"You didn't have to come with me you know, I'm perfectly capable of grabbing groceries in my own."

Shownu smiles at Luna, completely ignoring her protests as he follows her about the store. She seems to be uneasy, uncomfortable with all the stares that they are receiving. Though, to be fair, they all seem to be levelled at him rather than her.

Realizing that her objection has been completely ignored, she sets her attention to her shopping list. It's in her best interest to get this done quickly. The way that everyone keeps staring at them makes her skin crawl. She's always hated being the center of attention.

Item after item is loaded into the cart. To be honest, she isn't even sure that the two of them can eat this much food, but it isn't as if it's going to break the bank to be safe rather than sorry. Besides, most of it is freezer food anyway, and thus not likely to be wasted even if it takes them a couple months to eat through it.

Shownu's constant presence at her side is nerve wracking. She doesn't even need to look to know that he is there, she can sense his presence. Maybe it's the sheer amount of muscle that he has, or maybe it's because she's attracted to this form. Either way, it has her nearly tripping over her feet in awkwardness.

Why does he have to be so good looking? Why couldn't he have taken a form less appealing to the eyes? His steady, quiet nature isn't really helping matters either. He dutifully helps her fill the cart, reaching for those items that she can't reach, all while maintaining a quiet, knowing smile.

Standing in line for check out is absolute murder.

Everyone continues to stare, and Luna can hear several whispered comments, several females dissing her simply for standing next to her familiar. Shownu doesn't seem to pay them any mind, but it really doesn't make her feel any better. Especially when their turn at the register comes up and the cashier begins to stumble and stutter.

"Wow, " she exclaims, "your boyfriend is a looker!"

Luna blushes, and opens her mouth to adamantly refute the woman's statement, but Shownu beats her to the punch.

"Thank you, " he replies, smiling sincerely. "That's really kind of you to say."

Casting him a sidelong glance, Luna firmly shuts her mouth. So what if he's mistaken for being her boyfriend? It seems to take forever for the cashier to ring up their accumulated goods, something that is probably due in no small part to the amount of time she spends ogling the cat familiar. Honestly, it's not like Luna can really blame her.

He is a total beefcake, and it isn't everyday that you see a man like Shownu. Even if it is slightly annoying, Luna has to concede that she'd probably do the same were their positions reversed.

Shownu, on the other hand, seems entirely unbothered by the situation at hand. It takes everything Luna has not to scream when he grabs her hand, and folds it within his own larger one. He continues to smile easily at the cashier, standing far too close to Luna for her own comfort. She doesn't understand why he's acting like this, but also realizes that right now isn't really the time or place to discuss it.

When they get home, however, he's going to receive a solid piece of her mind. Not to mention, she's probably going to ban him from ever accompanying her out in public.

By the time the two are exiting the store, Luna is exhausted. She fails to pay attention to her surroundings, and accidentally bumps into a man with dark hair and ethereal features. Strange, she thinks, because for a flashing moment she feels as if there is something not quite right about him. But he apologizes profusely, despite the incident being her fault, and the feeling is gone nearly the moment it arrived.

The man's small, yet plump lips purse together as he looks her up and down. Luna grimaces, sure that he is likely judging her for wearing her pajamas to the store. To her confusion, Shownu stands even closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he greets the man as one would an old acquaintance.

"Long time no see, " he states, voice gruff and surprisingly low.

For a moment, Luna is afraid that the two are about to come to blows. How is it that they know each other? Is this man a familiar too? After all, Shownu has already stated that only women can utilize witchcraft, and she can't imagine that her familiar knows a great many humans. That feeling she's initially gotten from the black clad male begins to make a little more sense as she ruminates on the possibility.

"Jeez Shownu, I haven't seen you in nearly eighty years and this is how you greet me? What have you been up to? Did you finally find your witch?"

Luna's mouth drops at the male's statement. He looks damn good for eighty plus years!

"Definitely not human then, " she thinks to herself.

"I did, " Shownu replies, "as you can see. Luna, this is Kihyun, Kihyun, Luna."

He doesn't even need to tell the man that she's a white witch, and honestly, even if Kihyun couldn't tell for himself Shownu probably wouldn't disclose such information. It isn't that he dislikes the raven familiar, or even that he distrusts him particularly. It's just that, between familiars, there is much to be wary of.

More specifically, there's simply no telling whether or not Kihyun's witch can be trusted.

Almost all familiars treat every witch besides their own with suspicion, and Shownu is more suspicious than most. He knows that, despite Kihyun's words, the raven familiar doesn't likely hold it against him. After all, he can see the signs of distrust in Kihyun's eyes for himself.

No matter how friendly-like the avian tries to smile.

"Who was that?" Luna asks.

