It is currently 16:45 Pacific Time on Sun Mar 28 2004.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is mostly sunny today. The temperature is 61
degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in
from the north at 10 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.23 and
falling, and the relative humidity is 44 percent. The dewpoint is 39
degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius.)
Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (51% full).
Farmhouse: Kitchen and Dining Room
Homey is the first word to come to mind when looking at the farmhouse's
kitchen. Dark, wood-paneled wainscoting covers the walls to about waist
height, dark beige wallpaper continuing to the ceiling. Twin
refrigerators occupy the north wall, facing the large six-burner stove on
the south. The kitchen counter runs the length of the eastern wall,
broken only by the double-basin sink. Cabinets run above and below the
counter and a twin-pane window is set in the wall above the sink. A small
pantry is set into an alcove alongside the refrigerators, presumably
holding the deep freezer as well as shelves of dry goods.
Some twelve feet above the floor, a large chandelier hangs from the ceiling,
lighting the dining room and casting long shadows over the bar to the
kitchen. A long table occupies the center of the dining room, three
chairs setting along each side, and one on each end. On the west wall, a
large window looks out on the trees alongside the western pasture. Set
into the north wall is a large cabinet, its glass doors closed on shelves
containing a full compliment of fine china and glassware as well as a few
decorative nicknacks. On the east, a wide bar separates the dining room
from the kitchen.
An opening in the southern wall allows passage to the front entryway of the
house, while a sliding glass door in the kitchen opens to a clearing
behind the house.
He's tall but gawky, a rail-thin, bit-over-six-foot beanpole with dark
blond hair that's almost brown and muddy blue eyes that usually are
forced to peer out from behind overlong bangs. While he's not out-and-out
ugly, his youthful, nerdish features are not particularly handsome,
either, and depending on what he's wearing he looks to be anywhere from
his late teens to his mid-twenties. His tenor voice, which tends to rise
in octave when he's worked up, has an accent that's hard to pin down.
Flash has gone all urban cowboy with a blue collared shirt that's
tucked into a pair of dark blue jeans which are, in turn, tucked into a
pair of brown cowboy boots with pointy metal toes. His belt has an oval
buckle that's almost as big and wide as his palm, and within its oval
shape is the embossed front-view of the head of a longhorned steer.
There's no string-tie; instead, he's got the top button of his shirt
undone. Topping off the outfit is a battered black cowboy hat with a
brown woven-rawhide brim.
Flash pushes open the back door and saunters in, bootheels clicking on the
kitchen floor. There are sweatstains under the cowboy-clad Stargazer's
shirt, and he's singing a Tom Petty song to himself, "I'm learnin' to
fly, but I ain't got wings..."
Joshua comes back through the sliding glass door, having lost the 'Color blind
pict' image from the last few days in favor of washing the blood off.
Still no new shirt, but it doesn't seem to bother him much as he boot
steps his way into the 'ucky urrah place,' A man on a mission.
"Comin' down," Flash sings, as he goes to the fridge, "is the hardest thing..."
Opening the coldbox, he looks over at the scarred and shirtless Ahroun
and tips off a nod. "Afternoon, amigo." Though he's not affected a drawl,
he's speaking more slowly than usual.
The fashion of the Gazer gets Josh to stop dead in his tracks; you would think
he just walked into an invisible wall or some such. His forehead knots up
as one brow creeps it's way up. After a moment, he carefully walks by the
Metis, bound for the coffee machine. "Good... afternoon." He states
slowly.
"Juice or Kool-Aide?" The Stargazer gets out the pitcher of fruit punch and
sets it on the counter as he goes looking for a glass. "Haven't seen ya
around lately."
Joshua flicks the switch on, pouring the cold coffee back into the catch to run
it through again. "Neither. Thanks." He almost tells the machine, turning
after a moment to face the Gazer. "Guardian Duty. Avoiding a few Elders
so I don't gut them. Not in that order."
Flash pushes the cowboy hat back on his head and looks back at Joshua, faint
trace of a smile. "Like the Walker elder?" He pours punch for himself,
downs half the glass in one gulp, then repours before putting the pitcher
away.
"Lets just say I am the least of her worries now, (the stupid bitch)." He
grumbles out, the coffee machine behind him doing its thing. "Anyhow...
is not my problem anymore. Dead issue to me. And with that... little
insolent cub lost, I feel like I can risk coming in here without being
tempted to gut someone..." A joke? Hard to tell with him
Flash leans against the counter and sips his drink. "Some cub get lost?" He
doesn't sound too concerned.
Joshua nods curtly. "The (goddam insolent hippy) Child of Gaia. Sly, I think
his name is..." He shrugs. "Questing stone could not find him. Which
means he probably went Shadow side and got stuck." Joshua's tone is
equally 'oh well.' "Not on the bawn, that is for sure. I would catch his
scent... city corr... folk are not exactly hard to miss."
Flash nods slowly and takes another sip of punch. "Corrupt. The word you were
going to use was 'corrupt', wasn't it?" He grins slightly and doesn't
wait for a confirmation. "Must piss you off, Sept Alpha insisting you
stay Glass Walker."
Joshua flashes some teeth, turning to the machine. "Yes. What tribe I choose to
follow is no business of the Alpha." He grunts back. "But I will not
whine like a dying animal... I will deal with the resistance she is
putting to me, and then I will be free to make my own decisions again."
He pours the coffee into a mug, setting the pot back on the hot plate.
