As the cab slowed to a stop in front of the club call Sanctuary, she could feel her heart start to race. She couldn't remember the last time that she had felt this nervous or this excited, but she was sure that there had never been a time that both of those emotions had reared their ugly heads at the same time to make her feel as physically ill as she did right now.
She had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she actually jumped in her seat when the cab driver opened the door. He didn't appear to take notice of her reaction because he instantly moved to the trunk of his car to unlock it and retrieve her luggage. She physically shook her head to help clear her mind before she slid out of the back seat. By the time she met him at the rear of the vehicle, he had already secured the trunk and had her duffle bag in hand to pass onto her.
"Sorry I spaced out on you," she apologized with a nervous laugh.
He exchanged her bag for the folded bill she was offering him with an easy-going smile on his face. "Tis nothing chère. You've had a long day of travel and could probably use a good nap. I won't take it personal." He then briefly glanced at the night club where she had requested to be delivered. He shook his head with a playful smirk on his face as he turned to walk back to the driver's seat as he teasingly called out, "Welcome to New Orléans. Enjoy your stay."
As the cab pulled away from the curb, she turned to look at the final destination of her nearly day long trip. She took in the three story tall building with every make and model of motorcycle imaginable lining its parking lot and she couldn't help but chuckle softly to herself. Dressed in a pair of khaki colored chino pants and a light teal colored blouse she could only imagine what he thought about dropping her off at one of the city's most notorious biker bars. Even funnier to her was the fact that he had no idea that this was not the apparel she normally would wear, especially to a place like this. Instead she was wearing it to tease a lifelong friend, but now she was starting to regret that decision.
"Oh well, too late to turn back now," she coached herself as she lifted her messenger style bag that she used as a purse and her duffle bag onto her shoulders.
Just as she had expected, at the entrance of the she met a familiar face. Although she knew that it had been so long since she had been here that he probably wouldn't recognize her. With that in mind she put on a bright smile then cheerfully greeted the blond male in a tight fitting t-shirt, "Good evening!"
He lifted his chin from where it had been resting against his chest above his crossed arms to give her a quizzical look. She swallowed hard at the look on his face and instantly wished that she could take back her greeting because he obviously wasn't the quadruplet she had thought he would be. She then shifted nervously from one foot to another in her place and lamely asked, "You guys are still open, aren't you?"
An easy smile spread across his face at the change in her demeanor as he kindly replied, "Of course we are and we don't close for a few hours yet so you should have plenty of time to eat, relax and enjoy yourself."
He then stood up to open the door for her. When he reached for the knob it caused his shirt sleeve to ride up and reveal a tattoo of a double bow and arrow. Having her suspicion confirmed, she froze in her place and just stared at the ink on his arm.
It is Dev! Buy why isn't he trying to hit on me? Did I become that hideous on the plane? She then remembered what she was wearing and silently groaned to herself. Oh right. Like he wants to make a move on the new librarian in town. Why did I think that this was going to be funny?
To try to cover up for her current demeanor, she jutted her chin in the direction of his arm saying, "Cool tat."
He smirked and didn't cover his chuckle as he replied, "Thanks. Enjoy your meal."
She moved past him as quickly as she could without making it look like she was rushing past him. Once she was through the door she froze in her place as the familiar sights, sounds and smells assaulted her senses. There were a few cosmetic changes inside but it still looked like the restaurant her father had loved to bring her to for their 'Daddy/Daughter date nights' so many years ago.
"You don't have to wait to be seated," a deep, manly voice stated from behind her. "Just sit down at any open table and a server will bring you a menu."
She jumped at the unexpected sound of his voice, but instantly settled when she heard the underlying laughter in his tone. She turned her head slightly to reply over her shoulder, "Thanks D-" She just barely caught herself before she said his name then tried to quickly recover. "Thanks Dude. I'm actually meeting someone so I was just checking to see if I could spot them before I found a table for myself."
He stepped up beside her and gave her a quick once over. "Well I hate to sound like a jerk, but if he or she is dressed anything like you, they should stick out like a sore thumb. Do you see them?"
