Walking into his house is like a breath of fresh air. Although I am a nervous wreck emotionally, it's physically very soothing.

"You never did tell me why you don't have even one magical item or at least one of those magico-technological hybrids," Marika said after she finished splashing some fresh water on her face as soon as she entered his house.

"I guess you could say I have kind of a phobia when it comes to magic," Tate said, shifting uncomfortably, pouring Marika a glass of her favorite pineapple juice to help her recuperate. "Do you think you'll be okay now? Do you need anything else?"

"I'm fine," Marika said impatiently. "More importantly, don't you dare change the subject. Why do you have a phobia of magic? After all, you grew up here. Magic must have been all around you all the time."

"Exactly," Tate said through gritted teeth. "And that's not always a good thing."

"I can feel a story hiding somewhere behind your stern facade," Marika said, pointing a finger at him accusingly. "A story you are trying to hide from me."

"I'm not trying to hide anything. It's just a painful part of my past I don't like bringing up," Tate said defensively, turning his back to her under the excuse of making them some coffee.

"Oh," Marika said stupidly. "I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

It was yet another emotional landmine she had so carelessly stepped on, and she wished she could bang her head on the wall for being unable to keep her mouth shut.

"It's okay. It might be best for you to know because our quest will probably involve some magic." Tate said after sighing deeply. "I was once cursed by a witch because I refused to date her."

It felt like he was ripping off a very painful bandaid, making Marika unsure if she should have felt happy about him sharing about his painful past or sad because it felt like she was forcing him to tell her something he clearly didn't want to talk about.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Marika said, looking into her juice so intensely, as if it would reveal all the secrets of the universe, or at least why she so often ended up putting her foot in her mouth lately.

"No, no, no, it's okay," Tate said hurriedly, turning to her with the weirdest look. "I was planning on telling you eventually. I guess this is as good a time as any."

"You really don't have to," Marika said as he sat on the sofa across from her, deep sadness evident in his beautiful eyes that always had to hide so much of their emotion to stay the level-headed leader. "I was just curious because everyone I've met since I turned seems to use magic and technology equally. You are the only exception to that rule."

"I want to. After all, it concerns you, too." Tate said as he settled down more comfortably, ready to spill his guts.

His words didn't make much sense to Marika, but she was ready to hear him out. After all, he listened to her complaining and grumbling for far too long. It was time for her to stop focusing on her own pain and be there for him for a change, listen to what he had to say.

"She put a curse on me that no one has been able to remove yet, no matter how hard they tried," Tate said with a lost look in his eyes that spoke of indescribable sadness. "She cursed me to always end up hurting the person I love the most."

It was such an unnecessarily cruel curse that, for the time being, Marika just sat there with her mouth wide open, her juice glass pausing next to her mouth as she froze in shock. She never expected the large lump of a guy to be so sensitive and to have such a heavy emotional burden on his shoulders. It made her feel sorry for him because he was probably suppressing all that pain to help others, to help the packs live their best lives.

Wait a minute... To hurt the most the person he loves the most... Could it be? Does that mean...

"So, what happened that ni..." Marika started to say when a loud howl of his doorbell interrupted her midsentence.

"The Guardian must be here," Tate said, shaking his head quickly as if snapping himself out of the confiding daze.

It annoyed Marika that they were interrupted, but on the other hand, she thought that it might have actually been a good thing. If the answer to the question she wanted to ask was what she suspected, Marika wasn't sure what she could have done next. Things were bound to get awkward. This way, at least, they were in that same vague place, with the only difference being Marika thought she knew what he was feeling, and she thought he knew that she knew what he was feeling.

"Your emotional support is here," Tate said happily, like that was something to be cheerful about, and for him, it might have been, but not for Marika.

It was hard enough for her to admit that she needed help, but going through all of this made her feel even worse about herself. For most of her life, she did everything by herself. She didn't need anyone's help. Yet, the moment she stepped into the world of myth and fantasy, she seemed to constantly need help.

"Hello, my name is Flufflala. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," a gentle little voice said, making it hard for Marika to use her usual harsh tone. It just ended up stuck in her throat.

"Yeah, right..." Marika said uncomfortably. "Well, I am Marika and this is Tate. He is my-"

"Your mate!" Flufflala said excitedly.

"No!" Marika screamed louder than necessary, quickly adjusting her voice to a more regular volume. "He is my other guardian, I guess you could say."

Then she started laughing awkwardly, as she didn't know what else to do or say. The fact that Tate stayed quiet instead of clearing up the misunderstanding made her even more annoyed.

She turned towards him, using her sharp look to pierce his eyes as if they were swords, but pulled up short when she noticed how strange he looked. He was so red, so uncomfortable in his skin, she didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or tease him until the end of the world.

The strange fluffy creature that looked like a combination of a regular house cat and the weirdest looking magical creature, what with its four tiny horns and extremely long tail, looked from Tate to Marika confusedly tilting its head to the side, as its long ears twitched left and right.

Tate stared the creature down until it stopped looking at them and resumed its regular attitude.

"I do apologize. I shouldn't have assumed anything," Flufflala said, slightly bowing her head.

"That's okay... ahem... You couldn't have known," Marika stammered, at a loss about how she was supposed to communicate with her emotional support animal.

Talking animals were relatively common, but that was one thing Marika hadn't managed to get used to, one thing that felt off, that made her unsure of how to behave. Witches, werewolves, dwarves, you name it, she was fine, but talking animals were somehow different.

Maybe it was because there were no magical or supernatural beings like werewolves in her world, but animals they did have. Furthermore, she ate many of those animals, so sitting down and talking with an animal after just having eaten another one made her feel guilty, as if she was a murderer laughing in the face of her victim or something.

"I was led to believe you will need my constant companionship?" Flufflala asked upon noticing Marika and Tate were likely to sit there without saying anything indefinitely.

"Yes, the council has decided she needs as much support as she can get because they are afraid her anger issues are only getting worse even with all the therapy she has been receiving," Tate said when it was clear that Marika didn't really know how to answer the question.

"I see," Flufflala said, her eyes scanning Marika up and down quickly, her potent magic making Marika suddenly dizzy. "Your magic aversion seems quite high."

"It all depends. Sometimes I'm fine with just magic, but with a mixture of magic and technology, my condition can get really bad," Marika said without realizing she was already chatting with someone she had just met. "But how does this even work?"

"I'm here to support you and protect you from any possible harm, physical or emotional," Flufflala said, wagging her tail.

"Yes, but what does that mean exactly?" Marika asked, confused.

"When I sense that your emotions are heightened, I employ different tactics to help you keep them under control," Flufflala said patiently.

"Yes, but how?" Marika exclaimed agitatedly.

It felt like they were talking in circles, something she always hated. She needed to have all the answers, and she needed them immediately.

Sensing her emotional shift, Flufflala immediately jumped in her lap and started purring contentedly.

This is weird but helpful, no matter how much I hate to admit it. I guess I'll have to get used to it, and better sooner than later.

"Alright, that answers that," Tate said, suddenly all serious. "The full moon is in three days. We have to prepare as much as possible for our mission."

These will be the longest three days of my life and the weirdest ones with everything that has happened, but I am ready. I can do it! Hopefully...