It is currently 16:56 Pacific Time on Tue Mar 30 2004.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is partly sunny. The temperature is 50 degrees
Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the
west at 17 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph. The barometric pressure reading
is 30.08 and rising, and the relative humidity is 61 percent. The
dewpoint is 37 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius.)
Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (65% full).
Around the Story Tree
This quiet little clearing is home to soft grasses and bright flowers almost
year-round. Near the center stands the Story Tree. The squat pine has
broad branches for sitting under, and a thick, climbable trunk for a
Garou to sit in. Sharp, green needles can be found buried in the grass.
A pathway leads out to the northwest toward the Caern, and a much less-worn
path leads into the forested foothills to the east.
Atcen slips four-foot into the little clearing, her nose close to the ground,
sniffing.
Signe appears to be waiting for someone. She's sitting beneath the Story Tree,
her back to it and her eyes closed. It takes a few seconds for her to
realize she's not alone. Eyes opening, they move to the Wendigo,
narrowing slightly.
Atcen lays her ears back under the Fostern's stare, her tail hugging close to
her haunches. The shift in body language is properly submissive, but not
cringing. Should I not be here?
Signe shakes her head in answer to Atcen, though her tone isn't welcoming,
either. "It's a free...tree," she says, smirking at her own stupid joke.
Atcen doesn't get it, obviously, though the fact that she's not been turned
away encourages her enough to move further in. She shifts upwards as she
does, turning into a far too skinny girl in clothes that she's worn far
too long. She stares rather frankly at Signe, taking the Get in as though
fascinated by her.
Signe's less fascinated with the emaciated, dirty girl. She scowls a little at
the sight of the metis, the reminder of the Wendigo's flaw evident enough
to make the Get slightly uncomfortable. She endures the staring for a
good length of time, but eventually asks, "What are you staring at?"
Atcen(#3738Pce$)
At a glance, this is a gaunt Native American girl, mid-teens, a few inches over
five and a half feet tall, with thick, straight black hair that's been
cropped roughly and boyishly short, probably with a knife. Large hands
and feet suggest that she's not quite finished growing.
She's too thin to be pretty, hollow-cheeked and starved. Her teeth have an
unhealthy yellowish hue and there's a pallor to the coppery complexion.
The unkempt hair is dry and looks like it would tangle easily if it
weren't so short. Underneath thick black lashes lurk pale blue eyes, cold
as winter.
Atcen's bony form is clothed in a ripped t-shirt that's a dingy shade of white
and a pair of faded and torn blue jeans. Both items of clothing have old
bloodstains, the front of the shirt especially. Her feet are bare.
You paged Signe with 'Any of Sig's tattoos visible currently?'.
Signe pages: Probably only the one around her neck. Ever seen a celtic Torq?
It's like that. Bands of black that form a ring around her neck and end
in two wolf heads, facing each other at the hollow of her neck, under her
chin.
"Where did you get that mark around your neck?" Atcen asks the Get, gesturing
at her own.
Signe blinks unsure at first what the Wendigo means. It takes her a few
seconds, her hand coming up to touch her throat, before she realizes.
slowly, she grins a little. "Oh, that. Minnesota," is her answer, which
she expounds on since she does not expect it to suffice the hungry
Wendigo's curiosity. "I had an artist put it there."
Atcen cocks her head, peering at the torq tattoo with the wolf head on each
end. "Is Minnesota far?"
Signe finds the question oddly amusing. "Not far enough," she says, and then
asks gruffly, "Why, you want a tattoo?"
Atcen puts her hands behind her back, knotting her fingers together and
shifting her weight. She sucks in already hollow cheeks and replies,
reluctantly, "I do not know if Jacinta-rhya would let me."
A pale wolf approaches the tree, shifting smoothly so that her last few steps
are in her breed form. The Galliard's tense this evening, unsettled,
moreso than could be simply excused by the size of the moon. "...Signe,"
she greets, eyes narrowing at the other Garou. "Holds-the-Line. Galliard,
Cliath, Glass Walker elder."
Nat's an inch or two over average height for a woman, perhaps five-seven or
-eight. She's built rather reminscent of a brick, with a square face and
jaw, and broad shoulders that have no need of padding. Nondescript
brownish hair is only a few inches long, and the ten-dollar cut makes her
face look even wider. Blue-green eyes are widely set under a pair of
thickly stroked eyebrows; her nose and lips are proportionately large.