She shook her head with a sad frown and then took a step towards the dining room. Against her better judgment she stopped mid-step and then turned back towards him to declare, "I don't usually dress like this."
He raked her over with an assessing gaze then dismissively replied, "Uh huh" before he turned to leave and retreat to his post outside.
"I don't," she grumbled to herself quietly. Such a stupid, stupid idea!
She was still quietly mumbling to herself as she finally sat down at an empty table. The idea of dressing like a proverbial stuck up snob had sounded so funny in her head that she had gone out the day before her flight just to buy this outfit. Now the discomfort that she felt on her Tran-Atlantic flight didn't feel like it was going to be worth it. Her duffle bag was filled with clothes that were not only more comfortable, but they would actually help her to fit in with the regulars that frequented this bar.
"Dev wasn't rude to you on your way in, was he chère?" A kind, albeit concerned, voice asked her. The look on her face must have shown more of her confusion than her surprise because he server quickly clarified, "The bouncer outside, his name is Dev. He isn't the reason that you're grumbling to yourself right now, is he?"
The customer chuckled softly and shook her head causing a few strands of dyed black and blue locks to escape her messy bun at the nape of her neck. "No, no this is all on me. No one can make me feel as dumb as I can… or lodge my foot as soundly in my mouth. He was courteous and polite, I'm the dumbass."
Aimée finished placing a glass of water and a menu in front of her then turned back to face her saying, "Alright then. I'll just-"
"Holy shit!"
Aimée stared at her customer in wide-eyed disbelief as she asked, "Pardonnez-moi?"
"I'm sorry, really I am… it's just… just… look at you!"
Running her hands over her t-shirt to smooth it over her now protruding pregnant belly, Aimée just gave the seated woman a questioning look in reply. Feeling like even more of a doofus, her customer nearly jumped out of her chair as she horrifically stumbled over her explanation, "It's just you didn't… I mean I didn't know that… why haven't…" When she couldn't find the proper words to complete her sentence she jumped out of her seat to give Aimée a crushing hug while exclaiming, "Congratulations!"
As soon as the customer's hold on her started to slacken, Aimée gently pushed out of their embrace and held her at arm's length. She really didn't want to spook the other woman because she didn't know what she was capable of doing to her, her family or her bar. Since she was an Arcadian bearswan, a human that could transform into a bear while also wielding magic, she could defend herself form most of her adversaries, but as a pregnant mother-to-be, protecting her unborn children was of the utmost importance. It was with that last part being at the forefront of her thoughts that treated her customer with such a gentle hand because she was hoping to avoid any type of confrontation at all costs.
"Look," she started slowly in an overly careful tone. "I appreciate your congratulating me, but-"
"Oh gods!" Her customer interrupted. "Aims, I know it's been a while, but come on… it's me!"
Aimée frowned and then moved her eyes up and down the other woman's body before asking, "Parker? No… NO! There's no way that's you in there Parker Wallace!"
Although it didn't seem possible, Parker's smile widened before she replied, "Hey! You're the one that said I was going to come back looking like a female version of Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer after living in England for so long."
Aimée pulled her into another crushing hug retorting, "I didn't actually mean it! Unless…" She pushed Parker back to look at her again. Then in a very concerned sounding voice said, "Unless… I mean if this is how your clothing tastes have evolved since being overseas… I guess that would be alright too."
Parker's eyes flew wide-open and she looked thoroughly offended when she answered, "Bite your tongue! No, I bought this stupid outfit just as a goof on you! I even have a sweater vest in my bag, but it was just too much to bear while travelling for so long since you know some of us can't teleport to where we want to go whenever we want to go there."
"I hear you there Cub."
"Oh shit! That's right! I didn't…"
Aimée quickly silenced her self-deprecating commentary with yet another tight hug. They both squealed out another sound of excitement and finally seemed content to just make random noises while holding each other in a virtual death grip.
The two women didn't pay attention to anyone around them until they heard Dev tentatively ask, "Is everything okay over here? We've been getting complaints of a couple of banshees being let loose in the dining room that are scaring off all of our wonderful paying customers."
