Moody’s Meat Shop The Munchies

Outfit

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Pauline had gone through her house and food and snacks fast. She felt like she was in a perpetual high but only living through the munchy and hot phase of things. She had called out of work for a few days citing fever and probably a cold, no one really protested that one but now she needed to restock her house.

At the meat shop, she was picking up her orders. Several large packages wrapped up and ready for the freezer, a thanks leaving her as she placed them into the cart and waved off help. She was fine, she'd be fine. It may have been the start of fall but she was wearing spring clothes right now, needing to keep cool as she went out to her truck and placed the cart by her truck while she opened the hatch but the cart started to roll away from her.

"Shit! " she snapped as she turned and jogged to grab it right before it hit someone, "Crap sorry! Sorry, my bad, cart got away from me. "

outfit

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A gourmet meat shop was hardly budget friendly, but sometimes... Sometimes, you just needed to splurge on something with marbled fat and perfect butchering that claimed to be aged since the dawn of time. Or whatever, shit like that. That, or the wolf wanted to come in and slaver over the idea of meat, all the lovely little things in the chilled glass cases.

Either way, she was walking out with several brown-paper wrapped parcels, having spent a bit more than strictly necessary but not regretting it. Emily was arranging these into her shopping bag when another cart crashed into the side of hers and she startled, eyes flashing momentarily pale. The wolf barked a warning in her head, but too little too late. Stupid prissy dog.

Emily tried for a smile for the other woman--the other woman who was dressed in very summery gear for it being... close to fall. In Colorado... But maybe she ran hot? Maybe she was... No, as empty as the rest.

"It's alright." The woman offered quietly, steadying her cart. "Are you okay?"

Pauline gave a small huffing sigh at herself, she was not her normal self and it was massively irking. It also was irking that she was spending so much on food but she had off, akin to pms wanting to devour chocolate cravings but it was with steak and lamb and bacon; mostly steak.

She would take her cart and pulling it from the other woman, hoping the cart full hadn't hurt her, "Still, sorry- didn't realize the dang lot was on a slope, " she said, huffing at that. Parking lots on slopes were irritating.

"Oh...I'm fine just...off couple of weeks is all and my attention is all over. Only way for a cart to escape, " she told her with a small smile as she attempted a joke as she would take the handle of the cart, shaking off the irritation at how the lot was built and her own groceries escaping her. This should last, right?

Off couple of weeks, attention all over. Kind of oversharing, but that was fine--random cart bumper cars was a little embarrassing. Emily was about to just wave it off, but this woman... she looked a little familiar. Emily was honestly rather good with names, faces--had to be, as a detective, and... Perhaps she spent a little too long squinting, but outside of work, sometimes it was difficult to place a person.

Especially when you were accustomed to seeing them in the lab.

"... Pauline?" She guessed, a bit of an uncertain smile at that. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she started to piece it together. Forensics, she was pretty sure. Kind of new, but not so new Emily hadn't seen her before she took her leave.

Pauline could feel her staring at her, kinda made her feel like she had something stuck between her teeth but she was sure nothing was there but the staring felt weird. She wouldn't say anything but then she said her name and earned her just stopping and looking at her for a good minute.

"Wait a tick... you work- well work but are on break from the STF, right? " she asked her trying to confirm who she was thinking this was and then she gave a nod. Oh, yea a question had been asked and her brain derped a little.

"Yea, in the forensic area. " she told her in confirmation, a smile on her face as she then just relaxed a smidge. Coworker, that was something she could handle at least- even though she was on 'insert fake cough here' sick time.

Emily's expression brightened a bit, knowing she'd gotten it right. "Yeah. Emily Oryx. I'm one of the detectives with the STF." Or was. On leave, like Pauline said, and probably permanently.

"How're you?" Maybe they didn't know each other too well, but there was time for a bit of small talk, she was sure. "Under the weather?"

"Ah so the fun job that lets you out of the dungeons to see the light of day, " she told her with a little chuckle. No, she didn't envy her job having to be the one to go out and tackle badies, she liked being able to go and collect and study the evidence that gave a conviction. It also let her puzzle out what could have happened from the clue alone of what was found. Nonetheless though, she was happy to see this woman again, it had been a while.

"Been better and kind of...just been feeling off for a bit and so I'm avoiding work just to be safe, can't be in there anyways if you have a fever, " she said with a roll of her eyes. This fever was going to be the death of her, "How are you doing? Time off treating you well? " she asked curiously, pulling the cart against herself to lean on while she listened- the metal was also cool and felt amazing for a moment.