She wouldn't catch any eyes if it weren't for the eerie way she has of
staring, or the suggestion of prior and pending fist-fights in the small
scars pocked across her face and hands. Her accent is flat Midwestern
unobtrusive, her age roughly twenty.
Her clothes are pure practicality: blue jeans faded at knee and thigh, navy
sweatshirt advertising the 'Half-Time Bar' in St. Paul, and nondescript
once-white sneakers. She usually has a battered leather bomber jacket
slung over a shoulder if it isn't being worn.
Atcen's pale eyes shift sidelong to Natalie; she stares at the Walker with
animal curiosity, then says carefully, "Atcen. Galliard cub of the
Wendigo. Jacinta-rhya is my teacher."
With a light step, barefoot, Jacinta enters the clearing. Her hands are in the
pockets of her dark jeans, quspuq pulled up from the back to allow
access, and draped over her forearms. She smiles as she becomes aware of
the others, and tips her head politely, first to Signe, then Natalie, and
finally, to her cub.
Signe is about to answer the Wendigo cub again when her packmate arrives. The
grin widens faintly to greet Natalie, and after her brief introduction to
Atcen, Signe tells the cub, "Somehow I think you'll be right. But you
never know. Jacinta seems a good egg."
Signe's comment comes before she realizes Jacinta is in hearing range. Despite
the fact that it was a compliment, the Get looks a little embarrassed for
talking about the Wendigo elder when she wasn't around. "Hey Jacinta,"
she says, getting to her feet, finally.
Atcen blinks and turns to see her elder. "Jacinta-rhya!" Biting her lower lip
to stifle a grin, she trots over to the short, stocky Ahroun and asks,
"Can I get a tattoo?"
"Atcen," Nat repeats, dropping the other Galliard a more friendly nod.
"...Cripes." Whether this is at the Metis' question or something else is
irrelevent: eyebrows go up in either case and she moves off toward Signe
to mutter something.
Jacinta's glance at Signe is enough to show that she heard the comment, and
appreciated it, and she flushes with her own embarrassment. She seems
about to speak to Signe when her cub grabs her attention. "Not until you
have good reason," she answers, and then turns back to the Get. "Well
met." Other than her initial nod of greeting, she makes no
acknowledgement of Natalie.
Looking like she's about to face a firing squad, Leala approaches the tree.
She's dressed in a pair of neat jeans with a blazer. The only clue that
she was in the woods right now would be her tennis shoes. Her face is a
tight mask, a slight frown on her lips. Clearly fighting a case of the
nerves, she enters the clearing and approaches the tree. "Rhyas," she
says, nodding defferentially to the gathered Elders. She's not sure what
to makes of Atcen, so just gives her a tight smile.
Atcen looks only a little disappointed in Jacinta's answer, which is much
better than a simple 'no'. "What is a good reason?"
Signe returns Jacinta's greeting with a small lift of her chin. and as her eyes
follow Leala's entrance to the clearing near the tree, she leans in to
listen to Natalie. When her galliard packmate has finished speaking, the
Get nods in anwers.
Firewatcher pads into the clearing emoting the expected level of tension for a
higher rage Garou under the gibbous moon, giving a general, reserved
whuff of greeting to those gathered. She then looks mildly apologetic for
her tardiness, as she heads towards a spot immediately at the base of the
Story Tree, before shifting up to homid.
Jacinta's glance to Leala is brief, and there seems to be a question contained
within it. However she says nothing to the Glass Walker, and instead
lifts her hand to Atcen's shoulder. "When you have one, you will know."
After nodding to Natalie, Signe gives Leala some advice, "Don't let Megan hear
you using the honorific that way." And, there, again, she gets caught
talking about someone just as they enter.
Natalie rubs her hands across her thighs - once, twice, three times - then
backs for the edge of the clearing, lifting her chin to Megan.
Atcen nods again to Jacinta, and then quiets, her pale eyes turning toward the
arriving Fianna, then shifting downwards toward her bony toes.
Leala raises her eyebrows and nods, though her face goes a slightly mottled
shade of red as she sees that Megan has arrived. She nods to Megan as
well and says simple, "I am ready to begin whenever."
