It is currently 10:09 Pacific Time on Fri Feb 27 2004.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 46 degrees
Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the
south at 8 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.88 and rising, and
the relative humidity is 89 percent. The dewpoint is 43 degrees
Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius.)
Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (46% full).
Cockroach Mansion -- Downstairs
The heavy, dark opulence to this mansion known as Dominion is perfectly
exemplified by the room vistors first enter, this front hall.
Dark-stained wood serves as paneling on the walls, gleams with high gloss
in the hardwood floor, and supports a semi-circular balcony in carved
pillars. The heavy double doors, made of oak, open into the hall from the
south, opposite the huge, hourglass-shaped staircase composed of red and
black gneiss which soars up to the balcony; both are fenced in with a
wooden railing of simple spiraled posts. Several doorways can be made out
on the second floor, nearly blending in discreetly with the back wall.
The wall to the left of the front doors is composed entirely of windows
which run from the forty-foot-tall domed dark wood ceiling to the floor;
if drawn, the heavy velvet drapes of deep red would completely mask them
from view, but when parted, as they often are, one has a marvelous view
of the grounds outside.
A doorway to the right of the front doors leads to a parlor, and towards the
back are the kitchens, the large dining room, and Salem's office.
Natalie's parked at the table in the kitchen, eating biscuits and drinking
coffee. Every so often she tosses a bit of biscuit toward the baseboards
for the roaches. Several sheets of paper, a calculator, and a pencil are
also on the table, within easy reach.
Salem comes out of the tower, where he's been holed up in the top room (where
Josh was once imprisoned) since some time around dawn. The Walker Elder
has, as has been typical for a few days now, a pensive and withdrawn
expression on his face, and his eyes are shadowed from lack of sleep. He
stops by the kitchen and pauses briefly in the doorway upon seeing
Natalie there.
"Morning," Nat greets, hoisting her coffee toward the Elder. "You look like
crap. Didn't sleep well?"
Salem grunts. "Not really." He stalks over toward the coffee maker in order to
pour himself some.
Anthony, having been reading in the parlor for a good part of the morning,
heads over to the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat, stopping when
he notices two people already beat him there.
Natalie swivels to continue watching Salem. "It's decaf. Bad dreams, or what?"
With her back to the hallway, the Galliard's unlikely to notice anyone
coming in unless they're blowing trumpets.
"Good god, decaf?" Salem grimaces, but pours himself some anyway and then leans
back against the counter. "What are you working on?" he asks, completely
ignoring her question.
Anthony enters the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water after a bit of
digging through cupboards and messing with the faucet. "'Morning, guys."
"Trying to get an estimate of how much concrete I'll need for the greenhouse."
Nat taps the pencil against the calculator, fairly easily distracted.
"Wha? Oh hey, Tony. Coffee's decaf, if you want any. There's probably a
few more biscuits left, too." "--Anyway, yeah. I'm thinking concrete's
better than treated four bys, at least underground. I'm just going to put
up a perimeter instead of a full foundation, so there'll be that
connection to the ground."
Salem gives Tony a nod hello as he sips his neutered coffee. Though he listens
to Natalie and nods, he has that look she's probably seen before from
people, the 'whatever you say, you're the expert' look. "Any idea when
actual construction can get started, or how long it'll take?"
"What kinda frame will the thing have?" Tony asks as he walks towards the
table, looking over Nat's shoulder at the calculations and papers and
scanning them interestedly.
Natalie obligingly leans away so Tony can get a good look. "Aluminum, with
polycarb walls. Soon as it's delivered and the weather's decent. It
-might- get here today, but I'm thinking early next week. If everything
falls into place, hm. Maybe a week from Monday? I dunno how long
concrete'll take to set up in this humidity. Once I've got the specs I
can start digging trenches, make the forms..." Yeah, she's as bad as
Jeremy. Skeery.
Salem's eyes _do_ glaze over as Natalie goes on, but that could be an effect of
the halfmoon's weariness as anything. He nods in all the right places,
though.
"Yeah, concrete won't set too well in this weather, but I think it'll be the
best bet in the long run and won't cost that much," Anthony agrees, eyes
free of jargon-related glaze. He takes a sip of his water and sits down,
reading through the calculations more deliberately now.
"Plus better than sticking arsenic in the ground," the Galliard agrees,
obligingly pushing all her work toward the Ragabash. "Do you want to look
over those numbers for me? I won't have final dimensions until the specs
arrive, but." She considers Salem sidelong, then jerks her chin toward a
chair. "G'wan, sit. You look like you're about to fall over."
The kitchen, which is situated near the rear of the downstairs, is huge, with
lots of counter and cabinet space, and is furnished with all the modern
conveniences -- electric stove and oven, dishwasher, a large two-basined
sink and a large refrigerator/freezer. Toward the back is the walk-in
pantry. Everything gleams... but cockroaches can often be seen scuttling
along the baseboards.
A table and several chairs are set in the center of the room; though large,
it's nowhere near as big as the one in the dining room and thus is
suirable for smaller, cozier meals.
Salem's mouth takes on a sour little twist, but with a grunt he pushes off from
the counter and drops himself into a chair at the kitchen table.
Anthony grabs the calculator as well as the pile of papers, spreading them out
in front of him and starting to trace through Natalie's work with an
attentive fingertip, occasionally pausing to punch something into the
calculator. "Could I borrow that pencil?"
Natalie not only hands Tony the pencil, she clicks the lead twice too. Aw.
"It's all yours." With the math handed over, that leaves her free to
regard her Elder. Nothing like being the center of concern, hey? But
instead of sending him straight to bed young man she says, "'Ve you
thought what sort of totem you want to follow? I haven't been able to
catch Signe, and I still haven't met the others."
Salem's lips thin. He takes another sip of coffee, then sets the mug down. "Ah.
As to that, I have to apologize. If there is another city pack, I'm not
going to be in it." He looks from Natalie to Tony -- including him -- and
back again. "In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be leaving town, and I
don't know when I'll be back." His lips thin. "If ever."
Anthony takes the pencil appreciatively and proceeds to busy himself with
calculations and sketches; he apparently doesn't pay attention to the new
line of conversation, until Salem's last two words. "If ever?" he asks,
looking up from the papers. "Why?"
