Hard Words

[hazlogs]

DATE:  Thursday, October 15, 1998
Place:  Silverton Apartments, Apt. #101

JJ Malone is seated on the far end of the couch from the door, a gun lying in 
   his lap. "Please," he says, "have seats. This will hopefully be relatively 
   brief."
Jeff gives a light nod, slipping into one of the appointed chairs. He tilts 
   his head attentivly, though remains quiet for the moment.
Salem nods as well, his manner all business as he enters and takes a seat. His 
   eyes go to Malone, flicking down to the other ahroun's legs, and then to 
   the metis' face.
Nigel knocks on the outer door politely.
JJ Malone levels an acidic look at Salem just as he looks up him, but says, "I 
   read the paper. I got Nigel's message, so I know you two--" at the knock, 
   he looks at Jeff. "Will you get that, please?"
Jeff gives a nod, quietly rising and attending the door. He cracks it open so 
   he can see who's behind it before opening it all the way. "Evening."
Salem meets Malone's gaze levelly, outwardly unphased by the glare.
Nigel steps in, glancing over his shoulder as he enters with the innate 
   paranoia of an urban Garou. "Good evening, folks. May I say how relieved I 
   am to see no squirrels, deer, horses or other assorted fauna here tonight?"
Salem breaks his gaze from JJ to glance at Nigel; a wry smile cracks the 
   otherwise solemn features.
JJ Malone, who is once again unusually without sunglasses on, raises his 
   eyebrows at Nigel's comment and says, "Please, have a seat, Nigel. I was 
   just about to tell Jack and Jeff that I know you three were involved with 
   the incident at the doughnut shop on Sunday, and the result, but that I 
   wanted to hear exactly what happened from you." He looks at all three, to 
   make that second-person pronoun plural.
Jeff moves back to his seat, shifting his weight to get comfortable once again.
Nigel takes a seat quietly, saying "I can imagine. Who first?"
Salem uncrosses his legs and begins. "I came upon Mr. Black by circumstance," 
   he begins. "And paged Nigel with his, and my, location."
Nigel nods at this. "I called the number Salem gave, found out what was going 
   on and contacted Jeff. I also left messages with Jayson and Lisa. Jeff and 
   I rendezvoused half a block down from the shop, checked the street quickly 
   and went in."
Jeff nods his agreement to Nigel's statement.
Salem nods. "Once Nigel and Jeff had arrived, we approached Black. His 
   attitude was arrogant and insultingly cocky, and he would not meet my eyes. 
   Rather than answer our concerns in regards to his... conduct, he shifted to 
   Crinos and made an attack toward Nigel."
Nigel sighs. "He shifted when we asked a direct question about the serial 
   murders. We were fortunate on two counts: the only human was in the back, 
   there was no security system or camera, and Salem was faster and better, 
   and intercepted him." He pauses. "Three counts."
Salem grunts. "I gave him warning. I told him to shift back down or die. He 
   chose to fight me instead, then and there."
Jeff leans back in the chair, "While Salem and Mr. Black duked it out, Nigel 
   ran defense and kept the human at bay. I tried to offer support, though I 
   fear it was a bit lacking," He gives a dismissive shrug before going quiet 
   again.
Nigel smiles wryly. "'At bay' is an overstatement; I kept her away from the 
   phone or the back door, all on the pretense of 'keeping her head down'. Did 
   you shoot, Jeff? Or was I the only one to use a gun that night?"
Salem gives Jeff a slight glance, and then looks back to Malone. "I 
   disemboweled him, and gave Black a chance to surrender honorably and lived. 
   He showed throat, and when he'd shifted back -- to Glabro, not homid form 
   -- I released him. As soon as I had also shifted back down, he reneged on 
   his surrender and attacked me again." A beat. "I killed him as quickly as I 
   could."
Jeff shrugs to Nigel's question, "I shot -at- him." He glances to Salem, 
   nodding slowly, "After that, we all worked cleanup. Nigel stayed and 
   answered questions. The rest of us took all the evidence we could and got 
   out of there."
Nigel bites a nail thoughtfully. "That was the start of an interesting couple 
   of hours. Ruth (she's the waitress, bless her heart) vouched for me as 
   someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. I used Persuasion on her and 
   the detectives until it felt like my head was on fire. I *think*, based on 
   everything I've seen and heard since, that they bought my version of 
   events...they were a little dubious about why I'd be so sure it was a mob 
   hit, but when they realized I had family in South Boston it got easier. To 
   be safe, I've been out in public playing 'rich eccentric botanist who 
   wouldn't hurt a fly' for the last few days. And I'm buying them a 
   replacement horse."
