I supposed to stay at Maki's place Nozomi?"
Likely sensing Nico's mood, Nozomi didn't try and tease her.
"I can meet you at your apartment after your evening class-"
"No," Umi interrupted her and Nico jumped a little at the alpha's tone. "Give Maki the address Nozomi, Maki will do it herself." Umi's tone was firm, rough like it was English mixed with an animal growl, and to Nico's surprise, both Maki and Eli instinctively tilted their heads down. Maki barely moved more than half an inch though, a narrowed stare now focused on the bluenette as if silently challenging the request.
Umi stayed where she was, a flat stare combating Maki's visibly frustrated glare.
Nico's ruby gaze flickered between them but she didn't speak. Normally she would've broke the tension with some joke or comment, but something told her to keep quiet besides the mild shake of the head from Nozomi.
This was a serious moment and Nico tried to recall what she had learned back in highschool about werewolves when Maki shifted her gaze to soft spoken Kotori who narrowed her eyes in return. As though telling the redhead she wasn't getting any support from her.
Umi was clearly an alpha, even if she was quiet and reserved compared to the loud impulsive stereotype that Nico had been warned against. She had that instant control Nico remembered hearing about, and didn't need to use intimidation nor anger to maintain that control.
Eli had told her before that she was a Beta, able to take control if needed but naturally more of a reserved person with high impulse control for a werewolf. In fact if Eli hadn't told her that Umi was an alpha she firmly would've believed that the bluenette was a mere Beta.
So if that was the case, what was Maki?
She was clearly challenging Umi's decision here when she hadn't been bothered by anything the alpha had done earlier. In fact it seemed almost as though she swung back and forth between having Beta level reserved attitude and skittishness and hot tempered and brash level Alpha moments from what Nico remembered back what felt like forever ago in high school.
Maki's voice through clenched teeth broke her from her thoughts, "can I talk to you?" She asked aloud, in English, "alone?"
"Of course," Umi's voice was back to normal, smooth and richly calm, "Eli, do me a favor and watch Kotori for a moment please."
"Sure," Eli nodded and Nico's eyes widened when the bluenette slid what looked like a small black pistol or sorts to the blonde beta across the table, who tucked it into the inner pocket of her jacket.
Nico's ruby eyes followed Umi as she stood up and waited for Maki who leapt up and stormed off out the back door of the cafe, Umi silently walking at her heels. The blue haired alpha shut the door behind them both with a soft click lost to the general noise of the cafe.
Only then did Nico realize that she had been holding her breath as she released it slowly, "geez, forgot how intense werewolves are." She leaned forward on her arms against the table, "what's Maki's deal anyway?"
"That's for her to tell you," Eli explained simply but Nico could see the way her eyes sweeped over the cafe that she was on guard and ready for anything. "Sorry Nico," she apologized crystal blue eyes finally focusing on her, "but that's something you should really ask her about. It's not her proudest point."
"Why the hell did you do that?" Maki growled as she whirled around to face Umi, giving up on speaking English as she yanked on Umi's tie with a snarl, canines flashing in the dim lighting.
Umi remained unfazed, "I have my reasons Maki," smoothly adjusting to the language change and not reacting to Maki grabbing her by the tie in fury. "You're angry because I told you what to do."
"No, you commanded me to Umi," Maki snarled, her grip tightening on the silken tie, "there's a difference!"
Umi's cool amber eyes stared back into Maki's furious purple ones and Maki was reminded of a time when she was back in high school and got into a fight with a classmate. Umi had given her the same look as she was right now when she had taken her over to the afflicted student's home and they helped their mother finish their garden. "If I hadn't, would you have listened to me?"
"Yes!" Maki snarled, teeth flashing. She had always done her best to listen to the blue haired alpha, even if she could barely stand it sometimes.
"No you would not have, Maki," Umi growled the flat truth, "you're frightened of what Nico thinks of you."
"So what if I am?" Maki didn't get time to finish the sentence as Kotori broke in, her voice holding a rare sharp tone.
Release Umi's tie Maki, Kotori's tone softened when the redhead instantly released the silk, we're just worried about you. We both know how hard change is on you.
Sometimes we have to force your hand before you see the forest instead of the tree in front of you. Umi added in and Maki felt like she was a kid again, being lightly scolded for doing something wrong.
Maki took a deep breath, inhaling the scents around her and letting the air drain some of the anger from her body like she had been taught many years ago.
She wasn't really mad at Umi, the alpha always did things for a reason even if she herself didn't see it just yet. Rather she was more irritated by her first impression with Nico. She had portrayed herself as a harmless klutz rather than the cool reserved person she wanted to be seen as. She ran a hand through her hair with a growl, "Nico probably thinks I'm dumb and clumsy without having to babysit me like a child, Umi."
"What was the word you said to me and Kotori when Nico's meaning to you clicked?" Umi questioned patiently as she smoothed out the fabric of her tie.
"Why? What does that matter?" Maki growled at her and lifted a hand to brush messily through her hair and making the wavy curls more messy than before.
She wasn't some kid for crying outloud, sure she was younger than Umi, but so was Nozomi and Nico, and Kotori didn't count. So yeah, she was younger, but she was intelligent and knew the ins and out of a hospital and surgical theator! She knew what she was doing and her life had been just fine before that midget crash landed in her life earlier today and already messed up every physical sense she had. Before of course being the biggest disctration she had ever had the pleasure to deal with.