Nat's outburst follows hard on the heels of Tony's. "'Scuse me?"
Salem grimaces, folding his arms across his chest and looking at the pair of
them dourly. "I'm leaving town some time in mid-March, and I don't know
how long this business will keep me away."
"Where you heading? Somewhere far, I guess?" He pauses to make another
calculation. "It looks like two cubic yards of the stuff should be fine,
with the excess," he says to Natalie as the papers get pushed back in her
direction.
"Leaving who, exactly, in charge?" Natalie demands, wrapping her fingers
oh-so-carefully around her coffee cup. "Way I see it, your choices are
the Ragabash who's been in town - whadja say, Tony, two months? - two
months, the Galliard who's been here just a little over two weeks, or the
frickin' Ahroun who ought to be shoved off on the Get, except I respect
Signe too much to do that to her. Plus the bastard isn't even Rited yet."
Making his way down the stairs is Jeremy, having been upstairs talking on the
phone in the room he designated as 'his'. Hopping the last step, he makes
his way to the group in the parlor, arms folding over his chest, raising
up a brow. "Hey guys." He says, offering a quick smile to them.
Salem smiles tightly, humorlessly. "Welcome to the history of the Glass Walkers
of St. Claire, Natalie. In regards to the eldership of the tribe, you can
sort it out amongst yourselves." He glances over as Jeremy arrives, then
turns back to Natalie, staring at her directly. "_Whoever_ takes over
ought to remember, though, that Rina and Jeremy have been serving the
tribe here longer than any of them... and Rina longer than even me."
Anthony takes a drink of his water, then puts the glass aside, looking somewhat
worried as he slouches onto the table and rests his chin on his
forearms.
Natalie eyes Salem right back... then turns her head, breaking eye contact.
"Yeah." Cue one unhappy Walker. "So where are you going? That, at least,
I - /we/ - got a right to know. If I'm gonna be the damn Galliard, I'm
damn well gonna /be/ a Galliard and let everyone know where you're going."
Jeremy blinks his eyes a bit and looks caught off guard by that remark. He
clears his throat and slightly wettens his lips. "And.. you will keep in
touch as well, so that we can get ahold of ya in case of an emergency?"
He asks.
Salem unfolds his arms, resting one hand on the table as he leans back.
"Portland, eventually. And, yes, I will be in touch in case of
emergencies."
"Oh! Jack, when you do go back, tell my parents I said Hi." Jeremy says in a
rush. "You know, let 'em in that I haven't got killed yet or anything and
whatever.. just.. leave out the Gothic part."
"Oh, okay, so it's not /that/ bad," Tony says, looking somewhat relieved,
sitting up again. "The way you were talking, I thought you were like
headed to Tibet or something."
Natalie pushes herself back from the table with far more force than Salem.
That's not enough, so she gets up to stalk to the far end of the kitchen,
her arms folded stubbornly over her chest. "Says you, Tony. /You're/ not
gonna end up fucking Tribal Elder when he shoves off."
Salem gives Jeremy a thin, tight smile and a nod and then snorts at Tony. "Do I
_look_ like a Stargazer?" Then he turns somber, narrowed eyes onto
Natalie. "It's not that hard," he tells her, blandly. "A little personal
initiative, the strength of your convictions, and the ability to listen
to your Family. _All_ of your family. The rest..." He smiles in a
humorless, bitter kind of way. "The rest is Image."
"Shit, I could pull off Tribal Elder easy enough, so could Rina. Its all about
talking the talk and walking the walk, and making sure you got the
support behind you." Jermey says with a roll of his shoulders. "What was
that Roger told me last...." He trails off slightly in thought. "Even
though you may not have fangs, doesn't mean you can't bite?"
Anthony frowns crossly at the declarations pointed at him, dropping his chin
back onto the table and studying his glass of water.
"You need the fangs to deal with the rangers, though," Salem points out, nose
wrinkling. "Brute force is all that some of them understand."
From the safety of the other side of the room, Nat stares dourly at the Elder,
her lips pressed oh-so-closed over anything she might say.
"True enough, which is why you are good at being the Elder here." Jeremy says
with a chuckle. "Because no one wants to mess with yoru fangs."
Salem smiles tightly. He gives Nat a glance then takes up his coffee mug and
drains it. "So. As I said earlier, I'm in the middle of teaching the Rite
of Passage to Signe and will leave sometime after that's completed.
Probably in mid-March. That gives you all plenty of time to prepare."
Anthony just nods a little, still slouched over the table.
Natalie mutters, "Happy birthday to me," under her breath. Then louder, "You're
gonna sit your butt down and tell me - us - everything that's going on,
right? No way in hell are you skipping out of town, leaving me holding
the bag and not knowing anything." Plainly someone's already elected
herself Elder-to-be.
Jeremy bobs his head a bit slightly, then lets out a slow breath, offering up a
quick breath. Glancing to Natalie, he raises up a brow slightly, but
doesn't press the issue.
Salem folds his arms across his chest again. "Everything in what sense?"
Anthony sits up, turning around in his chair to face Salem. "Whatever you think
it'd be useful for us to know," Tony says with a slight shrug, glancing
sideways at Natalie.
Natalie repeats firmly, "Everything. Like what the hell's going on with the
Hospital that nearly made you take Alicia-rhya's head off yesterday." She
uses the honorific deliberately, adding a little twist that's designed to
prick. "Dammint, Salem, there's no way in hell I could challenge for
Fostern, not here, not now."
"John was tribal Elder and he was as Cliath. So was Daisy, and Salem until he
challenged." Jeremy notes as he pokes around at his PDA some with a clear
of his throat.
"Then don't," Salem replies, without sympathy. "I had to step up to be the
fucking _Sept Alpha_ before I'd challenged for Fostern, because there was
no one else to do the fucking job. So don't speak to me about _that_ kind
of stress." The half-and-waxing moon, plus the obvious lack of sleep, are
trying the Philodox's temper. Pushing back his chair, he gets up. "By the
time I leave, I'll make sure you know everything I do about this city and
about the various hot spots within it. I'll give you a lowdown on each
one of the local Elders and notable Garou. What I don't know, I know who
to go to who _does_." He gives Jeremy a significant look, then turns his
gaze back to Natalie.
