Child of Strangers (Me and Mageling)
 

Name: Talon Thorne
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Race: Shapeshifter
Appearance: Talon is a tall guy with dark-grey hair that has almost a feathered appearance. His eyes are a similarly dark colour, with perhaps a gold streak to them. He's got a quiet look to them, like he's watching everything.
Background: Talon has the ability to communicate and turn into all manner of birds. He's got a kestrel named Sparve -- just don't call Sparve a pet. He's more of a companion. Talon is in university, and went out with friends to celebrate the end of exams...and perhaps he went a bit too far in that celebration...

Name: Vanessa Craine
Age: 22
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Appearance:
http://wiki.white-wolf.com/camwiki/i...dhead_girl.png
Vanessa was also out celebrating the end of exam time. She may have ended up having a little too much to drink, however...

---

Vanessa was panicking. There was really no other way to describe it. She quickly paced back and forth across the living room of her apartment, nervously turning the screen of her cell phone on and off as she did so. On the screen, as it flickered between light and dark, was a number she'd never called before, with a name attached for a person she'd only met once.

Biting her lip for a moment, she turned on the phone again and hit 'call' before she could talk herself out of it, and waited for it to connect on the other end.

Sparve was flying back from a hunting session when the call came in; Talon, who'd been expecting a call from his friend, had declined to join the bird so that he could answer it if need be. He dug his phone out of his pocket while holding an arm up for Sparve to rest on, and Sparve walked up it to Talon's shoulder as he answered the call, assuming it was his friend. 'Hey, Alan, do you have those papers ready?'

"S-sorry," Vanessa said quickly, "I might have the wrong number... I'm looking for 'Talon'?" She bit her lip again, not sure if she wanted the number she dialed to be the right one or the wrong one. She took a deep breath to try to steady herself. Oh yes, she was still panicking.

Huh...that voice sounded familiar. 'No, sorry. This is Talon. 'Sup?'

"Listen, I don't know if you remember me," Vanessa said, her words a bit faster than usual, "but my name is Vanessa, we met at a club a few months ago?" Again, she wasn't sure if she wanted him to remember, or if she wanted him not to.

'Uh...Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember,' Talon said. 'What's wrong?'

"Can we... meet up somewhere?" Vanessa asked with only the slightest hesitation. "There's... something we really need to talk about, and it shouldn't wait." Because no, she wasn't comfortable saying it over the phone, not at all.

''Course. The bench near the park, just off of the playground?' Talon asked. 'If that's not too far for you.'

Vanessa traced a mental route to the park, debating.

"I can do that," she said. "It's not too far. Say an hour?" That would give her time to compose herself and try to get her head on right.

'Yup. See you,' Talon said. He hung up.

Five minutes later, he got the call he was waiting for. He sorted out what he had to, put the phone in his pocket, then turned into a kestrel himself, and he and Sparve flew for a bit for hunting and for fun. When the meeting point got closer, they wheeled around and flew towards the park; then, Talon landed among some bushes, transforming out of sight back into his normal self, and emerged into the open. Sparve flew onto his shoulder and Talon made for the bench.

Vanessa walked to the park. It wasn't far away, and it was a nice day out, and she was glad of the time to get her thoughts in some semblance of order. She paused a little ways away when she saw someone waiting at the bench, to make sure it was really him. Oh it was; she hadn't forgotten his face. She hesitated a moment longer before making her way closer.

Talon waved. Sparve squawked a question, and Talon remembered he hadn't brought the bird with him to the club. 'Someone I met a couple months ago,' he explained in a low voice.

Vanessa waved back and finished the short walk over.

"Talon?" she asked, just to make sure. She eyed the bird on his shoulder warily; even she could tell it was some sort of bird of prey, and none of those were to be taken lightly.

'That's me. Vanessa, right?' Talon said. Sparve tilted his head slightly to examine Vanessa, but, for the most part, had a remarkably similar expression Talon's; calm, serene, and like he saw everything.

Vanessa nodded.

"Right," she said. She shifted her weight on her feet a little, slightly awkward. Now that he was there in front of her, she had no idea how to start the necessary conversation.

'So...what was it you wanted to talk to me about?' Talon asked.

"Well..." Again, Vanessa hesitated. Mentally smacking herself, she forced herself to plunge on ahead. "You remember the night we met right? Most of it, anyways?"

'The important bits, yeah,' Talon said, nodding.

Vanessa nibbled the inside of her lip for a moment before just spitting it out. There was really no delicate way to say it. She looked down at her shoes for a moment, and then glanced up at him.

"I'm pregnant," she said softly. "And... I'm pretty sure it's yours."

Talon was silent for a few moments. He lowered himself onto the bench, staring down at his hands. Pregnant...his...the words kept swirling around in his head.

"I didn't think it was appropriate to say it over the phone," Vanessa offered awkwardly, her arms wrapping around herself subconsciously. "You deserved to know in person."

Talon nodded slightly. 'Yeah...yeah, thanks.' He was silent for a few more moments, then looked up at her. 'What're you going to do?'

"I don't know," Vanessa admitted softly after a moment. She stepped closer to the bench, but didn't sit down just yet. She wasn't sure if he would want her sitting so close, which, all things considered, should have been a stupid fear, but it was real nonetheless. "I don't... I don't like the thought of abortion. It isn't... right, when it's not medically necessary." She went silent, pressing her lips together. The whole situation scared her.

Talon gave a small shrug. 'That's your choice,' he said. He ran his hand through his hair. 'Are you going to give it up for adoption, or keep it?'