"This Sept gets along annoyingly well."

[hazlogs]

It is currently 19:38 Pacific Time on Thu May 22 2003.

Currently the moon is in the waning Half Moon phase (55% full).

K.C.'s Apartment -- Somewhere in St. Claire

Simply decorated, sort of like the occupant doesn't intend to stick around for long. That, or like she doesn't own much to furnish an apartment with. What there -is- is on the nice side of things -- a real mahogany table and chairs, a matching coffee table. The sofa's expertly upholstered in a sturdy ivory fabric, accented with teal flecks. The throw rug beneath the coffee table matches. The television and stereo equipment appear to be new. The laptop currently on the end table is not top of the line, but not a dinosaur either. All in all, a tidy place, but not very personal.

Salem's knock is brief and very businesslike.

There's a crash on the other side of the door, the sound of water and a muffled curse, then: "Coming!" It takes only a few seconds for K. C. to open the door. "Mr. Salem." Blink. "Come in." She pulls the door open wider.

"Got your message," the Elder says as he enters. His good eye sweeps over the apartment, taking it in at a glance before settling on K.C. "You wanted to talk?"

It should be noted that there's a stuffed wolf plushie on top of the televison set, too. She closes the door again. "I did. I just wasn't expecting. Well. Um. Make yourself comfortable." She steps into the kitchen and gets a sponge off the corner of the sink. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She disappears behind the half-wall of the kitchen counter, mopping something up apparently.

Salem shrugs out of the black trenchcoat and takes a seat on the couch. "I wanted to see how you were settling in," he says with a faint half-smile. He stretches his legs out. "Water's fine."

K. C. pops up over the counter again, and remembers to smile after the fact. "I'm settling in fine. Thanks." She tosses the sponge in the sink, gets a glass from the cupboard and a pitcher of water from the refrigerator. "I trust everything's going well with you? I hear there are changes in the works around here."

Salem nods. While she's busy in the kitchen, he lets his gaze wander the room again, idly. "Several of the higher ranks are leaving, including the Sept Alpha and the Ritemaster. Power vacuum. I also challenged for rank."

K. C. fills a glass of water and carries it over to him. "Really? Good luck, then. Do you know what the challenge is yet?"

Salem accepts the glass and takes a sip before answering. "Yes. I'm to bring a judgement before a panel of four Garou at the next moot. Two halfmoons, a Galliard, and a Ragabash. I explain the situation, explain my judgement, and have it questioned and cross-examined by the panel." His tone is confident. "I think the difficult part is going to find a judgement that's appropriately complex. This Sept gets along annoyingly well."

K. C. wrinkles her nose. "Does it? I hadn't noticed." She heads back toward the kitchen to get a glass of her own.

Salem shrugs. "At least, they don't call for Judges very often. I think the last time I was actually _asked_ to judge something was last year." He shakes his head. "I've been Elder and teacher, stood as Guardian, presided over two Crackings now, but very little in the judging department."

K. C. ahhas and comes back to the couch to perch on the other end, glass held in both hands. "Well, you can sit in judgment over me, not only as my tribal elder, but as the elder half-moon, too."

Salem arches an eyebrow. "Oh?"

K. C. mmmns and exhales through her nose. "It's about the vampire again. Orion."

Salem's gaze sharpens, his interest piqued. "Do tell." He sits up, setting his glass down on the coffee table.

K. C. glances sideways, not quite at Salem, then she sets her glass down as well. "I saw him again." She smiles wryly, and says, "As if that's a shock. I seem to have made some kind of impression. At any rate, I saw him again. And he ... suggested that he might be willing to give us even more than the names of vampires in the city."

Salem studies the other Philodox, listening intently. "Might be willing... at what price?"

K. C.'s shoulders lift a little. "Safety. From, ah." She shakes her head. "From everyone."

Salem grunts. "Difficult, when backstabbing little ratdogs decide to post addresses up in the farmhouse kitchen." He's clearly annoyed, though past the moment of snarling fury.

"Difficult," she agrees, "when we'll never be able to agree on it from tribe to tribe." She heaves another sigh. "I invited Alicia over last night, to try to let her in on that ... trouble she walked into in the Park. To say that the conversation didn't go well would be an understatement. A desperate understatement."