"It is not fatal, even if she is being over-bearing."
"Yeah," says Flash. "I heard she's a real bitch. What does /she/ know anyway,
huh?" He drains his glass and sets it down with a hard >clunk< on the
counter. "God, that must burn your ass."
Joshua turns around, coffee mug in hand. Josh sets his butt up against the
counter, folding one arm against his chest. "As I said... there is little
point whining. More important things than obsessing over her orders." He
frowns for a moment... "Do me a favor. Speak. I don not care what,
just... talk for a moment."
Flash's eyebrows lift. Pushing off the counter, he rests his hands on either
side of his big bull belt-buckle and stands facing the Ahroun, his stance
easy and casual. "A'right. Hmm..." He thinks for a moment, then says,
"Yanno what the best thing is about bein' a Stargazer? Especially these
days with most of the tribe off in The Mysterious East?" The capital
letters are audible.
Joshua thins his lips and shakes his head. "No... not from boston..." He
mutters. One can almost see the gears in his head grinding. Finally, he
huffs. "Where the bloody hell are you from?"
Flash's grin widens. "/Not/ the Mysterious East, that's for fuck sure." Which
isn't hard to believe; he looks about as Asian as Howdy Doody. "Anyway,
like I was sayin', yanno what the good thing is about bein' a Stargazer
these days? No elders. Oh, sure, y'got Garou above ya in rank throwin'
their shit around, but an actual honest-to-fuck tribal elder? Heh! And
yanno what no elders means. Freedom. Freedom from listening to their
shit."
Joshua snorts, shaking his head. The coffee mug is not-so-daintily gulped at.
"One, I do not care about Elders... Elders are only Elders until they are
challenged. I would challenge her, but I have no desire for the
position... and two, Where the hell are you from? You have me stumped,
and -that- is an accomplishment, I would like to think."
Flash shrugs. "Moved around a lot. Besides, I'm a mule, remember? Didn't learn
the ol' _ingles_ until'd after I firsted. Age nine." He takes off the
cowboy hat briefly to scratch at his scalp. "As for challenging, fuck
that. Just ignore her. Like I said, what does /she/ know about anything?
It's not like Megan has any experience or anything. Just a bunch of
stupid fucking traditions."
Jessie raps on the doorframe to the kitchen as she pokes her head in, "Hey,
don't mean t'interupt. M'Jess, th'Get kin from out at the brownstone.
Thought I'd 'announce' m'self b'fore I go wanderin' upstairs t'see if Tas
is home."
This young woman is not what is conventionally considered pretty, but, well,
she doesn't look like she particularly /cares/ for convention, anyway.
Pale colored eyes of a blue-ish green, quite striking in their intensity,
are occasionally seen beneath tousled bangs. Her hair is dark brown, cut
in no particular style, simply cropped short just beneath her ears. Faint
highlights and undertones of auburn are visible in the light, natural,
apparently, as if they were dyed, they'd be much more apparent. She
stands about 5'6", and is neither skinny nor heavy; rather, she looks
like someone who could hold her own in a fight,... by attitude alone, if
nothing else.
She wears a minimum of jewelry, a silver ring on her left thumb, a trio of
earrings in her left ear, and a leather cord necklace about her throat. A
dark blue wife-beater tank top is worn under a loose-fitting blue and
green plaid flannel shirt, which is unbuttoned and untucked, hanging over
a pair of Levi's button fly jeans that have seen better days. The holes
in the knees and other places on these jeans look hard-earned, not store
bought. A pair of brown work boots, also well-worn, are on her feet, and
the chain from her wallet clatters a little as she walks.
Joshua gulps at the mug again, shrugging. "I was referring to Natali..." He
cuts himself off, looking over to the newly arrived. "No clue. I do not
live here, just here to mooch coffee." He answers, 'matter of fact.'
Flash glances over and gives the woman a warm smile, touching his hat as he
does so. "Howdy." No, he doesn't have a drawl. "I haven't seen her
neither, but I've been out most of the day."
Jessie gives a half-shrug, along with a crooked grin, "Okay. Notta prob. Sorry
t'bug you guys."
Joshua, every friendly and helpful, sips at the brim of the mug, giving the kin
a rather bovine look.
"No problem, ma'am," says Flash amiably.
"Shhheee-ittt," the young woman breathes, grinning wider now, "Ain't gotta
ma'am, me." She turns to head out, "Catch y'all later, or whatever. See
ya."
Joshua turns his bovine look to the Gazer again, shrugging once, still sipping.
"Anyhow... do not spend too much time 'knocking' tradition. A proper way
of life is the first step in proper living." Sounds like some line out of
some book, regurgitate on command. "My problem is... and it is not much
of a problem, is that she is over stepping her role. Tradition does not
afford her the power to say I have to stay in a tribe."
"'Not much of a problem'?" Flash echoes. He shakes his head. "I hate to break
this to ya, friend, but it's more serious than that. Y'see, if Megan
doesn't think you made a serious effort to give the Glass Walker way'a
life a chance, she /won't/ run Rite of Renunciation for ya. Ain't that a
kick in the shit-can?"
Joshua eyes the Gazer, jaw setting for a moment. "Yes, it is." He responds
evenly. "And if you do not mind, who the hell told you all of this?
Because I do not recall telling you any of this myself, and much of this
was kept private."
