Nikolai Hates Everyone

[hazlogs]

[Date: 26 Oct 1996]

Farmhouse: Downstairs
Three rooms make up the first floor of the farmhouse, the living room which is 
  the first as you come in, and the dining room and kitchen at the back of the 
  house. (See +view and places)
A door in the kitchen allows direct access to the barnyard behind the house, 
  while the door in the living room lets out to the front porch. Carpeted 
  stairs twist up the northwest corner of the room, leading to the second 
  floor.
Contents:
Madeline
Scott
Anne
Derrick
Nikolai
Timothy
Mark
Rose
Illuminated Text
NOTE: Current Farmhouse Residents (Updated: Oct 22)
Obvious exits:
Front Door  Back Door  STairs  

Timothy can't help but hear the cub's outburst from the kitchen, and for a 
  moment it seems as if his form is blurring up into the warform again with 
  those words. He doesn't even try to vocalize his feelings on this subject, 
  probably for the best given the tenuous hold the Silver Fang seems to have 
  on his rage right about now. One chair is shoved violently out of the way as 
  he heads directly toward the front door with quick steps.
Nikolai didn't really expect the attack from Rose as his anger and attention 
  was directed towards Timothy. He struck repetitively with surprise with the 
  heavy pounding of Crinos fists that can be heard crunching bone. He slumps 
  to the floor unconscious.
Nikolai contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Nikolai shifts into Homid form.
Mark announces who Hazmat at is before she opens the door.
Hazmat's eyes widen suddenly. "Shit-*fuck*!" And the Gnawer _moves_ out of the 
  Fang's way.
Timothy leaves through the front door. You can hear the screen door swing shut 
  again with a clatter.
Rose sobs wildly in grief, now, shifting down to craddle her fallen friend in 
  her arms, weeping incoherently.
Rose contorts and blurs as she is transformed.
Rose stretches her spare frame and sinewy limbs, passing the limits of the 
  possible, to take on Homid form.
Anne takes a glance around the living room, giving Hazmat a sharp look and a 
  nod of recognition, then heads towards the kitchen determinedly, where Rose, 
  Derrick, and Nikolai are.

Mark pages: The living room is a mess and there is a bit of blood on the 
  floor. Timothy had a claw mark on his face.

Scott lets out a long breath, and mutters quietly,"Fuck me, that could have 
  gone alot worse."
Anne moves into the kitchen.
Madeline comes downstairs finally, tension evident in her movement.
Mark gives the window a final check and goes over to see what's going on in 
  the kitchen.
Hazmat takes several panting breaths, pushing down her own rage, visibly 
  calming herself enough to ask, "Wha' the *hell*?"
Derrick finally moves out of the doorway, now that Nik's out of it, and lays 
  his hand on Rose's shoulder, not that she notices. "Aw..."
Mark smirks and answers Hazmat. "A disagreement over the proper treatment of 
  cubs."
Anne storms through after Derrick, face tense enough to indicate that if he 
  hadn't moved he'd have gotten some of the treatment Nikolai did, and comes 
  to a halt beside Rose, glowering down at her. "Derrick." Her voice, too, is 
  harsh with self-control. "Who are these?"
Rose says "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Oh, please Niki forgive me. I'm so 
  sorry. *sob*"
Hazmat glances at Mark, brow furrowed. "Huhn."
Mark stays out of the kitchen. "Nik decided the elders were lying to him and 
  took a swing at Timothy when he took exception to being called a liar."
Derrick says, "Rose. Calm down. You did the right thing. With the Rage around 
  here, he'd've gotten much worse from other folks." To Anne, he says, "The 
  one who caused all this is Nik. Gaian. This one," he says, patting Rose's 
  back, "Is Rose. She's new."
Rose holds her friend's insensate figure in her arms, little knowing or caring 
  what goes on about her. Her own shoulders bleed where he raked her deeply 
  while attacking Timothy, and her clothes are a tatter.