As soon as the last word was out of her brother's mouth, Aimée turned towards him and landed a bruising punch into his upper arm. He winced and immediately started to rub the spot to ease some of the pain.
"Don't be a jerk, Dev. Especially since one of our favorite humans has finally returned home to us."
She moved to the side so that he could feast his eyes on the now demure looking woman whose entire appearance (except for the random flashes of blue that he caught in her hair) seemed to scream 'I don't belong here'.
Parker recognized the confusion on his face straight away. She quickly pulled her hair out of its tie and let her locks topple out of her messy bun and down to the middle of her back before she nervously combed her fingers through it to try to tame it.
"I told you I don't normally dress like this Dev, but my favorite AC/DC shit is dirty and I didn't have time to clean it before my trip."
The burly blond bouncer looked between his sister and the woman he thought was a total stranger a couple of times. When her identity still didn't come to mind he gave his sister a pleading look because he was starting to feel bad that he couldn't place their customer when she very clearly knew who he was.
Aimée wrapped an arm around Parker's neck and squeezed her into her side while wearing a cheeky grin. "Come on Devereaux, you have to remember our little Squire in training that got shipped off to boarding school eight years ago."
"Nine," Parker corrected softly into Aimée's side.
"Pardon?"
As she carefully extracted herself from Aimée's hold, she repeated, "It was nine years ago. I was supposed to come back after I turned twenty-one, but then… well I decided to spend an extra year over there because my dad had wanted me to and all after… well you know…"
"Oh Cub," Aimée breathed out before pulling her into a loving, much less intense than their previous embraces, hug. "I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," Parker replied. "I know I'm not the only one that… anyway… so yeah, it's almost been closer to a full decade since I was last here."
While he watched her squirm in her place, recognition hit Dev. In a teasing voice both women were used to hearing form him he said, "There's only one person on this planet that could speak in nothing but half sentences and still make sense to me… Parker Wallace is that really you?"
She moved around Aimée to step into Dev's offered hug as she replied, "In the flesh."
He smoothed down her hair with his hand as he hugged her whispering, "We missed you Cub."
Hearing the earnest sentiment in Dev's statement gave her a moment of pause because she wasn't used to hearing anything but teasing or good-natured ribs being issued from him. When she looked into his now haunted eyes, she finally understood the sentiment behind his words and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She knew that coming home was going to be emotional, but she truly wasn't prepared to deal with it just yet, hence her wanting to dress up as a joke for Aimée.
Choking on the tears that were threatening to overtake her, Parker hoarsely replied, "Moi aussi. But I just had to honor his wishes… I hope you understand."
"Of course you did," Aimée answered. "Now enough about that for now. You must be hungry and I want you to fuel up as soon as possible so that we can catch up on everything. What can I get you to eat, Cub? And it's on the house as a welcome home gift to you!"
Parker's eyes now twinkled with unheard laughter as she said, "Ever since I got my ticket back here I've been craving a proper bowl of Jambalaya."
Aimée laughed softly and replied, "No problem, one Jambalaya coming up."
"And can I get a bottle of beer to go with it? And… and eat it at the bar?"
Parker's excited tone caused both of the Peltiers to laugh. Dev scooped Parker up into another hug and actually picker her up off the ground.
"Now there's the Parker bear cub I remember. It's good to have you back." After he set her back down on her feet he more soberly added, "But I should get back to my post. We'll catch up soon… maybe even over a beer."
He winked and then turned away to head back out the door. Parker could feel the heat of a blush coloring her cheeks, but she was hoping that the low lighting in the pub would help to camouflage it.
Aimée didn't seem to notice her reaction (more than likely she did but she chose to ignore it to keep from further embarrassing her friend) as she picked up Parker's duffle bag and started to walk towards the bar saying, "One bottle of beer and one Jambalaya coming up… at the bar."
Parker slid onto a bar stool and made herself comfortable while Aimée placed both of her bags behind the bar for safe keeping. Before she moved to put Parker's order in with the kitchen, the bear paused and smiled as she teasingly asked, "But are you sure that you're old enough? I think I'm going to need to see your ID young lady."