Flash's narrow shoulders lift and fall in a shrug. "Little pitchers have big
ears. And bigger pitchers have bigger ears." He smirks. "I overheard her
talking to Natalie and another Walker, some guy with a New York accent.
Anyway, it's not important. What's /important/ is the fact that, unless
I'm wrong, you've pretty much decided to say fuck it to those bunch of
Weaver-lover ape-coddlers, and from what I've heard, Natalie'd be glad to
/let/ you say fuck it. Only wrench in the works is that Adren Philodox."
He rolls his eyes. "I mean, damn, it sounds like /you/ know more about
the Traditions than /her/, and you're not even a Keeper of the Ways."
There's not an ounce of sarcasm in his voice or body language; he seems
honestly annoyed on Joshua's behalf.
Joshua listens to the Gazer rant and rave, seemingly even as he was when Flash
started. The mug goes up to his lips more than once, working at the black
brew. "Quiet Earthquake. From New York, anyhow." He adds off handedly.
"Yeah... you pretty much summed up the feelings of, what... five, six...
maybe even more people. If there is something Firewatcher-Rhya is,
though, it is a stick and a mud. And I am Cliath, and she is Adren. I
cannot challenge that far out of my rank. And even if I did, I would
lose. So... not much choice, yes? Not defeatist, realist."
Flash is shaking his head as Joshua gets near the end of his speech. "It's
bullshit," he grumbles. "I mean, BULLSHIT." He punctuates the word with a
slam of his palm against the kitchen table. "How the hell did she get
Adren rank anyway? She clearly doesn't know what the fuck she's doing,
doesn't know her JOB. How the FUCK does a PHILODOX of the FIANNA possibly
get to ADREN RANK without knowing the fucking WAYS and TRADITIONS of our
people?" If Josh thought he was ranting and raving before... "ESPECIALLY
a Fianna from the Sept of the fucking FENS. Yanno where that is? Fucking
BOSTON, fucking FIANNA CENTRAL, and oh my FUCKING god you've never seen a
more traditionalist bunch of Garou anywhere. I mean, holy fucking SHIT."
Joshua shrugs, mug going up to his lips, sipping again. The Ragabash losing his
cool while an Ahroun keeps his? Must be a chilly day in the black spiral
indeed. "As I said." He says, between sips. "That's the thoughts of a
number of people. But there's no point in me whining about it, so if you
are looking for me to get on the table and cry rape, today is not your
day. Natalie talked to her, she said 'no'. Unless a Fostern challenges
her... out of my league."
Isaac is drawn by the raised voice and ape-walks into the kitchen. He crouches
just within and stares up at Flash. His face shows a determination and
growing anger. "You talk bad on Ravenfeeder. Is not right. Ravenfeeder
know lots. She good half-moon."
Flash frowns, shaking his head, then turns abruptly upon Isaac. He scowls at
the Silver Fang. "If you're talking about the Sept Alpha, you're wrong,"
he says, still looking and sounding angry. "Ravenfeeder doesn't know
SHIT. If she did, why would she insist on making this Weaver-hating
Ahroun here," he asks, waving a hand in Josh's direction, "wait two
MONTHS before letting him Renounce the tribe that he Rited on? Huh? Why
would she be such a bitch about him giving them a fair chance?"
Joshua sips at his coffee. "Not to sound like I'm rolling over or anything...
but really, give it a rest?" Josh states conversationally. "I am
thinking, you know, that the whole thing is moot and pointless babble,
since you cannot challenge her, I cannot challenge her... I am intent on
waiting this out. So... how about dropping it, yes?"
Isaac growls deep in his homid throat. "Ravenfeeder knows lots and lots!
Ravenfeeder was here a long time. She here when Kay try not be Fenris.
She know why Tribe is Tribe. Laws is Laws and Rules is Rules and Ways is
Ways and she knows."
Flash wrinkles his nose. "Who the fuck is Kay?"
Joshua shrugs, turning back to the coffee machine. "No blood in the Farmhoues,
Isaac." He Notes, sippping again.
Isaac scowls up at Josh, and scratches under his chin. Then he turns back to
Flash. "Kay old. Kay far away time. Fenris, not Fenris. Big fight.
Ravenfeeder saw. I saw. She knows rules and ways. She follows more than
anybody. She makes follow rules."
In the front rooms, Asteryx - Yawning lazily from an hour of intense
meditation, out in the field, Asteryx pushes open the door of the house,
trudging inside out of the rain which has begun to fall gently. Pushing
immediately toward the living room, the young Galliard steps in,
seemingly oblivious to the presence of others and collapses on a chair,
his eyes closed, taking in a quiet breath of air and exhaling slowly, as
if having gone through some strange trial or tribulation...
"Oh yeah?" says Flash, sounding stubborn and beligerant. He walks over to
Isaac, takes off his cowboy hat, and flings it down on the floor between
them. He seems to have forgotten about Joshua -- for the moment, anyway.
"What about all those people HE says who say Megan's full of shit?" He
demands this of the Tarzanish Silver Fang. "Huh?" He turns suddenly
toward Josh, apparantly not forgetting about the Ahroun after all. "I
think you ought'a tell her to go fuck herself. Screw this rank shit.
Fuck, she's just a fucking cunt woman anyway, and you got a couple of
inches on her. Just slap her upside the head and tell her to go fuck
right off."
