Gehenna collectively let out a sigh of relief as the threat of unruly lycanthropes was quickly dispatched. Citizens felt safe in their own town and were free to walk the streets again. Almost immediately, the community went to the aid of the deserters, giving them assistance and trying to help them set their lives in order. The women were almost shocked to see how supporting the supernatural community was. It was nothing like Kessler led them to believe. At this rate, all of them would have been fine if they dispersed, but instead, they all decided to form their own "pack"—a proper one without violence. It was more like a support group. A few of them began volunteering at the Post Office in order to make amends for Kessler's gang hurting the postmaster and putting him in bandages. Some stayed to become employed there. That said, they would most likely be affected by the ordeal for the rest of their lives, even though things were picking up. Trauma had been inflicted, and the process of healing does not occur overnight.
At least those responsible were brought to justice. That brought some relief to Kristopherson as well. Goodness knows he needed it. His flat seemed emptier now—lonelier. There was a spare room as his friend had found his own place, as both of them could hardly stand being around each other anymore. Conversation was scarce and neither of them really wanted to even look at each other. One day, Daniel just up and announced that he had found his own apartment and needed help packing his things out of the blue.
It was strange. It felt like a weight had been lifted from Kristopherson's shoulders, but at the same time, there was a blow to his spirit. Did Daniel even want to be friends anymore? He didn't know. He didn't know how to ask, either. He didn't know what to do with that spare room as well.
Asking his other friends, they claimed to have talked to Daniel, although he didn't mention moving. Supposedly they called Daniel after this to confirm where he went, although they assured Kristopherson that they were on his side. Occasionally, they would come and visit Kristopherson, which did help. His apartment was very clean now, but somehow, it made him sad. Despite all of the times he harped Daniel on picking things up, now he missed it. It was lonely. The faux-blonde didn't want to spend time here, just like he did when Daniel was present.
On the bright side, Kristopherson was getting out more. He went jogging, he tried new things, he went out to explore his backyard a bit and see what London had to offer. Today, he was going shopping with Alois, just to spend the day with a friend. Both of them needed new clothes, anyway, and the two were each other's favourite person to go shopping with.
"I can't go shopping with Ciel." Said Alois as he steered the car. "He hates it. I think it makes him nervous."
"Really?" asked Kristopherson, arching an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"I dunno. He gets really clingy and fidgety." Shrugged the menace. "He only feels comfortable in his old man stores. I think he's afraid of youthful fashion."
"Explains the sweater-vest."
"I like the sweater-vest. It's quirky." Alois defended with a grin. "It suits him somehow. He's a geek. Holding his hand helps, but it's hard to shop one-handed."
"Pfft! I didn't know he could be so immature." Snorted Kristopherson, placing a hand over his mouth to conceal his smile.
"You have no idea…" shook his friend. Apparently, the bluenette wasn't as cool or mysterious as he led on.
The whole atmosphere was refreshing to the faux-blonde. Laughing was good for him. It felt like it had been far too long since he was able to laugh this much. His chest felt light and his face hurt from grinning at times. Even though he was getting close to his first full moon, he had almost forgotten as he and the menace had fun together.
"You look unexpectedly good in red." Noted Kristopherson while his friend held up a shirt to himself while shopping.
"Problem is, I'm not sure what I'd wear it with." Replied the menace.
"Doesn't matter. You'll find something. Collared shirts are very versatile."
"I guess… Maybe I will get it… I've actually been wanting some cool T-shirts as well, but I never really know what to wear them with. I usually just get solid ones."
"Maybe look for something to go with the red shirt?"
"Sounds like a plan, man." Spoke the Phantomhive, glancing around. His eyes then fell on the Miles, watching him as he eyed something he himself fancied. "Isn't that too small for you?"
"The fabric stretches." Kristopherson said. "Besides, I don't mind if it's tight."
"Gotta show off your muscles, huh?" joked Alois, prompting his friend to flex a bit.
"I worked hard for them, you know. You bet your ass I'm gonna show them off." Answered the Miles.
"Sorry, I can't. I need my ass."
"I don't really want it."
"Good, 'cause you can't have it."
