sixwordstories | (no subject)

Then?

About nine years ago I stopped going to mass. Not a great time in my life.

Mass? What? Like Catholics?

Yes, like Catholicism. I happen to be, technically, Catholic, though at this point I think I'd be considered lapsed.

I read somewhere that there are more lapsed Catholics than practicing. I've never been religious myself though I have attended a few Catholic schools.

I grew up Catholic, so it's pretty close to home for me.

I can see you in one of those blazer-and-skirt outfits. God knows I got used to seeing my sister in them.

[She smirks, amused.] Already picturing me in a Catholic school girl uniform? You don't even have my name yet.

[ Micah just chuckles, though he carefully keeps his lips closed around the canine teeth that form little fangs, shaking his head. ] Contrary to what you might think, seeing one's younger sister in it sort of takes all the thrill out of the idea.

But you could tell me your name if you so wished. I'm Micah.

I'll make a note of that.

Hello Micah, I'm Nicole.

It's nice to meet you, Nicole. You seem quite lovely.

[ He lifts his sunglasses off his face, revealing entirely inhuman eyes like a cat's,a deep golden yellow-gray-green with a vertical slit pupil. ]

[His eyes make her stare a bit but it's not fear or disgust on her face but curiosity and maybe a little awe.] Wow. Lovely is right.

[ He manages a little smile at that, though it's a tiny bit strained given he knows why she's staring. ] My-- Thank you.

I don't mean to make you uncomfortable but you have incredible eyes. Someone very close to me has similar eyes.

Oh, no. You haven't made me uncomfortable, I'm used to it by now. I've had them for a while now.

They're a condition of my being not quite entirely human.

Guessing from the look of them, I would say a cat of some kind?

You'd be right. I am a lycanthrope, a wereleopard. My eyes are stuck this way permanently.

Edited 2014-12-22 03:09 (UTC)

How does one become a wereleopard exactly?

It's difficult, given feline lycanthropy is relatively low on the contagion scale. It requires a great deal of blood transfer, but assuming you don't die the virus can take hold.

So you weren't born this way. I take you were attacked. Are you okay?

Have you decided to celebrate the holiday, or are you considering a return to faith?

[The question comes from a man in a thick coat, the hood of which is pulled high enough that his face is cast in shadow. The sleeves are long and loose enough to drape over his hands, obscuring them. Despite the physical cues speaking of a desire to be left alone, his tone of voice is pleasant, friendly.]

I was turned nine years ago, I promise I'm quite fine. It took me long enough to recover.

[ Even if he can't see anything of the person he's talking to--and for his part Micah looks entirely normal, clad in denim and a long-sleeved shirt. He has sunglasses covering his eyes from view, but his smile is easy as he inhales deeply. ]

Both, actually. I was raised Catholic, I just haven't been to a church in several years.

I thought that lycanthropes heal faster than normal people.

We do, from most things. Silver is an impediment to our healing, though. And when you're first infected... Well. For me it was bad enough that I had to wait several weeks in he hospital until my throat grew back. They weren't sure I'd survive long enough for the healing to kick in.

...And it has to be that bad every time for a new wereleopard? No wonder there aren't many of you.