In the front rooms, Asteryx - Opening a single dark, angry looking eye, Asteryx
peers dubiously in the direction of the rather foul obscenities pulsating
from the kitchen, at the same time feeling his stomach rumble. Standing
up silently, he puts his hands in his pockets, peeking into the kitchen
curiously.
Asteryx - Making himself scarce at the heated conversation, the strange looking
youth quietly pads toward the refrigerator, leaning down and opening it
to rifle about inside before pulling out a large, grey pot, opening the
top, sniffing, and smiling in satisfaction...
Joshua turns around, a scowl on his face. "I thinks someone who looked much
like me, who was just drinking this coffee said it was a dead issue to
him. And I think that dumb-as-a-bear fully intends on leaving it dead.
Thank now kindly leave it alone, Shit-eater." Without waiting for a
responce, the Shirtless ahroun boot paces over into the living room. "No
blood in the Farmhouse, Isaac."
Asteryx - Gazing at Joshua as he trudges into the living room, Asteryx sucks on
his lip with obvious worry and looks questioningly at Flash and Isaac,
setting the pot on the counter as he stirs the borsht within with a
wooden spoon silently.
Isaac scowls at Josh again as he leaves and leans forward onto his hands to
follow the Ahroun out with his eyes. Then he looks up at Flash again,
scowl fading slightly to the more determined discontent. "You not talk
bad on Ravenfeeder. She knows laws."
Flash glances over at the retreating Ahroun, his muddy blue eyes gleaming
underneath overlong and rather sweaty bangs. He leans over to pick his
cowboy hat up off the floor. "HE doesn't think so," the Stargazer says to
Isaac, huffing. "And I think he's right. He knows more about the
Traditions and Ways than Megan. Him and Natalie AND Anthony."
Taslyn comes trudging into the room. "Okay, make this quick please? What is
going on? And why is there so much yelling?" Her hand running through her
hair.
Jessie is quickly behind the Fianna philodox, but she hangs back, closer to the
door frame, than Taslyn does.
Joshua sits down on the couch, sipping at his coffee. As Taslyn joins the fray,
he shakes his head... (Not good. No blood in the Farmhouse.) He repeats
in German, pretty much only to himself.
Gazing up from the pot of soup and spooning it into a bowl, Asteryx just sort
of tries to dissapear into the background, the young Shadow Lord sitting
on the counter and sipping at the borsht... Dark eyes flashing between
those gathered, obviously someone rather new to these parts.
Eamon opens the door and steps in, then heads over to the fridge. He rummages
for a bit and produces a beer, then closes the door. As he does, he
catches what Isaac says, his eyes narrow at Flash. First he corrects
Isaac, "Hey, Ravenfeeder's called Firewatcher now." He rounds on Flash
with a hard stare. "What's this I hear about you badmouthing the Alpha?"
Isaac points up at Flash, voice raised and tense. "He say Ravenfeeder not know
ways. He say Ravenfeeder bad."
Taslyn raises a brow and looks at Flash. She gives a bit of a shrug and casts
it off, "He's full of shit. Ask him. Most likely only trying to get a
rise out of you. Ignore the bastard, it's no more than he deserves."
Flash sets the cowboy hat firmly on his head and folds his arms across his
chest. Joshua's gone into full retreat, leaving the Metis to stand up to
the detractors as a kind of self-appointed champion. He ignores Taslyn's
comment. "It's really fucking simple, isn't it?" He looks at each face,
his expression stubborn. "Joshua should be allowed to Renounce his tribe
whenever he wants and however OFTEN he wants, and nobody should stop him.
And Megan's threatened to not even run the fucking RITE for him unless he
goes into that filthy awful stench the shit-monkeys call a city and
pretends to be something that he's not. He's already MADE his decision,
so why the fuck should he wait? Megan clearly doesn't know what the fuck
she's doing."
Flash receives a dark, unreadable glare from Asteryx as his eyes run him up and
down in that secretive, unnerving way that only a Shadow Lord can do...
Sucking idly on a small bit of carrot, Asteryx holds his words, taking in
the scene and obviously trying to learn what he can from the dynamics of
this strange interaction... The new Galliard, although not seasoned to
this city or this caern, seems completely comfortable, surrounded by
these utter strangers that he calls his "Fellow Members of the Nation".
In the front rooms, Joshua shrugs. "He's missing a bit, actually. She said I'd
get lone-wolf'd if I didn't put on a show of being a roach..." He
grumbles into his coffee. "But hey, lets not let the facts get in the
way... we got our soap boxes out, so lets scream and shout."
Eamon sets his beer down and calmly walks over to Flash. With no warning of
what he's about to do, his left hand quickly reaches out towards Flash's
throat.
Taslyn shakes her head. "Look at him. He's having a ball with you. All of you
are just riding along with him." She laughs. "It's what he wants... To
have you all screaming at him." She turns to Flash, "I have a right mind
to kick you out of here for saying such things... But since it is you and
that would be what you'd want, stay. Blow off your mouth and piss off
even more people. I'm finished with you." She turns and looks at Jessie,
"You better go home, babe."
In the front rooms, Joshua shakes his head again at Taslyn's comments. (Ah,
yes. Always soap boxes.) He repeats to himself.
Isaac growls deep in his throat, but doesn't add any more than he has already
said. When Eamon's hand flicks outward, the Silver Fang skitters backward
into the hallway.
Jessie nods to Taslyn, looking decidedly uncomfortable, arms folded tightly
across her chest. She turns, and heads out, only giving Josh a passing
glance as she heads back out to the front lane. "S'like fuckin' high
school... with fur," she murmurs, even as the door shuts behind her.
