“Werewolf?” Ezra perked up, eyes wide. “That’s so cool,” He whispered, a hint of a smile creeping up on his face. It was just that he always loved stories of werewolves, his mother used to read fairytales about them when he was a kid. “Does it- I dunno, does it hurt? To change into a werewolf?”
Max smiled a bit again, amused. “It’s pretty painful, actually,” he admitted. “But once the transformation is over I hardly feel anything. It’s much harder to hurt me after that. Changing back into a human doesn’t hurt as much, though.”
“When you change, do you walk of four legs or-“ Ezra bit his tongue, realizing he had been talking so much and quickly sunk into his seat. He felt like he needed to explain himself for being curious, “Err, sorry, I don’t mean to bother you or anything. My mom used to read me stories an’ stuff when I was a kid.”
Max shrugged. “It’s fine,” he responded. “I used to not be able to talk about it, but now I’m more open. I walk on four legs like a normal wolf when I’m in wolf form.”
"If you could, would you stay away from any Fae circles? They don't like mortals even touching their borders. I don't want you to get another curse on top of that one." They requested, it was the longest thing they had said so far.
“Fae circles?” Ezra asked, eyes still wide. He couldn’t help wanting to know more, his foster father didn’t like to talk about magic other than helping Ezra train with his astral.
"If you hear music in the middle of the forest and a wonderful smell, run," Lexath ordered quietly, fingers tapping without noise on the table.
Ezra felt that strange feeling again but didn’t think much of it, listening to Lexath. They seemed like they knew a lot, after all. “Do you know what fae are like?” He asked, a bit shy as he wrapped his arms around himself.
"Mostly, I'm a type of fae, if we're talking genetics." They said quietly, the fingers going faster yet still did not make a single noise.
“That’s cool,” Ezra smiled for a second before quickly forcing his face back to neutral. I shouldn’t be talking to them, I could but Lexath in danger… Ezra bit his lip and made himself look away after that.
Lexath noted the look and looked concerned. "If you want, I can tell you my curse?" They offered, they didn't want people to be scared on the first day.
“Uh- You don’t have to- it’s- it’s more of my- my curse I’m worried about,” Ezra stammered, turning red. Why do I have to be so awkward?
"I'm pretty sure my curse has already been accidentally used already on you, so I should do it anyway." Lexath took a deep breath and muttered something unhearable.
Elizabeth squinted in confusion. "What?" She accidentally said aloud, before immediately putting her hand over her mouth and turning to look out the window. That was rude. It was rude, wasn't it? Don't ask questions. The main rule. Gods, why couldn't she have been blessed with silence?
Ava paid close attention. She had guessed Lexaths curse she just hoped she was wrong. Then again they said it was an accident. Maybe they don't have control over it just like her.
"Whatever I say people will do it…" They said a bit louder, but still quiet. "That's why I mostly talk in sign and ask questions. You never know what might come off as an order."
Elizabeth nodded. "Useful," she commented softly. "I - I mean - sorry, that must be difficult," she corrected.
Ava stared down at the table with a straight face, thinking. She wasn't sure how to feel about their curse. At least if they accidentally use it on her it won't reveal her own curse.
“Oh,” Ezra said quietly, shifting in his seat. “Do that mean that when you…” Ezra shook his head, stopping the question before he finished it. He knew the answer. When he had gotten that strange feeling when ordering… that had to have been Lexath. It was probably an accident, Ezra reminded himself.
Gavriel looked with wide eyes once everyone started revealing their curses. Would it be a good time to say mine? It's probably better to get it over with. But, what if they judge me? Millions of thoughts ran through the course of his brain and he just nodded in understanding to what Lexath said.
Romilly half listened to their conversations for a bit of time before she got distracted by a bird outside of the window. When she resurfaced to focusing, she glanced around the table, “Oh, are we sharing our curses?”
Ezra started to panic just a little bit. Did they expect him to share his curse with the whole group too? He could not share his curse with everyone, he didn’t think he’d be able to handle any looks of fear or anger tonight.
“Only if you want to,” Max responded, smiling at his friend. “Some people might be more sensitive about it, but everyone who wants to is welcome to share.”
“Okay!” Romilly chirped, “I’m actually a Raven—the curse was that I turned into a human. And now I can’t change back.” She didn’t have much eloquence explaining things, mostly preferring to be direct. Talking was hard.
Ezra breathed a sigh of relief, even if he knew he’d have to fess up eventually. That’s a future-me problem… For now, he listened to the rest of the group, intrigued by Romilly’s curse. He silently wondered if she missed flying.
Ava relaxed slightly when max spoke. Good, she really didn't want to tell them her curse until she absolutely needed to.
The waitress came back with their food, passing out the shakes and burgers to everyone who had ordered one. “If you need anything else, just give me a holler!” she chirped.
Ezra took his shake, sipping it heartily. “Thanks,” He told the waiter quietly. The shake tasted amazing. Ezra didn’t eat very often, much less having a delicious shake like this. To be honest… he was actually really enjoying himself. It was bittersweet, considering it would all be over once he told Max about his curse and the latter wouldn’t invite him to anything else.
(bump?)
(Oof I forgot about this)