Parker laughed but when it looked like Aimée wasn't going to budge, she sobered up to reply, "Umm… yeah okay… but you took… err…"
This time it was Aimée's turn to let out a boisterous laugh before saying, "You always were too easy of a target!"
"Oh gods… I hate you so much!"
"Excuse you? What did you just say?" An incensed male voice questioned over their good natured banter as he not so gently placed a bottle of beer on the bar in front of where Parker was sitting.
Before the human could find her voice to reply, Aimée jumped to his side and placed a hand on his chest to keep him from moving any closer to the bar stating firmly, "Fang, relax it's…"
"Fang? FANG!? This is your…?" Parker paused just long enough to thrust her hand towards the stunned looking wolf. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet the man who finally won Aimée's heart."
Fang stared at Parker's out-stretched hand looking like he expected it to lash out at him in some sort of way. Aimée chuckled and hugged his side to try to reassure him. "Oh Baby, you'll get used to Parker soon enough. Now come on, the cute little human doesn't bite."
He gave Aimée an unfriendly look at the tone placating tone she was using with him, but did nothing to stop her from moving his hand away from his side. When Parker caught a glimpse of the mating marks on their hands, she completely forgot about introducing herself to Aimée's mate and grabbed both of their hands to get a better look at them.
"Wow, so they really are identical. That is so cool." She looked up and caught the questioning look on Fang's face. "Sorry! I've never seen your marks in person… or even a really good picture… not that we really talked about them much… but still… SO cool!"
Parker continued to scrutinize the intricate scroll work on each of their palms without noticing how it was affecting either of their owners. Aimée took it all in stride because she had been the same way when she had first seen her mating mark and that was even after having had a chance to see so many others during her life time.
However Fang was not so understanding. He didn't try to withdraw his hand but he did project his thoughts to his partner asking Umm… Aimée? Who or what is this woman that is mauling my hand?
Baby! Be nice! She's human and a Squire; a Blood Rites Squire to be precise. We've known her family for a couple of generations. She's harmless.
Alright, but why is she not letting go of my hand?
You heard what she -
"Oh gods! I'm sorry. I swear I'm not usually like this…" Parker then dropped both of their hands and stuffed both of hers into her lap. "And I'm not psychic or anything… I mean I couldn't hear you two talking or whatever you call it, I could just… well sorta tell by the way… anyways… Fang it's nice to meet you after hearing so much about you. I swear I'm not this much of a scatter-brain."
Aimée coughed into her hand to stifle a laugh at Parker's last statement. The Squire blushed then meekly admitted, "Okay Aimée's right, I totally am usually like this. But I swear I can focus when I have to. I graduated at the top of my class and was offered a full academic scholarship to more than one university here, in the UK and Europe, so I'm not… you know… I'm just excitable. Like a puppy."
Parker quickly threw her hand over her mouth as her cheeks turned a dark red color. That action finally elicited a laugh from Fang. He then passed her the beer and said, "It's nice to me you too Squire." He then moved down the bar to serve another customer while chuckling to himself, "She's going to be fun, especially with Fury around."
Aimée offered Parker a kind smile then said, "Don't mind him Cub, he's just… well you know after everything I've told you. Now you just sit tight and I'll got get your food."
Feeling like she had embarrassed herself enough for one outing, Parker just took a long pull form her beer bottle and gave Aimée the thumbs up sign with her other hand.
After Sanctuary had closed its doors for the night, well only to humans, as a Limani it remained 'open' to anyone from the supernatural community seeking asylum at all hours, Parker found herself tucked away in a booth with Aimée and Dev on either side of her. True to his earlier promise, Dev had popped the tops off a couple of beers for him and Parker to drink while the three of them talked. Aimée was contentedly sipping a cup of chamomile tea that was heavily sweetened with honey.
"So what finally brought you back to us, Cub?" Aimée asked once they were all settled in their spots.
Parker's face lit up with an almost unnaturally wide smile as she answered, "I'm getting my own Dark-Hunter. The fact that he or she is going to be here in New Orléans is just a super, fantastic bonus for me!"
"He or she? You don't know who it is yet?"
