Valencia Square october wishes

same day as this

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Matti had spent the whole drive from Starling Hills double-guessing his actions with the person he had belatedly come to know as Zelda. Telling her about Newt, then letting her run by herself... had he been wise? Would she be okay? Biting-his-sister aside, she had seemed like a nice girl. Well, she probably was resourceful enough.

But he still worried.

Crossing city lines with a borrowed car filled with his meager possessions felt like a big step. Of course he wanted to fully move in with Yujin, but what if things were not as flawless as they had ever been? Maybe he needed just a little bit of luck, for most of it would depend on them communicating.

The fountain in Valencia Square caught his eye and he had to park the car. Foraging for pennies in his own pockets (because ha ha he doubted any change could be found in a Yujin car and was a little worried about opening the slightly scratched console. What if there was a wad of hundreds in there?), he walked to the rushing water.

Water was probably the best thing. Essential to life, of course, but he found that nothing calmed him quicker than thinking about waves, falls, and the such. He had now a new type of water to summon to his mind if he needed.

The first penny was for himself. I wish I can be the boyfriend he deserves. Flick, ploof. The second penny was for Zelda. I wish tinywolf can find her footing and thrive. Flick, ploof.

The pennies glittered and he felt like the god of fountains heard him.

Fit

---

ZhiLan had started to venture out more again; Squishy had been rather tame since that chewening thank whatever were-gods were around. She was still stiff, her muscles still working to get used to moving around properly again but hey it was all progress and she was proud of it all.

She had gone to pick up some Halloween supplies' mostly some fun crafts to do with Yujin later as his calm presence had been instrumental to her healing. He took great care of her- so did that coyote king. She was planning on doing something nice for him as well given that was a second time that he stitched her back together.

Thanks, you giant otter.

Still, she was positive, walking near the fountain as she flicked through her phone as she heard the plunking nearby. Looking up, she had a small smile at the coin wishing. Not something she did, "Does the wishes in fountains work? "

"No idea, we'll need to wait and see!" Matti replied before turning to the HEY HI!

He was pretty sure this was either Yujin's otter bestie ZhiLan, or her twin. But he saw her picture once a while ago and he could be wrong. Sirius stretched and sniffed at her.

"It can't hurt though, right?" He added.

It wasn't as if there were fish in the fountain.

ZhiLan smiled at that, "When I make a wish, I toss a red ribbon into a special tree, " she told him with a relaxed tone.

Something was familiar about this one, that scent. Her head tilted some, Squishy's nose twitched as she moved a little closer.

"No, can't hurt to wish at all. there was a legend that if you made a thousand paper cranes your wish would come true, " she mused out, thinking about that little tale.

Red ribbons! Sirius barked at that, already wanting to grab the colorful string and shake it. Probably would affect the wish.

His smile widened at the crane legend.

"Yeah, my boyfriend mentioned that! I didn't ask what his wish was though, in case saying it out loud made the magic not work." Matti commented with a chuckle and an endeared expression.

Maybe he had been the wish. If so, Yujin already had it covered. Folding a thousand cranes was much more commitment than throwing pennies in a fountain though.

Boyfriend mentioned it; oh ho she was now rather curious as can be.

"Smart, takes a lot of patience to fold cranes. My best friend is better at it than me, he makes it look effortless, " She still practiced though, and had managed to get a decent crane now a days and was venturing to other animals to add to the collection.

"Your boyfriend...he...a were like you? You don't have to answer if its too personal, " she was just curious!

Oh that was a big clue. How many girls had crane folding best friends?

"I think he's a were like you." He retorted with a grin. "And that mayyyybe your best friend and my boyfriend are the same person."

It would be very awkward if he was wrong or if Yujin hadn't mentioned him.

No. Splashing. Way.

"Are you Yujin's mystery love that he's teasingly kept me from meeting yet? " Because Yujin was sweet and cheeky that way but she respected his want for privacy on that. Just because they lived together, did not mean she had to be all up in his business- even if Squishy wanted to be.

Matti couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at 'mystery love' and gave a thumbs up as an answer because he could physically not speak right now and he didn't want to give the wrong idea.

"Now I'm curious to know what he said about me." He managed to reply after a moment.

"Sorry sworn to otter secrecy, " she told him, smiling now.

Well well Yujin, he got himself a total cutie and they had been seeing each other for a while.

He deserved it.

"Oh come on!" Matti instantly whined, but with a good-natured grin. "I'm honorary otter by now!"

