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Coli stole a shy glance at Anu, feeling a kinship with the sandy-furred Luperci. Anu had a fragile beauty not unlike her own, although of course Coli doubted the merits of her own appearance. The Crimson Dreams werewolf seemed to honestly understand where she was coming from. It must have been some sort of fate that drew them together this afternoon, gravitating the lonely pair to the abandoned lake. She felt a little less alone already.
"No, I'm not upset... You're right, though. It's not fair. It's really not." The chocolate-furred girl shook her head, sipping at her wine. Why did she keep feeling thirstier...? It was a mystery. "I just don't know...! How are we supposed to change? What makes some people get noticed, and others ignored? I don't know how to be different, or what anybody wants from me. I don't get it." Normally the words did not flow so easily from her lips, but today, the curious buzzing sensation in her head made it much simpler to speak her mind, although a little harder to string the thoughts together in the first place. Although clearly into adulthood, she had never had alcohol of any sort, or any other substance for that matter, and thus her tolerance was quite low. As Anu smiled brightly, adding her last soft-spoken reply, Coli sat up a little straighter. "You... don't think I'm pathetic? Really? But... You have rank, and you're smart and pretty, and there must be people who care about you...! You must be able to tell that no one's ever gonna care about someone like me...!" She brushed the silky bangs from her face, watching Anu's ice-pale gaze settle on the lake, her thoughts obscured. Coli could only hope to attain the same gentle wisdom by the time she reached that age. Then she could be calm and rational, rather than terrified by the world and its inhabitants. She wouldn't have to fight herself to bottle up her true feelings, or pretend that family didn't matter to her. Maybe then, she would deserve someone else's love. Maybe.