Salem's eyes narrow, the lid over the dead one nearly closing entirely. He frowns. "Let me guess. She'd like to kill 'em all, let Gaia sort it out?"

K. C. touches the end of her own nose, and picks up her water glass again. "Use him, and reward him by tearing his head off when we're through with him."

Salem's jaw tightens. "Not on _my_ watch." He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, fingers entwined. His eyes remain narrowed. "Still. I've made it clear to the tribe _and_ to my pack that I've declared that Orion not be killed. Thanks to Renee, the rest of the Sept should know that by now as well. Hopefully, any who have a... _problem_ with my decision will come to _me_ first..." He grimaces. "Hopefully."

"It's the hopefully part I'm worried about, Mr. Salem. If Renee and Alicia are any indication of what the -rest- of the sept thinks? They won't come to you, and they certainly won't come to me. They'll go after him directly. But." She turns to face him now. "He might be willing to teach me -- us -- how they work. Vampires. How they do what they do. How to stop them, even when they look unstoppable. It's not an offer we should just brush aside lightly."

Salem purses his lips. "He really does dislike his own kind, doesn't he?" He rubs his chin. "No, it's definitely not an offer to be brushed aside."

K. C. exhales again. "He says they turned him against his will, and then when he proved to be less than the perfect student, they threw him away. More or less. I suppose, in his place, I might harbor a grudge too. And now ... he sent his family, the people he was staying with, away, for their own protection. He's not had any luck finding people to replace them. If the sept goes after him while he's sleeping, we'll lose our opportunity to learn something that might prove to be important. Even vital."

Salem nods curtly. "I agree. More than that, our friend Mr. Orion seems very adamant about holding onto his humanity." He pushes to his feet in a restless motion and paces across the room, hands shoved into the pockets of his BDUs. "You have some ideas about how to protect him?" He pauses to glance back at her, one side of his mouth twisting upward in a humorless smile.

K. C. takes a long drink from her water glass and sets it down again, perfectly within it's ring of condensation. "Well. There's one, very obvious way."

Salem tilts his head slightly, fixing her with his good eye, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

K. C. spreads her hands again and shrugs. "Me."

There's a pause; the Elder's eyes narrow slightly as he considers the other Philodox. "You're going to let him lair with you?" he asks.

K. C. climbs to her feet and picks up her water glass to carry it back in to the kitchen. "I didn't say it was a good idea, but it's the only thing I can think of." She dumps out the water and turns back to face Salem. "We don't want to put any humans in harm's way, in case the sept really does go after him, or he ... does something odd to them. Or they're just stupid enough to -want- to be sacrificed. And there's no one else in St. Claire who's going to watch out for him, is there?"

Salem turns, his gaze following her. His expression is narrow and pensive. "No, there isn't. My honor demands that I protect him, but my... _personal_ tolerance does not extend to living with him." He eyes her. "You realize that you're putting yourself in danger. Have you ever dealt with vampires before?"

"In a one-on-one sort of sense like this? No." She shakes her head as she makes that confession. "Not before Orion. But really, if he were going to hurt me, he's had ample opportunity. -I- tried to kill him once already. A bullet in the throat tends to shorten tempers, you know? But I'm still here, and not a scratch on me." She heaves another sigh. "And he already knows where I live," she points out again. "I really think if he wanted me dead, or worse, we wouldn't be talking now."

Salem folds his arms across his chest and simply looks at her for a long moment. Considering. Finally, he nods. "All right. I'll allow it, on the condition that you come out to the bawn _regularly_, once a week or so, and have someone check for Wyrm. Just... as a precaution. I'll find someone who can do it and keep their mouth shut." He takes in a sharp breath, nostrils flaring. "Naturally, you're not to drink his blood or anything like that. I'd recommend _against_ letting him drink from you. And at the first sign that he's screwing with your mind, he dies." He pauses a beat. "Make sure he understands this."

K. C.'s shoulders slump a little as she lets out a breath she wasn't visibly holding. "Once a week on the bawn. No mind games and no exchanges of bodily fluids." She manages a very faint, very wry smile. "I can't decide if I was expecting or hoping that you'd say no."