Jeremy glances upwards slightly as Salem looks his way and slowly nods his
head. He taps his nose, points at the Elder, then goes back to his PDA.
Anthony rubs his forehead, looking mildly irritated at not being included in
the discussion of to-be-elder-ly things, though he doesn't press the
issue beyond pouting a little.
Once again Nat holds Salem's eyes for a moment - not challenging this time, but
as if trying to peer through and read the words written on the back of
the man's skull. "...All right. I still wanna know what you're planning
on doing about Joshua, though. Doesn't haveta be now."
"Simple. Joshua either passes his Rite, or he dies." Salem takes his empty cup
to the sink, rinces it out, and puts it into the dishwasher. "I hear he's
been showing some anti-city tendencies. If that continues into his
adulthood and he won't wake up to his proper duty as a Glass Walker, he
gets kicked out. Let him join the fucking Wendigo if that's what he
wants." Finished with this task, he turns back. "But he still has to
survive his Rite of Passage first... and there's no guarentee that he
will."
"The same with Cat? Or is he gonna get a little more leeway?" Anthony asks
before finishing off his glass of water.
Natalie shakes her head and studies the floor. "Man, I hate to say this about a
cub, but... I hope he doesn't. Gaia knows we can't afford to let any of
'em die, but... damn. He can't say three sentences to me without making
me want to rip out his eyes and shove 'em up his nose to look for brains."
"You seem to get along with Katrine just fine. I think you won her over."
Jeremy notes with a shrug of his shoulders.
Salem smiles another of those humorless smiles of his and then arches a brow at
Tony. "Cat? I have no doubts about Cat. He'll make a fine Glass Walker.
Hell, he already has an affinity with some cockroach spirit. Ask him
about Gabriel sometime." He looks the three of them over again. "If
anyone needs me, I'll be in the back."
[...]
Currently in Saint Claire, it is raining lightly. The temperature is 50 degrees
Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the
northwest at 6 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.03 and rising,
and the relative humidity is 77 percent. The dewpoint is 43 degrees
Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius.)
Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (49% full).
Pool Hall
Pool tables, with one foosball table and an air hockey table hiding among them,
dominate the space of the hall, hardly yielding any space for the motley
crew of players chalking their sticks and eying the brandy bottle at the
bar lining one wall. The dust and scratches on all surfaces save the
green velvet lining the pool tables indicate this hall as skimping on
maintenance and cheap on cleaners. Its lack of flashy videogames and
surplus of toothless kibitzers underscores its appeal to the older crowd.
No natural sunlight is permitted into the hall, its lighting provided by
bulbs swinging from the ceiling.
A recent 'renovation' to the hall has caused many splinters and embdeed bullet
holes, adding much to the aged atmosphere. Ruddish stains, dark and
ominous even under the lights, refuse to be washed out of the floor. A
dart board brightens up the walls with its red-and-black scheme, and a
moosehead looks down on the proceedings.
Mounted from the ceiling, a television blares its glaring brightness and noises.
The sooty smell of smoke lingers after the recent city riots. The power is back
on.
A set of double doors, one locked, the other unlocked at the whims of the hall
manager, lead out to the street. Unobstructive doors behind the bar
undoubtedly lead to storerooms.
Dakota nods her head slowly, letting out a sigh. "Yeah. I ran into Josh too. He
didn't seem to happy, or comfortable, being around me now that I'm his
superior. Really seemed to wig him out." She looks over to Joey,
regarding her question. "Yeah, we're all friends, hang out together
and... that." Yeah. She takes another shot and swallows.
Anthony lets the other people answer the question, turning to face the table
now. He takes one of the shot glasses from the tray, but all he does is
run his finger along the top slowly.
Salem arrives by himself, the Walker Elder wearing the usual big black
leather coat over his typical dark attire. Despite the lateness of the
hour, the dark-lensed glasses stay on, obscuring his eyes.
Karl briefly eyes the shots again, especially as Anthony takes one, but his
hands remain on his knees beneath the table. He glances about the room,
the bar, the pool tables... the moosehead.
"C'mon Karl, knock one back. This is your night afterall." Jeremy says, taking
back his third shot of Vodka, before settling himself into the chair,
grinning to himself, eyes half lidded. He turns his attention a bit to
catch sight of Salem and Katrine, waving them over, reaching over to drag
out another pair of chairs.
Joey smiles again, then turning to Anthony, "So what's your name? And, uh, what
are they all celebrating for, twenty-first birthdays or something?"
Dakota glances sidelong to Karl, rolls her eyes, and picks up a shot glass.
"Kaaaaarrrrlll...." She clunks it down in front of him with a grin,
taking another for herself - the fourth she's had. She's still sitting
with her chair backwards, arms resting on the chair back.
Salem spots the group easily enough and heads that way, unbuttoning the big
black coat and pulling off his gloves. "Sorry we're late," the halfmoon
says with an air of easy sociability; the tension and irritation that
Jeremy, Natalie, and Anthony witnessed earlier is well-hidden.
"Well, kinda; him and her," Anthony starts to explain, pointing out Dakota and
Karl in series, "just, well ... got back from a long trip, so we're all
celebrating that they got back safely." He looks at Jeremy for a moment,
then up at Salem, offering a slight wave for the elder.
Feeling eyes on him now, Karl's cheeks flush. He inhales sharply through his
nose, and shifts to lift one arm onto the table, picking up the shot to
bring it to his nose. He sniffs at it and then puts it to his lips,
taking a small sip. Once he's swallowed, his eyes water and he puts the
glace gently back down on the table. "...the fuck? Screw that."
Signe pushes through the door not long after Salem and glances around quickly.
The small party gets her attention soon enough, and she meanders toward
it. A pool cue is idly picked up along the way off of an unused table.
"Hey."
Just as the door comes to a shuddering close behind Signe, it creaks open
again, and in pokes a 'kerchiefed, awkward Olga-head in through the
crack, eyes flipping about from place to place, face to face. When she
sees the two new Cliaths, she grins widely, and opens the door wide,
stepping in and dragging her big orange bag after her. She doesn't seem
yet to have noticed Joey.