Megan, in leaning up against the tree and raising a foot up to also rest flat
against the trunk, says, "In that case, why doesn't Natalie repeat the
terms of the Challenge again, just so we're all sure we're on the same
page."
Jacinta notices Megan's arrival belatedly, and bows low to the Sept Alpha
before turning to listen to Natalie.
Atcen, sensing that something important is up, backs a few steps and hunkers
down, squatting on her heels with her knuckles pressed to the ground
between her feet.
Signe tosses Megan a little look--neither friendly nor all that antagonistic,
it suffices as a greeting between the Get and the Fianna. She moves
toward the tree again, and waits for Nat and Leala to to set things up.
Natalie steps forward again, shoulders straightening and head coming up. Her
eyes flick over those gathered in turn, meeting their eyes for a fraction
of a second only, then settle on a spot on the other side of the
clearing. "Originally, Paints-With-Light was to determine what to do with
Wolf-Heart. Her Challenge was to decide the fate of the Ahroun; whether
he be accepted fully within Those Who Walk Among Glass, be released to
join another tribe, or something else." She pauses for half a breath.
"However, it has been determined that this judgement will not affect
Wolf-Heart at all, but exists solely to judge Paints-With-Light's ability
to lead the tribe." She delivers both terms in a voice equally bland for
both, then steps back again.
With a heavy tread, Reggie tromps the spring-damp ground as he muscles through
the woods, making it his business to be at the story tree, as he takes up
an observer's spot.
Three hundred pounds of muscle, fat, and gristle pour unevenly down a frame
over six feet, puddling in an overflowing belly barely restrained by
jeans desperately calling upon extra-strong reinforced seams and solid
brass hardware. Army-short hair outlines the dome of the skull, newly
decorated by a circular slice cutting bone-deep evenly around its
circumference. A monobrow shelters sunken, piggish eyes. An unevenly
flattened nose and cauliflowered ears have evidently received many a fist
in the past. A patchwork of grey wolf fur hangs over his shoulders, arms,
and chest, covering distorted, hairfree skin. The hands demonstrate a
history rich in manual labor, with stumpy, thick fingers and fingernails
broken to the quick. His usual scent of gasoline fumes, nicotine, and
alcohol is subdued, fainter, less offensive to delicate noses. His native
heritage is difficult to detect beneath all the damage.
Megan jerks her head in a nod, then looks at Leala, arms crossed over her
chest. The look is, like Signe's, neither friendly nor antagonistic, but
given her bearing, is a bit...palpable in weight.
"If we are ready," Leala says slowly, "I have rendered a decision." She waits
expectantly for the go-ahead.
Jacinta puts her hands within the pocket of her quspuq and nods toward Leala,
expression carefully held blank, though curiosity creeps in regardless.
Signe seems more than ready, perhaps even irritated and impatient. She nods to
Leala.
Atcen remains still and quiet, like a good little cub. Seen and not heard.
Megan looks ready as well.
Taking a position where she can see the gathered Elders and a very deep breath,
Leala begins to speak. Her words come quickly at first, but then more
slowly and some of the tension seems to leave her body. "When considering
what decision I would render on the matter of Joshua ~Keeps the Heart of
the Wolf~, I first went to speak with him. After a long conversation, I
left with the impression that he felt he had been at least somewhat
bullied into renouncing the Glass Walkers. He said through the course of
our interaction that Salem had come to him twice, once to /suggest/ that
he consider another tribe, and the second time, to tell him to leave or
to be kicked out. There is also the fact that Natalie ~Holds the Line~
kicked him out of the Dominion without cause." Leala's face tightens and
her eyes harden slightly. "Walking around in lupus is hardly a reason to
be thrown out of the house. The Glass Walkers have even had Elders that
were lupus before. I feel that actions by others in my tribe, while
certainly not the only reasons, most likely contributed to Joshua's
renunciation. It is true the he is very different from the rest of the
Glass Walker tribe, but he is still a Glass Walker, and his feelings of
displacement are hardly punishable. As his tribe, the Glass Walkers
should be supporting him and helping him to fulfill his destiny as a
Warrior of Gaia, rather than bullying him and hindering him. We are all
individuals, each with different personalities and qualities. Just
because he enjoys the lupus form and feels a deeper connection to the
woods and caern than the average Glass Walker does not mean he is not a
Glass Walker. Roach chose Joshua to be in his tribe for a reason, even if
we are not sure what that reason is."
