To Lyger 0: Yeah, generally that's a good thing.

Greta hummed, tapping her chin with one finger, and leaned back in the couch, her brows furrowed in thought. In front of her, Lucie turned in either direction, holding her arms out and looking down at herself with widened eyes. Greta nodded slowly, twitching her nose, her lips pursed. Finally, she gave a slow nod. "Yeah, I think that looks good," she decided, glancing up at Lucie. "But what do you think? You have to live with it."

Lucie stifled a laugh and shook her head ruefully. "I'll say it's good," she agreed, tugging at the collar. A shadow passed across her eyes and her mouth quirked downward, and she rolled her shoulders.

"Does it fit right?" asked Greta nervously, watching her with bated breath.

"It does…" Lucie began, leaving her collar alone and straightening her back. "It's not too small or anything like that. It's just…" she grimaced sheepishly. "I'm not used to having things fit so tightly. When you measured last night, I didn't realize that meant it would be so, um, well-fitted!"

Greta shrugged. "They are pretty good at making things to fit – I don't think I've ever gotten something from them that didn't fit perfectly."

"Do the Heroes of Paris work with the Agreste Fashion House often?" asked Lucie, starting to turn around and checking the tag on her skirt.

"In a manner of speaking," Greta allowed, hiding her amusement. "They're in Paris, and the former head of the Agreste Fashion House was Hawk Moth, so…" She shrugged. "I guess the company felt bad for all the trouble old Herr Agreste caused."

Lucie nodded in acceptance. "These are definitely the best clothes I've worn in a long time," she told her. "Something about nice clothes and the whole…" She held her arms out "… they don't really mix too well."

Greta hummed. "Do your people transform often? Is that why your clothes when you got here were so…"

"Ratty?" finished Lucie, raising an eyebrow. Greta nodded. "It… depends." Lucie frowned. "Some people do more often, but others will only transform if there's some danger or reason for it. Up until a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have even considered transforming unless I really needed to. But I've spent more of the last two weeks transformed than as a human."

"I'm sorry to hear all of that," Great told her sympathetically. "I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you, having to escape from your people like that. And being on the run for two weeks…"

Lucie swallowed anxiously. "I just hope that it was worth it," she replied. She cracked a small smile. "So far it has been, at least."

Greta started to answer, but at that moment the apartment door banged open, and Dietrich burst in. She turned toward him with a warm smile, but the look immediately turned to terror when she spotted him. Dietrich's shirt was covered in blood, droplets spattered on his pants, as well as his bare arms. More blood caked his arms and sprayed across his face, all seeming to radiate from a single point. The sour look on Dietrich's face deepened. Greta's eyes widened in concern. "D–Dietrich?" she gasped, springing to her feet and rushing over to him, one hand outstretched. "What happened!? Are–are you–?"

"I'm fine," he assured her, taking her hand in his, his mouth set in a thin line and jaws clenched. "It isn't mine." Looking past her, he stared hard at Lucie. "But we need to talk."

Lucie stared at him in shock and nodded hesitantly. "O–of course," she stuttered, blinking several times. "But… why?"

"The werewolf that attacked us last night?" he began. "It found me, maybe 15 minutes ago. It attacked me and my best friend–"

Greta gasped, her eyes bulging out. "Heinrich?" Her stomach dropped. Heinrich and Dietrich had always gone together, for as long as she had known them. She had never been quite as close to Heinrich – she had only ever had eyes for Dietrich – but Heinrich had still been a good friend through Gymnasium. And now he was injured?

"–and I want to know how he found us," Dietrich finished, his jaw clenched and narrowed eyes focused on Lucie.

"What happened?" Greta demanded briskly, frowning. "Dietrich, what happened?"

"Heinrich is alive," Dietrich answered, not taking his eyes off of Lucie. "I was there, and I managed to drive the wolf away. But he's going to be in the hospital for a while after getting mauled by a werewolf."

Lucie's breathing hitched, and Dietrich's eyes narrowed further. "Was he bitten?"

Dietrich nodded. "And that raises several more questions," he confirmed. "Will he…?"

Lucie pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowing in intense concentration. "I… I don't…"

Dietrich cleared his throat. "Well?"

Finally, Lucie let out a breath and shook her head. "I don't think so…" she began slowly. "It can be spread by bite, but I've only ever seen it happen at the full moon. But my people don't normally attack humans – especially not at the full moon, so I don't know. But I don't–" she swallowed "–I don't think he would have the full… transformation. There could still be some smaller, minor symptoms from the bite. He might have some wolfish tendencies. But beyond that…" She shrugged helplessly. "Keep an eye on him."

"I will. Be sure of that."

Greta's stomach shifted, and she forced herself to breathe more slowly and deeply, to relax as best she could. Heinrich was going to be okay. But she couldn't forget that he had been attacked in the first place! The werewolf had tracked down Dietrich and attacked him! "How did this attack happen?" she demanded, eyes wide.

Lucie grimaced, color rising in her face. "He… probably could smell you," she admitted, glancing over at Dietrich. "Our senses – even as humans – are a lot more powerful than yours. That's… actually why I couldn't really use your bodywash last night," she added to Greta, raising an eyebrow. "The smell was far too strong; I couldn't concentrate on anything else."

"So they can identify me by smell," Dietrich deadpanned with a frown. "Great."

Greta's eyes widened. "If he got away–"

"He didn't," Dietrich interrupted darkly, folding his arms. "I made sure of that."

Lucie swallowed. "He's – is he dead?"

Dietrich nodded brusquely.

Lucie nodded slowly. "That's… honestly, that's really for the best." She grimaced. "But all the same, I don't know if we have time to wait."

"I agree." Dietrich folded his arms. "We need to end this now, before there's any more bloodshed. Take us to your village. But first, I'm going to clean up."