"You said 'magnetic," Umi explained her logic behind her decision, "Magnetic means if you face the right direction Maki you are bound to get what you want."
"Look," the alpha sighed, "I know you are scared and confused Maki and that I haven't really prepared you for this kind of thing, but trust me when I say it's worth every second of tears and arguing."
"How would you know?" Maki grumbled and childishly kicked at a small pebble, "you and Kotori don't have any issues Umi."
"Maybe now," Umi agreed then chuckled, "but you of all people know that we've had disagreements in the past and struggled to make change work."
Maki sighed and hated that Umi was right. She had seen it first hand usually in the form of a frustrated and rather defeated for the moment alpha sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Then she had seen Nozomi and Eli's relationship develop over the years as well, not to mention her own parents. She knew arguing was part of any relationship, even if she had run and hid the first time it had happened with her new family, but it wasn't like Nico even liked her all that much.
"Maki," Umi hand touched Maki's shoulder, "Nico will support you in whatever you choose to do. You have the chance to be with someone in a relationship you know will work if you just take a couple steps in the right direction and work at it."
Maki's brain stopped. Umi, the pack alpha who traveled with Kotori to about a thousand meetings a year or was following Kotori around as per her job, knew what she hadn't told anyone. How did she know?
How did she know she was struggling to choose between going to med school or finishing the last bit for a degree in performance music and composition?
"I...I" The growl was more of a half whine, an emotionally conflicted sound that matched what Maki was inwardly feeling.
"I pay attention more than that you think I do, kid," Umi's eyes twinkled before she leaned back slightly against the wall of the cafe. "Besides, you two already fight like cats and dogs and it's been less than a day. I doubt Nico's prepared for what Kotori teases as 'werewolf speed-dating.'"
Maki felt her eyebrows furrow in her confusion, "what do you mean?"
"mages and other destiny bound soulmates take relationships slow," Umi barked, "at least much slower than werewolves. Bonds form faster between a werewolf and the person they are bound to so for someone who's not a werewolf it can be really confusing for the other person."
"Like how?" Maki barked back, trying to understand what Umi was saying.
"You're asking the wrong person," Umi switched to English and straightened up from the wall, "ask Kotori, it's easier for her or Nozomi to explain this than me Maki." She then lifted a hand and childishly ruffled the young werewolf's red hair, "just relax a little, Kotori and I along with the rest of the pack are here for you Maki."
"Hey! My hair!" Maki recoiled from her alpha's hands and tried to straight out her now extremly messy hair. "What was that for?"
Umi's smile softened, "haven't done it in a while and wanted to break you out of your headspace."
Maki's bad mood wilted, only to be replaced with embarrassment when Umi continued.
"You will have to talk to Kotori about how a relationship works from a non werewolf side, if you do I'm sure Nico would appreciate it."
"I-I'm not in a relationship," Maki stumbled over her words, "with N-Nico!"
"For now," Umi conceded, "but you are bound to her Maki and I of all people know how strong that pull can be."
Maki knew for a fact that that was one-hundred percent true. She had met Kotori and Umi back when the angel had just graduated from school a year early, at seventeen and they had been together at the point. And that was what, ten years ago?
"I can't believe I haven't asked this before," Maki deadpanned to the alpha with a sigh. She frustration about Nico was long gone by now, "but just how long have you and Kotori actually been together?"
"Hmm… just as mates? or dating as well?" Umi replied with a question and Maki looked blankly at her.
"Dating too, I know it's been longer than ten years since you two were together when I met you."
"Hmm… Umi looked up, seeming to think about the question for a moment before she replied, "hmm, you're what, twenty now, Maki?"
"Yeah, you're old Umi," Maki snorted, unable to help the smirk that spread over her face.
Umi affectionately rolled her eyes, "I'm twenty-eight how can I be old? As for Kotori and I, you were probably what, six or seven when we started dating?"
Maki mentally did the math, Umi was twenty-eight, Kotori twenty-seven, and she herself was twenty. So if she was seven when they started dating… her eyes widened, "seriously?"
"I wouldn't lie to you," Umi chuckled, "so trust me when I say a bond's pull can be intense."
"Yeah," Maki replied slowly. Everyone learned something new everyday, but Maki hadn't expected to learn this particular bit of information when she had been around the very woman in front of her that she had known for the past ten years.
"Come on," Umi gave her a light push on the middle back, "Nico's getting concerned and Kotori can only do so much to quell her worries."
"Okay."
Maki followed the alpha as she walked ahead and pulled the back door open. A spike of worry erupted irritatingly in her heart at the mention of Nico and the bitter tang to Nico's scent that clung to her nose after the door opened.
AN: REVISION HIGHLIGHTS
- All ages besides Kotori, Umi, and one other character, have been changed. Maki's still the youngest at 20, then Nico, Nozomi, Kotori, Eli, and Umi's the oldest at 28.
- Rin's behind the counter instead of Honoka as her character's been completely redone.
- The entire scene with Umi and Maki have been mostly redone to fit properly with Maki's background.
- Maki's been around Umi for the past ten years.
- Umi and Kotori have been together (dating and eventually mates) since Maki was seven.
Sketches on Archive
- Nico sitting at the table as she guesses what Nozomi had been up to.
- Umi as a wolf-dog on her back with a plush bone in her mouth attached to a broken pole
- Maki as a puppy.