She takes a breath and rubs her neck for a brief moment before continuing.
"Concerning Joshua's feelings of rejection and displacement, and whether
or not Jack Salem ever told him to leave, those words were Joshua's.
Whether they are true or not is not really of any consequence. If he
feels that he's been rejected by his tribe, why would he want to continue
to live amongst us? Why would he care about saying to the Ritemaster that
he renounces us? What have we done for Joshua besides berate him and
bully him? Yes, he has rage. Yes, he's not perfect. None of us are. Since
leaving the compound, I have heard a lot of rumors and complaints about
Joshua's behavior. Fighting and drinking, among other things. Natalie,
herself, told me that he was a loose cannon and that everyone felt that
way. Anthony said that he wants him on the first bus out of town" Leala
stops, and looks into the eyes of each Elder before her. "I have to stop
and ask myself, whose fault is this? Joshua is a rited Cliath of the
Glass Walkers. If he were so unstable as to not be a warrior worthy of
the fight against the Wyrm, then he should have been culled by Jack
Salem. As he was found fit for the battle, he should be allowed to take
his proper place in the Sept. We need to take responsibility for our own
actions towards Joshua. There are many members of this Sept who carry
rage such as his, including Natalie. If such violent behavior is ignored
for some, then Joshua's behavior should easily be tolerated by those same
people who cast criticisms. This situation with Joshua is not /only/ his
doing. We all contribute to it when we provoke him into action. We are
not many, and each of us is very, very important towards the fight. The
members of the Glass Walkers, and the members of this Sept have to band
together. This bickering and posturing does us no good. While we
squabble, the Wyrm infiltrates even more corners of this city, the umbra
and the rest of our world. To cast out an able warrior is unconscionable,
unless his actions merit such punishment. If they do, then a gathering
should be held and his actions examined formally. At such a time, if it
is shown that his behavior towards others merits such treatment, then
judgment should be rendered and punishment applied."
She pauses for a moment, clearing her throat. "However, at this time, I feel
that Joshua deserves to remain a Glass Walker Cliath indefinitely. I also
feel that he should not be forced to 'get along' with us, as we have done
nothing to make him feel like part of our family. I do not blame him for
wanting to find a new tribe. He does not deserve to be thrown from our
tribe, but he should not be required to conform to it either. I believe
Joshua should be free to do as he chooses with regard to this decision.
If he wishes to remain a Glass Walker, he is more than welcome to remain,
and the rest of us should be making efforts to help him as well as him
making efforts to help us. If he does not wish to remain with us, he
should be free to seek a new tribe with which he feels a deeper
connection. We each serve Gaia in our own way, and he has earned the
right to serve Gaia in the capacity that he can." She finally seems to be
running out of steam, but she adds lastly. "The Litany commands that we
submit to those higher in rank and station, but it also commands that we
respect those lower in station. All are of Gaia. I think maybe some of
those among us have lost site of that important point in regards to
Joshua and to the treatment of others in our midst. We all deserve
respect, Joshua included. To summarize, I believe that Joshua should be
allowed to remain a Glass Walker, fulfilling that tribal obligation in
whatever form he is best-suited for. I do not believe he has done
anything punishable, and certainly not anything befitting the Rite of the
Lone Wolf. I also feel that he should be free to seek a new tribe. The
Glass Walkers may feel as if he has failed them as a member, but they
have also failed him as a tribe. I am no Philodox," Leala says, with a
nod towards Megan. "But this is my opinion and my decision, were it mine
to make. I mean no disrespect with my comments here tonight. I merely
want what is best for the Glass Walker tribe and the Sept." With this
said, Leala stands patiently, waiting for a reply from the others.
Natalie bares her teeth when Leala mentions Joshua's exile from the Dominion,
but remains quiet. Not without an effort - she deliberately places her
hands behind her back, one hand clasping the other wrist and lifts her
gaze to study the trees on the far side of the clearing.
Megan's expression has drawn into a narrow-eyed moue of consideration, but in
her homid form, she betrays little of her thoughts as yet. Rather than
speak up, she looks at Signe and Jacinta, the two ahroun members of the
triad 'judging' this, and waits to hear what they have to say.