Back near the microphones and speakers, Alicia's voice is soon heard echoing,
doing a rendition of Faith by Celine Dion, having lost a drinking bet
with Reggie. She actually pulls the song off, despite being a bit
sloshed, simply enjoying the spotlight upon her, despite the fact
everyone seems to be off in their own conversation. Thats Galliards for
you.
Salem finds himself an empty chair and gracefully settles into it. His eye goes
to Joey, head cocked as he studies the stranger for a moment in a way
that could be unsettling. Then he turns his attention to Karl and Dakota,
the Man and Woman of the hour, and gives them a faint smile. "Settling
back in all right?"
Dakota laughs and pats Karl on the shoulder. "Bah! Well Ali' wouln' let Dane
bring anythin', so this is all ya got." She says with the hint of a slur
as she finally notices Salem at the table. She nods her head to him
mid-reach for a fifth shot. "Oh yeah." She replies with a grin. "It feels
good to be back."
On the other hand, Joey does. While she is politely trying to mingle with
Anthony, she is sitll partaking in her favorite past-time. Every time the
door opens, she looks to see who enters, and if the woman weren't unique
enough, the orange bag surely is. "Hey, you know that woman that just
walked in?" she asks of Anthony.
"Yeah, doing alright, I guess," Karl says to Salem. "Uh, you want this?" he
asks, motioning to the shot glass of vodka in front of him.
Picking up his fourth shot, Jeremy raises it upwards and grins to himself. He
takes it back and sighs happily, licking his lips. As he spots Olga, he
waves her over to the table, eyes dimmed some in contentment.
Salem actually chuckles a bit at Dakota -- and Alicia as well, as he glances
her way. Karl gets a raised eyebrow. "Why? What's wrong with it?" he asks
the Gaian with a touch of amusement.
"Um ... yeah, I do," Anthony replies, nodding a little as Olga and her orange
bag enter. "Why?"
Karl chuckles. "It burns," he says in reply.
Salem snorts. "It'll put hair on your chest," the Slavic-bred Walker retorts.
Dakota smiles grandly at Karl's reply. "Yeah it does!" She knocks back her
fifth shot, eyes slitting happily.
Jeremy can't help but laugh as he pounds the table three times with his fist,
then props his chin up with the other, eyeballing Karl. "Yah, you could
use some on your chest braaah." He slurs the last word, as if it was pure
Californian.
Olga's still looking around, checking the place out. She notices Jeremy's wave
and returns it with a somewhat surprised-looking one of her own, before
turning back to looking the place over. Those at the table are largely
ignored, she seems more intent on searching to make sure someone's not
hiding somewhere. She glances through the window back out to the street,
and then slowly moves towards the centre table.
"Not onmine, thank god," Signe answers, stealing the vodka. She drinks it
quickly and sets the shot glass down with a sigh. "And no jokes about
there already being hair there. Or I'll kill you." she nods to Karl and
Salem leaning against the counter.
Salem utters a languid, "Perish the thought," and leans back in his chair to
rest one arm on the back of it.
As the night goes on, Alicia continues to sing for the pool hall, having lost
herself within the music behind the Mic, her voice pouring out happily
and powerful. She's moved on to a rendition of Blondie, One way or
another, stealing glances with Reggie as he makes faces at her from
behind the bar, trying to slip her up.
"Heh, like that's going to make me /want/ to drink it," Karl says, with a
slight smirk.
Joey looks from Olga to Anthony, "She is a mean one, or can be. I dunno.
Something weird about her. She caught me near the zoo one day and about
ripped my head off."
Dakota looks over to Jeremy with slightly bleary eyes and giggles, leaning into
his shoulder and says as though it were the most obvious, innocence
statement in the world. "Mmmmm...Jeremy has very nice hair on his chest."
Yeup. She's sloshed.
Jeremy blinks his eyes a bit as he peers at Dakota, then snorts slightly under
his breath, sinking back into his chair some, giving her shoulder a poke.
"Oh geez."
Salem glances over at Dakota and raises _both_ eyebrows. Then he lets out a low
chuckle and says in a dry deadpan tone, "Mr. Winters. You dog."
Anthony is rather enjoying being sober, his mood brightening steadily as the
people around him get drunker. "Oh, I guess she can get that way some
times," Anthony says, a bit vaguely, sneaking a sideways glance at Olga.
Signe looks from Dakota to Jeremy and back again, snickering under her breath.
"I need more vodka," she says, slipping past Karl and giving him a
congratulatory slap on the back that might be enough to knock the boy
back a step.
Olga heads over to the table and partakes of the diminishing supply of empty
space. "Dak, Karl," she says, nodding at them as she drops her bag behind
her chair. "Joey," she says, looking at the girl, now, betraying very
little surprise, "what're you doing here?" She rests her arms on the back
of her chair and darts her eyes around, looking at everyone around the
table.
Dakota sits back upright like nothing wrong had just happened, a sort of lazy
half of a smile on her face as her eyes slowly meander around, seeming to
find great interest in the moose head perched upon the wall and misses
Olga completly.
Jeremy rolls his eyes upwards slightly at Salem's words, sinking back even
more, clearing his throat. He reaches for another shot and downs it
quickly, then chuckles. "Mmf.. Don't say a word Salem.."
Salem glances Olga's way but otherwise pays her little attention. Turning back
to Jeremy, he gives the gothnerd a smirk. Just that. A smirk.
Karl coughs to recover from the slap. "Thanks," he says generally, to cover
both Signe and Olga. He collects his shotglass again and takes another
sip from it. And as before, puts it back down again with watering eyes.
Yep, still burns.
Joey looks up to Olga, wondering if she has forgiven and forgotten. "I was
looking for someplace to hang out and came in here. I think there's a
birthday party or something going on, and uh, the kids around here sure
look young for their age apparently. It's cool though." She gives a nod
and smile to both Olga and her tablemate, Anthony.
Dakota plucks up yet another shot, drinking it down like it was water. She
begins to sing quietly to the song that's playing, though the lyrics
don't sound quite right, but she sways a bit from side to side all the
same, blissfully ignorant she's not singing the right song.
