VULPINE: Her Second Chance

The Long Journey Home

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En Route to the Northern Sky Castle - Northbound ICH 8E - 483km Out

The Long Journey Home

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"This... is a... Party bus?" Thalia asked, flummoxed by the turn of events. To her surprise, King Jackson actually answered her aloud, seemingly much less recalcitrant now they were on their way.

"Yep. My Delta, Frankie - you'll meet them at the castle - is a bit of a jokester, and set it up." She raised a brow, not seeing the joke.

"I believe their exact words were that we should have a party, with the party, on the party bus. And that's it, that's the whole joke, punchline and all." The beta, Thaddeus, said drily. "Sorry, Your Majesty, they're definitely not the world's best comedian, by far. They try, though."

Thalia nodded sagely. She was comfortably clad in a fitted white t-shirt dress and matching leggings, courtesy of Helena's forethought, her socked feet tucked underneath her rump as she perched in her seat. The king's handkerchief, which was dark and embroidered like his ascot, matched her current garb much better.

King Daniel had retied it for her once again, this time with permission. Thalia had allowed him, since he had much quicker fingers than she did, and his gentleness had gotten it done without much more than a little sting from the dried blood on her skin. Thalia was glad for it. She was used to being in pain, but that didn't mean she liked it, and she hadn't been looking forward to the extended healing time of a chosen mating bite.

Chosen marks usually took about a day to heal, the same as a cleanly set broken bone, and even true marks took an hour or so. And in both cases, unlike any other injury a shifter suffered after they received their Spirit, the mark would stay until or unless the bond was broken. Thalia would have to wear something for the blood for only a few hours more though, and the king had insisted they keep her other travel clothing clean.

Thalia would have to redress herself in the revealing gown once they reached the royal capital, but for now, they would spend two days on the road to the castle. Why they couldn't have flown was beyond her, though she supposed it didn't take long for shifters to go stir-crazy.

They'd been sitting in the spacious van - party bus - for the past half hour, awkwardly keeping to their own little areas until Claire finally sprang from the front seat, out of her mind with boredom.

She had facetiously acted as an incompetent stewardess, playfully taking incorrect drink and snack orders from the other passengers. The "orders" ranged from fully fantastical items to genuine recipes, and the passenger playdate dissolved into a lengthy discussion on the merits and demerits of certain foodstuffs.

When they tired of that, Thaddeus had offered to make some of those drinks a reality, and popped open a semi-hidden mini fridge in the back of the bus. Thalia, having never seen anything like the high tech "party bus" before, even in her college days, had somewhat fascinatedly demanded an explanation. Thad had given her one, and now here they were.

Short story shorter, the adults were going to party while the kids were away. Helena changed seats almost immediately, pressing close to Thalia and nudging her towards the embedded liquor cabinet. Thalia pretended to ignore her as she continued talking with the beta.

"Wow. Thanks for the explanation, Thaddeus; I genuinely would have never gotten the joke. And you can call me Thalia, no need for titles." She'd been telling him that since their introduction, but it had become a cursory phrase. She had a feeling Thad referred to their ranks almost as casual nicknames.

"The best jokes need thorough explanations, of course" Thaddeus said sarcastically, and then bowed in his seat as though he were a performer. Thalia watched Beau watching Thaddeus, and turned her attention away as they made heated eye contact.

It would seem that perhaps their earlier disagreement was unfinished. She would have to ask Beau later to avoid rocking the boat any further, if at all possible. They needed this to work out.

Thalia needed this to work out.

-What do you basic bitches want?- Thalia prompted the Chatroom, which had of course been re-established as soon as the females were accepted into the Star Sapphire Pack.

She studied the "mini" bar, which was actually a fully stocked bartender's dream which folded out and transformed the rear end of the bus. Thalia was no mixologist, but she could make a pretty good cocktail based on smell and rote. Plus, she didn't envision much bartending when Helena and Claire put their actual requests in, this time. She knew well what her friends would ask for, because they asked for the same thing every time.

-Something with cinnamon and apple whiskeys, because I am indeed a basic b***h, and it's the harvest season starting next month.- Claire perked up from the passenger seat she'd returned to. -Everything must be spiced and-or mulled!-

-Nope, not for me. I'd love something with Irish Cream, since I'm nothing if not a stereotype,- Helena drawled, her mental voice lazy and relaxed. -Basic bitches for life.-

She smiled lightly at their routine and went to make the drinks. Both females always asked Thalia for variations of "something", rather than any specific named cocktail. They would end up with a different drink almost every time, since she often forgot what she had done before. Other than a very tart chilled margarita, there weren't any recipes that she knew exactly, especially not off the top of her head.

Instead, Thalia would put a base of whatever they'd requested, and add what she thought might go well with the liquor, based on the scent as well as the days events. Today, she made a mellow cacao cousin to the White Russian for Helena, and a romantic fall cocktail with hints of cherry and honey for Claire. Thalia hoped they would like their drinks; she rarely missed the mark, but she had been feeling off since the marking.

Thalia had set the drinks in cupholders embedded into the tiny counter and was searching for a tray when the beta stepped up to the bar.

"A queen shouldn't have to serve her own retinue, especially with a willing bartender-s***h-waiter sitting right here," Thaddeus remarked with warm amusement, and went to bring the glasses to Claire and Helena. He gently ushered her out from behind the bar when he returned. "What can I make for you, my dear?"

