Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (42% full).
Currently in Saint Claire, it's a sunny day. The temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the northeast at 6 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.05 and falling, and the relative humidity is 49 percent. The dewpoint is 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius.)
It is currently 19:57 Pacific Time on Thu Jul 26 2001.
Walker Safe House(#2832RAJ)
This small tenement building is a work that any interior decorator would be proud of. The building is somehow filled with light and space, despite the fact that the room is far from large. Mirrored surfaces and lush green potted plants are much in evidence - jarring only slightly with the video cameras that perch unobtrusively in various locations. A small sign on the wall lists the number of apartments upstairs as eight, though there are no names next to the apartment numbers. A very thick door leads downstairs, with no visible method of being opened - except a keypad next to it. A monitor is perched above the entrance, showing images from the hidden camera that watches the outside of the building.
The lobby branches off into what appears to be a small recreation room; for use only by residents and their guests. Much like the rest of the building, mirrors are prominent. There is a pool table set up in one half of the room, along with a small fridge for storing drinks and a cabinet for snackables. The remainder is dominated by a large home theater system, with an incredibly expensive-looking couch in front of it. The couch nearly screams out, 'Don't spill anything'. For those who might, there are also two matching side-chairs, and a bean-bag on the floor - far too close to the television to be good for anyone's eyes.
Lianne hobbles over to the basement door and picks up her cane, moodily looking it over and checking for dammage.
Roger holds his gun up at the cub a bit longer then sighs and puts it in it's holster. Once every is situated in the basement he tells the cub to find a comfortable place to sit, "This is going to hurt a bit... but you need toughening anyways." he says with a smile as he takes out a lighter and puts a long thin knife from the leatherman in a flame for a few seconds.
Spot holds Jonathan down by the shoulders, just in case, but it doesn't seem to be necessary. The cub winces slightly at the knife but makes no sign that he's about to move.
Roger glances for a moment to where the painkillers lie then looks to John with a questioning expression.
Hearing the ruckus from downstairs, Dizzy hurries down the stairs and stops, surveying the situation. "What the hell is going on?" she demands, looking around. Apparently it's something that is not really going to helped by her presence, but it's too late now.
John, satisfied that nobody needs their asses kicked, unfolds his arms, and moves into the infirmary long enough to point out the painkillers to Roger, silently. He grunts, "I'm going to go talk to Jeremy." then moves up the stairs, out of the basement.
Satisified that her cane is undamaged, Lianne leans against it. "Well, that went reasonably well. All things considered. If there is nothing else, I'd like to leave now."
"What is all the noise about?" Dizzy asks again. "What is going on?"
John nods to Lianne, dismissing her, unconsciously. His thoughts are elsewhere. "Next time, a shoulder or leg, maybe?" Looking at the newly-arrived Dizzy, John shrugs, and gestures to the basement. "I found out about Jon touching Jeremy whilst in Glabro. I let Lianne teach him a lesson about kin, instead of doling out the punishment myself. Learn from his mistakes. Respect your kin." He starts moving for the rec room, obviously intending to find Jeremy.
Lianne heads for the door. Dizzy probably notices that there is a reasonably large blood stain on the floor.
Dizzy is stunned for a second, she looks to John, and then to Lianne, and finally towards the basement. Heading over to it, she peeks in, interested in finding out exactly what happened.
Basement(#2591J)
The basement consists of plain cement flooring and walls. Aside from one wall, which is made out of metal and has a matching steel door. This leads into the second half of the basement. Nothing has been done to make this room homey at all. It is little more then a cement cube. With a small drain in the middle of the floor, and a hose curled up and resting neatly in one corner. Large chucks have been torn out of the cement walls and are in various stages of repair.
The infirmary is the second half of the basement. There are three cots in the room, along with a storage cabinet. It holds simple bandages, to IV bags, and painkillers that should not be available outside of a hospital. The floor is covered by a thick pile rug, while the walls are a warm rosy color. The buildings furnace is tucked into one corner, occasionally roaring into life.