JJ Malone shifts in his seat with his head leaning against his arm, which is 
   propped up on the arm of the couch to his right, yellow eyes narrowed with 
   intense thoughtfulness as he listens to the tag-team narration.
Salem adds, "The body was disposed of by... one of the Shadow Lords, I 
   believe?" He loks to Nigel for confirmation.
Lisa has arrived.
A quick series of taps sounds on the door.
Nigel hrms. "Ironic...I called Bailey to see if his packmates or contacts 
   could dispose of something discreetly and permanently, and he said he knew 
   a soapmaker who'd be perfect."
Jeff nods slowly, "Friend of Rina's if I'm not mistaken." He gives a shrug, 
   adding, "I could be, though."
Salem's eyebrows go skyward. And then he chuckles, briefly.
JJ Malone narrows his eyes at these last comments, then gives Jeff a glance. 
   "Get that, please?" he asks, the soul of courtesy.
Another series of raps on the door, followed by someone saying, "I know you're 
   in there Nigel. Open up or I'll fill your answering machine tape with 
   Jerkey Boys messages..." The voice sounds distinctly female.
Nigel blinks. "Rina. We haven't mentioned her; she showed up immediately after 
   Salem had finished...I hadn't called her, but maybe she recognized our 
   cars?" His head turns at the sound of his name. "Lisa? Just a sec."
Jeff looks up, "What? Oh," he rises and moves to the door. At the voice, he 
   gives a wry smirk, though still checks before letting her in. Better safe 
   than sorry.
Lisa leans agains the doorjamb, awating the door's opening. When the portal 
   finally does swing wide, she smiles. Clutched in one arm is a large manilla 
   envelope. "Heya."
JJ Malone is seated on the far end of the couch, half-turned in his seat so 
   that his back is in the corner and his right arm is along the arm of the 
   couch. "Come in, and shut the door." Only waiting a second, he asks, "Who 
   was the friend of Rina?"
Lisa quckly closes the door and locks it. She turns to Nigel and hands him the 
   envelope. Papers and at least one floppy disc rattle inside. "Here. Info on 
   the Andy's incident. Mostly newspaper reports, stuff off the web. Anything 
   more incisive you'll have to ask Jayson to crack a system or two. Lots of 
   wild dog references, though..."
Salem sits back in his chair, grimacing. "Far messier than I would have liked 
   to have handled it, yes."
Jeff moves to his seat yet again, giving a light shrug to JJ. "I haven't seen 
   her since that night to ask. I'll make it a point to track her down a 
   little later, though."
Nigel hrms. "I'm sure...I tried to play up a glimpse of gang members walking 
   with huge pit bulls, but it was a stretch." He nods to Jeff. "You know, 
   those cougar-fomors we fought might help--the corpses were found 
   half-burnt, and hopefully they'll help investigators head off on wild goose 
   chases."
Jeff nods slowly to Nigel, "True, but wouldn't the corpses be gone by now? 
   Though, I suppose, someone could remind them of the incident."
Lisa settles into a free chair, turning it around so her chin sits on the top 
   of the backrest.
Nigel settles back in his chair with a thoughtful look.
JJ Malone scowls at Lisa's news, but then nods curtly at Jeff. "Please do," he 
   comments, but then looks around and listens intently some more, before 
   saying, "No. Keep it simple. It's fine how it is, at least from the mundane 
   standpoint. The police handle dozens of incidents with nothing to show for 
   it, and those corpses are just as likely to get you in more trouble than 
   you already are."
Nigel waves his hand. "No, the corpses are long gone, probably in a landfill; 
   I'm just hoping the police remember they exist. I'm certainly not going to 
   bring it up with the next beat cop I see."
Lisa says, "As long as no one can tie it to us in particular, and as long as 
   no one's actively persuing the investigation, it'll die in a bit. Most cops 
   are fairly lazy. If the don't see a clear-cut case and they aren't being 
   pressured into working, they'll take the simplest explination or just let 
   it run unsolved for a while."
Salem grunts and nods.
JJ Malone nods to Lisa's words, then leans forward a little, fixing the three 
   men with a glance. "You all realize, though, how you screwed it up," he 
   more states than asks, with the feel of a rhetorical, necessary question.
Salem nods again. "Next time, we catch him alone and knock him out, then take 
   him someplace private for interrogation."
Nigel nods.
Jeff also nods.
Lisa refrains from comment and simply chews on the sleve of her anorak for a 
   bit, eyes narrow and facing the floor.