Whatever Flash might have said next is cut off after the first syllable into a
>glrk< noise as Eamon grabs him firmly by the throat. He Metis didn't
even try to dodge, so apparantly indeed never saw it coming. He makes
more mildly strangled noises as he grabs at the Fianna Fostern's gloved
hand.
Taslyn shakes her head and walks over to rest a hand on Eamon's. "No spilled
blood in the farmhouse. Please." She looks to Flash, a truly scared look
in her eye as to what could be done to the Metis with that hand. "Flash.
Submit. I implore you."
Asteryx sneezes into his soup in utter surprise, not bothering to wipe away the
liquid as he sets down his bowl, looking in shock at the sudden act of
aggression on the Fianna's part. Hopping down off the counter and
reaching slightly toward the pocket of his sweat jacket, Asteryx steps
back, disbelief and... Dissapointment? Yes... dissapointment heavy in his
eyes.
Eamon moves closer up into Flash's face and knocks his stupid cowboy hat off
with his other hand. The hand around Flash's throat doesn't give an inch
and feels like solid metal under the glove. Eamon's voice is low and calm
but full of menace. "Don't even think of shiftin' on me." Without
turning, he says to Taslyn, "Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt 'im." To
Flash, he says, "Now you just showed up here, and I guess you think
you're King Shit of Turd Mountain. Well, you got a right to your own
opinion, sure. You even got the right, as ragabash, to make fun of the
Alpha. I know that as well as anybody." His hand relaxes slightly to
allow Flash to breathe, but it doesn't let go. "What you don't have the
right to do is disrespect someone who's been here for more years than
you've been here days. That's bullshit. You got a problem with the way we
do things around here, you can just keep going along your merry way the
fuck out of Dodge. Do I make myself clear?" He lets go of the Stargazer,
then calmly walks back over to his beer and takes a swig.
Isaac crouches low, mostly blocking the hallway as he watches Eamon and Flash.
He doesn't move, but swallows hard and licks his upper lip.
Flash falls to his knees once Eamon lets him go, looking rather red in the face
and out of breath, but hale and whole for all that. For a moment, the
gangly Metis stays there, catching his breath; he licks his lips and
wipes his mouth off with the back of one hand.
Eamon sits there and drinks his beer quietly, as if nothing had just happened.
In the front rooms, Joshua glowers into his coffee, happy to sit there. Away
from the rest. "This is why the fuck I was staying away from here..." He
growls, taking another gulp.
Taslyn removes her hand and nods, backing away from it all. She turns and heads
for the door, reaching down and giving Isaac a bit of a rub on his head
as she passes. "Can't take much more of this..." As she walks for her
room.
In the front rooms, Pushing through the front door, Alicia strides in, sliding
her trench coat off her shoulders, glancing about at all the unhappy
faces. "What is going on here guys?" She asks, watching Taslyn slip
upstairs past her as she goes.
Asteryx looks a little shocked, confused, and slightly disgusted as he silently
gets up and walks over to the sink, speaking quietly... Looking up as he
washes the bowl. "The Fianna's right, you know..." He says quietly, his
dark eyes glowering slightly between the two as he dips a little soap
into the bowl... Throwing it back in the sink, he walks over to Flash and
offers a hand to help him up, looking diplomatic, although a little
distant.
Eamon suddenly yells after Taslyn, "Oh, please fucking spare me the drama. You
don't like it, you can fucking take a hike too! Even if you are Fianna!
Jesus fucking Christ, people around here are so fucking thin-skinned it
makes me wanna puke."
These are the scars of one who has seen too much, felt too much, experienced
too much pain in a short amount of time. These are the scars in this
one's eyes, dark, brooding, yet alight with fury and determination. These
are the main, distinguishing traits of Asteryx. Standing about 5'10 and
weighing in about 145 lbs, Asteryx is a slender specimen of an abused
human. A spiky mess of brown hair sits on his head, over a sharp
featured, profoundly Slavic face typical of Shadow Lords. Two intense,
brown eyes, deep like pools of disturbed Earth seem caught partially
between this world and some other world of his own, staring within and
without. Although the pains of his past are obviously deeply etched into
his spirit, his gives off an aura of zeal and determination for some
cause, some goal, though what it is would be a mystery.
Currently, Asteryx is dressed in a form fitting black shirt, adorned with a
pair of neon goggles floating over a fire, overpowered by large neon
letters that seem to scream their reading of "SYSTEM F", yet this is
normally not seen due to the sweat jacket he wears over it, the large
white skull design leering viciously out. A pair of heavy, baggy black
pants, obviously meant for the rave scene yet modified with chains to add
hints of depressive air clink around his legs, covering a pair of heavy
combat boots, which clunk quietly wherever he goes. Yes, Asteryx (you'd
wonder where he got such a weird name, wouldn't you) is a typical
speciman of a World of Darkness human... And yet so much more...
Isaac presses himself against the wall. He scratches at his chin and continues
to watch in silence until the others have finished. When Taslyn touches
his head, he shies away, pressing himself further against the wall. "Laws
is laws," is all he offers.
Asteryx glances up at Alicia silently, aknowledging her respectfully before
turning his eyes back down to the floor-ridden metis...
Flash pushes dark blond hair out of his eyes, eyes Asteryx for a moment, then
shakes his head and starts climbing back to his feet.
