Ettore | ✔️

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚

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𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈

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"You need to stop doing that, I'm trying to drive--" she stated, looking straight ahead as Vindicatio ran his hand through her ash blonde hair for the umpteenth time. She had become a lot more relaxed and comfortable once they made it back to the car. She watched from the corner of her eye as he watched the tendrils slip between his fingers before falling back into place almost mesmerized. His hand recoiled and he rested his large forearm on the center console. "Thank you."

As she drove through the small town of Bonaloo Bay she pointed out things that she thought would be interesting. The small cafe on main, the strip mall on 4th, the small park on the corner of 5th and Riverton. She even made it a point to drive by a house that had looked the same since her childhood. 

The neighbor's house looked the same as well, especially their cluttered picket fence. She looked over to see what odds and ends their dog, Boomer, had brought home all those years ago. On each fence post, items ranging from old sneakers; children's toys; to pots and pans were set out for the owners of said items to claim. It seemed like even after all these years, some items were never claimed and had gotten sunbleached. She smiled as her eyes caught the rickety sign hanging on the gate that read 'Boomer Takes Everything!'

Years ago, the damn dog even took a tire from Old Mr. Gregor's shed. It was a funny sight for ten-year-old Syretia; a black lab dragging a tire down the road.

"What's up with all the junk?" Vindicatio brought her out of her reminiscent stupor. 

"Their dog used to steal stuff out of people's yards, a few times he even managed to get into a neighbor's home," she explained, "it's one of my happier memories of living in this neighborhood. The white house on the left was my childhood home, it looks the same as it did when I had to move out." 

"Why'd you have to move out?"

"That's for another time," she continued driving through the neighborhood until she reached the apartment complex. 

She turned into the parking lot of the apartment complex, "it's not as impressive as a Werewolf Royal Court but it's home." The building was quaint, but it looked better than most in the area.

"Nonsense," he spoke, bending forward to peer through the windshield to get a better view. "It's more than enough. Besides, that was Ettore's experiences, not mine. You don't have to try very hard to impress me."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around all that, well everything... from learning that werewolves exist to you being a completely new person... Ettore just being a vessel..." she listed as she slipped out of the car. She rounded the car to the back and opened the back door so Vindicatio could grab the duffel bag filled with his clothes.

"You'll get used to it one day," he stated as he slung duffel over his shoulder carelessly.

"Yeah, I suppose so, but when that happens nothing will ever be the same. I won't be blissfully ignorant of this whole new supernatural world," she led the way to the entrance, through the lobby, and to the elevator. He stepped inside looking around in wonder.

"I've never been in one of these before. What is it?" The elevator jostled a bit and he grabbed onto the railing, eyes wide.

"It's an elevator," she looked over at him with amusement swirling in her blue eyes. She couldn't help herself as she hopped once making it jostle again as it made its way to the second floor.