JJ Malone flicks an almost amused glance at Lisa, but then nods to the men. 
   "Exactly. That was a screwball mistake I'd expect from a cub or a Ranger 
   Rick, not two and half experienced Glass Walkers. You've done a good job of 
   recovering, but it shouldn't have been made in the first place. So, I have 
   jobs for all of you to make up for it."
Salem's expression tightens a little, but only very slightly. he regards the 
   elder levelly, waiting.
Nigel's eyebrow lifts slightly as he sits up.
Jeff adjusts himself in his seat before turning his eyes back to JJ, awaiting 
   the tasks.
Lisa flicks her eyes as if she expected something of this sort. Sitting up, 
   she listens.
JJ Malone points deliberately at Salem. "You are to go out to the woods and 
   find Moon Otter and tell him the story just as you told me. I tried giving 
   the Shadow Lords warning through Cutter, but I want to make sure he gets 
   his information first-hand from the source so he knows we're playing 
   straight with him. I also want you to find someone either out there or in 
   the city, before the next full moon, who'll agree to teach you Rite of 
   Contrition."
Salem's lips thin. He nods.
JJ Malone doesn't show a flicker of reaction but does seem to wait for Salem's 
   before turning his finger and his attention to Jeff. "You are a philodox, 
   Mr. Montgomery, and you came dangerously, dangerously close to breaking the 
   Litany. You are to get hold of Jayson and continue the good work Lisa's 
   done so far to find out, to the fullest extent possible, how far this 
   information has gone. This is perilously close to what brought the FBI down 
   on us two years ago. You will also show yourself to be a philodox, and will 
   learn a punishment rite from someone at this Sept, in case we have to go 
   that route."
Jeff gives a curt nod before again leaning back in the chair.
JJ Malone again turns, this time to Nigel. "As the most senior of the three, 
   Mr. McAlister, I hold you responsible for this. With no proper Galliard 
   involved, your task will be to go out and make sure people out in the woods 
   know what you three did, both the good, and that you did it *was* good," he 
   says with a slight smile, his first sign of relenting, before he disappears 
   it, "and the bad, the mistakes, and the steps being taken to clear up the 
   mistakes. Make sure the Alpha knows. I want him to know we *are* capable of 
   taking care of the city. Also, it's about high time someone knew the Rite 
   of Passage. I charge you with finding someone before the full moon who'll 
   agree to teach it to you. I know for certain a couple of people who know 
   it, so if you'll hang around afterwards, I'll give you their names."
Nigel's lips thin as he dips his head. "As you say, so it'll be."
"Good," the metis half-says, half-grunts, then sweeps his gaze around the 
   four. "Anything else anyone would like to add?"
Lisa nods and says, "Any marching orders for me?"
"How are your legs?" Jack Salem, blunt as a rock.
JJ Malone begins shaking his head to Lisa, then stills suddenly at Salem's 
   question. He levels an icy look at him, but reins in a hot-headed remark. 
   Deliberately, he looks back at Lisa and says, "Good job on the follow-up. 
   Keep up the good work. And if you can pick up any skills from Patrick or 
   one of the other questioners that would do the tribe good, I encourage you 
   to do so." That said, he turns back to the other ahroun. "My legs are 
   there. Thank you for asking," he says, sugar laced with sulfuric acid.
Lisa nods and returns her chin to it's normal resting position.
Nigel clears his throat. "The hostel room where he was staying has been 
   checked. Blood-stained clothes were found, along with sheets that were, um. 
   They were soiled. Nothing indicating he was working with anyone else, or 
   was anything other than a Garou with a diseased mind."
Salem's expression remains frozen; he refuses to rise to the bait. He meets 
   Malone's gaze for several heartbeats before deliberately dipping his eyes.
JJ Malone nods, expression oddly composed. "Keep on it, Nigel. Anything to 
   add, Jeff?"
Jeff gives his head a light shake, "Not off the top of my head, no."
JJ Malone nods once. Then says, "Now, I can tell you all that even though I'm 
   irritated with the screw-up, I'm proud that you were the ones to take care 
   of it. I think it's going to go a ways towards disabusing our backwoods 
   neighbors of the perceptions that that the Glass Walkers can't take care of 
   this city." He glances at all four cliaths, then smiles slightly. "Keep up 
   the good work. And so endeth the lesson. Thanks for stopping by."
Nigel grimaces. "Backwards. You have no idea. I had to brush my teeth for an 
   hour last night, and I still have horse-heart-breath."
Lisa says, "Next time, eat the horse's muscle tissue. Tastes just like 
   chicken."