Salem smiles humorlessly. "If there's any problem with the rest of the Sept, refer them to me." He rubs at his jaw, tracing the line of short beard. "So far, no one has bitched to me about Orion being on the no-kill list, but time will tell. Some of them may not have heard yet." He lets his hand drop, shrugs, and pushes his hands back into his pockets.

K. C.'s eyebrows lift. "Well, give me a heads' up if you hear anything about trouble coming my way, will you? Just so I can be ready." She frowns. "I'm going to have to get time off from Ms. Fitzgerald. And tell Ebony. That'll be fun."

Salem lifts an eyebrow. "What are you going to tell him?"

K. C. leans a hip against the kitchen counter and tucks her arms across her chest. "The truth, I guess. Moving in with a vampire. Hopefully things turn out well."

"Hopefully." The Walker Elder exhales a breath. "Well. Let me know if there's any... problems. And, since Renee's been such a bitch about it anyway, I suppose I'll go make certain the Sept knows that I consider Orion's life part of my territory." He shows his teeth briefly. "Some of them at least know how to respect _that_, if nothing else."

"Oh, believe me. I've got your number on speed dial. You're welcome," she adds wryly.

Salem smiles crookedly. "Thank you. Anything else I can do for you?"

K. C. paces back to the couch and sits again. "I don't think so.. oh!" There's another wry smile. "While she was here, before things got unfriendly, Alicia mentioned that I ought to talk to you about your pack. Things being what they are, it seems like something to talk about another day. Someday. But the thought's nice, so thank you, in a roundabout way."

Salem crosses over toward the couch and picks up his coat. "You're welcome. I'd definitely like you as a part of Synthesis... and I hope that the next time the Sept holds a Moot, you'll be there." As he dons the trench, he lofts another eyebrow at her and gives her a more genuine, if fainter, smile.

K. C. ducks her head. "Duly chastised, duly reminded. Barring disaster, I'll be there."

Salem nods. "Excellent." Heading toward the door, he says, "Have a good evening, and..." His tone turns wry. "Give Orion my regards."

K. C. climbs to her feet again and follows him toward the door. "I will. I'm sure he'll be thrilled. Have a good night, Mr. Salem."

"Cockroach watch your steps," he says, and departs.


Whispering Pines - Henderson's

This is a not-so-typical college student dwelling. It consists of one large main area, a smaller bedroom with its own little bathroom and a small kitchen. The main room is all too neat for a college student. There is the usual assortment of entertainment items: TV, Stereo, VCR, and a couple of video game systems. Beside that is also a small stand containing an electric guitar and small amp. The rest of the furniture is simple, a large chair and couch, both brown to match the carpet. A wide window at the far end of the room lets in large amounts of sunlight during the day. Along the opposite wall is a bookcase. Predicitably enough, the bookcase is filled with books, and on top of it there are several pictures of Tom and his family, though oddly enough, there are no pictures of him in the past five years, not even a high school graduation pictures.

It's late, but not obscenely late, when Salem knocks on his packmate's door.

Its not late enough for this typical all night Gaian to even ponder bed. The music behind the door cuts out, soon, footsteps. The chain unlocks, a bolt slides free, and the door opens up.

There stands Salem, looking more crisp and businesslike in casual attire than most men look in full three-piece suits. "Evening. I was in the neighborhood." He's not smiling, though his voice is mild. "Mind if I come in and have a word?"

A brow raises slowly upon Alicia's face as she shifts her shoulders. "By all means, c'mon in." She says, stepping back and heading into the living room. In the neighborhood? Right. "Sup?"

Salem follows, hands folded into the pockets of his black trenchcoat. "It's about Orion."

"Yah, what about 'em?" Alicia asks, turning about to face you, arms crossing over her chest.

Salem cocks his head slightly, considering the Gaian for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he says, "You're a Galliard. I need you to make certain that the Sept knows he's off-limits. My turf, my territory. Anyone who wants to kill him comes to me first, and should be prepared to challenge."

"Alright." Alicia says, simply at that.

Salem arches an eyebrow, looks directly at her. "I can count on you, then?" He's being a little harder than usual, this is true.

"Mmhmm. Sure." Alicia says, staring right back at him, unflinchingly. Her own brow raises upwards. "Yah'need me ta' do anything else?"