Shaking her head, Parker took a drink form her bottle to force herself to slow down her racing thoughts. "Nope. I was just told to be here next week and that I'd finally be fulfilling my duties as a Squire with a Dark-Hunter that is in need of one."
Dev and Aimée shared a look behind Parkers back, but it was Dev that actually asked the question on both of their minds. "Next week? What are you…?"
"I was just so excited… surprise, surprise… that I traded in my ticket so I could… y'know reacquaint myself with the city and y'know… stuff before starting my new post."
"That does sound like you," Aimée commented in a soft, serene tone. She patted the back of Parker's hand that was resting on the table top to try to comfort her. "You look worried about something, Cub. What's wrong Parker?"
The human swallowed hard and then looked between the two bears nervously. Before she could get the words out, she diverted her eyes back to her bottle where her fingers were picking at the label on it.
Dev moved in closer to her side and tucker her hair behind her ear so that he could see the profile of her face. "Come on Cub, you know that you can talk to us. You've always been able to tell me and Aimée everything. I've never told anyone about your-"
Parker's head whipped around to glare at him, but then she silenced him with a pleading look on her face as she interrupted, "Please don't say it out lout now? Please Dev? It sounds so stupid and juvenile… Please Dev?"
"Okay, but will you tell us what has you going so quiet on us? We know that with it that's a serious cause for concern."
Parker gave him a half-smile at his attempt to tease her, but still remained silent for a couple of more breaths. The two bears were starting to get more concerned, but they managed to hold their tongues. Parker then drained the rest of the liquid out of her bottle and then visibly appeared to prepare herself for what she was going to say next.
She slightly turned her body so that more of her back was facing Dev as she looked at Aimée straight on as she asked, "Were you serious about your offer Aimée?"
"My offer?"
"Yeah because since I'm here a week early an all the uhh… well I don't really… y'know…?"
"OH! My offer! Of course my offer for you to stay with us still stands! And if you can't stand being around your Dark-Hunter then you are more than welcome to stay even longer than a week."
"Really? Aims you're the best! And I swear I'll help around the bar even to help earn my keep!"
"Well that's an offer we can't afford to refuse," Fang commented as he slid into the booth beside Aimée. His bearswan gave him a not-so-friendly look to which he replied, "Don't give me that look Babe. You know you've been overdoing it and that we could use the extra hand." He then turned his attention to Parker and asked, "So Squire do you know anything about working in a bar?"
Parker extended her hand across the table answering in a carefree tone, "The name's Parker Wallace, but you can call me 'Squire' if you want to, I don't mind."
Fang reached out to take her hand but one of the lights caught something on the skin of the back of her hand that piqued his curiosity. This time he was the one who snatched her hand towards himself so that he could take a closer look at whatever had caught his eye. Parker tried to protest and pull her hand back, but she was no match for the wolf's superhuman strength.
"Fang? Sweetie what are you doing?" Aimée asked as she reached out to try to pry his hands off of his friend.
Parker stopped struggling and actually leaned over the table to make it easier for him to look at her hand. "Aimée's right Fang. You don't want to hurt a poor, defenseless human."
Fang scoffed and then managed to find what he was looking for. He tilted her hand so that Aimée and Dev could see the faint spider web that covered the back of her hand.
"From the looks of this I'd have to disagree with the 'defenseless' title."
Aimée gaped for a second before she turned to Parker and asked, "Is that what I think it is?"
After Fang finally let go of her hand, Parker slowly pulled it back towards her. "You guys… and gal remember that I'm a 'Blood Rites Squire', right?" She didn't wait for them to confirm this as true as she moved her hand around unit the black light in the club illuminated the intricate spider web pattern on the back of her hand once again. "Well it's tradition for us to get this tattoo after we've been initiated into the… uhh… brotherhood."
"Yeah we know about that," Dev answered as he gently pulled her hand towards him so that he could get a closer look. "But usually it's a big black tattoo, not one that's invisible to the naked eye."