Signe gets herself some more shots, lining up two or three to hold her over for
a while. Downing one, she makes her way over to Dakota to give her the
same kind of congratulations she gave Karl. Seeing Dakota's condition,
however, she just offers a 'salute' and downs the second of her shots.
Jeremy glances over to Dakota and gives her another soft nudge, then kinda
pushes the tray of shots off to the side towards the other Garou, giving
the others a quick smile. "Yah.. I think you had enough." He says with a
grin.
Anthony looks up from his untouched shotglass to wave to Olga, then goes back
to observing the drunk get drunker.
Salem seems to also be in a sober mood tonight, in more ways than one. Still,
the Walker Elder keeps up the relaxed, casually amused facade -- enjoying
his evening with dignity.
Olga skims her eyes around the table once again, checking everyone's faces.
"Oh," she mutters in response to Joey's explanation. Her eyes rise slowly
to Alicia in the back, slow and quiet, listening for a brief moment to
her song. "Hey, Tony," she returns Anthony's greeting, and heaves her
great bag up over her shoulder once again, gingerly moving back towards
Alicia, being careful not to smack any of the slightly inebriated patrons
with it.
Dakota giggles softly at Signe's salute until the moving tray of shots draws
her attention. She seems somewhat perplexed as to why they're going away,
but shrugs it off so as not to hurt her head and leans back into Jeremy,
laying her head on his shoulder.
Joey nods towards the swaying young girl, "She is going to be hurting bad
tomorrow. I don't envy her at all." She licks her lips then, "Though I
could use some kinda drink. Either of you want a Pepsi or something?"
The Elder Child of Gaia continues to provide the entertainment tonight as she
sings, head bobbing and body swaying as her hands wrap about the Mic
before her. When the song finishes, she notices Olga and offers her on
stage with a grin, waving her up.
"Yes thanks," Karl pipes up, quick a shot.
"I think I'd like one, sure," Anthony agrees, finally smiling a little.
Olga looks about as ready to get up on stage as she is to poke out her own eyes
with cocktail skewers, from the sour face she gives Alicia's offer.
Instead she says a few words to her, hushed, not quite a whisper, but too
low for the `audience` to hear.
Jeremy glances over at Dakota as she rests against him, then slips an arm about
her waist some as he leans in. Well, may as well stop pretending. He half
lids his eyes, feeling his head swim a bit, rumbling gently in his throat.
"So, when's the wedding, Jeremy?" asks Salem, deadpan.
Dakota seems to be utterly ignorant of what's going on around her, off in her
world with her Jeremy-pillow and seeming very content in that. Her eyes
are nearly closed and a soft, happy smile in on her face. She'll just
have to wait until she sobers up to react properly to Salem's question.
Joey gets up and smiles, leaving her satchel behind after fishing out a few
dollars. She moves up to the bar area to purchase a few drinks and waits
for her order to be filled.
Alicia frowns slightly and slowly nods to Olga. "Mmm.. " She leans over and
murmurs softly back, cupping the microphone so that she won't have her
voice echo.
Sputtering, Jeremy stares at Salem wide eye'd. "Dude.. wedding? I.. geez...
err.." He stumbles for words, glancing at the sloshed Dakota, then back
to his Elder.
Salem lifts his eyebrows and cocks his head, giving Jeremy a blandly puzzled
look as if he has _no_ idea why the kin is so flustered.
Olga readjusts the weight of her bag on her shoulder, nodding once at Alicia.
She turns back to the others, away from the singing, coughing loudly into
her free hand, and sidles her way up near Joey, who's looking for her
drinks. "Hey," she engages her, eyes fixed fast on hers, rather
empty-looking.
Karl waits patiently for his drink, studying the faces around him, pretending
to be less interested in the current conversation than he actually is.
Dakota blinks her eyes once as she actually seems to hear part of what's going
on. "Who's gettin' married?" She murmurs out, peering at Salem curiously.
Signe takes her pool cue and heads back to the unused table. Gathering a ball
rack, she starts setting up for a game. When done, she wanders back to
the front side and lines up a shot. The loud crack of cue hitting ball,
and then balls hitting balls is not quite lost in the din.
Jeremy clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck. ".. Dude. I... I
dunno.. wedding? I haven't thougt of.." He pauses as Dakota begins to
speak, clearing his throat.
Anthony decides to leave the table and the alcohol-fueled ruckus-to-be,
choosing the bar as somewhere a little easier on the ears and taking a
seat on one of the barstools near Olga and Joey.
Salem flashes Jeremy and Dakota a wide, toothy grin, then pushes back his chair
and gets up to join Signe over at the pool table.
Joey looks over her shoulder to the woman, "Hey there yourself." The tone is
offered with a friendly jesting grin. "Sorry about the other day, I dunno
what got into me really, curiousity killed the cat and all that. Really
though, I never meant to set things off like that." She receives the two
sodas and gives on to Anthony, and then offers the one she meant for
herself, to Olga. "Peace offering?"
Dakota furrows her brows slightly as Salem's wordless reply and turns her head
on the kin's shoulder to peer at him. "Wha's goin' on?" She mumbles in
confusion.
"Set things off like what?" Tony asks as he recieves his drink, curious.
Chuckling, Jeremy squints his eyes at Dakota, then softly says. "He asked when
we are getting married." He rolls his eyes upwards slightly, then nudges
her, standing up and heading to the pool table with Signe and Salem.
Signe gestures for Salem to pick up a stick. In the meantime, she lines up
another shot and takes it. The white cue ball bounces around two sides of
the table and kisses the ball it was intended to hit, but does not sink
it. The Get settles on a stool, pool cue in hand.
"We're getting married?" The Gaian scrunches her nose in a rather serious look
of expression, but then seems to forget what she was thinking about as
Jeremy gets up and moves away. Dakota sticks her elbows on the table,
propping her head up.
Olga looks down at the offered soda, and then up at Joey, poking her tongue
against the inside of her mouth, considering her for a moment. "'S a long
story, Tony," she mumbles, without explaining further, without removing
her eyes from Joey. "We should go talk about it," she announces, hunching
up her bag on her shoulder once again in a determined sort of way.
