Strangers & Old Friends

                                    

                                          
Azael woke that morning feeling far more rested than he had in a very long time. The room he acquired, a great improvement over others in the past, housed a comfortable bed and amazing bathing facilities. Who would have thought to create a bathing house for individual use? And with running water in temperatures you controlled by turning a small lever, was a work of genius.
                          
Ruby indeed kept her word and arrived in the afternoon to give Azael a small tour of the town. She took him by many of the local businesses and explained each one's task. She even spared time to introduce him to some of the townspeople whom they happened upon along the way. The advancements in technology of this time amazed Azael. Ruby seemed to take pleasure in explaining things to him and answering many of his questions. She admitted that she had been just as awe struck when they first arrived here in this world. Azael was surprised to find out that the town had not existed until what Ruby had so comically referred to as the "Great Curse".
                          
"Yeah, so, like I was saying. All of us here are from a land we call the Enchanted Forest. We were all brought over by the curse created by the Evil Queen. Or, as you know her, Regina."
                          
Azael listened, intently intrigued by the tale. Becoming even more so, when Ruby explained how many of the townspeople were not even human.
                          
"So, you are a child of the moon?" Azael asked as he sat on the small bench in the park Ruby had brought them to.
                          
"Yup, that's me. A bona fide werewolf." Ruby laughed.
                          
"Amazing. I would never have guessed. I met your kind in the past. And all I can say is that they were not as civilized as you are."
                          
"I heard about that from my grandmother. She says that many of us go feral. Give up our humanity, so to speak."
                          
"Yes, that is an accurate description. These, I speak of, could be said to be nothing more than animals." Azael recalled the devastation one such beast wrecked on a small village. He joined the hunting party. Though he did not condone the abject slaughter of any being, he was resigned to the pursuit after seeing the bodies of the children the beast had attacked.
                          
"I, for one, am glad that you are nothing like them."
                          
Ruby blushed at the compliment.
                          
"Well, in all fairness, my grandmother would have put me down herself. And I have friends, like Mary Margaret, who stood by my side. And being trapped in human form for three decades didn't hurt."
                          
"Was the curse in place that long?'
                          
"Yes. But I guess the perk of being frozen in time is you don't age. I'd look horrible dressed the way I am if I was actually my age." Ruby pointed at her tight top and jean shorts. Azael and Ruby both laughed.
                          
"That is a long time. So, then where is your mate?"
                          
"Uh... actually, I don't have one. Oh, I've been on plenty of dates, but... nothing serious." Ruby's mouth turned down slightly.
                          
"Now, that is surprising. A beautiful woman like yourself and with an enchanting personality to match... I would have suspected someone to have snatched you up and to be raising a brood of your own."
                          
"You and my grandmother both. But, like I explained to her, I just haven't found the person yet. I have to be sure. 'Cause as the saying goes, a wolf mates for life. That alone, coupled with the fact that I go through my "wolf time" every month, doesn't necessarily make me a catch. You know?" Ruby lowered her head to stare into her lap.
                          
Azael reached over and raised her head by her chin.
                          
"Nonsense, Ruby. Whoever he or she may be, would be lucky to have you."