Tabby couldn't respond to Anya and Ray with anything more than a forced smile as she struggled to try to remember Lance's number...which was a hopeless task because she couldn't even remember a time she'd dialled it! One of the drawbacks of phones with internal address books...
She wasn't much closer to a result either when Aziel strode out of the kitchen purposefully. She flinched at the very sight of him - the boy perhaps having established himself as the one person she was most wary of in the entire house - and a cold punch of adrenaline released within her as he grabbed hold of her arm. Her eyes widened and she surprised herself with her first instinct...
"Gavin!?" she called out, not knowing whether her brother had gone to a completely different area of the house, and there was so much ruccus that she could only hope her voice would stand out among the others for the genuine distress it contained.
She certainly didn't go willingly with Aziel, but neither did she struggle hard, instead examining the eyes of all they passed on the way. Surely they wouldn't let her come to harm, would they? Besides, he was taking her outside. It would have been felt entirely more sinister if he'd led her into another room or something. Some dungeon where people were kept if they refused to play along with the little werewolf game...
Tai, Evon and Gavin were in the dining room. Gavin had his face buried in his hands, wondering what madness-gas had seeped into the Khöller pack-house to trigger all of this. And more to the point, how on earth had his mother found out about him and Jac? Who was this 'little birdie'?
Tai and Evon were having an indistinct conversation which seemed to consist most of small-talk and the alpha female trying to distract Gavin's mother from the burst of outrage in the kitchen. But then, things got a bit more serious. Gavin heard Tabby calling from the hallway, and a significant kerfuffle as a portion of the noise moved away to the other end of the house, through the kitchen. A visceral impulse propelled his body out of the room and in the direction of the sound.
Tai heard Tabby's yelp, saw Gavin bolt out of the room and panicked. She lunged towards the door as well, and leaned out just in time to see Gavin and Adrian colliding at the bottom of the stairs.
"What's happening?" she heard Adrian say to Gavin.
"Things are getting out of hand..." Gavin, making his way into the kitchen. Adrian looked confused, but spotte Tai in the dining room doorway. He narrowed his lips and nodded resolutely, before making chase after Gaving. Tai shook her head, her thrumming away in her chest as she turned back to Evon.
"Sorry Evon..." she said, "...I don't know how to explain really, but things seem to all be happening at once here. Not that I'm saying you're not welcome, not at all. It's just that, well, I'm sure you can appreciate that this close to the full moon things are in a delicate balance, especially with some of the young folk finding their mates...there's going to be first shifts and..."
"I know exactly what you mean." Evon snapped, "As you just heard me say, I was there for Gavroche's first shift, and if I hadn't been, I would have died. I wish to make sure that his new mate is put in no such danger."
Tabby stared at Aziel from her place in the wooden chair. They were outside, it was broad daylight, the weather was even quite nice, and it diluted the threat which she percieved in the bolshy guy who'd just dragged her outside and forced her to sit. But her heart was still going like a jackhammer. This was just the same was what Gavin had almost done the previous night, except that Aziel was clearly determined to follow through with it. She said nothing. It was apparent that her opinion was not being asked of all of this.
Her lungs emptied in a gasp of relief when Lyra and Kiyoshi appeared. She stared at the girl's face intently, reading her lips as best as she could when she approached Aziel. Tabby's emotions wered mixed. On the one hand, Lyra seemed to be trying to calm Aziel down and get him to relent. On the other hand, it was apparent Lyra believed that there was actually something Aziel had to show. So...Lyra believes it too...
She jumped slightly at the hand on her shoulder, snapping her head up but calming again when she realised it was Kiyoshi. What was it that made him and Lyra so different from the others? In any case, at least she wasn't facing Aziel alone now. And in some ways, having the comfort of two other people in her corner almost made her curious to see what it was Aziel was going to do, now that the danger didn't seem so great.
Gavin stormed into the kitchen, where Calvin was stood with his hand over his eyes and an exhasperated look on his face.
"What the hell...?" Gavin demanded to know what was happening.
"I think Aziel's going to shift for Tabby." Calvin said in a tedious, matter-of-fact sort of voice.
"Idiot!!" Gavin growled, "I'm going to fucking kill him..."
Gavin lunged in the direction of the door out onto the patio, but felt a jolt as Calvin's hand landed on his shoulder and held him back. Gavin turned, ready to throw a fist at Calvin if that was what it took, but he saw that Calvin had his other hand pointed out of the window, and so looked in the direction he was pointing. He saw that Lyra and Kiyoshi were out there as well, but Tabby was clearly shaken up.
"Give it a minute." Calvin said calmly, "I think there might be an important point about to be proven here."
"No!" Gavin protested, "She should hear it from me first!"
"I'm not talking about the wolf thing." Calvin said, "Just watch for a minute. You'll see what I mean..."