"Thanks f'r the soda," she adds, pocketing it, moving off towards the
front door.
Natalie comes back down the short hallway leading to the ladies'. She stops
there, at the entrance to the larger room, and considers the people there
gathered.
Salem eases into the game as if that's entirely what he came here for, chalking
up his pool cue and then walking around the table, eyeing the arrangement
of balls with a critical eye. He lines up his shot, sinks it, then misses
the next. And all the while keeps an eye on the rest of the party.
Joey seems a bit surprised, looking from Olga to Anthony and back again. "Now?"
She grins to Tony, "I do think she means now, I'm really sorry. It was
nice meeting you, maybe I'll see you around again." She leaves a few
bills on the counter and rushes back to get her satchel and once more
catch up with the orange bag-toting woman.
Jeremy reaches out for a pool stick and chuckles slightly, leaning against it
as he makes his way to the table, glancing between the two Garou. "Hey
Natalie." He calls over to the Galliard, waving her over.
"'We' like you and me or 'we' like you and her?" Anthony calls as Olga heads
off towards the door, putting the soda on the bar and standing up.
Signe, contrarily, seems to have forgotten the party. While Salem was enjoying
his success at the table, she'd meandered to the bar to pick up a beer.
Taking a sip, she sets it down on the edge of the table while she lines
up her own shot.
Natalie heads back to the bar to get herself another beer. The first one - and
a second - seem to have wandered off somewhere. Then she heads back to
her first table, nodding 'round to everyone as she sits again. Alcohol
and time have worn the Galliard's sharp edges down to amiability.
Olga stops at the door and takes in the crowd again, eyes wide, as if she were
trying to absorb an hours worth of people-watching in those short few
seconds. "Was talkin' about me and Joey, Tony," she explains to the man,
almost apologetically, "but y're free to come if you want." She takes a
step back, opening the door, and waves her goodbye to the two newly
minted Gaians. "Congrats, Dak," she calls out to them, even though one is
probably beyond comprehension, now, "congratulations, Karl. Really. I'll
talk t' y' about it more later, eh? Sorry f'r being so sour 'nd dragging
your playmate away, everybody," she calls out then to all assembled, and
with a jerk of her head out, she steps out, holding the door open for
Joey, and Anthony should he choose to join them.
Giving the rest of the poolhall a quick glance and not finding anything that
needs his immediate attention, Anthony scoops up the soda from the bar
and heads for the front door as well.
Joey doesn't seem very bothered by the abrupt decision to leave, and even has a
smile on her face as she follows Olga out. A faint wave is given, less
formal than perhaps the others farewell, but sincere nonetheless. She
does look to Anthony though with a grin, "Yah I don't mind either."
Salem glances over as Olga ushers Joey away, his mismatched eyes narrowing
behind the dark glasses, his amiable expression flickering briefly into
something a bit more cold and feral.
Karl blinks in confusion, then eyes the bar for his drink. Seems he got
ignored. D'oh. Ah well, looks like he'll continue with the burny drink
instead of palming it off to Dakota.
Dakota watches those playing pool with a sort of dead stare. After a very long
time, she bothers to blink, and slowly turns her eyes to Karl. Resume
stare.
Jeremy relaxes some in a booth chair near the pool tables as he leans against
the stick he holds in his hands. He glances to Natalie, then over to
Dakota, smiling goofily a bit as he lets the alochol simmer him.
Signe straightens up after sinking the shot she made. "What are you glaring
at?" she asks Salem, looking around and fairly unaware of the party
desertions.
Salem turns back to the billiard game. "Just wondered who the kid was." He
shrugs, as if it really doesn't matter.
Natalie mulls over her beer, watching the pool players glumly. After a minute
or so she addresses Karl as the more coherent of her tablemates. "Who'uz
the girl? That went with Olga an' Tony?"
Signe frowns, looking back at where the others escaped. "I thought she was with
the Gaians," the Get offers in a low voice, nothing that could get past
their table. Another shot is lined up, but this one misses. "Hey, Nat,"
she greets, retrieving her beer.
Karl shrugs. "No idea. Just some girl as far as I know." He eventually looks at
his shotglass once more, then picks it up and tips it back. His eyes
REALLY water this time, and he coughs at the burn in his throat and prays
nobody is watching.
"I never seen her before either, so we kinda just played it cool." Jeremy says
with a shrug. "I think she was.. bored." He eyeballs the table that Signe
and Salem shoot at. "Can I get winner?" He asks with a lazy drawl.
"If Signe agrees, certainly," Salem says, apparantly putting the whole matter
out of his mind. With an air of making it look easy, he sinks two balls
and narrowly misses sinking a third -- and that a complicated three-bank
shot. Bastard.
Natalie offers, "Brave or stupid," though whether she means Jeremy or Joey is
unclear. "'Lo, Signe. I gotta talk t' you sometime."
"Yeah, sure," Signe answers, and she's looking at Natalie, although the answer
suffices for Jeremy too--since she gives him a nod as she draws away from
the table. Since Salem's doing so well, she asks Natalie, "Wanna talk
now?"
Jeremy hops off the stool and makes his way over to the table, offering a grin
to Salem with a raise of his brow. "Want to rack 'em up?" He asks,
trailing his eyes over towards Dakota at the table.
Dakota seems about ready to crash, her head drooped low between her hands that
prop it up. She's sort of staring off into space, humming very faintly to
herself.
Salem arches a brow and glances over at the Get. "You want to concede this one,
go chat with Natalie?" He glances at the Walker Galliard briefly, then
back to the Get Ahroun.
Signe offers Salem a little grin. "I don't quit," she affirms, nodding for him
to go on, "But I'm betting you'll sink those last two, too. So go ahead."
Salem smirks, then with a flourish does indeed send the last two balls into
pocketed oblivion.
"Now's good, 'f you're not busy," agrees Nat, taking a swig from her beer. "Not
gonna, not gonna interrupt, though. Not gonna have much, much time to do
that." She flips an inebriated hand toward the pool table and Salem.
Karl regards Dakota with some concern, but appears otherwise bored.