Salem holds her eyes until she looks away. His voice remains even. "Nothing else at the moment. We have a leech named Troy to hunt, and soon."

"Alright. You want me to send word out, see about gathering up a crowd to do this? Or you wanna keep it in the pack?" Alicia asks, fingers lightly tapping her elbow as they remain crossed over her chest.

"Invite whoever's interested who can find their ass without instructions," Salem says curtly. "Cubs excluded, of course."

Alicia lets out a breath. "Speaking of which.. Whats up with you an Q?"

Salem arches an eyebrow. "Nothing's between Q and me, because he hasn't come to me with any problems." The halfmoon's smile is thin and humorless. "Why, has he said something to you?"

"Outside of the fact you are letting Cat do Umbra shit, an you slap him on the wrist everytime he pipes up an wants to help out an prove himself to you. He thinks you hate him. He's miserable, Salem. He pretty much feels like a joke because Cat is getting to do cool Garou shit and he's not. He doesn't feel productive, he feels lost on this Rite of his because no one knows anything about John outside of the fact he's an ass, an Ahroun, an got killed, and he could really use some tribal motivation an such." Alicia says, matter of factly. "He's so paranoid about how you feel about him, he's getting to the point of resention. His confidence is shot."

Salem bares his teeth in an expression that's nothing near a smile. "As I've said, I'm not here to hold his hand. If I thought his hand needed holding, I wouldn't have given him a damned Rite of Passage." His voice is icily calm, but the beast isn't far underneath. "I am not a mind-reader, and I have zero patience for this teen-angst, center-of-the-universe, passive-aggressive bullshit." A finger jabs out. "He has a problem with me, he should come to talk to me. He can't complete his Rite of Passage? Then he can fucking well come to me and say, 'Hello, Salem, I'm having trouble with my Rite of Passage.' If he wants to sit in the shadows, whine to everyone _but_ me, and never say a damned thing when I'm _right there to speak to_? Then he can continue to sit and sulk... and see not a damned thing improve or change."

"Well, maybe you also scare the holy shit out of him too, Salem." Alicia says calmly, clearing her throat. "He didn't whine to me, either. I prodded him to tell him, cuz' he an I don't talk often as fellow Galliards. That and I understand some of his frustration from when I was a cub. An you know, he doesn't want you to hold his hand, he just wants to 'do something'. But maybe you an him just need to spend some time together, positivly, an work on it. He really is trying his best on this Rite Salem. He is going nuts talking to -everyone- in the Sept about John. Hell, I even felt bad when I couldn't give him what he needed. I didn't even know John well."

Salem snorts. "The Rite of Passage makes adults of children. I want brothers-in-arms, not pissant adolescents who're too afraid to look me in the eye even for a moment. Which means if he wants to be treated like an adult, he should act like one and, for a start, grow a pair of balls and talk to his tribe elder who is by _far_ not the most frightening thing in this war. Not in the _least_."

"Well, maybe I'm thinking like a Coggie then." Alicia says absently. She offers a quick grin in retreat as she blows a strand of hair from her face. "Troy got a last name?"

Salem inhales a breath, lets it out. "No, but he does have an address. So Questing Stone won't be needed."

"Unless he's caught on by now an has bolted." Alicia says. "But, I bet if we rooted his place, we'd find shit we needed. When you wanna do it?"

"As soon as possible," Salem says, as he moves toward the door. "As soon as we get a decent posse together. Have someone scout it out first, though. Hm. Two someones, one for backup. Yi and someone else, I think."

"Leala, or Helen." Alicia offers. "Both are well enough suited for the task, but, I dunno if the Fury is still apart of that guardian pack or not."

Salem grunts. "I bet she could use a day off and a change of pace, if so." He shakes his head. "Anyway. Pass the word, et cetera. Let me know what comes up. All right?"

"Yeeeup. Ah'm ready for a shakedown." Alicia says, stretching herself out. "I challenged Eamon, he's ganna come up with an idea for whatever, an shit. I hope he doesn't flake on me."

Salem cocks his head slightly, then nods. "Good luck. And good night. Cockroach watch your steps."

"Luna light your path home safely." Alicia counters as she lifts a hand, then yawns, making her way down the hallway for the bedrooms.