Anne watches Rose continuing to cry, and her patience snaps just a litt;e she 
  reaches down to the girl cub and grips one arm, hauling upwards on it.
Hazmat lets out a long sigh and brushes back her hair. She shakes her head and 
  picks her way across the wrecked living room.
Rose comes up, limp and helpless. She lets go of Nikolai, and turns to face 
  the new tormentor, blubbling incoherently.
Madeline tries to put the previous scene, and the goings-on in the kitchen out 
  of her mind. She turns to Hazmat. "Have I met you yet?"
Scott takes in a deep breath, and mutters something else before running a hand 
  through his hair and heading out the front door.
Scott leaves through the front door. You can hear the screen door swing shut 
  again with a clatter.
Anne shakes her 'captive' roughly. "Get a grip," she says sharply. "Derrick is 
  right; if he hadn't been shut up by you Timothy would probably have come for 
  him himself. At least you didn't hurt him particularly. Pull yourself 
  together, girl."
Derrick moves behind Rose again, facing Anne.
Hazmat's attention flickers from Anne and Rose to Madeline. "Uhm, mebbe. 
  Hazmat, Gnawer, Ragabash, Cliath. Lupus."
Rose sniffles. This order, too, Rose cannot ignore. She straightens herself 
  up, slowly coming around.
Madeline nods. "I'm Maddy, Silver Fang Ahroun cub."
Anne lets go of the girl once she's standing properly. "I'm Anne," she informs 
  Rose. "Black Fury, Galliard. Singer, that is, and storyteller. What 
  happened?"
Hazmat nods distractedly at Maddy, her attention mostly on the Fury and the 
  girl.
Rose points to Niki, like a toy she had broken. "*sniff* Niki was confused. He 
  was trying so hard to learn, and he was telling the truth as he saw it, and 
  Mister Timothy _punched_ him right in the face and was mean to him... And he 
  just went wild. It was terr
...terrible."
Anne asks curtly, "Telling the truth about what?"
Derrick answers, "Nik said, three times, that he doesn't trust the elders. 
  Timothy asked him who had lied to him. Nik didn't answer. Timothy's cuffed 
  'im, and Nik attacked."
Rose sniffs. "Derrick's right."
Anne scowls at all three cubs, even the unconscious one, impartially. "Why 
  doesn't he trust the elders?"
Rose says "Why should he?""
Hazmat frowns.
Derrick shrugs. "He said somethin' about the Elders not telling folks about 
  the dark side of things. He was also talkin' about how people don't teach 
  well, which," says Derrick with a fine disregard for sense, "is true, 'most 
  times."
Anne folds her arms over her chest, turning the glower onto Rose alone. Her 
  voice edges towards impatience and anger. "Why shouldn't he?"
Rose says "We deserve better. If we are here to learn, why will no one teach 
  us how to do things safely?""
Derrick says "Because they're bad teachers. Doesn't mean they're bad _people_, 
  though."
Hazmat wraps her arms around her torso, each hand cupping the opposite elbow. 
  Since Anne seems to want to be the one speaking here, she keeps silent. Her 
  frown, though, takes deeper root, though she seems more troubled than angry.
Anne gives Derrick a long look, then suggests quietly, "The cub needs 
  assistance, Derrick. Perhaps you could help him." To Rose, she says, "What 
  is your tribe?"
Rose says "I dunno. I'm alon, Miss Anne.""
Derrick sighs. "Rightyho. Wrong answer or two." He mumbles, "Ok, bandages..." 
  and wanders out towards the living room.
Madeline says "Need any help, Derrick?"
Derrick shakes his head at Maddy. "Nah, I'm just gonna get the first aid kit 
  upstairs."
Derrick mounts the stairs, pausing briefly at the landing before continuing up 
  to the second floor.
Derrick comes down the stairs.
Mark speaks up. "She's in Megan's care, but Megan isn't around right now."
Hazmat nods, confirming Mark's statement about Megan.
Rose nods. She remains politely submissive to Anne, but has stopped blubbing 
  entirely.