Salem shakes his head slightly and looks at Malone again. "We still need to do 
   something about your lack of mobility, Malone-rhya." His gaze is a mixture 
   of respect and rock-hard stubbornness.
Jeff starts to rise, but something about the conversation catches his interest 
   and he remains seated, listening with quiet curiousity.
JJ Malone's eyes flash angry again, but he responds succintly, "I'm working on 
   something, Jack. But, thank you. But, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak 
   with Nigel for a few moments. Alone."
Salem stares back at JJ, his stare almost becoming challenging. And then he 
   nods and gets up. "If you'll excuse me, then..." He heads for the door.
Jeff rises himself, knowing just when to get the hell out of there. He makes 
   his way to the door behind Salem.
Lisa nods and rises, tucking the chair back where she found it. "Nigel...we 
   need to meet sometime. Give me a ring?"
Nigel nods. "Definitely."
JJ Malone nods loosely at the others as they leave, half-resting his chin in 
   his right hand, the arm still leaning on the arm of the couch. When Lisa 
   has closed the door behind her, he gives a slight sigh, then turns and 
   looks at Nigel, silent for the moment.
Nigel cocks his head minutely and searches for something to say. "You, um, 
   aren't wearing your glasses."
JJ Malone smiles thinly, again, then shrugs his shoulders. "I realized there 
   was little point to it. No one but all of you see me anymore." He goes 
   silent again for another few ticks of the clock, looking at a spot past 
   Nigel, then focuses on him again, his expression serious. "I need to talk 
   to you. But I need you to promise me that you won't speak of what we 
   discuss with anyone until I give the word. And if you do, and break you 
   word, I'll find some way to challenge and beat you for doing it."
Nigel's forehead furrows. "I vow, by Gaia and heartblood, to only speak after 
   you have authorized it. What is it?"
JJ Malone seems to relax out of some tension that wasn't really perceptible 
   until it was lessened. "I want to both thank you, and apologize, for our 
   arguement last week. It helped me come to a decision. Now, I need your help 
   to carry it out."
Nigel blinks rapidly; whatever he expected, it certainly wasn't an apology. 
   "O-of course, J.J. Anything."
JJ Malone takes a deep breath, made ragged by a sudden, out-of-character hitch 
   in it. His hands twitch, one for his sunglasses resting on the arm of the 
   couch, the other to his cigarettes sitting next to him. By force of will, 
   he resists taking up either, but the strain of it shows in his expression. 
   "You were right, that our family places brains over brawn most of the time. 
   It's something I've been trading on my entire adult life," he admits, again 
   uncharacteristically. "But, there comes a point in time when it's just not 
   enough. I've reached that point, Nigel. I've had a lot of time to think 
   these past two weeks, and I've realized this."
Nigel gets a look of alarm and looks like he's about to voice any number of 
   protests, but he stays still for the moment.
JJ Malone holds a hand up in a mute effort to stay him, even without the 
   theurge's own restraint. He seems to steel himself, then looks at him and 
   says, "I'm passing on leadership of the Family to you. I want to announce 
   it next week, at the meeting. Next to Bailey and Jayson, you've been here 
   longer than anyone else, and you've shown the most experience and 
   leadership."
Nigel eyes widen drastically, and he gives his head a twitch like a dog 
   shaking off water. "And, what of you??"
JJ Malone doesn't answer immediately. "Are you going to do it?" he asks, a 
   touch harshly, and not much like there's much choice in the matter.
Nigel rubs his throat and thinks for a second. "I...would have big shoes to 
   fill. I would try...will try...my best."
JJ Malone snorts derisively, and makes a cutting motion with his hand. "I've 
   always simply been warming the seat for the next real elder," he says 
   acerbically. The real J.J. makes an emergence. But then slips away again. 
   "As for me, that's what I need your help with. I need you to go out to 
   Andrea, and ask her, also under a vow of silence, whether or not she knows 
   of anyone, or herself, who could perform a Rite of Winter Wolf."
Nigel whitens. "JJ, there are other options. Cybernetics, spirit 
   allies...hell, even certain bindings, if you...damnit! And damn this damn 
   vow of silence, too."
JJ Malone turns icy. "You made it, Nigel, you better stick to it, or I'll 
   swear I'll find a way to make you regret you didn't," he says with narrowed 
   eyes and anger-laced tones. Still angrily, like a coiled predator trying to 
   back down, he continues with, "Cybernetics may be good, but not that good, 
   Nigel. It would take nothing short of an act of Gaia to make me of any use 
   as a Garou again. Save it for the war effort, where it'll make more 
   difference. 'Do not suffer thy people to tend thy sickness'. I'm 
   honor-bound to not *let* you waste yourself trying to preserve me, because, 
   frankly, I'm not worth that sort of effort."