The boy does as he is told, breathing slowly, though it's still shallow. Fear glints in the boy's eyes, and he looks up at Spot. Spot kneels beside him, trying to comfort him as well as she can with a warrior's body. ~Cub not set in cave like quarry. Cub not fall like warrior this moon. Sing it to him. I would be grateful if you teach him this.~
Roger thinks on this a moment as it seems a reasonable request, however. "You will not fall to death tonight young theurge. You'll be useful to Gaia yet. Lest you fuck it up... I'm hoping tonight will do well in educating you in not doing that however." He recovers the container and opening it, attempts to pour a mentally measured amount down the cub's throat. "Drink and feel better."
Dizzy watches the proceedings silently, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of her face.
Jonathan accepts the liquid, his sour face lasting only a moment, till the serum numbs his tastebuds. Slowly, the anesthetic takes effect, and his mind becomes numb as well. His breathing grows slower, less shallow as he looks up at Spot, focusing on her face. "Bedr'an any ber /I/ ever tasssed," he says, his speech slurring his joke.
Spot kneels beside him on the conrete, silently.
Jon is sedated and the work is done quickly, and less gruesomly then Roger initially intended on doing. A little cutting, a bit of digging, and out of the wound a bullet is slid out with the help of a pair of large tweezers. Roger doesn't even bother to sew up the wound, as without the bullet there it closes up and heals away almost instantainiously.
Dizzy winces at watching the bullet removal. She wonders exactly who fired the shot, but saves asking for later.
Spot lifts the boy up and sets him on a cot to finish sleeping off the anesthetics. She walks up the stairs, bent so she won't bump her head, and motions for Dizzy to follow her. To Roger, she says, ~I am grateful. You heal him well, good like a Seer. And sing my song good. Thank you. I rise now to my territory. Cub stays in this cave to rest.~
Roger seems a bit wierded out by her butchering use of the mother's tongue but hides it well enough. "Sure... caves and territory and all. And I heal like I heal... that is all."
Dizzy nods silenty to her roommate and moves out of the way so she can exit the basement.
Spot slips awkwardly by Dizzy, trying not to get any of the blood her fur is dripping with on the girl's clothes. She pushes the large red button that unlocks the basement door and steps out, looking around to assess the situation upstairs.
Walker Safe House(#2832RAJ)
This small tenement building is a work that any interior decorator would be proud of. The building is somehow filled with light and space, despite the fact that the room is far from large. Mirrored surfaces and lush green potted plants are much in evidence - jarring only slightly with the video cameras that perch unobtrusively in various locations. A small sign on the wall lists the number of apartments upstairs as eight, though there are no names next to the apartment numbers. A very thick door leads downstairs, with no visible method of being opened - except a keypad next to it. A monitor is perched above the entrance, showing images from the hidden camera that watches the outside of the building.
The lobby branches off into what appears to be a small recreation room; for use only by residents and their guests. Much like the rest of the building, mirrors are prominent. There is a pool table set up in one half of the room, along with a small fridge for storing drinks and a cabinet for snackables. The remainder is dominated by a large home theater system, with an incredibly expensive-looking couch in front of it. The couch nearly screams out, 'Don't spill anything'. For those who might, there are also two matching side-chairs, and a bean-bag on the floor - far too close to the television to be good for anyone's eyes.
Dizzy follows briskly behind her roommate. Once cleared of the basement she asks, "Who shot him? Lianne?"
A large pool of blood is on the rec-room floor, with a trail of blood leading to the basement. Other than that, everyone seems to have gone. Spot nods to Dizzy. ~Female one, yes.~ She points to the staircase, saying ~I rise now.~
As much as Sophie stumbles with speaking the garou tongue, Dizzy stumbles with trying to understand. "You should take a shower or something. I hope blood is easy to get out of fur."
A quick drumming of feet precedes Corey's appearance on the stairs. He slows as he sees a crinos form covered in blood in front of him and apparently heading his way, and tries to keep the 'holyshitI'mtooyoungtodie' expression off his face. "Uh..." he begins intelligently.