Anne gives Mark a quick nod. "Thanks," she says, a little irritation slipping 
  out of her eyes. "All right, if she isn't around - and she isn't, I know - 
  someone else has to be. That, I guess, is me. You don't know your tribe; do 
  you know your auspice? What have you been taught so far?"
Derrick comes trotting back down with the kit, a pillow, and some bandages.
Rose says "I am a Full Moon, because my momma told me Big Moon smiled when I 
  was born. I know all three forms. I know we must be secret. We are Garou.""
Rose finishes her pitiably brief list of lessons. "And Rites can be dangerous."
Mark mounts the stairs, pausing briefly at the landing before continuing up to 
  the second floor.
Anne pushes at some stuff on one of the counters, then pushes herself up to 
  sit on it. "All right," she says. "Speaking of being secret, you should 
  _never_ shift in this building, only in the barn or hidden in the woods, and 
  not be in anything but glabro here. There are five forms, not three. We are 
  Garou. Rites can be dangerous. Do you know what the auspices are? What their 
  duties are? Anything about what it _means_ to be Garou?"
Hazmat wanders over toward the counter where Anne is sitting and settles 
  herself on the floor, crosslegged, interested in the lesson even though she 
  probably knows all of this by heart.
Derrick does what he can for Nik, bandaging cuts and clumsily binding his 
  ribs. "Wish I could wake him up - healin' this'd be easier if he changed 
  forms."
Rose shakes her head. "We... we protect the Sacred?" she guesses.
Nikolai lies there looking like a truck had hit him front on and left him 
  mangled.
Anne turns her head to watch Derrick. "You could try throwing water on his 
  face," she sugests, before giving a thoughtful frown to Rose. "Depends. 
  What's the 'Sacred'?"
Derrick shakes him some, first. "Nik?"
Nikolai blearily opens his eyes a bit. A wave of hatred can be felt by those 
  empathic enough to pick it up.
Derrick blinks, but doesn't say anything. "Nik, shift. Y'can heal better that 
  way."
Nikolai twitches a bit with some of his muscles contorting a bit.
Nikolai contorts and blurs as he is transformed.
Nikolai shifts into Glabro form.
Derrick sighs in relief. "Ok, I sorta bound up your ribs, and I bandaged most 
  stuff, but you should prolly not be on the floor... Maddy, what say we get 
  him upstairs?"
Madeline says "Sure, no problem."
Rose looks at Nik, now seeing just how much damage she did his poor body. Her 
  face gets a sour look, she puts her hand to her mouth, trying to keep from 
  retching.
Anne puts a hand out towards Rose; she recognizes the expression, obviously. 
  "Bathroom, child."
Nikolai trys to push any help people offer away although he doesn't seem in a 
  position to offer much resistance.
Rose runs. It will be long time before she gets back.
Anne kicks her heels lightly against the cabinet beneath the shelf, watching 
  the trio of cubs silently.
Derrick and Madeline try to help Nikolai get to his feet, but eventually just 
  pick him up and carry him upstairs, even if he isn't particularly eager to 
  go.
Nikolai gets carried away. He seems unable to speak yet but his eyes stare out 
  with a birthed and growing hatred.
Madeline mounts the stairs, pausing briefly at the landing before continuing 
  up to the second floor.
Derrick mounts the stairs, pausing briefly at the landing before continuing up 
  to the second floor.
Nikolai mounts the stairs, pausing briefly at the landing before continuing up 
  to the second floor.
Hazmat watches the trio for a moment. Then she gets up and follow them.
You climb the stairs from the living room, turning eastward at the landing and 
  continuing up to the second floor.

Infirmary
The soft glow of autumn sunlight fills the room with golden warmth. Thin white 
  curtains keep the glare out while allowing enough light in to dispel 
  shadows. A small ceramic heater sits on the floor near the bed, available 
  for use when needed. A wide bed stands in the center of the south wall, 
  white linens carefully tucked in around its mattress. A low table stands 
  beside the bed, a small basin and pitcher perched atop it. Two large chairs 
  sit facing the bed, and a small wooden chair sits against the south wall 
  opposite the table. A tall cabinet occupies the northeast corner of the 
  room, its glass door revealing a well-stocked medicine cabinet, various 
  medical implements and supplies carefully arranged within.
