“How unfortunate.” There was a long pause as I heard my large friend shuffle around. “I tell you what, my good man. I just came into possession of a new record. If you like, we can listen to it together? I’ll put the receiver right by my gramophone, and we can enjoy a first listen as a pair.”
Nowthatsounded like a plan. I leaned forward, interest immediately piqued. “First listen, you say? I’m game. What’s the record?”
While music didn’t fix everything, it sure did alotto help.
“It’s from the thirties, a little before we met, actually. It’s calledBy Chance It’s Love.”
I grimaced. Love wasn’t really a topic I wanted to be serenaded about at the moment, but at the same time, I couldn’t say no to what sounded like quite the find. Even though the sound quality over the phone wouldn’t be the greatest, it was about the experience and sharing it with my only friend.
“By all means, put it on. I’d love to hear.”
“I will expeditiously.”
Soon, the first smooth, honeyed notes drifted unhurriedly over the phone line as if it were a tangible bolt of satin floating through the air. I closed my eyes, letting it wash over me.
The entire first half of the record was a revelation. The impressive runs of the singer combined with a truly impeccable call and response between her and the band was everything I wanted and more. I was so into it that I physically jolted when it was time to flip the vinyl over.
“And this is a human artist?” I asked.
“Indeed it is. They are amazing creatures, aren’t they?” Iko mused, and I could tell he was just as into it as I was. We’d likely spend hours discussing it once we were done listening. “It’s a shame that we have to keep so separate from them. I understand why; I’ve seen them do truly horrific things as much as I’ve seen the truly triumphant, but still… I think it would be lovely if we could interact more.”
“Hmm, I suppose I’ve never thought of that.”
“That’s all right. It’s an errant folly anyway. Humans will be humans, and we will be… what we are.”
“What we are indeed.”
But then the second side started, and we were back in our reverie. I wished it could last forever, but Iko wasn’t nocturnal like I was. Eventually, the record was accompanied by exactly the type of snoring one would expect from analmostmiddle-aged cyclops. As far as I knew about his people, Iko was similar to a thirty-five-year-old human man.
Chuckling to myself, I wished him sweet dreams, then hung up the phone. What a lovely change to the tone of the evening.
But that peace could only last so long. As the hours of the night ebbed toward those first creamy tendrils of the dawn, I began to feel… unsettled.
Looking to occupy myself, I figured I should look up the discography of the artist and see whether she always had the same band or different ones on different albums. Or even if she was a one-album wonder. I pulled out my phone to search the artist. Even though humans could be very dangerous, their technology sure was nice.
When I remembered to use it, that was.
When I typed in the album title, the first thing in my results was a sponsored adfor what looked to be a dating app. Ahumandating app. I wrinkled my nose. Why would a search for information start off with a digital form of a commercial?
I went to scroll past it, but something stopped me, and I read the link preview. It was indeed a dating app for humans, calledByChance.Ah, so that was why it’d come up.
But still… wasn’t that curious?
THREE
NAOMI
Personal Interview
“Ow!”
Embarrassment flooded me as my phone slammed into my face, dropping from where I had been holding it above me. Thankfully, no one was around to see it. I was just lying in my bed, chilling before I had to take the next group of dogs for a walk. Normally, I wasn’t one for doing any activities that weren’t sleep or sex in my sleeping area, but I’d changed into my favorite loungewear and wanted creature comforts while I took another look at the silly app I’d downloaded the night before.
What was I thinking, really? Ahumandating thingy? If I didn’t have any luck in the supernatural world, what made me think I was going to among the good oldHomo sapiens?
Then again, no human would care that I didn’t have an inner wolf and had never shifted in my life. They wouldn’t even know about it. For the first time as an adult, I might be able to approach romance on a level playing field. Besides, if I didn’t count my slightly accelerated healing, my somewhatsharp hearing, my silver and wolfsbane allergies, or my higher metabolic needs, I was basically a human—at least that was what my family loved to remind me of.
Grimacing, I abandoned that line of thought and typed in my age, username, and general bio. It felt odd not to immediately start with a disclaimer about being a latent shifter, but it was also kind of nice. For once, I could focus on what actually made meme,instead of trying to warn people about what I lacked.