She watches as Shownu unloads bag after bag of groceries upon the kitchen counter. He refuses to allow her to carry even a single bag, not that she's complaining. If he's going to insist on walking around in this form then he should put those muscles to good use. 

For a moment, she's reminded of her parents. Just like what her and Shownu are currently doing, her dad used to bring the groceries in while her mother put them away. The tub of vanilla ice cream in her hands feel heavy, as heavy and depressing as her heart as she stows it away in the deep freezer.

God, she misses her parents something awful.

She waits for Shownu to answer her question, but he's either intent on avoiding it, or doesn't know what to say. The air around them remains silent for far longer than is comfortable, and Luna is almost tempted to change the subject. 

Finally, he opens his mouth to speak.

"An old friend, " he replies hesitantly. "He's a raven familiar."

"If he's an old friend then why did you seem upset to see him?"

Shownu frowns in response.

"It isn't that I was upset, " he reveals, "it's just that I don't know his witch very well, and so I'm not entirely certain it was a coincidence that he happened to run into us like that."

"I don't understand, " Luna admits. "What do you mean?"

"Remember how I told you that witches don't always get along?"

Shownu sighs, running a hand through his short hair as Luna nods.

"Well, that was a bit of an understatement. You can't trust anyone in this world, " he reveals. "Witches tend to be solitary creatures. I don't know if it's by nature, or simply the way things evolved over time. What I do know is that more often than not your fellow witches won't have good intentions towards you."

He doesn't miss the look of confusion that flits across her features, nor the way her heart trembles anxiously within the confines of her chest. The cat familiar wishes that she could go on forever being innocent to the cruelty that he's so often heard of, wants nothing more than to shield her from the harsh realities of this new world.

But he's held this information from her for too long as it is. It's truly in her best interest to hear this now, and from him.

"Witches tend to be antagonistic and hostile to each other, " he finally reveals, "even amidst covens. This goes back centuries, and there have even been quite a few terrible wars as a result. You are young, and inexperienced. As a result, you are vulnerable, and it's my job to protect you. So, really, I was just wary of Kihyun because it seemed terribly convenient that he bumped into us on our first public outing. Especially since his witch is a grey witch, a seer. I've only met his witch once, and although she didn't seem terribly cruel or conniving, I can't be certain."

Luna looks as if she's having a hard time digesting this information, and Shownu can feel her confusion as clearly as if it were his own.

"I don't get it though, " she murmurs, "why fight like that? We're all different, so shouldn't we get along? What benefit is there to constantly fighting with each other?"

Shaking his head, Shownu replies.

"I don't know. I don't really understand it either.

"I ran into Shownu at the grocery store."

Lilith looks up from her book, suddenly quite interested in what Kihyun has to say.

"The anti-social cat familiar?"

The raven familiar nods.

"It seems that he finally found his witch."

Lilith remembers the familiar clearly, and his odd circumstances. It's unusual for a familiar to go so long without finding their witch, and so, when she'd met him she'd been utterly intrigued.

"It's odd though, " Kihyun murmurs, more to himself than anything else, "she didn't seem very old at all. She practically exuded innocence and naivety. And I don't think it was just because she was blonde."

"Blonde?"

This catches Lilith's attention.

As Kihyun nods she is reminded of the vision, and of the one thing she knows for sure about the witch that they seek.

"Out of curiosity, " the grey witch queries, "what shade of blonde was she?"

For a moment, Kihyun is taken aback. It certainly isn't a question he'd anticipated.

"Pale blonde, " he replies uneasily, "why?"

But Lilith ignores his question in favor of asking another of her own.

"How pale is pale? Did it look more yellow, or more whitish? And what was the length?"

"It came about down to her breasts, " he replies, curiosity shining in his eyes, "and was as pale as the moon. Which is really funny, because Shownu said her name is Luna."

Lilith can barely hold her excitement.

"I need to meet her, " Lilith asserts. "She may just be exactly who we are looking for. If I can meet with her, I may be able to determine whether or not she is cursed. If she is, then I'd be willing to bet that she's the witch from my vision."

"So then, " Kihyun replies uneasily, "what do we do now? How do we find them?"

For a moment, all is silent as Lilith contemplates their choices.

"I suppose our best option might be to try and summon Shownu."

"Are you sure that's wise? He's not likely to trust us, you know that right?"

Lilith shakes her head in response to Kihyun's line of questioning.

"I remember the last time, " she replies, "I know just how distrustful he is. But I don't really see another option. We need to find her, before they do."

"And what exactly are we going to do once we've found her? How do you intend to keep her out of their grasp?"

"By any means necessary, " Lilith reveals, determination hardening her facial features and casting a grim shadow upon the raven familiar's heart. "The future that they have in mind cannot come to pass. In order to stop them, there is no price too small."