King Jackson looked over from his seat near the bar. He'd been quietly observing the conversations, and inputting only when prompted. Thalia noticed, however, that he paid particular attention whenever she was talking about her likes and dislikes. But in this case...

She thought about it briefly, then decided to "come clean".

"Oh, I've never drank. I was married before I was allowed to, and then - well, I wasn't allowed to." There were many things Scott had barred Thalia from, and intoxication of any kind was a big one. Scott believed enjoying the effects of alcohol, even if not to excess, was a sign of buffoonery in males and promiscuity in females. Of course, that rule never extended to himself.

"Well, you're a fully grown adult, and you'll be treated as such from now on." The king's eyes darkened slightly, his pupils dilating as though his spirit was peeking through. His voice, though, was calm as he spoke, the low tones somehow soothing her even though it was clear he was angry. "There's nothing you won't be allowed to do."

Thalia didn't usually do well with anger, much less when it was directed at her, but this was different. King Daniel felt so comfortable to her that she found herself unable to tense up as she would normally have done, even with her true mate, which was odd. But that was because Scott's anger was a warning sign for Thalia, who was the primary cause of everything that went wrong for him.

She wasn't worried about the same with the king. She was a good judge of character, and whatever madness plagued him didn't seem to affect his kind nature, or his sense of humour. In fact, Thalia was so firmly sure he wouldn't take that ire out on her that Daniel's fury was thrilling to her rather than anxiety-inducing, and that was also very odd.

"Maybe I could try some drinks, for now, and look for something I like." Her words were technically to Thaddeus, but Thalia kept her eyes on the king, and he quickly reined in his wolf before replying in kind. Pity.

"Well, I don't know what you've wanted to try, but I think we could do that without overdoing it. I'm not sure now is the best time to get wasted." He finished his thought within her thoughts, -I think it's best to be drunk, for the first time, with people you would trust with your soul.-

-Not with my life?- She asked, jokingly, but Daniel responded with a truth.

-You can trust me with your life, since mine has been tied to yours. You can trust everyone in my pack, because they could never physically harm their Luna. But you don't know any of us well enough, yet, to trust us with your soul; with your secrets, hopes and dreams, or your sorrows.-

His thoughts carried a solemn undertone, and Thalia appreciated his consideration. Honestly, he was so considerate of her that it made her slightly uncomfortable. The king noticed her discomfort and turned back to the others' conversation, which almost made her more uncomfortable. Thalia smiled to herself ruefully. Apparently, she was going to have to learn how to better handle the kindness of 'wolves.

"I'd like to try a margarita, Thaddeus. I can make my own, though." Thad quirked a brow, but didn't seem insulted as they traded places again.

"Trying to avoid my dastardly plan to put foxglove in your drink?" His flippant tone belied the question in his eyes. She laughed and shook her head as she sugared the rim of her glass.

"It's just what I'm used to. Plus, I've made this drink so many times, but never really tasted it." Thalia figured she should just be as honest as she could possibly be without getting sent back to the Union. She'd spent too many years being someone else for Scott. "Skulklord Kane is quite the old fashioned 'fox and has no love for omegas, even his wife."

"But you're not an Omega." Daniel spoke, miffed again. Thalia figured it was nice to have someone outside of her girls furious on her behalf, even if he was spilling her secrets. Thaddeus looked unsurprised, however, so she wasn't sure how well she'd been hiding her aura.

"No, I'm not." It hasn't been a question, but Thalia confirmed the king's statement, nonetheless. She left it at that affirmation, though. She didn't want to say her true aura ranking, yet, since lower delta was only just above an omega. Though with her size it probably wasn't hard to assume, she still was reluctant to show her uselessness so soon. "But it'll take a while for me to get out of the habit of masking."

She made a tiny show of being happy to find fresh limes in the bar. Thalia knew she'd literally just got done vowing to be honest, but old habits died hard, and omission was deeply ingrained into her nature, at this point. Luckily, Helena spoke up, sensing Thalia's recalcitrance and asking the exact question she'd wanted to ask.

"How did you know? Thalia has always been very skilled at astral manipulation." It was great to have friends.

"The twinkle, man. You can see it in the eyes. It's the only way to see past 'fox masking." This time, it was Claire who spoke, and Thalia quickly tamped down the feeling she had of what the f**k, because why didn't she know that? Claire casually popped a maraschino cherry in her mouth, as though this were something Thalia should know already, and continued with the fruit tucked in her cheek, "His Majesty was close enough to Lia to see it, obviously."

Twinkle, though? That's what Claire called the flecks of colour in shifters' irises that Thalia had always taken idle - apparently instinctual - note of? Twinkle?! That's a stupid name.

"That's a stupid name," Beau echoed her thoughts, and Thalia snorted lightly. "But yes. Most shifters' eyes reflect their aurae in some way. The actual phenomena is called ocular aura, but we have some other names for it, as well, like Oculus Astra and other less fancy s**t. I call them eye chips."

"That's an even dumber name!" Claire argued, leaning aggressively towards her twin, who stuck his tongue out at her like a kit.

Thalia watched the two bicker, yet again, with a slight smile. She kept that expression as she began to make her cocktail on autopilot, zoning out internally to process this new information.

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