He tried puppy eyes. They would certainly work better as a human than if Sirius was the one pleading.

ZhiLan shook her head, hand covering her mouth for a moment.

"Sorry, no amount of puppy eyes will change it, " She told him with a smirk, enjoying this a bit.

"Though...I did hear about someone possibly moving in? "

Well, that was good. He would have hated for Yujin's best friend to betray his trust that easily. More points for her.

"Well yeaaaah I got a few boxes in my car that are meant to go, uh, there." He said, pointing in the direction of the architectural mountain. "I won't take much place though, considering what animal I am."

Not saying it! Because they could play the guessing game, which was more fun.

Meant to go there, oh, so that was happening! A new face to pop around and enjoy time with; when the boys weren't being lovey dovey.

"Yujin remodeled the house to help me out and heal...and I doubt its my room you'll be in, " she had to tease him but now she was squinting a bit at him. Staring, trying to figure him out.

"You can't be smaller than Yujin...his otter is well... " she made a general size for the otter that was small- at least compared to her stupidly large otter. "Cat or dog? " she was going to guess this!

Wow he really was a secret love if even his animal had been a mystery.

"Ever saw cats make puppy eyes?" He retorted with a smirk. "But I'm not much bigger than him. Which is a good thing because my-" He cut himself off before dropping fox. "-buddy used to be afraid of everything bigger."

Now Sirius was more feisty. Progress!

"Yes, actually. The big fluffy ones that were on pirate ships uhh... Forest cats! " they were dog like in their actions.

oh no, why was every where smaller than her?

"Okay, off topic and track...did Yujin at least tell you I am not small- like him? " because she didn't want to scare him at all or have that be an issue for Yujin and his boyfriend at all.

"I am not a forest cat." Matti replied with a shake of the head.

No guess could ever be cuter than Yujin trying 'red panda' on their first date.

"Sorry, sworn to honorary otter secrecy." He replied, trying to keep a straight face, failing, and nodding. "I know you are, uh, quite possibly taller than me right now?"

Which was still mind-blowing to him. There was a lot of weird things in Australia but not GIANT OTTERS.

Not a forest cat but cat like.

Oh. Maybe?

Now it was her turn to pout that melted into a laugh, "Taller than you yes...add on a couple extra feet as well, " she told him, knowing full well how noodly Squishy was.

She was a thick pool noodle with teeth.

Aaaaaaaaaaaah. His brain couldn't picture this. He guessed he would have to wait and see.

"Not a cat." He added, just so she didn't get though the list of small cats. There were not that many small dogs too.

The game might end quicker than he thought.

"Not a cat but can do puppy eyes. As big as Yujin... so either a fox or raccoon? " they made faces too right?

Racoon would have been cute, if maybe a little too into trash.

"Fox. He confirmed." Then belatedly extended a hand. "Matthias Cooper. You can call me Matti."

What kinda fox though? Well, he would keep the surprise for later.

"Oh, a fox, " she smiled, at least he and Yujin were eye to eye level at least in animal form- she hoped for them.

ZhiLan gave a bow towards him, "Bai ZhiLan...or ZhiLan, " she said, granting him permission to use her name given she was not so casual with most people but this was different.

Yeah, he know her name, but it was a little more polite to have her give it.

"Well, ZhiLan, want to join in the fun?" He asked as he got another penny from his pocket and offered it to her.

The more evidence the better, right?

ZhiLan looked at the penny; it was something silly but yet she was happy to indulge this with someone who was going to become a friend.

Plucking the penny from his fingers.

"Sure, " she held the coin between her palms then, eyes closing as she thought for a wish.

I wish for all of us to be friends

A simple wish but she wanted them all to be friends and some level of close given how close she is to Yujin. Wish wished on penny, she tossed it into the water with a little plunk!

"If you wished for fish that can be arranged." Matti joked, assuming another otter would like fish too.

He was willing to accomodate their preferences. Fish was good! And it wasn't like he could get pika meat at the store to please his fox.

Laughing, "Wǒ xīwàng wǒmen néng chéngwéi péngyǒu, " ZhiLan told him, a rather playful smirk on her face as she took a gamble that he didn't know Chinese.

"But fish is the next best, " ZhiLan told him since she had always loved fish; especially sushi.

---

Translate: I wished for us to be friends

Oh, hey, that sounded familiar! A lifetime ago he had heard a loooot of this, but sadly didn't remember a thing.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that." He replied with a little smile. "I used to be able to ask basic questions in my backpacking days, but yeah."