Spot holds up her big paws to show that she's not hurt. Or is it a gesture of surrender? In any case, it's meant to placate the boy. "Shhhh. Sh-Sh." ~I am not a warrior this moon.~
Corey holds up his own hand, getting himself under control. "Yeah, sorry, gut reaction. I'll be fine." He slips past Spot to the ground floor and looks around wide-eyed. "What the hell happened here? I'm fairly sure this /ain't/ kool-aid."
Spot shakes her head and points to the stairs. ~I must rise to sing it. Come.~
Corey blinks and follows Spot back upstairs.
Spot points to the apartment door. ~Cub makes the trail clear for sister.~ She waits for Dizzy to open it, ducking inside.
Roach Motel: Bachelorette Pad(#4128RAJ$)
Small, bare, and uninviting, this little apartment is clearly not the dwelling of a homebody, nor of a person accustomed to entertaining. The sitting area has only bright white plastic lawn furniture that looks as if it might have been manufactured by Tupperware. Makeshift shelves of cinderblocks and 1"X8" boards bow with the weight of scores of books. Titles like "Rescuing the Bible From Middle America" or "Zarathustra: Modernism in Antiquity" can be seen here, along with dozens of dime-store paperbacks. The small writing table is completely taken up by a computer, powered up and humming softly.
The kitchen looks as if it might never have been cooked in. A small microwave on the counter is still blinking "12:00", no one having bothered to set the clock. Beside it is an electric can opener. The only evidence of use is a single glass in the stainless steel sink and a few fast-food bags in the trashcan. The sole decoration on the refrigerator is a postcard bearing a photograph of a monstrous, grimy power plant with "Come to Hanford!" printed on the bottom in fluorescent green.
Through a door opposite the kitchen, the tiny bedroom looks slightly more lived-in. On top of a black particle-board dresser sit a hairbrush, a few hair-ties, and several plastic hairclips, along with a small pile of cheap costume jewelry. A frame designed to hold several of snapshots is hung squarely on the wall. One bed is made, a bright yellow bedspread bravely trying to cheer up the room. Another is made half-heartedly, the bedspread just carelessly tossed over the top, as if to humor someone.
Dizzy unlocks and opens the door for her roommate. "Here we go."
Corey just follows with a puzzled look on his face. He's a couple steps slower at piecing together what Spot is saying than she is at saying it.
Spot points to the bathroom. After entering it and shutting the door halfway, she calls "Hey, Diz? Could you get my black sweats and that purple T-shirt out for me? And you know... the other stuff that's in there too? I'll explain all of this once I shower." Right... like there's a whole lot of clothing in the drawer to choose from.
Sophie's roommate goes through the clothing and easily spots what Sophie called for. Dizzy makes a mental note to take Sophia out shopping for clothes after she gets rited. "Here they are," she annouces, holding them out to the bathroom door so that they can easily be taken. To Corey she says, "Apparently they taught Hops a lesson about how kin should be treated by having Lianne shoot him." She shrugs, "At least, that's my understanding."
Sophia looks down at her hands. She calls out, "Just... drop them there by the door. I don't want to get blood on them. And yeah, that's basically what happened. He didn't know to shift, though, and almost died. The bullet punctured his lung. He's in Glabro now, though, and healing." She turns on the water and steps in, oblivious to the conversation for several minutes.
Corey is about to sit down when Dizzy makes the explanation, and he practically leaps back to his feet. "Holy... did he try something stupid with Lianne? Or is this for scaring off Jeremy?" Yeah, like he's totally innocent of keeping the Kin boy away since last night.
Dizzy drops the clothes by the door and takes a seat, "For what he did to Jeremy, I think." She shakes her head. "I can't belive he got _shot_ though."
Corey begins to pace. "Crap. Crap, crap, crap." He stops and holds out his arm in front of him, examining what veinwork he can see. "Should have realized before now that if we can heal some things in no time flat, punishment has to be more severe... but getting /shot/? That still seems extreme..."