Jacinta listens quietly. For a while she seems to wait for Megan or Signe, as
her elders, to speak first. Then, with Megan's glance her way, she juts
her chin toward Leala. "You have said what should be decided, but not
what you would do to make it so. How would you bring Joshua into your
tribe, given the current blood that runs between?"
Signe stands, listening at length to Leala's speech. The Get is not any where
near as good as the philodox is at hiding her emotions, especially under
a fattening moon. Each time Leala says something negative about Jack
Salem, there is a responding glare or scowl in the Get's expression.
Overall, however, she winds up nodding to Leala's decision. When Megan
looks in her and Jacinta's direction, the Get waits for the Wendigo's
questions to be answered before speaking herself.
Reggie scratches off flakes of scar tissue from the thick scar encircling his
head, as he stares at Leala during her speech, his lips compressed.
"Truthfully, I think he does not want to return to the Glass Walkers," Leala
says "I have stated that I feel this is his decision to make. I would
allow him back into our house, but I am sure he will not come. Whether he
associates with the Glass Walkers or not, he is still one of us. I,
alone, cannot remedy the feelings that now hang over our tribe with
regards to Joshua." Leala shifts her gaze towards Natalie. "The others of
the tribe would have to modify their feelings as well. I, can, however,
hold regular Glass Walker moots in which all Walkers are encouraged to
attend, Joshua included. This would allow us to continue to meet and
possibly overcome some of these negative feelings. If we can air our
dirty laundry together, as a tribe, possibly we can overcome this rift.
Joshua is not the only one who has spent time on his own," Leala adds,
her head dropping. "I, myself, have been remiss fostering relationships
among the rest of the tribe. That has to change now, if we are to
accomplish anything."
Megan again looks between Signe and Jacinta, not saying anything as yet.
Jacinta nods, expression turning thoughtful, something that may be
disappointment creeping in as well before she pulls the mask back across
her features. Though she seems still to have more to say, she looks to
Signe.
For her part, Natalie looks about as likely to break into a spirited rendition
of "Some Enchanted Evening" as she is to change her opinion of Joshua.
Signe looks to Jacinta to see if she has anything else before speaking. Seeing
the Wendigo has nothing, she turns her attention to Leala, and the Walker
could not help but sense slight animosity as the Get talks about Josh and
the departed Salem. "It angers me that a would-be-elder of the Glass
Walkers talks like moddle-collying Child of Gaia. While I agree with your
/decision/, as it's stated, I have a problem with how you got there.
Joshua, for all his good parts, is a thick-headed moon-calf half the
time. If you tell him one thing, he often pig-headedly takes it to mean
something else--something more extreme. I think I've dealt with him more
than you have, and /that/ speaks loudly to my question of why you should
lead the Glass Walkers." she takes a breath before going on. "You say the
Walkers /failed/ him. But Salem and I set out a task that tested his
weaknesses--or so we hoped. He passed. Once he /did/ pass, Joshua became
an adult, and I don't care if Natalie threw him out of the house, or
Salem told him maybe he should change tribes--what Joshua /did/, at that
point and as an adult, is /Joshua's/ responsibility, not the Tribe's."
Again, she takes a breath. "However, your decision to let Joshua be is,
/I/ think, valid. Let him choose his own fate. Roach has accepted him. If
he rejects Roach, let it be his own damned decision."
Alicia makes her way in from the bawn, walkikng steadily, as if she was in a
hurry.
Leala bristles slightly at Signe's speech. Sensing the Get's animosity, she
adds. "I have spoken to Joshua multiple times since he he left the
Dominion. He was rited, and promptly dropped. Maybe I am wrong and the
Walkers haven't failed him, but I certainly haven't seen any effort to
'make it work' by my tribe-mates. Yes it is his decision, and I stand by
my opinion that we are partly to blame for his behavior. As well, I think
you misundstand my statement regarding Salem. Obviously, if Salem set a
challenge, and Joshua passed it, he /is/ an adult, and one worthy to be a
member of this Sept. My commentary was not to belittle Salem, but to give
more weight to Joshua as a Cliath and a member of this tribe." She folds
her arms across her chest, keeping her back straight.
Megan looks at Leala, then at Signe and Jacinta thoughtfully, before turning to
Natalie and asking, "What do *you* think about all this? In case Jacinta
and Signe haven't heard your case clearly before now?"
Reggie quickly turns his eyes towards Alicia, and, his lips still pursed as he
considers the unfolding debate, he waves her over.