A fever. Emily did want to answer, but... a fever? She glanced at the cart in a bit of suspicion. That was... a lot of food.

"Ah..." She dithered, momentarily distracted by her coalescing thoughts. "Oh, yeah I-- started... an herb garden." Wow, Emily, that is a very exciting development for being on leave for five months. But it was very nice of Pauline to ask and she smiled faintly for it. "It's nice having time for things, makes me think I'll just retire."

But it was kind of difficult to ignore that nagging suspicion. "You're sure you're okay to be out with a fever?"

"That takes a fair amount of patience, how's it been going with it?" she asked curiously. She didn't grow plants herself, had the relative opposite of a green thumb, and preferred cacti since they were stupidly easy and great to throw at people who think to enter your house without permission. "Well...life is too short to do something your heart isn't into it- if you retire though you have to at least let me throw you a going away dinner or something, " Pauline offered.

"Well, I have no one else who can do my shopping. I'll be going home soon enough to bing watch more Bones or something but errands have to be done no matter how much I'd rather just be on my couch, " she said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

It would have been nice to just stay home and not deal with the world, she'd had the worst case of road rage on her way here so home was probably the best next stop.

Emily didn't want to admit that Max was the primary caretaker of the herb garden because she had a black thumb. Not after saying that she'd started an herb garden while on leave. And then Pauline went on to offer to throw her a dinner which was. Wow, this woman was really nice, wasn't she? That really warmed Emily to her in a lot of ways, although she barely knew her! Also God, yes, feed the wolf some dinner.

As she went on with the explanation, Emily huffed and nodded understanding. Yeah, she was... deeply familiar with that life. "That's probably a good idea. What do you think it is you caught?"

Some kind of [insert animal here]-ism?

Pauline would mentally plan then on what sort of festivities to throw for her should she retire from the force, it would suck a little on her end because as far as Pauline knew, there were no other females around. She'd just have to boss the boys around for giggles.

"I really...have no idea, I went out and had some drinks and then... kinda gets fuzzy from there, " she admitted with a little chuckle. Ok she did remember having some fun with a woman but things were still foggy as heck as to what could have caused this.

"I am debating on going to the doctor because I've taken enough vitamin C and ibuprofen that it should have kicked anything," she told her with a shake of her head. "Sorry, just irking not knowing what's up, I don't mean to lay it out on you. " she apologized, quickly trying to clamp down on her chatter box because that was abnormal. She needed a dang nap- oh she wondered if she heard of what was going on in the STF.

"Oh...randomly, have you heard what's been going on in the STF? " please just get the topic off of her and her weirdly sweaty self.

Went out for drinks, things got fuzzy. God, that... wasn't a lot to go on. Best she had was looking at this woman sweating and then all the food in her cart. She pulled out her phone, acting startled like it had just buzzed and sent a quick text before sliding it away in her pocket.

"Jesus, that sounds really bad." She said, brow crinkling. Even just in the normal course of life, things getting fuzzy was a really bad sign. "No, it's okay, I'm just..." She wanted to ask more, but then she asked about the STF and Emily couldn't help a choked little laugh. Still, she tried to soften it with a huff.

"I've heard a little bit, here and there." She said, looking down to idly fold down her shopping bag. "Why, what's happening?"

"It's not the best, I won't lie. Just...trying to make it through it yah know? " she told her with a sigh. Gosh, she wanted through this already. Maybe it was from the tequila she drank and she was rather sure that kissing a girl didn't lead to this- least she hoped not or she was hopping on the celibacy bandwagon.

Oh boy she didn't want to be the one to pop it to her but, "Well...Joaquine I believe? He was turned into a vampire not too long ago and is working still- desk duty I believe and then Dakila is a were, " she said but she wasn't frowning at the were, mostly the vampire had her nervous. "Both are still working as far as I know and great on them, I don't have issues just...worried about the vampire a little- I could be biased because I'm working a case that involved a vampire attack though, " she told her, a small frown on her face at that.

She probably was because it was not a lean cut and dry case but she knew anyone human or otherwise could be a monster, it didn't just come down to what species you are. "I've meant to nab Dakila just to see how he's doing and all, even if we haven't spoken much, " she told her. No, she mostly knew Matthew, they were close because, nerds!