The only exit from the room is a single door on the eastern wall.

Derrick and Madeline deposit Nik on the bed, carefully.
Hazmat lingers near the doorway, quietly.
Madeline says "Should we just leave him here to chill out?"
Nikolai lies on the bed quietly not trying to do much of anything except heal. 
  His teeth are clenched tightly as he runs thoughts of pure hate through his 
  mind.
Hazmat shakes her head slightly and moves toward the bed. "Nik?" she says, 
  softly.
Derrick does a little more first aidly stuff, then nods to Madeline. "I think 
  he's, uhm, sort of pissed just now."
Nikolai doesn't says anything. His eye merely stare up towards the ceiling 
  like they could bore right through.
Madeline says "Yeah, no kidding."
Hazmat rubs at the back of her neck and crouches down next to the bed. "Nik," 
  she says, quietly, urgently. "Nik, it's Haz."
Nikolai blocks everyone out. His mind fills with angry thoughts and his heart 
  writhes at feeling betrayed.
Hazmat glances at the other two. "Help me snap 'im outta it," she says. "Him 
  like this, it's like a huge way fuh th' Wyrm tuh get in."
Madeline says "Whaddya want us to do?"
Derrick sighs. "Nik. At least talk t'us? Yell, whatever, I like arguments."
Nikolai looks at everyone coldly as he perceives only what is dark in them. He 
  sees them for what he persumes they are...liars, betrayers, monsters, and 
  evil.
Hazmat's eyes narrow as they take in the Gaian cub's expression. She scowls. 
  "No," she snaps. "We ain't." She turns to Maddy. "Get Anne, if she's down 
  there," the Gnawer commands. "Tell 'er this kid's walkin' th' fine line to 
  th' Wyrm."
Madeline nods. "Okay, I'll be right back!"
Madeline leaves the quiet of the infirmary for the hallway, closing the door 
  with a soft click.
Hazmat turns back to the angry cub. "Nik," she says, "it ain't true. Ain't 
  nobody a saint, bu' ain't nobody here all bad, neither. C'mon, talk t'me."
Nikolai doesn't believe Hazmat. He knows that they only brought him here to be 
  like them. To be evil and serve the Devil's work. He knows they want him to 
  be like them and if he isn't....He knows they will try to kill him for being 
  righteous.
Madeline enters from the hallway, a soft click issuing from the lock as the 
  door closes.
Madeline comes back in. "She's not down there anymore."
Nikolai continues to stare out coldly.
Hazmat, though somewhat empathetic, is far from telepathic. She swears at 
  Maddy's news and turns back to Nik. "Talk t'me," she says again. Command 
  creeps into her voice. Haz doesn't often pull Rank, but she is now. "Talk 
  t'me, dammit. What happened, Nik? Talk t'me."
Derrick says "I... could try and track 'er?"
Hazmat nods to Derrick. "Do't."
Nikolai the hatred burning in his eyes for a moment as he hears Hazmats voice 
  and is briefly reminded of her being friendly to him but he then remembers 
  the cuffing as he tried to speak and the accusations. They were all agains't 
  him. All of them. The hate rekindles in his eyes.
Derrick leaves the quiet of the infirmary for the hallway, closing the door 
  with a soft click.
Hazmat exhales, sitting back on her heels. She shakes her head again. "So 
  what'er yuh gonna do, Nik? Jus' lie there an' be angry alla time?"
Nikolai rubs his ribs as the bones and tissues begin to knit and heal. He 
  remembers how Rose, who he thought was his friend, tried to gain his trust 
  just to kill him.
Madeline says "What's wrong with him? He's not usually like this."