Signe answers, "Then I give weight to Joshua, as well. Being dropped, or
treated badly by ones tribemates is not an excuse for getting drunk and
threatening to break the veil. As an adult, then, Joshua's punishment
should be Joshua's, and not the Walkers. That you're willing to admit the
Walkers /could/ have done more is admirable, however." That said, she
shuts up, looking from Megan to her packmate.
Alicia strides over towards the Uktena Elder after glancing over towards Megan,
giving her a nod, but otherwise remains silent. She steps up next to
Reggie's side, arms crossing over her chest, staring at the pair of
Walker's, then Signe as she speaks.
Jacinta crosses her arms over her chest, turning to Natalie and awaiting her
response to Megan's query.
Natalie jerks her attention away from those oh-so fascinating trees to settle
on Megan instead. "I think he's a damn headcase, Megan-rhya," she says
flatly. "I never once tossed him from the tribe, no matter what he or
anyone else says. Booted from the house, sure. Then when I went to talk
to him a week later, when the moon was thinning again, he told me he'd
already spoken to -Thomas Walker-," she stresses the name without taking
her eyes from Megan's chin, "and wanted to leave the tribe. At that
point, I figured what was done was done. He's an adult, as you keep
reminding me, and as such, should be allowed to do whatever the h..." She
catches herself, and after another moment continues, "Whatever he wanted.
Clearly, he didn't want to remain a Walker. As to being ignored...
frankly, that street runs both ways. He's never gone out of his way to
contact me to talk about what's going on. I've always had to go to -him-.
If you ask me, that speaks volumes about what he thinks about me in
particular, and the Glass Walkers in general. So. To sum up, let him
leave. If he wants to be a Walker, then let him start acting like it. He
doesn't have to live at the Dominion; he just has behave like a Walker.
Ma'am."
Natalie adds, "Any tribe that wants him, they're welcome to him."
Leala looks as if she has something to say to Natalie's words, but refrains
from making any noise what-so-ever. She keeps her attention focused on
the others, shifting her gaze briefly to each in turn.
Megan looks to Leala, next, and asks, "Have you heard any word about what I've
been telling Natalie and Joshua about this situation, before you came
here tonight?"
Leala nods. "I was told that Joshua has two months to try and fit in the
Walkers, or that the Rite of the Lone Wolf would be performed. This was
told to me by both Natalie and Joshua."
Megan quirks an eyebrow, but then looks at Signe and Jacinta. "Do either of you
have any more questions for either of them about this?"
Natalie resumes her 'parade rest' position as the questions drift away from her.
Jacinta shifts her glance between the vying Glass Walkers. An eye twitches
half-closed while Natalie speaks and her arms uncross and fall to her
sides, only to recross once more. Her gaze still moving back and forth,
encompassing both as she speaks, the Wendigo asks, "How are your
positions different? You both say, "Let him choose to leave."" Her mouth
works as she strives to find the words she needs, silent for a moment.
"How will your leadership change your tribe, or Joshua's place within it?
"
"My leadership will allow Joshua an Elder he can trust to keep his best
interest in mind. It will allow him someone he can talk to without the
threat of hostility. As well, my position is different because I don't
believe there is a certain way to 'act like' a Walker. He is either one,
or he isn't. There is no law that states you must behave in a certain way
to be of a certain tribe. Not all Shadow Lords hate Silver Fangs. Not all
Bone Gnawers are poor slops. There are all kinds in this world and many
differences between us. My position is different because I believe that
Josh already /is/ a Walker, whether he changes how he behaves or not. I
would like for him to participate in the tribe, but I don't think that he
should be forced to modify /who he is/." Leala says this simply, meeting
Jacinta's glance.
Reggie scratches at deer fly bites along his neck as he regards Jacinta for
longer than the others in this debate.
Signe doesn't seem to have anything else to ask.
Natalie continues to remain quiet and, save for the occasional nostril-flaring,
relatively motionless.
Megan sweeps her gaze over the Get of Fenris and Wendigo ahrouns and, verifying
in the glance that they're done, asks them, "So, what is your opinions on
this?"
Jacinta nods slowly as Leala speaks. When Natalie doesn't also answer, she
simply watches her with a hard, curious expression. When Megan finally
asks, her answer is quick, requiring almost no further thought. "Leala's
words meet my requirements. I approve of her decision, and the thoughts
behind it."