Parker smiled coyly and started to absent-mindedly trace the lines of the spider web even though they were once again hidden. "Well that would be my parents' fault. For as far back as I can remember my mom had complained about her tattoo. Don't get me wrong, she was proud of our heritage and all that other stuff, but… well she also hated having such a big tattoo in such a visible place. She said that it made dressing up hard and y'know… Since mom had so many issues about hers, dad convinced me I didn't really need it to prove my pedigree… everyone should just know my family name and all."
"But you got it done anyways?" Dev asked.
Parker shrugged and looked embarrassed as she answered, "What can I say? Some of the other guys went out to get theirs done after we graduated and I felt left out. I figured if I got it done with UV ink that it would be practically invisible and that way I wouldn't upset my dad. I mean he freaked out enough when he saw this."
She undid the cuff of her left sleeve to pull it back and reveal a tattoo of a double bow and arrow. It was done in a realistic style with the bows being a brown color that looked like real tree branches and the arrow heads appearing to be made of real metal.
"Dare I ask why you got this one done?" Dev inquired with a playful smile spreading across his lips.
"Well since both sides of my family have worked in Artemis' service for so many generations that I've lost count, I figured why not? People who follow the carpenter's faith get crosses inked on them, so I wanted to get something that represents my faith."
"Yeah but Artemis usually gets pretty testy about anyone having her brand on them if she wasn't the one to give it to them," Dev replied sounding genuinely concerned.
Parker pulled her sleeve back down to cover her tattoo and redid her cuff before she turned her body so she could more easily look Dev in the eye. She then smirked and countered in an almost grave sounding voice, "And how long have you had your tattoo Devereaux? I got mine as a tribute to the goddess that I have pledge my life to serve and you got your to what? Mock her? And what has she done to you for having her mark on your body? Because I'm thinking it's a whole lot of nothing since you're sitting here right now and able to bitch at me about my ink."
"Whoa…" Dev said with his hands up in a sign of surrender.
"Cub, you know he didn't mean it like that," Aimée said in a placating tone while gently petting Parker's right forearm. "You know he's just concerned about your safety; nothing more, nothing less."
All of the tension that had been building in Parker's body appeared to evaporate at the sound of Aimée's voice. With her whole body now slumped over the table she stared at her arm where her tattoo would be visible if she wasn't wearing long sleeves.
"I know he didn't Aims… I'm really sorry I went off on you like that Dev, it's just… everyone has an opinion, y'know? And it's my body so… I can make my own choices, right? None of the guys have anyone giving them shit about their tattoos, so why do I keep getting grief about mine? I know it's just because I'm a girl and that's such BS."
Dev slid in closer to her side to wrap an arm around her shoulders and give her a side hug. "Apology accepted. And I'm sorry that I picked at an old wound like that. I trust your judgment and you can definitely make your own decisions for your body, but that doesn't mean that we can't be concerned about you, Cub."
Parker turned to give Dev a proper hug replying into his chest, "Thanks Dev."
After giving each other another quick squeeze, they both sat back in their spots. Aimée gave Parker's hand a reassuring squeeze. The two women smiled at each other and seemed to come to an understanding without any words being spoken between the two of them. From where he sat on Aimée's other side, Fang remained silent and just watched the other three while he tried to get a rea on the new Squire in town.
Parker noticed the assessing look on his face and seemed to be the first to notice that their group had been silent for an unnaturally long time.
"So, shifting gears…" the Squire started somewhat awkwardly. "Fang, you were asking about my experience in a bar? Well I started working in a pub in England after I finished high school and worked there off and on for the last nearly five years while I worked on my undergraduate degree. My school and living expenses were covered by my dad, but I figured it'd be a good way to take in the local culture. Plus… well… everyone always seems to end up here so I… y'know… I figured it would be a good way to meet contacts if I… umm well if… my Hunter was stationed there or whatever… y'know?"
The uncertainty in Parker's voice caused Fang to crack a small smile. "Sure that makes sense. So where did you work the most? In the kitchen? Behind the bar?"
"I did some bartending, but it definitely wasn't one of my strong suits. The kitchen… well I worked in it a couple of times, but I swear I get like A.D.D. or something as soon as I start to make a meal. I really can concentrate when I need to, but stick me in the kitchen and suddenly I become like an untrained puh- umm like a gnat or something." Parker paused there to take a breath before continuing. "And before you have to ask again, serving… that's what I was best at… I seem to do well with customers of all walks of life, if you know what I mean."