Eamon shakes his head at Alicia, shrugging. "Just ironing a couple things out,
s'all."
In the front rooms, "Got nothing to do with the law, Isaac. Tell me where the
hell it says in the law that the Alpha may take away two consenting
Cliath's ability to work out their own problems. Absolutely nothing."
Josh grunts out, finally weighing back in. He growls at the coffee some
more. "And people -are- too thin skinned here."
Asteryx shrugs and puts his hands back in his pockets, leaning against the
cabinets and sighing, shaking his head and looking at the ground. "Such
disunion among the Nation... It's this kind of pain the Adversary reaps
his bounty from... I can only hope we can learn something from this...
That we need to stand together and not let such petty feuds boil
eachother to such rage..." This is one strange Shadow Lord... One very
strange Shadow Lord. He turns his head toward the window, looking outside
at the gentle drizzle silently.
Alicia pauses for a moment as she glances about from her spot in the doorway
between the kitchen and living room, letting out a huff. "Let me guess...
this is either about Emma and Josh, or Natalie and Leala." She ventures.
"So, whats going on?"
Eamon shakes his head. "I don't care about any of that shit. All I heard was
'Blah blah blah Megan clearly doesn't know what the fuck she's doing.'
From him." He points at Flash.
Isaac ape-walks into the living room, pointing a finger at Josh as he emerges
from the hall. "He say she not know laws. She does. She knows laws, knows
tribes. She make choice. You better than Ravenfeeder? No. She smart."
Alicia glances over towards Flash and lifts her brow up, then looks back to
Isaac and Eamon. She remains quiet, not exactly sure what to add to the
topic at hand.
In the front rooms, "She does not know the tribes better then the tribes know
the tribes, Isaac. I told her that once and I will say it again. The
Glass Walkers know what it means to be a Glass Walkers better than any
Fianna ever will or can." Josh sets down the mug on the table, looking at
the very tempting door.
Flash simply shrugs. "All these people disagreeing with her decision about
Joshua's tribe," the metis says carelessly. "I guess they know better
than she does about the Traditions, huh? They must... especially
Heart-of-the-Wolf. Why, I suspect that no one knows the Traditions and
Ways better than Heart-of-the-Wolf." He sounds perfectly sincere, and
then bends down to retrieve his fallen hat.
In the front rooms, Joshua stands up, heading for the door. "This is why I was
staying the fuck away from here..." He growls behind him.
Flash adds, raising his voice, "And Heart of the Wolf knows all about valor,
too! He'd never run away from a conflict! He stands UP for his
convictions!"
"Guys, shut up before I kick your teeth in." Alicia says with a grunt, glancing
between the two bickering Garou. "I'm sick and tired of the arguing,
constantly. I'm frustrated with the insults, the finger pointing, the
whining, and just about everything else that has been going on around
here. Megan is our Alpha. If you don't like what she has to say, why
don't ya'll get some balls and tell her yourself, instead of gossip like
girls in a highschool locker room."
The strange looking Galliard turns his gaze upon Alicia, his hard, slightly
pained looking eyes glancing her over before lifting his head at Joshua's
words and turning back to Flash, cocking his head neutrally at him and
cracking his knuckles idly... He juts his lower jaw out, turning his eyes
upon Alicia with approval and speaking out quietly. "I'm with her... I'm
sure as warriors of Gaia you have bigger concerns than Megan-ryah. If you
don't, perhaps you should reassess your priorities..." He quickly lowers
his head at Eamon. "No disrespect meant, ryah..."
In the front rooms, Isaac scowls at Josh and moves over to the corner of the
room. "She knows laws. She good Half-Moon. She thinks good." He curls up
on his side in the corner, watching and listening in silence, now.
In the front rooms, "I did. And then I said it was a dead issue to people. And
then these people flocked like birds to a rotting carcass. All I wanted
was coffee." Joshua says behind him, heading out the door.
Eamon shrugs. "None taken. Like I said, you're welcome to your own opinion.
That other stuff is between Josh and Megan. I just didn't like your tone
of voice." He stands and drains the rest of his beer. "I gotta go. 'Lish,
we should get together sometime and talk about pack stuff. Can't stick
around right now, though. Seeya." He heads out the back door.
Flash doesn't put the cowboy hat back on his head, but holds it in one hand
while the fingers of the other rake back through his now-rather-mussed
hair. He moves into the hallway, but seeing Joshua leave he goes no
farther. His nose wrinkles, his expression turning wearily disappointed
for a moment, then determined. He sets the hat back on his head, firmly.
Alicia nods her head after Eamon and smirks slightly. "Then lets get together
tomorrow night. I'm free." She explains, glancing about the room, then
frowns slightly to herself.
In the front rooms, Joshua leaves through the front door. You can hear the
screen door swing shut again with a clatter.
The rain is falling harder now... The gentle pitter patter rising slightly in a
harsh crescendo as the water falls from the sky, like Gaia's tears...
Pressing his lips together, Asteryx turns and walks toward the back door,
stopping at it to gaze at the rain outside, lost in dark, deep
thoughts... Wondering at his strange people before dropping his head
slightly. "Is it hopeless...?"
Eamon grins and nods at Alicia before he leaves. "I'll try to be there." He
rolls his eyes at Asteryx. "Oh please. A little slap on the wrist and
people think the fuckin' world is ending." He shakes his head and leaves.
