Salt & Pyrrha

A Changing World Novel

Chapter 05 - Mom Friends

 

[ - content warnings: none yet suggested - ]

 

“Come in! Come in!” Mom says as she holds open the door for Pyrrha and I. 

 

I give her a side hug as soon as I reach her, then I step past her.

 

“Your friends have just been briefing us on what happened in the park,” she says as Pyrrah follows me in. 

 

“Oh good,” I say. 

 

Our front door opens into the kitchen, and I move to the right to hang up my jacket on the hooks on the wall beside the door. I see Raya and Sean hanging out in the kitchen and, beyond, Cynthia and Carlos seated already in the living room. 

 

“Thank you for welcoming me into your home,” Pyrrha says quietly to Mom. 

 

“Of course! Any friend of Salt’s is a friend of ours. I’m Sarah, by the way. My spouse over there is Mist,” Mom says, gesturing to Mum on the far side of the counter separating the kitchen from the living room.

 

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Pyrrha says with a nervous smile, “My name is Pyrrha.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Pyrrha,” Mom says with a smile.

 

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" Raya asks us as we file into the kitchen.

 

"Water for me," Pyrrha says.

 

"I'll take a cola," I reply. 

 

Raya fixes up the drinks while Mom guides Pyrrha to a seat in the living room. I follow them and take a seat on the floor in between the couch that Sean, Carlos, and Cynthia are sharing and the arm chair that Mom chose for Pyrrha. Mom goes to sit by Mum on the loveseat across from Pyrrha. 

 

My family and friends have gathered like this on numerous occasions. Our modest apartment has a decent sized living room, and it’s one of the few indoor spaces that all of my friends are comfortable gathering in. Some people might be weirded out by their moms being friends with their friends, but I absolutely love it. The more love that goes around between people, the better in my humble opinion.

 

"As always, if anyone needs a chill spot to decompress at any point today, there’s a guest room upstairs," Mom announces, after making sure Pyrrha is paying attention. 

 

My moms can sense unease and nerves from miles away, and I know they must both see how much stress Pyrrha is carrying around with her.

 

“So,” Mum says, “Carlos has been telling us about your adventures in the woods.”

 

“And your run in with some creeps with a gun?” Mom adds with an arched eyebrow.

 

“I mean, I wasn’t going to not do something when I heard a sexual assault happening,” I said evenly.

 

“Of course,” Mum says, “how are you both holding up?” She gestures towards Pyrrha and I.

 

I glance at the self-proclaimed succubus beside me. “I’m doing okay,” I say with a smile, “how could I not be? I made a new friend!”

 

Pyrrha stares at me with confusion in her eyes. Then she shakes her head. “Sorry, I’m ah, not used to having any friends.”

 

“That’s perfectly okay,” I reply sincerely.

 

How much do you want my folks to know about you? I think loudly. You can trust them, but I understand if you don’t want to.

 

Pyrrha’s grey gaze sweeps from me to my parents and back. 

 

“I don’t know if they’ve told you yet,” she begins, “but I’m a succubus. I can shapeshift and read minds, among other things.”

 

Both my moms look puzzled by this revelation.

 

“It’s true,” Carlos says, “we saw her transform from a deer to a human.”

 

My folks’ confusion turns to surprise and a keen interest.

 

“Okay,” Mom says slowly, “that’s uh, good to know. Since Salt’s transformation I’ve been wondering what other kinds of magic are out there.”

 

“That’s fascinating Pyrrha,” Mum adds, “so what brought you to the forest this morning? It sounded like you helped Salt deal with those bastards.”

 

“Yes,” Pyrrha replies, “I took care of the man with the gun while Salt held the other captive. I am very experienced in hunting humans.”

 

Everyone is quiet for a moment at that admission. 

 

“As for what brought me to the forest, “ Pyrrha adds quietly, “I’ve been living there for the last few months.”

 

“What?” Mum asks, “Are you all alone?”

 

“Yes,” Pyrrha replies.

 

“It sounded like you’ve been living in the woods since you arrived here,” I say, “have you tried staying at a hotel or something?”

 

“I didn’t have any money, and it took me a while to figure out I even needed any. The woods feel more like home than anywhere else I’ve been so far.”

 

“And where is home for you?” Mom asks.

 

“I don’t know, I lived on an isle called Mytilar for the first twenty five years of my life. Then I nearly drowned, before some form of powerful magic brought me here.”