"I think I do," Fang replied trying to hold back his laughter.
Aimée was beaming at Parker's explanation and reached over to take her hand to give it another squeeze. "Parker always was a social butterfly."
Parker smiled then said, "Yeah… unfortunately that hasn't changed since I was a kid."
"Well that sounds pretty perfect to me. Now Aimée can concentrate on staying in the office with the books and off her feet while she's in her delicate state," Fang stated while wrapping an arm around his mate's shoulders.
Once again Aimée gave him an unfriendly look that he promptly ignored. Parker could see the love they felt for each other and forced herself not to laugh at their back and forth because she didn't want to anger her friend. She had learned a bit about Were-Hunters while she was at school during her studies about Dark-Hunters and their history but seeing Aimée and Fang together absolutely amazed her. From what she had read it seemed like the Fates used mating as another cruel way to punish the Were-Hunters for circumventing Apollo's curse of his Apollite race. To her that meant that most of the matches were not a love match and were more just a pairing of two people who had just happened to fall into bed with each other. But when she looked at Aimée and Fang she knew that that was the furthest thing from the truth. It was completely obvious to her that, much like Aimée and Dev's parents, the two of them were totally in love with each other and couldn't have been paired with anyone else and look that deliriously happy.
"So… subject change… I mean now that we've determined that I can be a server without making a fool of myself… you two are too cute together. I can see the love you share… do you…? I mean you're a bear and you're a wolf… do you know if it's…? Ummm… well now it just sounds… I mean it just…"
"We haven't found out yet," Aimée mercifully cut-in. "We weren't expecting to start a family right away, but now we've decided to keep it a surprise. No matter what form they are in they're our babies and we'll smother them with love."
"Wow, see your face when you say that… wow. I want to be your kid. Err… not that my parents… it's just that you two… and after everything I've read, I just thought that love matches weren't all that common… it's just… it's really cool to see, y'know?"
Aimée and Dev chuckled softly because this was the Parker they remembered of old. Even when she was younger she would say whatever was on her mind, but now that she was older she seemed to catch herself when her questions or comments might be overly personal or somewhat insensitive. Fang didn't mind when people spoke their minds, in fact he appreciated a little bluntness every once in a while, but parker was still a bit of an enigma to him. Dev and Aimée seemed to be able to keep up her disjointed thoughts but he was having difficulties following her train of thought which in turn made it hard for him to form a proper opinion of the new Squire.
"Well you know us, chère, we like to be unique here in New Orléans," Dev commented with an exaggerated Cajun style accent.
Parker smiled at his playfulness then countered, "You can say that again! The number of Dark-Hunters that have gotten their souls back and gotten married… HOLY CRAP! It's insane! Everyone at school were constantly asking me what was in the water here that makes everyone so freaking love sick!"
"I wouldn't call it 'love sick'," Dev started slowly.
"More like being in the right place at the right time," a woman added before sliding in to sit beside Dev. "You must be the Squire that Aimée's been telling me so much about. My name's Sam."
Parker started to reach out her hand to shake the woman's offered hand just as Dev moved to wrap his arm around the new woman's shoulders. Much like she did with Fang, Parker quickly abandoned her handshake to grab Dev's hand.
"You've been mated too? No way! Not… I mean… wow! Who's the lucky lady?!"
Sam raised one of her gloved hands to wave at Parker answering, "That would be me."
Parker's eyes grew wide as she gaped at the new-comer to their table. "You… that means you're… HOLY CRAP! I've read a lot about you… Aimée just didn't mention you're…" She finally reached out to take the previously offered hand of the Dark-Hunter. "Wow, I can't believe it's you. Oh shit… sorry… I know you have issues with… well not issues but touch is… oh gods! I'm sorry Samia. But seriously it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Sam chuckled at Parker's awkwardness then turned to Dev to say, "You weren't lying when you said that she can be a little all over the place."
