Take Out and Answers

[CLAIRE MCLEESTER]

The comment about eating a chicken wing actually made Claire laugh at the thought. She could just imagine sitting there chewing on the meat from a chicken wing and being curious if that was what your own wing tasted like. It was probably a good thing Claire didn't have wings and was instead born a Therian or she probably would have tried to take a bite of her own wings just out of curiosity. Claire was always a strange one.

The comment about being relieved also made Claire's smile grow bigger in every way it possibly could. She always had a big smile to begin with but somehow she could make it appear larger. She had to agree that she too felt relieved. If it hadn't been for Herbie the Avisaille they might not have ever shared their secrets.

"I've had to say farewell to friends far too much over the years. But with you? Unless something happens there's no need to ever say goodbye."

Claire didn't realize that they aged so slowly.. but then again he had told her he was pretty much old enough to be her father. Which was weird when thinking about it in that sense. Not that she had ever had a father figure around in her entire life so she wasn't sure what a father was even like. His age didn't bother her at all, and the thought of him looking the same for years and years was.. nice. Griffin was.. hot!

"Well I don't see anything happening that would make us stop being friends. So I think we're okay in that department." Claire nodded and jabbed her chopsticks at the food in the container. She was more interested in talking to Griffin than she was eating.

"So what's it like? Being able to fly? Do you get to do it a lot? I picture it as feeling a sense of freedom to be able to go out in the open like that. No rules or limits."

[GRIFFIN CARTWRIGHT]

"Well I don't see anything happening that would make us stop being friends. So I think we're okay in that department." Now it was Griffin's turn to smile brightly at his friend. Though he knew it to be true without her having to verbally confirm it, it was so nice to actually hear her speak those words. He didn't foresee any complications in their friendship, aside perhaps for strange feelings, but those could all get sorted out in time.

Her endless questions were sweet and he was more than happy to answer them all. Any question she had, he would answer truthfully and fully to the best of his ability. A part of him knew he shouldn't offer the information so loosely, but she too was a Guardian! What harm was it? He felt it his duty to spread knowledge, and to Claire this was knowledge on a species she knew to exist that no information could be found on. Her only insight was through him. It would be cruel to hold back, especially since he wanted to learn everything about the life of a Therianthrope.

"It's magical." His tone was almost distant, thinking about how free it felt to fly. "I don't get to do it nearly enough these days. There's too many people in the city. We have to travel far for the freedom of flight." He explained how they all went and flew by the isle late at night sometimes, and told her about the ceremony they had when they were youths learning to fly. Griffin didn't hold back as he spoke about being an Avisaille.

When it was Claire's turn she had offered the same to him. He listened as she talked about what it was like, the two of them exchanging stories, both nail biting and humorous well into the night.

It wasn't until he could see Claire fighting the sleep in her eyes that he told her they would talk again soon, but it was best to call it a night. After they said farewell Griffin gave her a long, firm hug. He could now, for the first time, without having to fear her feeling something she should not. He planted a gentle, loving peck on her forehead before moving out into the hall of her apartment.

It had been difficult not to tap dance the whole way home.

---------------------END---------------------