"I think we'll a little past that now. I've got other senses to fall back on, at least."

"Aunt Kate, I'll help you move your stuff..."

"Lucky girl. Some of us don't have those, you know. We have to get by using the skills we were born with, not the ones we took by force."

...Regan laughs. "My cunning and ruthless plan; premeditated murder by being born. I feel like I should get some sort of award for that."

"Kate, that was out of line. Say another word against my daughter and-"

There's a sharp knock on the open bedroom door.

"Am I interrupting, dear?"

Allison starts helping her aunt move her things.

Regan hops off the bed. "I have homework to be doing."

Kate proceeds to move her things to Allison's room, like a good little soldier.

Chris goes into the hall to have a conversation with his wife.

And downstairs she goes. She collects her backpack with all her school stuffs and heads into the dining area. It's usually the best place to get things done. Out of the way and with a lot of space. Regan spreads her things out and gets to work.

She is somewhat distracted by all the people in the house though. Even when they're not being loud its really hard for her not to overhear.

Her inattention is enough to miss out on whatever her parents might have whispered to one another. By the time she's set up downstairs, Victoria joins her. She's silent, busying herself with cleaning.

Regan watches her for a few silent moments.

"Can we talk?"

She doesn't stop immediately; Victoria never leaves a task half-finished. Once she has, though, she joins Regan at the table, silently.

Regan points out a few tricky problems she's having with her homework. They can do normality for a little while.

"Were you happy to see your aunt again, after so long?"

"I don't think happy is the right word for what I feel." She pauses and feels around for one. "I feel like I should be happy. But. It just complicates things."

Nod.

"Your aunt Kate has never been my favorite person. Family is family, but she's not the type I would prefer to spend my time with."

"She feels like an obstacle. Which. Annoys me in many ways."

"Most people are obstacles, Regan. Family is always a resource. Not all of them equally useful, but family is always available if you can find a way to use them."

"How would you use Kate?"

"Kate by herself is a missile. We can make sure she goes where we want her. It's only difficult because your grandfather disagrees about how best to use her."

"Pointing her in the direction of the alpha isn't actually a bad idea."

Her granddad would disagree, her wants her to be the one to confront the alpha. The both of them. But. The alpha is killing people and she's not actually getting anywhere. Kate is a good hunter. Maybe the best. But she could also get a lot of other people killed too... along with herself.

Regan sighs. She can feel a headache coming on.

"There's something else I want to talk about."

She turns her head slightly. It's a familiar motion to Regan. She's listening for the other occupants of the house.

Finally, she makes eye contact with Regan and nods.

"Have you ever heard about a werewolf moving into another pack?"