Maria clicked her tongue sympathetically, letting her chin rest in her hands. "How tragic. I had thought that sort of thing stopped happening when the Depression ended -the mas.s suicides that is. I think we're all rather well acquainted with the idea of family kicking us out onto the street."  Edward snorted his agreement from across the table, but it was Prosper who spoke up next. "Wait...you said that you were attacked? That's how you contracted lyncanthropy?" His pale eyes were intense and deeply confused as he studied her face, as though he was only seeing her for the first time. "That's very strange..." He murmured, his eyes drifting back to his plate where he proceeded to twirl his food around and around without actually eating it.

Ashley touched Rawsha's arm gently to draw her attention. "So...you didn't like, get born a half breed?" He asked, his ex
pression less intense than the blonde boy's, but equally puzzled. "Usually the only way you can end up stuck halfway between is to be half werewolf, half human -like if your mom was a werewolf and your dad was a human." Prosper's eyes flicked toward Rawsha again. "Maybe you'll let me ask you some questions later? I don't mean to pry...it's just that I haven't ever heard of a bite inflicting a recessive aspect of the condition..." Maria snorted quietly with laughter as his eyes drifted back toward his tangled spaghetti. "He means we ain't never heard of a half-breed who wasn't born that way." She clarified with a broad smile. "Trust me, it's a compliment coming from Prosper. He's big into studying us werewolf types." 

Somewhere nearby, a clock chimed the hour. "Better get going Ash. Store's gonna close soon." Edward mentioned casually, watching the younger boy's eyes fly open with surprise. "What? it's six already?" He asked, glancing hurriedly back at the clock before shoving his chair backward. "Shoot, sorry Rawsha. I was hoping I could show you around a little more bef-" "Chill, just put some pants on and go get us some milk. We'll take care for her for the hour you're gone." Maria as.sured him with a dismissive wave of her hand. The boy smiled gratefully, offered Rawsha one last apologetic look, then bolted for the staircase. "Great guy. Poor sense of timing." Edward smiled, reaching across the table to collect Ashly's half-finished dinner so that he could slide it onto his own plate.

"So sweetheart, do you care for movies?" Maria asked conversationally, topping off her own dinner with an extra sprinkling of cheese. "Once we get you settled in we could pop The Princess Bride into the DVD player." "Or we could watch a movie that doesn't suck." The dark haired boy added from across the table before shoving another huge bite of pasta into his mouth.

Maria nodded her approval, hastily swallowing a mouthful of pasta. "Mmm, of course. Madi's room then?" She glanced toward Prosper, who was still distractedly pushing food around his plate. He glanced up after a short moment, realizing that she was speaking to him. "Oh. Yeah, that'll be fine." He murmured, smiling faintly. Dumbdog bigears Locket mineplace not bad girlydog not NOT. Locket jingled darkly, her aura flashing. It was clear that the sprite was not at all pleased about having to share her living space with the girl.

Maria scooched her chair backward and moved to collect Rawsha's bag from the other side of the room. "Follow me sweety. You boys get to clear up the dishes -and wash them this time. Don't just pile them in the sink." Edward muttered something around a mouthful of bread, but it was impossible to understand what he was saying. The young woman gestured for Rawsha to follow her, then started upstairs toward the third floor.

"This one will be yours." She explained, pushing open the second door from the staircase. "I'm at the end of the hall if you need anything." She continued, stepping inside and placing the bag on the small twin bed. It was a rather plain room altogether, painted lavender with white furnishings. There was very little in the way of decoration, but it was surprisingly clean for an unoccupied room. "Now, how about we find you something a little bit less filthy and wet to wear, eh?" The woman offered kindly, tugging open the bottom drawer of the small white dresser. "I'm sure Amanda must have left something here...I just hope I can find something that will fit you. She's such a scrawny little thing, and she always buys her clothes two sizes too small..."

((Watch that power playing hun. XP))

The kitchen vibrated softly with the sound of running water. Edward was hard at work scrubbing pasta sauce from cast-iron, grumbling to himself the entire time. Maria was seated at the empty kitchen table, thumbing through a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine. Neither Prosper nor Locket was anywhere to be seen, presumably because they had moved to a different part of the apartment building.

The dark haired girl smiled when she spotted Rawsha on the stairs. "Well, somebody is all dressed up."  She chimed, casting the girl a knowing wink. Edward glanced over his shoulder curiously, grinning as he also noticed her wardrobe change. "Looking good snowstorm. You didn't get al dolled up just for me, didja?" Maria snorted quietly as she fought back a chuckle.

The young man's grin widened mischievously. "You hurt my pride angelwings! Wha'd'ya need  boring ole' Ashley for when you have an awesome guy like me?" He gave his hair a melodramatic flip, obviously trying to be as corny as physically possible. He struck a ridiculous 'model pose' for a brief moment, then smiled and went back to drying dishes.