"And I thought getting a black eye was bad. Though... I think he deserved to get shot for all the shit he's been up to," the elder ragabash says, with no hint of remorse in her voice.
The water in the shower is shut off, Sophia having gotten the blood off with little difficulty. She reaches one arm out of the door and pulls the clothes in quickly.
Corey resumes his walk to nowhere. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe now he'll figure out what he's lacking. I wouldn't hold my breath on that count, though." He glances at the bathroom when he notices motion, then quickly averts his gaze.
Dizzy slips down in her chair, almost to the point where it starts to look uncomfortable. "I dunno what should be done with him. It's not like we really have any say anyway. He could be the biggest asshole in the world but we need every single person we can get, asshole or not."
After dressing, Sophia comes out, looking worn; used up. "I just have one thing to say, first and foremost. /I/ am /not/ cleaning up the blood. Crazy old bitch can fuckin' hire someone to do it, or get out the mop and bucket her-fuckin'-self." She flumps down on the new couch, her hair wrapped in a towel.
A wry grin works itself onto the younger ragabash's face. "Well, at least we followed the rules... no fighting upstairs." The humor's somewhat flat in this situation, however.
"Just when things were starting to look like they were returning to a non-weird state, bam!" Dizzy throws her arms up and out, simulating an explosion. "Now everything is just messed up."
Sophia shakes her head. "Nope. It's just finalized. Not that I wouldn't just love to steal the woman's cane and beat her with it, but at least she taught him a couple important lessons. First, don't fuck with the kin, they might be packing something. Could even be silver, who knows. Second, shift when you're wounded, don't just roll over and die."
"Maybe it's about time we accepted that messed up is normal around here." Another joke from Corey? Not at all. "And, lessons noted. We can't really afford to kick our allies around like so much machinery." He pauses and adds, "So what happens when you can't shift? I mean, if it breaks the Veil."
Dizzy sits up straight, looking at her roommate as if she had no idea who she was. "A little violent tonight, arn't you?" she asks.
Sophia frowns, grim. "You heal as slow as a human. And yeah, I'm feeling a little testy. Not at you two, of course, but I've had a shitty fuckin' week and just watched by brother get shot for lifting someone off the ground. Jeremy came in while he was bleeding and dying on the floor. Did I tell you that? Y'know what he did? He sat down and started playing with his little weaver-toy, like nothing was fucking happening. The elders just stood over Hops, talking casually. He was dying! If he hadn't shifted when he did, he'd be gone. And they were just talking! They didn't even try to call anyone or help him or anything. I had to carry him down to the basement. I practically had to beat down the door before /Lianne/ came and opened it."
Corey just stares at Sophia as if she'd grown a third eye, on a stalk, a bit above her left ear.
"What the heck are you talking about, Sophie?" Dizzy asks, incredulously viewing her roommate. "Hops so deserved whatever he got. Unless you're amnesiac and have forgotten what has been going on recently?"
Sophia lowers her head, glaring at Dizzy. "I had just informed him that if he touched me again I'd break his hand, and if he tried a second time I'd break the arm. I know as well as anyone that he deserved to be in some serious pain. But he's just a baby, doesn't know how to take care of himself. He just laid there, for a real long time, blood pouring out of him, gurgling and choking on it. Eyes glazed over. I was holding him in my arms, I know there wasn't much left in him. You saying he fuckin' deserved that? For trying to protect me?"
Corey shakes his head. "I don't know what to think about this anymore. Shooting him's one thing... letting him sit there bleeding is another. I can only guess the rhyas figured he liked taking Glabro to intimidate, he should be able to use it to heal himself. Only... did anyone tell him about how we heal, before this?"
With more than a hint in anger in her voice, Dizzy shoots back at Sophia, "Oh, that's right. I must be the one with amnesia because I fucking forgot that you are fucking blind. He wasn't trying to protect you, he was the one trying to..." she pauses, not wanting to be so vulgar as to use the word fuck for it's literal meaning. "Not Jeremy. And now _he's_ fucking fed up and I know that at least I'm going to miss him if he doesn't fucking come back."