Nikolai tries to keep a blank expression but the anger can be seen by the 
  clenched say and by the way the eyes seem to pierce and stare. He looks both 
  calm and in frenzy at the same time.
Hazmat chews on her middle right knuckle fretfully. "Yuh can't really fight 
  th' Wyrm out 'less yuh free f'm the Wyrm within." She shrugs, obviously 
  worried. "Do yuh know how t'sense Wyrm?"
Madeline says "Me? No, all I can do is glow."
Nikolai turns his gaze away from the others and their deceiving babble and 
  looks like he might try and stand.
Derrick enters from the hallway, a soft click issuing from the lock as the 
  door closes.
Hazmat continues to chew on her finger. "Same here. Fuh all I know, there 
  could be a Bane on 'im, corruptin' 'im. Wyrm spirits like stuff like this. I 
  hearda folks who walk th' Black Spiral 'cuz a' this."
Derrick comes in, panting. "Lost 'er trail."
Hazmat swears. Rather colorfully. "Nobody else 'round neither?"
Nikolai stands and begins to walk shakily towards the door while keeping a 
  wary eye on the others.
Hazmat moves quickly to block the door. "No."
Derrick shakes his head. "No one I could find." Staring at Nik, he says, "Uh, 
  Nik, you just had your _ribs_ broken. You ain't goin' anywhere."
Madeline says "Can we fix him?"
Derrick says "Fix how? He's pissed off and upset, you can't "fix" emotions. 
  That's the problem."
Nikolai narrows his eyes on Hazmat with anger building up inside again. They 
  are planning something. They want him here so they can do something to him. 
  Maybe they are keeping him here till his executioner can arrive.
Hazmat tells Maddy, "I don' know Rite a' Cleansin'. I can't even tell if he 
  *has* Wyrm on 'im or he's jus' bein' in a snit. Either way, he ain' leavin 
  here." Her glowers back at Nikolai, meeting his eyes.
Derrick says "Hey, Haz, lemme through, I wanna see if I can find her again..."
Hazmat slips to one side *just* enough to let Derrick through. Her eyes are 
  still locked on Nik's.
Derrick slips past.
Derrick leaves the quiet of the infirmary for the hallway, closing the door 
  with a soft click.
Nikolai backs off and averts his eyes as he sits back on the bed. This one 
  would surely try to slay him if he tried to leave.
Derrick enters from the hallway, a soft click issuing from the lock as the 
  door closes.
Anne enters from the hallway, a soft click issuing from the lock as the door 
  closes.
Derrick opens the door up and knocks on the frame. "Hey, found her."
Hazmat sidles to the side to let the Fury and the cub in. She exhales, seeing 
  Anne. "Ma'am."
Anne comes in, scowling irritably but without some of the anger from before.
Nikolai glances up towards the door from where he is seated at the bed. A cold 
  and angry look is in his eyes. This is the one sent to execute him. They 
  kept him here just for this Devil's spawn to come here and finish him off.
Hazmat points to the scowling Nik on the bed. "Won't talk. Caught in some 
  kinda hate-lock 'r somethin'. I saw how yuh handled Brittany... yuh better 
  at this than I am," she tells Anne, and shrugs. "I can't even tell if he's 
  ga' Wyrm on him now or what."
Derrick oodges past, and leans against a awll.
Anne regards Nikolai thoughtfully, scowl deepening, as she shuts the door. 
  Hazmat's words draw a quick look and a nod; the Fury crosses the room to 
  stand a few paces in front of Nik, obviously not close enough to touch him 
  without taking a couple more steps.
Nikolai looks at Anne for what he seems to perceive is her. A darker side of 
  her. He see only what he sees in the others. She is a deceiver, a monster, 
  and evil. She is more so than the others as she tried to get him to shift so 
  her pack friend could devour him.
Anne asks, quietly, "What's wrong, Nikolai?"
Hazmat remains by the door, arms folded across her chest, feet slightly spread 
  and stance firm.
Madeline slumps against the wall, feeling helpless.