Maria gave another snort of laughter, shaking her head slowly back and forth. "Sometimes Edward, I could swear that you're more ham than wolf." She tilted her head toward Rawsha's whisper, and offered the girl a knowing smile and a small nod."Everyone knows sweety. You're too young to know much about subtlety yet." She tweaked one of the girl's ears playfully. "Now, I was thinking we could watch ether that new animated film with the panda, or maybe Enchanted.You can look through the DVDs if you want."

"No musicals!" Edward groaned from the kitchen, pulling the plug from the sink and letting the dishwater drain out. "And none of that gushy romantic crap. Ash'll be on my side when he gets back." "Well maybe you two aren't invited! Maybe we'll have our own little slumber party  in my room." Maria taunted, sticking her tongue out at him.

Maria gave a sly wink, touching a finger to her lips secretively. "Probably, but don't be nervous. He's a real pus.sycat, so to speak." "Kung-fu fighting Chinese animals it is then." Edward announced smugly, pas.sing through the kitchen archway and into the living area. The dark haired girl got up from her seat and took Rawsha gently by the elbow, leading her into the other room. "Why does the idea of werewolves living together seem so strange?" She asked, claiming a place on the far side of the couch while Edward set up the DVD. "We are social animals after all, and it's this or take our chances with the packs." She wrinkled her nose distastefully, snuggling down not the overstuffed cushions.

"Heh, can you believe they've got kids younger than me running those things?" The boy scoffed, claiming the DVD remote and plopping himself down in the center of the couch. "Not a great system. Everybody's tense and aggressive all the time. Show any weakness at all and they'll turn on you. I'm surprised you didn't end up snagged by those punks Rawsha."  He patted the cushion next to him, inviting her to sit down. "As for the other stuff...well, being able to shift is pretty handy." He continued. "But it's also a huge pain -especially when the moon is full. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to shift at will, and as soon as the moon is full it gets twice as hard to stay human. Mandi's the only wolf I know who can do it." 

Edward snorted with laughter, giving his eyes a healthy roll. "In the movies, we also hunt down teenagers at roller derbies and worship Satan. It's all a bunch of crap dreamed up by humans with too much time on their hands." Maria giggled as a promo for planet 51 flashed across the LCD screen, temporarily drawing the boy's attention. "White's not a super rare colour for a wolf, but it's rare enough -like natural blondes." He continued. "Windsong from Carlingwood pack is mostly white." "Pffft, Windsong is as nervous as a chihuahua in a  bull ring."Maria interjected. "She's not a biter. Spade maybe, from Bayshore." "Nah, Spade's been pretty mellow since he mated Briar. Maybe it was a rogue."

Something thudded against the kitchen door, causing both werewolves to freeze and stare intently toward the source of the disturbance. A low growl sounded in Maria's throat. "Probably just Ash trying to open the door with his arms full of groceries." Edward said after a long moment of tense silence. He paused the movie and got up to answer the door. Maria siged deeply, offering Rawsha a small, re*censored*uring smile. "Sorry about that sweety. Guess you can never really kick those canine instincts. Some girls squeal when they're surprised. I growl." She poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth playfully.

“White with red eyes...” Maria murmured thoughtfully. “Sounds like an albino…I’m not sure that we have any of those around here…”

She didn’t get the chance to muse over the question further. It was Ashley who stumbled through the door as Edward pulled it , but if the bleeding hole in his shoulder was any indication, unpacking groceries was the last thing on his mind.

“Dammit, Ash what happened?” Edward gasped, catching the younger boy as he stumbled inside. “H-hunter…c-caught me in the parking lot…” He murmured, his face pale and sweating. “I’ll get water...a-and some towels.” Maria called, jogging toward the kitchen sink. “Get him onto the couch. Where’s Prosper?” “Went to see Mandi. I’ll try calling them in a minute.” The dark haired boy said, half carrying and half dragging Ashley toward the living room.

The injured werewolf’s eyes were misty and glazed as his friend lay him onto the couch, but they brightened slightly when he spotted Rawsha. “H-hey…” He smiled weakly at her. “Don’t worry. I gave ‘em a good…good runaround…won’t find us here…” “Shuddup. You’re just gonna move the silver faster.” Edward growled, stripping off his t-shirt and pressing it against the bleeding wound.

(( I think Maria beat her to the hot water two posts ago...hope you don't mind my taking the liberty.))