Signe glances at Jacinta before rendering her own decision. With some measured
reluctance, she nods. "Leala's willingness to at least try to work with
Josh, in my opinion, makes me approve of her decision as well. Though in
all honesty, I do not know if she can or will /lead/ the Walkers better
than Natalie. The question, I believe, was whether or not I approve of
her decision. And, to that, yes, I do."
When the second judgement comes against her Nat closes her eyes. A minute nod
of her head, a measured inhale and exhale; then the Walker Galliard drops
her eyes from tree-height to instead blandly study Leala's shoulder.
Megan's expression doesn't change *much*, but it does seem to lose some of its
intensity as she nods after Jacinta and Signe's words. The Fianna shifts
up to glabro before her response. ~Natalie is clearly aware of my opinion
on the topic,~ she says in the mother tongue, ~and Leala's words reflect
those so clearly, I would almost think she'd heard me say them, rather
than Natalie.~ She gives a vaguely amused smile, pointy-toothed smile.
~Like Defiant-Storm, I do not know if these terms prove she may lead the
Glass Walkers better going forward, but in this, I believe she has
expressed a greater understanding of what it means to be a tribal elder.~
She pauses significantly, then adds, looking at the Glass Walker
galliard, ~But, that does not mean the matter is settled forever, and
that if circumstances change, or require it, that you may not challenge
her in return someday.~ Sliding her look to Leala, she smiles at the
ragabash wryly as she adds with hardly a pause, ~Which means you will
have to continue to *prove* your worthiness to be elder, and not just in
this one case or instance.~ Then turning back to Natalie, she asks, ~The
conditions of the challenge are met, yes?~
"The conditions are met," Natalie answers, her eyes flicking to Megan, "and the
Challenge passed." She opens her mouth as if to add something else, but
satsifies herself with a jerky nod instead.
Signe nods, relaxing her stance now that things seem settled. she moves away
from Megan and towards Natalie, nudging her packmate in a consoling sort
of 'Get' way, before leading the way out.
Leala looks at Megan with genuine surprise in her eyes, not expecting those
words. She looks around at the others and nods solemnly. "This is not a
duty I relish. It is a duty I accept, and if Natalie, or any others feel
that they have a course of action better than my own, they are free to
challenge me." She looks uncomfortably at Natalie. "I consider you the
strongest fighter in this tribe. I will need you to be there to fight,
just not with Joshua." A relieved look crosses her face, and she turns to
the Elders around her. "Thank you all for participating in this matter."
Jacinta shows approval with a sharp nod, aimed at no one in particular, and
moves to approach Natalie. She drops her hands again to her sides,
holding them open, palms forward, as she moves toward the Glass Walker.
Atcen chews on a thumbnail. As she has since the debate began, the Metis cub
remains quiet and off to the side, observing solemnly.
Alicia nods her head slowly at the result of the challenge, then ambles her way
over towards Megan, sliding her hands into her coat pockets.
Megan is the only elder involved not to approach the Glass Walker, then, as she
peels herself out of her lean on the Story Tree, shifting down to homid
as she meets Alicia halfway. "I need to head up to the Grotto again. If
you wanted to chat, care to go with me?"
Natalie manages a tight smile for Signe. "...I'll be there in a bit," she says
as Jacinta approaches. "...Yes?" The question's warmer than the tone
she's been using throughout the Challenge.
"Sure thing." Alicia says with a grin on her face, head tilting as she makes
her way out of the clearing.
Megan glances over the Garou left, commenting, "I'll be out at the Grotto if
anything blows up," then follows after Alicia.
Jacinta's posture is hard, like the look in her eyes. Only her open hands relay
the message that she is not challenging. Even her voice holds a sharp
edge as she speaks. "When last I spoke with you, you told me that your
tribe has rituals for inner seeking. You prohibited Joshua from seeking
knowledge through other routes, and I relayed that message for you. Since
then, he spoke to me, angry because you called him insane and told him
the method he should use for inner seeking is therapy." She inhales
sharply, but controls the breath as she exhales, lowering her tone and
bringing her anger under control. "Because I know that Joshua's
understanding is not always clear, I ask you to explain, to me, what it
was you said and meant."
Atcen slips off quietly.
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