Okay okay, nothing new. Except for the fucking repeated face punch of Tomás being out with the STF. Maybe she would never hear the end of that. But—Emily feigned surprised and she feigned it well, especially when Pauline suggested speaking to the werewolf.

Yeah, no. No.

Eyes appropriately wide with shock, she felt her phone buzzing for real this time, checked it, responded and then took in a breath.

"Pauline. Weird question: when it went all fuzzy that night you went out, did you meet anyone?"

Listen. This could be normal STF procedural questioning. They asked all sorts of weird things these days.

And the questions went back to her. Couldn't they talk about scary vampires or weird cases?

"Uhm...yes. I was doing tequila shots with a woman I...well hadn't met before," she said suddenly turning a little sheepish.

Mentally just begging for no judgment because alcohol and random hookups were a thing and helped during stress sometimes. Pauline had some fun memories of that evening, it was enough to fluster her more and she had to open her purse to pull out her water bottle and take a drink.

Emily could read the sudden reluctance but she smiled, maybe kind of knowingly. Listen, Pauline, she was turned by a booty call too. It... happens?

She didn’t say that. She also didn’t want to make her get skittish about it.

"Sorry, I don’t mean to make it personal or anything, I just feel like I might’ve heard about this before. Just a hunch." she glanced at Pauline’s cart and then her own bags, ready to go. "You want to walk and talk?"

They could at least drop the groceries off in their cars.

The fact that there was no sudden judgment was nice at least, being an adult let you do the wild things from time to time thankfully.

"Heard...what before? Someone else getting sick after hitting a bar, at least something lasting this long? " she asked before looking at her stuff and then giving a nod, "Sure, let me toss my stuff in my truck, " she told her.

Once given leave, she would pull the cart the short distance to her truck and put her multitude of bags inside it and then fishing out a bandy bar and shoving it in her purse before shutting and locking it up. Pauline went and put her cart away before meeting back up with Emily. All in all, it only took two or three minutes at least but it let her mind start to rapidly work and stew on what the hecken heck was going on with her more.

Emily didn’t mean to leave poor Pauline in suspense, so she dove right into it when they returned to the front of the shop.

"So did the symptoms start after that night? Hunger, fever? Irritability?" She leaned her head to indicate they could walk down the street and talk.

Was Emily a doctor in disguise or had just been peaking into her search history on her phone?

"Yea...I thought it was from alcohol and sex but...normally those fade after a day at max, " she told her, not hiding the fact that she did the do anymore because well she had basically outted herself anyway's so what's the harm?

"I thought alcohol poisoning but my skin didn't change colors nor my eyes, " she said with a slight frown. Could be allergic to tequila and how it was made.

Eye color change? Emily's head jerked minutely in Pauline's direction--was that... a thing from alcohol poisoning or was Pauline familiar with that?

But um... That wasn't too important, was it? Hitting the symptoms each on the head was deeply troubling.

"Right, I think I've seen a few cases like this..." She said, still maintaining the lie, at least for the moment. Then she drew in a gentle breath, "Do you... Remember anything about the woman you were with? Did you get a name?"

"I don't know if that's comforting or not given our line of work, " she told her, a slight joking tease in her voice as she said that. Truthfully though, she felt herself getting even antsier at what the heck Emily thought it might be.

"Uhm I was a bit drunk on tequila but she was an inch or two shorter than me, dark hair, similar skin tone I believe? It was hard to tell in the bar. Brown eyes- No they were orange, I remember that, and confident as hell? That's all I remember right off the top of my head at the moment, " she told her as she found herself just digging through the memory fog to dig up her name because she knew they shared them. It started with an A.

Emily drew in a breath, the wolf getting antsy as well, squirming in response to her nerves. Shorter, dark skin, brown then orange eyes. Okay, well... Just one last thing then. Just to be really, truly sure.

"Do you have any old scars?" She asked decisively. "Can you show me one?"

If this was it, then... She wouldn't have any and Emily would know.

Scars? That had her stopping as she hadn't even checked for that. She would turn to show her, her thigh where the dog bite scar is- was.

"The fuck? " she said as she touched her smooth skin about several times. "I was bit by a dog when I was a kid...and have always had a scar there but even after it healed up...ok what's with the twenty questions Emily? I'm getting a bad feeling and I'm not sure I'm going to like what you're going to say, " she told her bluntly because her science brain was revolting at how a scar that deep could heal up like that without medical intervention.