 

“Hmm,” Mom hmms, “has anyone googled that yet?”

 

“I tried on the way over here,” Sean says, “but I don’t even know how to spell it and there weren’t any obvious hits I could find.”

 

“Thanks Sean,” Mum says.

 

Sean visibly saddens upon hearing his name, and this does not escape anyone’s notice. 

 

“Sean sweetheart, are you feeling okay?” Mum asks.

 

My blonde haired friend looks mildly panicked as all eyes turned towards him. 

 

“I’m, um, dealing with some stuff. But I’ll be fine!” he assures half-heartedly.

 

“What kind of stuff, hun?” Mom asks.

 

“We’re all here for you,” Raya asserts confidently.

 

He sighs, his leg bouncing with anxiety. “It’s gender stuff, okay? I think I might be a girl, but there’s no way my parents will allow that.”

 

“You are twenty three years old girl, your parents can fuck right off,” Mum says empathetically.

 

“Especially with Cindy’s spell out? I’m sure we can all pitch in to support you in escaping your folks!” Carlos says excitedly.

 

“Give her some space,” Cynthia says softly, tugging Carlos back from our newly hatched egg. She leans forwards so she can talk past Carlos. “Is ‘her’ okay? And do you have a better name picked out yet?” she asks.

 

“I was thinking, maybe, um, Storm?” Storm stammers, “a-and yes, she/her is right. Maybe even she/they.”

 

“Alright!” I exclaim, “That’s the coolest fucking name I’ve ever heard.”

 

“Welcome to the t-girl club, Storm,” Raya says with a pleased smile.

 

Storm has tears in her eyes now.

 

“I thought you’d all be supportive,” she sniffs, “But I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

 

“That’s okay sweetheart,” Mom reassures.

 

“We all come out in our own time,” Mum adds.

 

“So I’m now the only token cis person in this entire room?” Carlos asks, his eyes scanning the room.

 

“I’m afraid so, kid,” Mum says.

 

Carlos does a fist pump. “Yes!” he shouts, “Haha! I alone am left standing in my default gender box.”

 

There is a mass rolling of eyes. The conversation splits up into multiple groups after that. Raya comes to stand by Pyrrha and I, while my moms talk with Storm, Carlos, and Cynthia.

 

“So what do you know about the other supernatural beings in the area?” Raya asks Pyrrha.

 

“Not much, all I know is there’s a masculine entity that preys on humans in the forests sometimes. I’ve seen the results of his hunts and it’s an unpleasant sight. I’ve caught sight of him several times, but he always vanishes when he notices me. After a time I grew frustrated and took the form of a bird, and I observed him living out of a church in a town south of here.”

 

“Okay,” Raya says, “maybe we should do something about that sometime.”

 

“What are we, the ghostbusters now?” I ask with a wry smile.

 

“Nah mate we’re scooby doo and the gang,” Carlos cuts in as he scratches behind one of my ears.

 

I flick my ear and swipe my clawed hand at him menacingly. “Don’t you dare start,” I say.

 

“No need, it’s already in motion,” he says with a grin, winking at Raya who has a wide smile on her face.

 

“He’s kind of got a point, we are more like scooby doo than the ghostbusters, and it’s got almost nothing to do with the fact that you’re part wolf,” she says.

 

I raise a scathing eyebrow. “Almost, huh?” I say.

 

“Do I want to know what you’re talking about?” Pyrrha asks hesitantly.

 

“Can’t you read our minds?” Carlos asks curiously.

 

“Yes, but generally only surface thoughts, and I’m not trying to read your minds right now,” she says with a huff.

 

“Well,” Raya begins, “Scooby Doo is a cartoon show for kids about a bunch of kids and their talking dog solving mysteries and investigating spooky things. Ghostbusters is a series of movies about a group of people with high tech gear that can capture ghosts, and it’s for adults so it tends to be a bit scarier and more serious.”

 

“Right,” Pyrrha says, clearly still confused, “and cartoons are?”

 

“Television shows -- moving pictures -- that are hand-drawn rather than filmed with real people,” Carlos answers.

 

“Gotcha,” Pyrrha replies with a satisfied smile, “I’m following along again now.”

 

“Alright kids!” Mum’s voice calls out above the din of conversations. She’s moved to the kitchen, and she’s staring at all of us with a wicked grin on her face.

 

“Who’s hungry?” she asks.

 

End of

Chapter 5 - Mom Friends