Nikolai wonders if this one will strike him as her brother did if he does not 
  answer in time. He averts his angry gaze and says "Nuthin."
Anne observes quietly, "Given the way you're looking at me, something is 
  wrong. What is it?"
Nikolai looks like he is calm but also like he is in frenzy. His jaw is 
  tightly clenched and for those empathic enough to feel it, waves of hatred 
  seem to ripple out from him.
Anne repeats quietly, "What's wrong, Nikolai?"
Nikolai says "Its nothing. You would not believe me anyways."
Derrick snorts quietly in a corner.
Anne says dryly, "Why don't you let me be the judge of that. I rather suspect 
  you don't know anything about how I react to very much."
Nikolai says "Thats right. I don't know anything."
Anne says patiently, "Since you just met me, it _is_ rather hard for you to 
  know all that much about me. What's wrong?"
Nikolai says "I know you.....I know you all. You are just like the one who hit 
  me. Go ahead and kill me. I won't become evil like you. I won't!"
Hazmat wrinkles her nose slightly but remains silent.
Anne's expression doesn't even flicker. "Why do you think I'm evil?"
Derrick exhales a breath.
Nikolai says "Don't try to deceive me. You all are. Thats why you brought me 
  here. To make me evil like you. The stuff in Umbra and about Gaia is all a 
  lie. You are the Devil. You almost had me fooled but after today I'm sure."
Anne asks quietly, "Why? What about today?"
Nikolai says "All I tried to do was talk about how I felt. When I did, the 
  truth bit deeply into that Devil's spawn so that when I tried to speak 
  again...He struck me."
Anne shakes her head quietly. "Why," she asks, "is hitting someone sufficient 
  to prove they're Devil's spawn? Particularly since, the way it was described 
  to me, it sounded more like a light cuff, as light as a child might be given 
  when he uses swear words his mother has told him not to."
Nikolai says "He has no right to touch me from what I was told. If he wants to 
  strike me is he not suppose to issue a challenge?"
Derrick says "No."
Anne shakes her head this time slowly. "He is not," she says. "Not if it's a 
  matter of discipline. If he wants to beat on you just to beat on you, _that_ 
  he has to ask for from your elders, and I know your elders. Even if he would 
  ask, which he would not, they would say no. And fight him if need be to keep 
  him from doing so."
Nikolai says "I see.....I was told that only a person's tribe could discipline 
  one and that others must challenge. It is of no matter. I *Hate* him and I 
  *Hate* you all."
Hazmat utters a quiet sigh.
Anne repeats her second question: "Why?"
Derrick says dryly, "Gee, thanks."
Nikolai says "All you do is lecture and accuse. He could of asked me to leave 
  the house if he did not like what I had to say or better yet he could of 
  himself left. You are all the same. I know about how you send cubs you don't 
  like on suicide missions. I know about you eating people. You are all evil 
  and want me to be the same."
Derrick stares, speechless.
Hazmat shifts her weight from one foot to the other and patiently waits for 
  the Fury Galliard to set the cub straight.
Madeline moves over to the window, and stares out at the cold farmyard.
Anne tilts her head to one side, listening through the tirade. She answers, 
  slowly, "It is full moon. No one of his auspice, his tie to the moon, has 
  any but a short temper during this phase of the moon. He outranks you; he 
  has no need to leave, and if he wishes you to explain yourself you are 
  required by our law to do so. We do not send cubs on suicide missions, 
  although it is true that some cubs do die on their Rite of Passage, the 
  quest to be called an adult in our society. I have never heard of anyone 
  eating people in recent times; that too is forbidden by law. I do not know 
  why you think we are evil, except that your education has been botched so 
  you do not understand why we do what we do."
Nikolai listens intently as he tries to pick out any falsehoods.
Nikolai says "I have heard two different stories. You both can't be telling 
  the truth. Either one is lying or one doesn't know the truth themselves."
Anne's expression still doesn't change. "What other story have you heard?"