Farmhouse: Hallway and Living Room
All doorways in the front part of the house lead to the front hallway, a
J-shaped area with the short tail starting at the stairs, the front door
hitting the bottom curve, the doorless opening to the living room halfway
up the long side, and the also doorless opening to the kitchen and dining
room at the very top. The hall has a simple wooden floor, and decorated
with a generic print of soft-colored flowers hanging on the wall to the
right of the front door, and a tall table sitting under the print which
serves as a place to toss keys. A closet under the stairs serves as a
place to hang coats or to toss shoes.
The doorless opening to the living room is halfway up the side of the hall's J,
and the word cozy might spring to mind when looking into is, as it seems
to radiate comforting vibrations. A long couch sits against the south
wall beneath a large bay window curtained only by sheers that manages to
obscure the view in but only filters the day's light. A variety of
out-of-date magazines are strewn atop a low coffee table; more neatly
presented are the plethora of books filling the small bookshelves which
line the eastern wall. Three chairs sit about the room, focused inward,
to allow group conversations. Large floor pillows are stacked in one
corner of the room, except one, which lies carelessly in the middle of
the floor, apparently left out the last time it was used.
An opening in the northern end of the hallway allows access to the kitchen and
dining room at the back of the house, while carpeted stairs twist up at
the other end of the hall, leading to the second floor. A door at the
base of the J lets out to the front porch.
In the back of the house, Alicia glances over towards the Shadow Lord and
smirks slightly. "Nothing is ever hopeless." She says, wiping her hands
off on her jeans, then slips out the back door as well. "Ganna kick the
bag around, see ya."
Isaac watches Josh leave and hears the back door open. He sits up, still
pressed into the corner, and leans forward to look into the Kitchen.
Flash heads down the hall and into the living room, striding. His eyes skim the
room, looking for and then quickly finding Isaac. "Hey," he says, and
then takes off the cowboy hat and tosses it to the Silver Fang. "Laws is
laws?"
In the back of the house, Watching the female leave, Asteryx's dark eyes narrow
intensely... He doesn't seem to notice Isaac, and thus begins to speak to
himself... "these plans are not going quite as I thought they would... I
had thought perhaps to come upon a warzone of the Wyrm... That at least
was what the Elders of Maine had told me... Yet their words were
convoluted... There is disunity among the sept... And the Adversary grows
ever stronger off the strife." Putting his hands in his pockets, Asteryx
sits down at a little table, pulling out a small book and beginning to
write these words down...
In the back of the house, Snapping the little book closed, the Galliard stands
up and looks vacantly toward the door, walking toward it and pulling out
a pair of headphones before pushing it open and dissapearing into the
rain...
Isaac licks his upper lip and watches the strange man with the cowboy hat,
ducking to the side as it comes his way. He gives the hat a wary glance
and then turns his face back up to the man. Jaw jutting forward, he gives
a soft chuff before answering verbally. "Yes. Laws is laws. Rules."
Flash sets his hands on either side of the big belt buckle and regards Isaac
very seriously. "And Megan-rhya knows lots?"
Isaac leans forward onto his hands and crawls out from the corner a few feet.
"Yes. Ravenfeeder knows lots. Many things."
Joshua comes back into the house, now that most of the loud noise has died off.
He does not notice Isaac and Flash for the moment.
Flash absently scratches the back of his head. "Many things," he muses. "More
than you?" He glances up toward the sound of the door opening.
Isaac chuffs again as he sits down, legs curled out beside him. "Many things.
More than me," he agrees. "Ravenfeeder knows more."
The shirtless Ahroun looks over to Flash and Isaac, mostly at Flash. It's a
cool even look, waiting to hear what the Gazer says.
Flash looks past Isaac toward Joshua, staring evenly back at the Ahroun for a
moment. Then he turns to Isaac. "More than Natalie, the Glass Walker
Elder? More than Earthquake, the Glass Walker Ragabash? More than
Cliaths?" As always, there's no hint of sarcasm or insincerity in the
metis.
Isaac grunts, again scratching at his bearded chin. "More. She Adren. She
Half-Moon many times. She knows more."
Joshua crosses his arms against his stomach, still watching the two. A sharp
eye might notice his hand is again resting on the blade hilt. An all too
common gesture for him, recently.
Flash nods slowly. "And half-moons know /most/ about the Traditions and Ways,
right?"
Isaac's fingers drop from his chin to run down the center of his chest. "Is the
Way. Half-Moons have to know. We learn the laws. Know more. Know most."
Flash nods again, then lowers himself to his knees in front of Isaac. "I
retract what I said about Megan-rhya," he says humbly. He tips his head
back and slightly to the side, baring his throat, and a prominant Adam's
Apple, to the Silver Fang. "Megan-rhya is an Adren and a half-moon many
times over, and Megan-rhya knows the Ways."
Isaac's jaw drops open in pleasure and the grin that follows is a much more
natural gesture than his attempts several days ago. "Is good. You learn
good."
Joshua, though, frows deeply. "More of your scarcastic Humor, Gazer?" He
finally rumbles over to the two, taking a step forward.
Flash rolls his head back forward and, still kneeling, looks up at Joshua. He
smiles innocently. "Who's being sarcastic? The Philodox are the Keeper of
the Ways, and Isaac here, like Megan-rhya, is a Philodox. I am a mere
Ragabash, one who Questions."