Parker groaned and covered her face with her hands. Sam then turned her attention back to the Squire. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, it just that Dev tried to prepare me for your interesting manner of speech. Honestly, we're good… I was just teasing. And don't worry about the handshake, that's why I wear gloves all the time."
"Okay… thanks for being so nice." She then turned to Dev to ask, "I've already molested your sister and her mate and… well I can't touch your mate's bare hands soooo… Can I pretty please have a look at your mating mark? Please? Pretty, pretty please?"
Laughing at the familiar tone she used to invoke to get her way when she was younger, Dev presented his branded palm to Parker saying, "Since you asked so nicely, here you go Cub."
She cupped his palm in one hand while she gently traced the lines of his mating mark with her index finger.
"These are so beautiful… I mean for those douchewads to… gosh these look amazing. So… yours is definitely a bear and Aimée's looks more like a wolf… does that mean that the animal on the mark is chosen by the animal of the male mate?"
Everyone just stared at her for a second, so Parker dropped Dev's hand and quickly added, "It's okay, forget I even asked… it really isn't… I mean you guys don't have to…"
"Parker, relax, it's totally okay," Aimée interrupted placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "In all honesty your question caught us a bit off guard. I for one have never really thought about it since it's the female partner who gets to make most of the decisions during the mating rituals, but now that you mention it, you're probably right." She then turned to Fang to ask, "Bride's mark, it's…"
"Just like Sam's. It's definitely a wolf mark."
"Interesting. Well Park I think that's your answer right there and you've made a great point. But we could ask around and see what we can find out about other people's marks to try to confirm it."
Parker shook her head and gave Aimée a grateful smile. One of the reasons she was so eager about getting home was to be around the two bears seated with her now. No matter what was going on in their personal lives, Aimée and Dev had always taken the time to listen to her. When she was a kid she thought that they were just indulging her, but as she grew older she learned that it was more than just that. She had always been inquisitive and then had always been available to answer her questions. She now understood that they didn't just do it to be nice, instead it was because they loved her and wanted to help her to not only understand their world better, but her world as well.
"That's alright Aimée, but I really do appreciate the offer. You know me… the questions just come out of my mouth before my brain can stop me from asking them. I'm really sorry about that, just ignore me."
Aimée leaned over to hug Parker and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "No need to apologize Cub. You know we wouldn't change anything about you, even if we could, but doesn't matter because we don't."
"Cub?" Samia asked no one in particular. "I thought she was human."
"She is," Aimée answered with a bright smile. "But she and her family have been visiting here for so long that they've become adopted to our family a long time ago."
Samia and Fang simply nodded because they more than understood what it meant to be accepted into the Peltier family as one of their own. Parker simply blushed at the compliment she heard in Aimée's tone during her explanation. She remained silent as she let Aimée's words sink in, which in turn caused memories she wasn't ready to face to surface. It wasn't that she wanted to forget her past, it was just that she was too tired from her travels in order to properly deal with any raw emotions.
When Dev had teased Parker that silence from her was a cause for concern, he had only done so while partially joking. As Parker had admitted, she had a tendency to let her mouth run away from her, especially when she was nervous. It was something she had tried to work on while she was away at school because she knew that the best Squires were the ones who knew when to hold their tongues. Although keeping secrets wasn't actually one of her weaknesses, just telling people what she thought without considering the ramifications. That was one personality trait she knew would work against her when she attempted to endear herself to her Dark-Hunter, so she continued to try to retrain her brain, as difficult as that felt some days.
Aimée and Dev shared a concerned look at Parker's continued silence. Dev covered her left hand with his right as Aimée placed a gentle hand on the human's shoulder asking, "Are you sure everything's alright Parker?"
It took both of the Peltier's shaking her gently before she appeared to realize they were talking to her.
After quickly shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Parker finally replied, "I spaced out on you, didn't I? Sorry about that, I guess my… oh now twenty hour travel day is starting to catch up with me. And that Jambalaya sure did do the trick to help make me sleepy too."
The four people at the table with her chuckled. Aimée then hugged Parker once again then said, "Of course you're tired! Come with me Cub and I'll show you to your room."