Sophia shakes her head. "He saw me do it once, after I punched the door, but I didn't explain it to him. I should have. If he'd died, his blood would've been on my hands. But he knows now. He knows damn well. And Jeremy? If he came over today just to sit there watching someone nearly bleed to death, I doubt he'll be phased by our little tiff. He's heartless. They all are. They have no room to pity anyone but themselves."
Corey makes only one observation. "And that's what we're expected to become." His voice may be quiet, but there's a tension to it. Probably something he's been picking up from the room.
Corey is picking up the tension very well, as Dizzy is radiating quite a bit of anger directed towards her roommate. "He's the one who's heartless?" she asks in disbelief, "He's not the one who dumped his boyfriend just because of what other people said. Hell, if I had been down it that room I would have just watched Hops get shot myself."
Sophia shakes her head fast, sending the towel tumbling onto her shoulders. "No. Never. I never want to see any of us /try/ to become that cruel. /Please/," she pleads. Her shoulders start to shake as the full force of the memory comes back. "I was calling for them, asking them to help me, and they just stood there. I mean, c'mon... how hard is it to call someone? Or open a damn door?" She slumps over her knees, wrapping her arms around them. "They would have let him die. They would have let me look into my brother's eyes and watch him die in my arms."
Corey starts to shake, himself, and he grips the nearby desk so it doesn't show. "No. Never. I saw what happened to my dad... he's shoved his emotions so far down inside him, it was like trying to talk to a mask last time he came off base." He suddenly stops talking and walks to the door. "Excuse me. This is not how I prefer to spend the evening, and I'd rather not trash your apartment by accident."
Seeing that she's not getting a response, Dizzy gives the male cub a short, "Goodnight," and retreats into her bedroom to stew.
Sophia looks up, concerned for Corey, and just waves to him. She pulls her knees up to her chest and sits there like a bump on a log... a very pathetic bump on a log.
Dizzy grumbles, walking back into the main room, heading for the kitchen. She glances over at the bump on a log and continues on her way. If the girl wants to sulk, she can sulk.
Sophia looks up at Dizzy, her face contorted like she's in physical pain, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. "Look... my world is too much for me right now. Can we /please/ just /talk/? I couldn't handle it if you hate me too, now. After what I said to Hops, even he's gonna hate me. Please, just tell me. Why are you mad at me? I'll fix it."
At the sound of the theurge's voice, Dizzy stops and takes a second to calm and compose herself. She turns from the fridge and steps back out into the main living area. "Look. I'm not sure if I _want_ to talk. I'm not sure if you're being crazy just because that was going on recently or if you're so dense as not to realize what has been going on. Frankly, Hops is the _last_ person I'd worry about being mad at me if I were you."
Sophia clenches her eyes and buries her face in the back of the couch. "I know," she manages to eek out.
Dizzy sighs heavilly and turns back towards the frige, not wanting to look at her roommate like she is. After opening and seeing that there is really nothing in that she wants, Dizzy slams the fridge door shut, digusted. "Look, Sophie..." she starts to say, but like her trip to the kitchen, she really has no idea where she was going with the sentence and just drops it there.
Sophia wipes her tears off on her shoulder and looks up at Dizzy, sniffling a little. "Why do you think I'm crazy? Just... that I didn't want him to die?"
"No, because you have been acting very irrational lately," Dizzy states, taking a chair directly accross from her roommate. "I mean, I can understand that you were scared about your relationship with Jeremy and that's why you left him, but you were uncharacteristically harsh with him in doing so. And God knows why you constantly seem to feel the need to defend Jonathan." She sighs and resituates herself in the chair so that her legs hang off one arm and her back is against the other. "You don't need to support the world on your shoulders, you know."