“HeyheyheyHEY! Back off!” Edward snapped as he spotted Rawsha approaching the livingroom with what appeared to be an armful of sewing supplies. He rose from Ashley’s side and placed himself protectively between the younger boy and his would-be doctor. “Calm down Edward.” Maria told him harshly as she gingerly bathed the bullet wound with a torn-off piece of his shirt. “You know very well that there’s nothing we can do for him. If either of us touches that silver bullet, we’ll end up a sick as he is.” “Well EXCUSE ME if the idea of some twelve year old kid poking around in my brother’s shoulder makes me a NERVOUS!” He snarled, glaring at the older girl. “I’m calling Mandi.” He growled darkly. “You keep her away from him in the thirty seconds I’m gone!” He breezed past Rawsha without even glancing at her and darted straight for the kitchen phone.

“By the time Mandi gets here he’ll be dead.” Maria sighed under her breath, discretely gesturing for the girl to come closer. “Forget what he said.” She told Rawsha gently as she rinsed her bloody cloth in the bowl of water she had brought from the kitchen. “If you’re only half-blooded, then there’s a good chance you can handle silver without getting sick. That means you’re his only hope right now.” The semi-conscious boy let out a mall whimper of pain as Maria pressed her scrap of t-shirt against his shoulder again. “You just need to get the bullet out of him.” She continued grimly. “After that we can bleed the wound to try and flush out the rest of the silver. If we do it fast, he has a 50/50 chance…” Somewhere in the kitchen, Edward was cursing under his breath. For one reason or another, Mandi did not seem to be picking up.

As breathless as he was, Ashley couldn’t do much more than grit his teeth, whimper and writhe in pain as Rawsha attempted to extract the bullet. Maria lent a hand by pinning him against the couch as best she could.  “There!” She hissed triumphantly as the bullet went skipping across the hardwood floor. A small folding kife was quickly produced from her back pocket, which she promptly stabbed into the boy's shoulder. The boy cried out in agony and struggled desperately as she made a wide gash, but Maria managed to grab him in an awkward hug/choke hold and hold him in place. She dropped her knife once he was bleeding freely, and held him fast so that the blood could drip freely from his shoulder.

“It's brutal, I know.” She gasped to Rawsha. “But it’s the fastest way to dilute the silver. Once we get enough of it out, he’ll heal up on his own.” “That’s the thing about silver.” Edward growled from his place in the doorway. His arms were folded across his chest, but he made no move to approach the trio. “It knocks ya down, screws with your healing factor and makes you too tired and dizzy to care. Regular bullets are bug bites to a wolf, but against a silver bullet you might as well be a sick human.” Ashley gasped raggedly, digging his fingers into Maria's arm. Just because he understood what was going on did NOT mean that he had to enjoy it.

((waaaaaaaaaaah IcantbelieveIwrotethatmuuuuuuuuch! TT__TT No more monster posts, I promise))

( wait,maria stabbed him right? other wise that would mean you played my character.)

Rashwa's chest constricted as her breathe became heavy with the tears streaming down her face she gulped and slowly got closer.Her eyes full of sadness and pain she looked at Maria as if saying back away please.She  gently put her arms around him,avoiding the wound she didnt care that she was now covered in his blood.She lifted her head so her eyes met.She leaned in and tenderly kissed him jer heart raced and tears salty tears fell on Ashley as she cried.She stayed that way for a few seconds the pulled away and whispered to him "dont.quit." SHe wasnt even sure herself what it meant but it came from her heart and in this moment it didnt matter the words that left her mouth but her actions to save Ashley.She gulped and ran to her bedroom,losing control of watching him like this her body soaked with the red liquid as it slightly burned her skin from the silver inn it but she didnt care she could be dying herself and not notice,atleast..not now.

(oh and i dont mind long posts..i sorta like em)

((Yeah, Maria stabbed him. XP ))

 Ashley was just barely conscious when Maria released him, allowing the boy to slump awkwardly against the blood spattered couch cushions. His breath still came in weak gasps, but it had evened out slightly. The dark haired girl rose to her feet and stepped backward a few paces, allowing Rawsha to approach. "Careful. He may bite." She warned, her tone not the slightest bit joking.

The blood spattered young man wished he had the strength to put his arm around Rawsha's shoulders, just so that he could to try to comfort her. Unfortunately, the best he could do was press his forehead into her neck as she held him gently, trying not to wince as his torn muscles shifted.His misty green eyes fluttered open halfway when he suddenly found his air supply cut off by a pair of warm, moist lips. He struggled for an instant, then remembered that he could breathe through his nose. His eyes slipped shut as he made a weak attempt at returning the kiss, and by the time she pulled away he had fallen into blissful unconsciousness once again.

Maria watched silently as the girl vanished upstairs. "Go make sure she's alright." She murmured at last, her dark eyes drifting toward Edward. "I'll clean up some of this mess, then try Prosper's cell again." The dark haired boy looked as though he was about to argue, but he seemed to change his mind at the last minute. He sighed, then started toward Rawsha's room. He knocked when he reached the door. "You alright in there Winter?" He called gently.