Isaac leans back toward the corner and reaches for Flash's hat. He pulls it to
him and places it on his own head. The hat is tipped to the side,
awkwardly perched, and his grin grows broader, a deep, rumbling giggle
begins low in his chest.
Joshua's jaw sets, brow following suit. "Isaac." He starts carefully. "Do you
keep the ways of owl-wolves... the Silent Striders? What about the
Pegasus-wolves?"
"Isaac," asks Flash, "are the Laws one way for one tribe and another way for
another tribe? Or are the Ways and Laws for /all/ tribes?"
Isaac blinks at Josh from under the hat. He seems to be chewing, literally, on
an answer when Flash speaks and his attention turns to the ragabash.
"Laws are Laws. Rules the same for all." He answers the easier question,
the harder one lost, for now.
Joshua looks to Flash, pausing a moment. He speaks, still facing the Ragabash.
"So... do you know how a true Owl-wolf should live, Isaac?"
"Should an Owl-wolf keep the Litany, Isaac?" Flash replies, speaking evenly.
"Submission to those above, but respect for those below." Josh cuts back, not
giving Isaac a chance to answer either. He's definitly talking to Flash.
Isaac again looks from one to the other, unable at first to come up with a
verbal response. Muscles at the sides of his face twitch. He chews on the
inside of his cheek and watches.
Flash turns his blue eyes from Isaac to Joshua. "Oh. Are you submitting to
Megan, then? I thought you'd already made your decision about the Glass
Walkers. Are you truly going to give them a fair chance?"
Joshua snorts. "You're the one who said that. I am giving them a chance: why
the hell do you think I've been going around asking about vision
questing? Because I want a new hobby? But it does not change my thoughts
on the issue."
Isaac crouches lower and the hat falls off his head. His cheek muscles continue
to twitch and he whimpers softly.
Flash glances at Isaac and smiles slightly before turning back to Joshua. "Then
forgive this foolish child of lawbreakers, warrior," he says calmly,
humbly, "but perhaps he should consider that it is as Isaac, halfmoon of
the Silver Fangs, says. Megan-rhya is a half moon many times over, an
Adren of our people, and as such she is more experienced and
knowledgeable in the Ways than yourself or even your tribemates." He
blinks once behind the overhang of dark blond hair. "As for visions, this
worthless roller-in-shit can only repeat what better Garou have told him,
and say that truth comes in whispers and the Ego speaks in shouts."
Joshua frowns, eyeing the Ragabash again as if he expected any minute for the
Gazer to pull something. Finally, he juts his jaw at the Ragabash. "I am
'dumb-as-a-bear'. Not dumber." He grumbles back, maybe a touch lost but
unwilling to admit it.
Isaac stops his whimper and with a jut of his jaw he picks up the hat and
replaces it on his head. He pulls it down, though it is too small to fit
his large head, until the band is snug. "Megan is smart," he asserts.
Flash blinks again, looking rather like a skinny owl. A skinny owl with hair
mussed, sweaty, and showing severe signs of hat-head still. He nods at
Isaac's statement and then adds, "Bear is wise. Would that I had half
Bear's wisdom."
Joshua definitely looks hopelessly lost in this conversation, so he sets
himself again, taking a cue from Isaac and rehashing his own statement.
"I am not Dumber." He repeats, nodding with sharp finality.
Isaac offers a lopsided grin and turns to Josh. "Not dumber. You listen to
Megan."
Flash rests his hands on his knees; he seems quite comfortable kneeling there,
sitting on his heels. "One as foolish as myself has no place to speak
about another's wisdom or lack of. Again, I only repeat the words of my
/own/ teachers. Ego shouts. Truth whispers. In order to hear the truth,
one must quiet the howls of the ego."
Joshua's hand tightens around the hilt, brow knotting up for a moment. He looks
like he wants to stab the problem away at the moment. "This is..." He
starts slowly, more confused than ever. "... bad hour." He finally
declares. "I have been up long. I should sleep."
Isaac yawns, seemingly in response to Josh's suggestion of sleep. He grins
again at Flash, though he adds nothing to the conversation.
"Then I won't keep you longer. Either of you." Getting up fairly smoothly, he
bows slightly to Isaac. "Thank you again for your teaching. Good night."
He heads through the house toward the back door.
Joshua turns around glaring over at the Gazer. "No mind games." He spits out
hard. "I've had enough of mind games. No more mind games."
Isaac pulls the hat off his head and holds it out toward Flash. "Yours."
Flash pauses and looks back at Joshua. His head cocks, but whatever answer he
might give is lost as Isaac offers the hat. The Stargazer grins slightly
and shakes his head. "No, yours," he says. "And, here." He unfastens the
bull-buckle belt and tosses that, easy and underhand, toward the Fang as
well. "Keep them. Please."
Joshua turns, storming his way off to the kitchen, brushing past the Metis on
his way out. He seems a little angry at being confused, or being denied
his chance to stab the Stargazer. One of the two, really.
Isaac pushes the hat back onto his head and then picks up the belt from the
floor and examines it. His grin is broad, a truly human show of
happiness. "Thank you."
Flash ducks aside to avoid contact with Joshua and, watching him go, shakes his
head ruefully at the Ahroun's back. Then he bows to Isaac, reaching up to
tug briefly at a forelock. "You're welcome. Wear them well. Good night."
He backs into the hallway, then heads off toward the exit.
Isaac scoots back into the corner and examines the belt, turning it over and
over between his fingers.
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