Kristopherson shook his head and rolled his eyes. Despite his posturing, he found the menace's silliness amusing as always. This is how the day panned out. To the average person, it was somewhat uneventful, but that's just what Kristopherson needed. Feeling "normal" was important to his mental health, especially when he started feeling anxious for seemingly no reason as the moon approached. The feeling would fade as quickly as it came, leaving the man confused and uneasy. According to his book, this was just a symptom of a moon getting close. Unfortunately, he started to feel a wave while they were out.
The man was in high alert, worrying about what was to come all of a sudden. His mind traveled a mile a minute thinking about all of the things he might need, should prepare for, or should watch out for. Kristopherson really wasn't keen on the idea of pain, but there really wasn't any way around it. A thin layer of sweat began to form on the faux-blonde's skin and he began to lose focus on what he was doing. It wasn't long before his friend caught on and asked him about it.
"What should I wear for the moon?" Kristopherson blurted out suddenly, as this was his train of thought at the moment. "I don't want to be, y'know, naked while H.E.L.L.S.I.N.G. is watching me.
"Something large, stretchy, and cheap, I assume." Alois answered, taking his concerns seriously, but not being grim. "Now, don't hate me for this, but you probably want something you can buy in bulk." He jested.
"How dare you." Kristopherson managed to tease back, although still a bit worried. "Can we look for something? And maybe anything else I might need? I'm not feeling too good about this."
"Sure. No problem." The menace replied, patting his shoulder. "We'll get you all set up. What do you need? Some pants, some shirts, and somewhere to put them?"
"Preferably." Answered his friend. "Underwear is concerning, too. What if they're too small? Just how big to werewolves get?"
"Eh, I think if you go for some loose boxers, you'll be fine. Elastic waistbands might be your new best friends."
"Sounds lonely."
"Well, you could wear something fashionable, but I doubt it'll last too long." Said the menace. "That's probably something that will take some trial and error. What else do you think you might need?"
"Something to do, probably." Kristopherson replied. "It's gonna be a long night… I asked Amelie what she does, and she said 'sleep'. I don't think I could after something like that… Maybe once I'm back to normal, but I don't even want to know what I look like."
"Hopefully there's no mirrors in the room. If there are, throw a jacket over it before it happens."
"Uuugh, that's something I don't want to think about." Groaned Kristopherson, slowing his pace as they walked back to the car. "This is gonna suck so bad…"
"I hear it's not all bad, but that's from Amelie. Amelie has this shit kind of down, y'know?" replied the menace, putting an arm around the other's shoulders in a friendly manner. "She says she can sleep through her transformations."
"Can I just skip to that part?"
"Unfortunately, nature says 'no'."
"Fuck nature." Kristopherson said with a frown. "Ugh… I don't want this…"
"Hey, hey, hey, mate. Don't worry about that. Worry about it when it comes." Alois answered as they walked along. "We'll get you all set up. You're going to be fine. Perfectly safe."
"I feel like this should be normal by now, but it's still hard to accept…"
"I know the feeling. Only difference is that I didn't have a duedate."
"What was it like?"
"Oh man… It was hard." Alois replied, releasing the other man. He looked up and furrowed his brows in thought as he tried to come up with the words. "I also had to, like, adjust to this century, so that was also going on. It's like you don't really feel like it's real, y'know? Like, you're hoping that it's just a really fucked up prank that someone's trying to pull on ya, but it's not. It doesn't feel nice at all at first."
"Yeah…" sighed his friend, placing his hands in his pockets. "I get that, now…"
"It gets better, though." Answered the menace, perking up a bit. "It becomes a part of you that's natural. Like, I can't imagine not being a demon anymore. It's just me."
"But you don't turn into a monster every month against your will."
"Neither do you. You're still you. You just look a little different sometimes. No need to use the 'm-word'."
"I know… It's just… It's scary…"
"Werewolves aren't like what you see in movies. They're people. They act like people. Some people are better than others, though. It all depends on the kind of person you are." Alois stated. "Are you the kind of person who sees it as a power to be used and abused, or is it just there?"
"It's there. I don't know what it is, though."
"You'll get there eventually. Nothing happens overnight."
"Except becoming a wolfman."
"Well… Yeah, there's that."