Signe watches the last ball fall in and slides the pool cue down on the table.
"All yours, Jer," she says, gesturing Nat over to an empty drinking
table. Noticing her condition, she frowns a bit. "So, what'dya need?"
Jeremy glances over towards Dakota and offers. "Hey, You doing OK?" He calls to
the table, before racking up the balls with a smile towards Salem.
Salem gathers the balls and racks them up, offering Jeremy the break if he
wants it. An eye goes toward Nat and Signe, briefly.
Natalie, being the good little Cliath that she is, follows Signe over to the
Get's chosen table. "Wanna talk t' you about pa - that gang you 'ere
putting together. Who d'you wanna follow?"
Dakota flops a hand in a sort of dismissive gesture to Jeremy's question, a
yawn being utters a moment later. "M'fine...g'play." She responds,
crossing her arms on the table in front of her.
Jeremy nods his head towards her slightly, then grins to himself. Leaning over
the table, he snaps his wrist quickly, firing the ball hard into the
triangle, letting them scatter and swoop about.
Karl murmurs something to Dakota.
The balls stop moving, but none sink in for the kinfolk.
Signe settles into a chair. With this many garou in the place, most of the mere
mortals have decided they'd rather be hanging out in the shoe department
at K-mart tonight. Still, the Get doesn't launch into list of chosen
spirits. "Who do I wanna follow?" she asks, brow knitting thoughtfully.
"Fuck if I know. I've thought about it, but without much conclusion. Why,
you got ideas?"
Dakota slowly turns her attentions over to Karl, blinking at him and murmuring,
"...whysat?"
Karl glances about briefly and continues murmuring to Dakota.
Salem moves in, prowling around the pool table and eyeing the scattered spheres
with a wolfishly keen eye, a predator choosing its prey. He picks a
moderately difficult shot, misses it, and then straightens up with a
shrug.
Natalie shakes her head unhelpfully. "Not really. Nothing, nobody... frou.
Y'know? I wanna /do/ something, not stand around and look superior."
Signe eyes Natalie. "Superior?" she asks, gruffly.
"Psssssshh!" Dakota giggles at Karl's response, lifting a brow at him. "N'fun
there. Fun 'ere!"
Circling around the table, Jeremy's chains jingle and clank against the wood as
he eyes the balls. Leaning over, he squints his eyes, then stares at the
diamonds positioned on the table. He takes a few moment to murmur a few
words, then flicks his wrist, tapping a ball swiftly. He kisses the side
of a striper and knocks it into a pocket with ease. "Pool is mathematics."
Karl just shrugs and watches the pair play pool.
Salem smiles faintly and leans against a different, unused pool table nearby,
arms folded as he watches.
Natalie says "Yeah." Whatever that's supposed to mean. "No... no fril... I
wanna /do/ something." Three - no, two and a half - beers, and eloquence
goes bang out the window. "An' since Salem's running off, gotta do it
with you."
Another ball is sunk before Jeremy misses the next, one that hops out of the
hole at the last second. A loud huff is heard from the kinfolk as he
steps back, narrowing his eyes at the table and silently talking to
himself as his lips move, using a finger to dart about the air.
Dakota yawns again and returns her attentions to the pool game, watching the
colored spheres roll around from a distance.
Signe looks confused for a few seconds. "Huh?" she says, staring at Natalie for
a moment, and then the Get's attention shifts to the Walker elder.
Natalie may as well not be there anymore. She pushes back her chair and
stands up to walk back towards the pool table, and Salem.
Salem exhales a quiet breath and mutters something underbreath, in Serbian,
about chatty gibbous moons. Then, in the middle of considering his next
shot, he turns away from the pool table to fix a bland look at Signe. "I
just told them this morning. Would have mentioned it earlier tonight, but
that kid was here." His lips thin, all easy amiability gone. "I have to
leave town for a while. Got business elsewhere... Portland, eventually.
But not until mid-March. You should have finished learning Rite of
Passage by then."
Jeremy furrows his brows some as Signe and Salem begin to have a talk, then
makes his way over to the table, sinking down next to Dakota once more.
"You doing OK?"
Karl's eyes follow Jeremy all the way to the table, and now he listens for
Dakota's response.
Natalie watches Signe leave, then watches Salem justify himself to Signe, all
the while nursing her beer.
Dakota lifts a brow as her head lies on her crossed arms. She grins lopsidedly
to Jeremy, eyed drooped. "Mmmmm-hm."
Jeremy chuckles and shakes his head. "You want me to take you home?" He asks
softly, giving her a soft nudge.
Some of the Get's momentum is stolen from her as Salem speaks first. It's a
move that irritates Signe even more, but she's not sure what to do about
it just yet. When he finishes explaining, she has her ammunition. "The
/Rite/? That's what you're worried about?"
Salem's eyes narrow. Carefully, he sets down the pool cue. So much for the game
with Jeremy. "No, but I said I'd teach it to you and I will." He keeps
his voice even, steady. Steelly.
Dakota seems to consider this as she picks her head up off her arms, blinking
at Jeremy to bring him back into focus. "Mmmkay." She mumbles as she
places a hand on Jeremy's shoulder, leaning in on him.
"Can I come too?" Karl asks.
Natalie's just going to stay over here, thanks. Where it's safe. Er.
Jeremy blinks slightly over to Karl, then nods his head. "Um.. sure. I was just
going to drop Dak off at Lish's." He says, standing up, guiding Dakota
with him as an arm slips around her waist. He glances over to Salem and
Signe, waving to them. "I guess we're going to take off guys. See you
tomorrow?"
Karl rises as Jeremy does, gives a vague wave to all gathered and then offers
to help support Dakota if either/both of them need it.
Signe's lips pull back, showing off her teeth to Salem. The tension in the room
picks up even more as the Get snarls a bit in her response. "Fuck you,
Jack," she says, "That's not the only thing you said you'd do." She eyes
him, as if gauging whether she wants to do, or say, more. In the end, she
decides against it.Shaking her head, she just shrugs and turns away.
Dakota wraps an arm around Jeremy, her head once more finding his shoulder. She
smiles slowly, looking to Karl, oblivious to the rising tension as she
totters with her escorts towards the door.