"Sorry, I just... need to be sure." She offered weakly, eyes skimming over the smooth flesh on her thigh. This was... This was bad. So bad. But, maybe it could've been worse? What if she'd transformed at the precinct?

A sigh, and then Emily reached out, offering a hand to the other woman and would squeeze it tightly, hopefully to comfort. She smiled sadly. "You're infected with the were-virus... It can be transmitted sexually and you have all the symptoms. That--" She gestured vaguely down at the spot Pauline had pointed out. She bit her lip. "That's a dead giveaway. I don't know which animal, but when the full moon comes around, we're going to find out."

There was a sudden high pitched ringing in her ears hearing that. Infected, unknown infected by something by that chick. She couldn't be infected, she didn't want to be infected and change again.

"Ididn't know sex could do that! It was supposed to be just...a stress relief night, " she said as she would hold her hand tightly before letting go and sitting off on the grass on the ground and putting her head between her knees to breathe. She didn't want to faint, she felt like fainting.

"I really...really do not want to have to tell the head guy that I screwed up this badly and got infected... " she told her shaking her head. Maybe she could hide it? Maybe no one at the force would notice so long as she stayed in the labs?

"What...what happens to my psychic ability? " she asked her, trying to just breath as her heart pounded in her chest as Pauline tried to breathe through this. Not what she needed in her week.

Emily followed her to the grass, settling down next to her. If she allowed it, she'd slip an arm around Pauline's shoulders, the wolf whining in her head. For the first time, she found herself in a position where she could actually answer questions instead of ask them.

"I know, I know." She soothed, voice hushed. "I don't think a lot of humans know. I, uh... I was turned too." Exhaling, she went on, "Listen, I wouldn't tell anyone, but if you go back to work, they'll find you out. Dakila will be able to tell. If you're okay with them knowing--" Emily shrugged. "Your choice, but I really wouldn't. Keeping it a secret lets you live something like a normal life."

And the whole... psychic thing. "I don't know about your psychic power. I was human before I became a wolf."

Pauline didn't stop her, just leaning into her as she went through the panic.

When Emily divulged that she had been turned as well, she looked at her in surprise, "Is that why you've been gone? " she asked her then. Not planting plants but just keeping herself safe from the force. Them knowing, hell she only had just told Matthew about her psychic ability and she didn't want to deal with the force knowing but her field of work was so specific that she'd be out on her ass if she quit.

"I...I only know forensic science. Would he out me? If I asked him not to, would he just...keep it quiet? " she asked, wondering how close Emily and Dakila was at that moment.

She felt ill but she wasn't apt to puking between her legs at least so she had enough of control to not do that, "I'm...still a newish psychic...It came around while I was in New York. I touch things and I can see what happened- I was using it to help with a couple of cases- it's why I was drinking, to forget the images I saw, " she explained as she was shaking some. "I'm going to be a nun now. "

Emily nodded, confirming the reason she'd taken leave, although she had to grin as Pauline lamented her prospects. "It's not all bad out there. I've been working as a psych analyst since I left." So, there were options!

It all came in as a rush, but to a lot of it Emily just had to shake her head, shrug helplessly. There was a lot she could say, but while the woman was still thinking of going back to work, there were some things that needed to stay close to her chest. "I just... wouldn't risk telling more people than you're comfortable with, if you want to stay a secret. That said..." She looked up at Pauline, looking to meet her eyes. "I want to help you but Pauline. You can't tell anyone about me, okay? No humans, no psychics, no non-weres. Do you swear it? I'll hear about it if you do." Her eyes flashed pale lavender, an implied threat there and the wolf reacting to it.

Emily was sure of what she would do and she was not surprised at it.

Maybe, right now she had panic tunnel vision at the moment so things seemed grim, "So...not plants? " she asked with a small tease in her voice over that.

"I only really trust one guy and we work together in the forensic labs together but...I don't know if I'd put this on him, it wouldn't be fair since I already made him swear to not tell about me being a psychic, " she told her as she rubbed her face and then dragged her fingers through her hair.

Pauline could hear the warning in her tone, even as subtle as it was, she knew what weres were capable of because she dealt with the bodies of victims from both vampire and weres often, "I'm not going to tell anyone, that's not my place even to talk about what you are and what you told me in confidence. " she promised her. Nothing anyone did would make her tell them about Emily, if they asked, she was planting plants or something.

