Hollow Waves | OFAF #1

13

Lance placed a large boba in front of Marina. He gracefully eased himself onto the seat across from her. A child bumped against the chair. Lance turned and smiled, watching as uncertainty crossed the child's face. He saw Lance's smile and pulled a small bottle out from his cartoon messenger bag. He took the cap of the bottle and pulled a plastic stick from it. The stick had a circle at the end. He blew the circle and bubbles floated toward Lance. Lance popped one and grinned. The parent called for the child and he ran, waving his little hand goodbye to Lance. The parent smiled apologetically at Lance before walking away.

Lance whipped out a compact from his shoulder bag and wiped the corner of his eye. "Are you happy with the things you bought?"

Marina nodded. At first she didn't understand why she couldn't head back to her apartment and pack a bag, but Lance explained some vampires might be keeping watch to see if she came back. They would track her to their location. The Veronis estate wasn't hidden from other vampires, but only a few knew about its location.

"I just feel so bad, you're paying for everything. I'm sitting here drinking boba and going clothes shopping while my friends are going through goddess knows what." Marina stabbed a boba with her straw. She couldn't allow herself to enjoy the moment even if it was her favorite drink. It reminded her of fish eggs, her favorite snack in Aqueria.

Lance set the compact down and nodded slowly. "I can understand that. Chris and Denali are on it. They're going to find your friends, but that doesn't mean you have to sit there and wait for it to happen. Moments like these, I like to shop so Chris doesn't worry about me worrying about him. Does that make sense?"

In the mall, Lance seemed like any other person shopping. He blended in with human life despite not being around that many humans at a time. Sunglasses rested atop of his scarfed head. Shopping bags were piled next to him, claiming he needed a new wardrobe for the spring. He was so at peace and so human. "You worry about them?"

Lance sipped his boba and smiled a fangless smile, "Of course I do. They're my family and despite us being who we are, you never know what could happen. We were all human once so we know what loss is." He understood what Marina was going through. Sometimes he hated being at home, waiting for Chris to come home. He constantly reached out for the tether between them thanks to the clan bond. The thread was strong and he would know if Chris was in any danger. He trusted Chris and knew he had to be the one to stay home and make sure everyone at the estate was okay. He would never admit it aloud, but Marina coming into their lives brought back Eryn and Sagan simultaneously. The circumstances were awful, but he was happy to have his family back.

"What's going to happen with Morgan?" Marina's friends all fell apart. She did a horrible job of protecting them and she just wanted something to go her way, "will she be okay?"

"Well, she's open to stay at the estate. She's a Veronis. We can help her get used to being a vampire if that's what she wants." Lance anticipated Morgan's awakening soon. He inhaled deeply, reaching out for the new tether. It wasn't quite as strong as the other Veronis vampires, but it was there.

Marina nibbled on her straw. After seeing how the Veronis clan was, she trusted Morgan would be safe with them. They would take care of her. She knew she would have to head back to Aqueria once her friends were back safely, but could she really leave Morgan with them? What if Morgan didn't want to be with them? "Is she safe in Purgatory?"

"Purgatory?" Recognition flared in Lance, "ah yes, Eryn's bar. Don't worry, we collected her from there and she's now in our basement. She'll be safe."

Morgan being just under Marina made her feel a bit better. She was going to be okay, and hopefully, she would see her soon. She couldn't wait to see her, she just wouldn't know what she would say to Morgan. "Does this feeling go away? The sense of helplessness?"