Having thrown the cat in among the pigeons, Nat simply sits and watches the
Elders go at it. She doesn't seem to be taking any especial glee in the
situation. Instead it's more like a mildly interesting sitcom. Caerns of
Our Lives, perhaps.
Salem's scarred face is rigid, stony; there's a mask over his expression that's
even more opaque than the dark, mirrored lenses that cover his eyes. He
offers no further excuse or explanation, but simply shrugs and moves away
from the pool table, heading back for the abandoned wreckage of shot
glasses and coats. His own, in particular.
Flopping down next to Natalie is a slightly buzzed Alicia, grinning like a cat.
"Yo." She says with a thick urbran drawl, propping her chin on the
Walker's shoulder. "Wassup? They aren't ganna getall.. ya'know.. punchy
an shit, right?"
Hooking his arms around Dakota, Jeremy begins to lead her to the door, yawning
himself. He figures its best to pick up the step some. "So.." He trails
off a bit. "You just want to be dropped off?" He asks Dak, offering up a
grin. "Or, did you have other plans?"
Natalie eyes the Gaian. "Dunno. Don' think so. Yer lookin at the new Walker
elder, d'y'know that? 'Nless I get killed between now and then." More
beer seems just the solution for a statement like that.
Karl so entirely pretends not to hear that proposition...
"Mmm, bed." Dakota says with a happy sort of coo, though whatever that
translates to is anyone's guess.
"Oooh.. yer' da' new Don? Pff.. dude, aiight. Thats coo'." Alicia says with a
wry grin on her face, then stiffles a soft yawn, getting comfortable on
her shoulder. "Don' try an be too bored."
Signe'd never relinquished her coat, so she's already moving toward the door.
Suddenly not in the mood for a party, she heads out.
With a slight grin, and an eye towards Salem, Jeremy murmurs. "Yours or mine?"
He flashes a quick grin, nudging the door open, but only after Signe
leaves with a bustle.
Salem watches Signe leave with a flat expression, then glances over at Jeremy.
"Pardon?"
Jeremy shakes his head slightly. "Nothing.. Um.. I guess we're taking off..
G'night Salem." He says softly.
Natalie eyes Alicia grumpily. "You don't seem too surprised. Guess he told you
he was r... leaving already, huh? /I/ didn' find out 'ntil today. This
morning. Breakfast."
Dakota mutters some form of an answer, and while it probably makes perfect
sense to her, it's gibberish to anyone else. She looks back over the
crest of Jeremy's shoulder to Salem blearily before regarding the door
and making her way, crookedly, towards it.
"Nah. I'm just not surprised, cuz' well.. Walker's always got a new Leader.
But.. " Alicia says with a sloppy grin on her face, reaching for a vodka
shot. "Scar face will be back. He always comes back.. cuz.." She grunts
slightly after knocking back the shot. "Cuz' he loves us an shit." Her
eyes half lid. "Boy do ah' got stories o' Salem an the good o' days...
least' mah good o' days wi'em. Yeh'know.. we went through lots when shit
hit deh' fan a few years ago. He's like mah bruddah." She sighs, eyes
squinting shut, rambling off topic.
Salem glances back over at Alicia and Natalie and looks at the pair of them
ruefully. "Like a bad penny," he says dryly, without any hint of a smile.
"You two need a designated driver?"
Natalie abruptly drops her face into her hands, nods. "Didn't... don't /want/.
Dammit, Salem." Her voice breaks, and she mumbles something about a,
"Pushy bitch."
Alicia wraps an arm around Natalie's neck and pulls her into a hug, giggling to
herself. "Ooh.. Naat, yer' tripping yo'." She says, slurring the words.
"Straight tripp'n boo. Ya'll be aiight, if yeh' need any'tin, yeh can
call me up, cuz'.. ah'm like a honorary walkah an shit.. huh S-Dawg?" She
says, peering up at Salem.
Salem snorts. "Yes, she's a cockroach with a unicorn's horn. Child of Glass.
Gaia-Walker. Whichever." Alicia's easy acceptance, drunken though it may
be, eases some minor humor into his tone.
Natalie sniffs hard and doesn't resist Alicia's hug. She doesn't lower her
hands, though either, perhaps not wanting to smear snot all over
creation. "I jus', I gotta... I'm gonna start babblin' inna minute. I
wanna go /home/."
"Home?" Alicia asks, giving her a firmer squeeze as she leans her head against
the Walker's. "Home is cool, word. Its like.. cool.. an.. shit.." She
trails off some, her voice soft. She rolls her eyes over to Salem,
staring at him for a long moment, before blinking her eyes a bit. "Jack,
I love you. Ah'm ganna miss ya when ya leave an shit dude. Yer'like the
closest ting' ah'got ta' family outside of Dak'. So.. don't do stupid
shit an get killed like John, huh? Or.. I'm ganna fucking dig yeh up an..
yell at yer bones."
Salem blinks at the besotted Child of Gaia. "...Noted." Then he takes up his
coat and shrugs into it. "Come on, ladies. Time to go home and let Reggie
clean up the place. I'm driving."
Nat sniffs again, swallows, then nods and lowers her hands experimentally.
They're wet, but nothing a quick swipe down her jeans won't fix. She's
not one of those women whom crying makes prettier, though her red-rimmed
eyes make her pupils much more green than blue. "All right. I'd only get
lost any - you wanna take my truck? 'N where's Tony? He's gonna need a
ride too. He went with the Duchess."
Rising upwards swiftly, Alicia shakes her head a bit and then tosses a hand
over to Reggie, giving him the thumbs up. The two trade a 'look', before
she begins to giggle. Sliding an arm around Natalie's waist, she tugs her
a bit closer. "Cool. I don't live far from here, I walked actually. I
think I'll be alright. You two can just take off." She says, yawning,
then lets go of the Galliard. "It was nice seeing ya'll 'gain.'
"Tony will be fine. He was sober." Salem almost smiles as he escorts the two
drunken Galliards out and to Natalie's truck.
Long distance to the room: Salem will drop Ali' off, then take Nat home to the
Roachhouse. Hey! I set up a good foundation for you, girl. Tribe mansion
and everything!
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