"I remember her name started with A but my brain is hardcore derping out on the rest of her name right now, " she told her as she slowly lifted her head more, the hyperventilating easing up some but her heart was still pounding in her chest.

Pauline was sweet. She was really really sweet and Emily's expression softened. Even under her tone, it seemed Pauline already had a policy about secrets in place and she was grateful for that. She shook her head at 'not plants', to quietly interject, "No, I do have an herb garden. And a lot of house plants. But thank you." It felt silly to say but a kind enough thing after implying violence.

Anyway, though... A were whose name started with A? Emily thought... Asha? But Pauline remained a risk factor right now. A possible leak for all her earnest promises. She pulled out her phone and opened the address book. "Well, let's exchange numbers okay? If you think of it, let me know."

Oh well dang she was wrong but that was ok, it made her smile some and nod, "I can only keep cacti alive...other plants die under me, " she told her with a small chuckle as she took a long breath trying to get her head straight but it was all twisty curvy.

"Yea...let's, " she told her as she pulled out her cellphone from her purse and opened up a new contact and put in Emily's name and then handed her the phone to fill out the rest while she did the same for her phone.

"Couple quick questions, how long until I know, and what kind are you? " she asked, a little smile on her face but she was burying her anxiety right now. She could panic later- she might go target shooting later to try and get out some frustrations, that might help her.

Under normal circumstances, Emily might've noted that her partner did a majority of the work keeping the plants alive. It occurred to her then how Max ran a pretty tight ship--she fell in easily enough, but without him around, how often did she go forgetting to feed herself? She really did love that guy.

Exchanging numbers, she slid her phone away, and moved to clasp her hands in her lap. She was content to sit for the moment, but there were a few people she needed to call. As for the two questions, she answered easily enough, figuring Pauline was too frazzled to remember. "Wolf. October 1st is the next full moon. If we don't find out who infected you, then I want us to meet up that evening. We'll go out to Washakie together and... see how it goes."

With the number saved, she would tuck her phone back into her purse as she listened to Emily. Crap, that was not far away was it? But then what she was could make her chuckle a little bit as her culture respected animals and now she was going to be part of some unknown animal.

"Alright...I'll try and remember, I know it'll hit me when I'm not trying to think of it like everything does, " she told her as she took a small breathe, "So...the infection is why i'm like this then huh? Eating myself out of house and home and sweating like I'm sitting in a sauna? " she asked her then. Just wanting to be sure it was all lumped up from the same dang thing. She wanted to just call her mom and cry to her but yet she couldn't otherwise that would worry her family.

Emily got that. It had done very much the same for her. Coming out of nowhere with a basket of worries.

"Yeah, that's all the infection. It's going to heal you up leading up to full moon, get you ready for the transformation. After that..." Emily exhaled through her nose, "Well, let's keep talking over the next few days, okay? It's a lot to go over. For now, I think you should do everything you can to take sick leave, vacation. All of it. Go on leave. Or..." The woman shrugged. "Just quit, whatever works."

She had some opinions on the STF, but right now, Pauline needed to focus on herself.

The idea of transforming sounded like a haunting word, what the hell did that entail? Or even feel? She had no clue and was not exactly an eager beaver to find out but her say in that was moot.

"Least I'm not crazy...yea I'm already on sick time. I'll talk to Matthew, the guy I work with a little...nothing else I can be a freelancer for there but not have to be in the building, " sorry but she was not telling Tiffer what she was. Matthew would probably know eventually because she liked and trusted the guy but he'd only know about her and not Em. Guess it was a good thing she was eating like a teenager again with this infection.

"I'll figure something out...but I don't want the head guy finding out right now, he's got too much going on and I just don't have the patience to explain the how " or really want to explain that she hooked up and got the weirdest infection ever. "Thanks though...I've been trying to figure this out for almost two weeks or so at what was going on, having an answer is nice, even if its one I didn't expect, " she told her as she scrubbed her face with her hands.

Good plan, she thought. Don't let the head guy know, he had enough on his plate crashing the entire fucking STF into the fucking ground. Still not entirely Pauline's problem, though.

She favored Pauline with a smile. "I'm glad I could help. I had some very good people help me, so we're paying it forward. You can call me if you have any questions about it, okay? Don't hesitate. And just... Yeah. Keep it all to yourself." No need to threaten her this time. She seemed to understand the value of secrecy.

Getting up, she would help Pauline to her feet, but there was no time to linger. After their goodbyes, she had some people to talk to.