Nigel folds his arms and glares at his shoes. "You stiff-necked piece of 
   sun-baked old hickory...my oath is good. But I have conditions for taking 
   your post. First, I need introductions to your contacts, the folks in 
   Seattle, Chicago and elsewhere. Second, I want to hear what you know about 
   the folks, city and woods, who I haven't met. And third," he pauses, takes 
   his glasses off, blinks at them, puts them back on, "third, I want your vow 
   that you'll get your self-flagellating soul back into a body as soon as 
   possible, so I can kick it's ass for putting me in this position. 
   Preferably lupus, so I can do it more quickly."
JJ Malone ghosts a small, quirk of a smile at his last condition, but nods his 
   head. "All acceptable. It's not as if I have anything else going on that I 
   can't make time for you." His tone and accompanying gesture is magnanimous, 
   but there's an echo of bitter irony to it. "The third one, you'll have to 
   take up with Gaia, I'm afraid."
Nigel crosses his arms and looks dour. "I'm almost tempted." He exhales and 
   shakes his head. "Between now and then, what do you want. At least give me 
   the chance to throw large gobs of money at you. Anything you'd like to see? 
   Place you want to go? Thing you want?"
JJ Malone's face twists into an odd, bitter-wistful look, but then shakes his 
   head. "Only a few things. I'm probably going to need a place to stay," 
   seems to be dragged out of him. "I'll pay you rent, if you can spare me a 
   chair somewhere. The rest...well, it'll keep until later. There is one more 
   thing, though," he says, reaching for something on the end table to his 
   right, then offering it out. It looks nothing less than like a pair of 
   lightweight, wireless radio headphones, folded in half at their joint.
Nigel takes them carefully, testing their weight in his hand.
They're light, although about the right weight for what they appear to be. "I 
   earned that fetish back in Chicago for a job I did in the Blood Wars. I 
   want you to have them. If you attune to it, they'll let you hear things in 
   the Shadow while you're on this side. Longer you listen, the better it is 
   to hear."
Nigel holds them up and examines them more closely, saying softly, 
   "Remarkable. I...I'm...do you know what type of spirit is inside?"
JJ Malone shakes his head, the smile he stretches taut almost to brittle. "No. 
   Someone else made them, I just used them. They came in useful during the 
   raid on the Hospital last year."
Nigel lowers them and looks around the room slowly. "Yes, I...I can imagine." 
   He coughs. "The whole concept of 'rent', under these circumstances, is 
   patently ridiculous. If the advice and lessons you're going to give me 
   doesn't add up to enough, in your mind, to earn an invisible 'consultant's 
   fee' I could always use advice on how to improve my way with guns. Or just 
   tell me about the tactics that were used, during....are you *sure* about 
   this?"
JJ Malone smiles the strangely fragile smile of before. "No, I'm not," he 
   admits without a change of expression. "Part of me is screaming inside. 
   I've been fighting against the odds my entire life, Nigel, but I know that 
   eventually, be it next week, or next year, or even longer, I'm going to end 
   up hating myself. Hating those around me for catering to my weakness. I'd 
   rather die then have to be taken care of indefinitely like a child. I went 
   through that once, I'd rather die then go through it again."
Nigel bows his head. "This, of all things, is no one's choice but yours." He 
   inhales loudly, and forces himself to keep talking with an act of will. 
   "Well, if you're going to come over, I'll need to stock the fridge. With 
   Daisy gone, things have gotten a bit, ehrm, disorganized."
JJ Malone shrugs, a touch listlessly. "No reason to go out of the way on my 
   account. Go home, do whatever you want to do. You know where to find me 
   when you're ready. I'm not going anywhere. Just, make sure to talk to 
   Andrea ay-sap. I want to get things squared away."
Nigel drifts towards the door. "Perhaps by tomorrow she'll have recovered 
   enough from the frostbite and stress of her Rite to entertain visitors; 
   I'll see. And I should have the house stocked and presentable in several 
   hours, if that's alright. But, JJ?"
JJ Malone brings back his wandering attention to look over to Nigel by the 
   door. "Yeah?" he asks. Again, his he stops his hand from twitching to where 
   his cigarettes are.
Nigel says "You WILL come back. And it doesn't matter whether you're reborn in 
   Hong Kong, or Lagos, or Oslo, I WILL find you and kick your newborn cub 
   butt for this."