He was fine with a detour to the sushi place before getting home. Sushi was best fish. Although the fish lasagna the other day had been great too.

Smiling, "I will translate it to you if it comes true," ZhiLan told him with a bit of a playful smile.

ZhiLan had no issue changing course and walking with him to get some sushi. Best way to spend an afternoon honestly.

"If you want a brush up, I can teach you when you move in?"

"Fine by me!"

Of course he would (re)learn a language to chat with his boyfriend's bestie!

"It's been... wow. Fourteen years. But I got my fox in the Himalayas, so, you know."

It was both context and a big hint about what kind of fox he had, if she knew her foxes.

"Oh, you've been a fox for sometime then, huh? " she mused out, surprised by how long.

"It's been five years for me...I was actually deaf before I was turned, so I did not hear the warning sounds from the otter that bit me since I stumbled into their territory- once I came face to face with that, well, it leaves a memory, " ZhiLan said with a small laugh at that. She knew how intimidating a giant otter was after getting chomped on by one.

"Yup!" Matti confirmed with a grin. One day it would be half his life. And then most of it. Time flies!

He hadn't expected this confession though and had a stunned expression.

"Woah, that must have been intense in the first months." He mused. From silence to heightened senses! "Territory bite makes some sort of sense though."

He chuckled and looked down at his arm, where under the fabric was the faint bite mark from the original fox.

ZhiLan chuckled, nodding her head at that.

"It was but once I got used to it...well, I couldn't be upset- though waking to my room destroyed often was not great, " she said with a small grimace.

"It does, I hold no grudge against the one who bit me truthfully- I have a understanding now on instincts like that and I don't believe it was out of malic just...I was where I shouldn't have been, " ZhiLan said with a small shrug of her shoulders to it as they walked to get sushi. She still had a scarred bite mark on her thigh from the incident.

Matti had a wince of sympathy about destroyed room and observed a few seconds of silence for all the broken things, casualties of animal sides all around the world.

"Holding grudges wouldn't serve any purpose anyway." He commented. "Mine might have been a little malicious, but honestly, I deserved it."

A chuckle.

"I've heard that some can be...I know mine...she is a massive knuckled head, " she said with a shake of her head, her hand rubbing the still healing bite scars over her stomach. She still couldn't believe Squishy fought a giant ass reptile.

"Mine likes to pick fights at times...feel like that stresses out Yujin a bit since she often gets me into trouble at times, " ZhiLan admitted with a soft sigh. Bless Yujin though, he did great at taking care and helping her.

Matti's expression softened at the mention of Yujin.

"I'll help out too now." He promised. He wasn't going to let his boyfriend shoulder all the stress. "My fox is kinda small." Putting his hands about four feet apart. "But he's becoming very brave. I'm usually doing the full moons with the other foxes, but if you want, and if our buddies get along, I could come along and, I don't know, annoy the heck out of other weres before the fight starts?"

He laughed.

That earned a chuckle and then her eyes went wide at seeing how far apart his hands went to show the size of his were. Oh, oh my she was going to be like a giant sleek noodle compared to this guy and it was wild.

"I am glad he is braver now; it helps but yes, I'd love to see if they get on. If not, I will not feel bad if you just abandon her...she's a pain but I imagine if Yujin is around, she will behave since she likes him, " and is a bit protective over the other otter.

Laughing a little, her head shaking, "Don't annoy too much, I don't want you getting hurt. "

"He did warn me your otter might try to sit on my fox." Matti replied with a chuckle. "I can't recommend it."

Sirius gave a bark that would go unheard.

"Just annoy enough to send the others away." He specified.

Now that really made her laugh, "That is only because she sat on Yujins otter...it is her odd way to show affection? I call her Squishy for that reason, " ZhiLan admitted with a laugh at that.

Please, if Squishy did, bite her Fox-Matti.

Nodding her head, "That should work, yes, " she said with a nod of her head.

He couldn't remember if Yujin had mentioned ZhiLan's otter's name but he laughed all the same.

"Mine is Sirius because he got such a serious face." He provided. "You wouldn't guess we're the same being if you ran into him randomly."

Serious. His fox's name was Serious and she oddly loved that.

"Same for her and I; we are not too similar other than we are protective over our friends...other than that, she is a brat- a true one at that, " she had no issues calling Squishy out for what she is at all.

"Brat is good but too much can be rough." He commented.

Especially when getting into fights.

"You got an extra emergency contact now, at least."

Could never have too much of these!