Nikolai says "I have heard that Garou will occasionally out of Rage, will 
  accidently attack friends and even eat people. Everyone tries to rationalize 
  their rage by thinking they are some holy warrior and are exempt from 
  responsibity. I don't think they are and I think they are far from holy."
Anne says, quietly, "The Rage is something else again. Yes, we are warriors 
  against evil. Yes, we sometimes Rage out of control. There is much loss of 
  honor and wisdom for that, to the point that sometimes we are shunned or, if 
  bad enough, sentenced through the law to some punishment. And as for eating 
  people -" The lips of the Galliard twist in disgust. "There is a kind of 
  frenzy, called Thrall of the Wyrm. That is the only time that happens. The 
  Rage is a useful weapon, but when not controlled it turns against the user, 
  and opens into them a path for the Wyrm. Such things are...not accepted by 
  our people."
Nikolai says "Well...I'm not going to talk about how I know about what I know 
  about how you handle cubs. It was private with whom I talke to and I suspect 
  I don't know enough. It doesn't matter....I'll keep away from your crazy 
  rabid ahrouns and everyone else for that matter. The hell if I'll trust 
  anyone of you again."
Anne shakes her head once again, slowly. "Nikolai," she says softly, "you risk 
  your own soul if you shut us out. Your Rage, too, is a conduit for the Wyrm 
  if not controlled."
Madeline turns away from the window. "Damn it, Nik, would you just chill? I 
  ain't gonna do nothin' to you, Anne's not gonna do nothin' to you, Dillan's 
  not gonna do nothin' to you. So quit whinin' about it."
Nikolai says "So what if they did. I was ready to die when I first slugged 
  that Bastard. No. Do what ever you want to do."
Hazmat continues to remain silent, though the lupus' expression is sympathetic.
Nikolai goes silent and tries not to look at anyone. His hatred seems 
  dissipated somewhat but the distrust firmly remains.
Anne shrugs slightly. "Since all I want to do is go for a walk in the woods, 
  that should be agreeable enough to you."
Nikolai shrugs and says nothing.
Derrick sighs. "I haven't and won't do anythin' to you either. Well, other 
  than keepin' you from gettin' killed. _You_ may not mind dyin', but I think 
  it's a damn waste."
Madeline's patience seems at an end. "Listen, Nik. I'm an Ahroun. I can't 
  change that, and I don't wanna. If you can't deal with that, then fine, go 
  off and mope, but don't go accusin' me of nothin' for how I was born." She 
  then heads for the door, not really caring if he responds.
Hazmat steps to one side to let Maddy past.
Madeline leaves the quiet of the infirmary for the hallway, closing the door 
  with a soft click.
Nikolai remembers being treated for how he was born and not for who he was. He 
  watches Madeline leave with guilt for one moment before he rationalizes that 
  she must be like the rest of them anyways.
Hazmat settles into a crouch near the doorway, squatting on her heels and 
  using a spare hand to help balance herself. She watches Nik quietly, her 
  face half obscured by her hair.
Derrick finally grabs a chair and plunks into it.
Anne's exrepssion turns thoughtful as she watches Maddy, and Nikolai's 
  reaction to her. After a few moments, she shrugs, and says quietly, 
  "Nikolai, I'd like you to stay here at the house until I can get Quiet or 
  Robert up here to talk to you, since they're your elders. And remember, 
  don't throw away what you have because you think it's something different. 
  I've not lied to you, I swear that by Gaia."
Nikolai leans back on the bed and stares up at the ceiling. He still looks 
  angry but not so much as he was.
Hazmat bobs her head in agreement with Anne.
Nikolai says "Whatever."
Anne gives both remaining cubs a long, still thoughtful look, then turns and 
  walks, pace slow and measured, over to the door. She pauses to give Hazmat a 
  weary smile, then makes her way out the door and downstairs.
Anne leaves the quiet of the infirmary for the hallway, closing the door with 
  a soft click.
Long distance to Anne: Hazmat answered your smile before you left. And mouthed 
  a 'thanks.'