Sophia shrugs. "Gaia knows why. He and I are very close. And at least on my part, that's totally innocent. He's a good kid, just confused. No one explains things to him, and they let him get away with shit they shouldn't. I didn't feel the need to defend him at all, till he started bleeding. He deserved to be punished, sure. But what he did wasn't /that/ bad. And with Jeremy, well... I don't know what to say. I was cold and heartless, yeah. But I did it on purpose, so things would stay where I put them."
Dizzy chews a bit on her lower lip, "I just fear that you may have alienated Jeremy. When I last spoke to him he was planning to leave for good. I had to practially beg him not too."
Sophia shrugs again, resting her chin on her knees. "I know I've alienated him. After what happened last night, I doubt he'll ever speak to me again. And that's /not/ what I was trying to do. I just wanted to pour water on any torch he was carrying for me, make him hate me just a little bit. But now he hates me completely. He thinks I'm trying to humiliate him, and I'm /not/. I wanted to save us /both/ our pride. That's why I did what I did so cold, so stoic. I wanted us both to be able to walk away from it proud. Honest, I swear. I didn't want to rob him of his dignity."
Dizzy puts the question to Sophia, "Why didn't you just tell him? I mean, tell him that you wanted some time? I don't think he would have been so opposed to that, do you?"
Sophia shakes her head. "That's not what I want. I want it to be over and done with, in the past, so things don't change anymore." She grimaces. "But I didn't think it through. Everything's still changing, getting steadily worse every second."
"You can't stop change Sophie," Diz explains, "It's a fact of life. I heard you tell Daisy yourself. The only thing that doesn't change is the fact that life constantly changes." Looking up at the ceiling she adds, "Or maybe this _is_ a good thing. Perhaps you arn't ready for a relationship."
Sophia holds out her hands. "I'm not! That's what I've been trying to tell everyone, and they just don't listen. Sure, I had a crush on him, and it was me that asked /him/ on a date. But I didn't /know/. I didn't know it was going to be like this. I want it to be like it never happened. I'm not ready to get married and have kids yet. And even when I'm a Cliath, I still won't be ready. Change is ok. That's fine. But not so much, all at once. I'm just one person, I can't do everything. With teaching and learning and fighting and just trying to make ends meet, I won't have time for a family."
A small grin creeps onto Dizzy's face, despite herself. "I still don't think you'd be expected to make babies right after making Cliath. Though, I suppose we werewolves do weirder things than that."
Sophia nods, eyes wide. "I've seen some weird shit. Anyway, the Jeremy thing is just a non-issue now. There's no way to repair it even if I wanted to. And the Hops thing? I honestly don't think he's going to try anything ever again. And I don't have to worry about him going after Jeremy once he finds out we broke up, which is a good thing, I guess. I'm really not upset at them for him getting shot. It was when they /didn't care/ that I started getting pissed."
Dizzy turns to look directly at her roommate. "Do you really think they would have just let him die?" she asks with a bit of anticipation, and a bit of fear.
Sophia nods, tears starting to fall again from her wide-open eyes. "I kept telling them to do something, I really did. I tried! But I guess they figured if he was dumb enough not to shift they d-d-didn't w-w-want him anymore."
Dizzy swallows and suddenly finds her knees very interesting, "That's how it is, I suppose, you know? If he hasn't enough sense to heal himself, then he's not going to survive fighting Wyrmthings. Lord! I have _no_ idea how they expect me to fight."
Sophia half-smiles. "The thing is, you /learn/. You learn how to use your body. The only reason I'm any tougher than you are is I've been trained. You guys are still so little, you don't know these things yet. But you'll figure it out, I promise. You'll be tough, thick-skinned, like Cockroach. And besides. Most of the fighting is for Ahroun to do. You're a ragabash. You're supposed to be sneaky, to solve problems /without/ fighting. You're the scout, y'know? Even in war, the little guy is useful. He gets into secret places, finds information. He doesn't need to fight, because he can run like the wind, and he's smarter than those dumb brutes on the other side." As the topic flows away from recent events, she becomes noticeabely calmer, even releasing her grip on her legs, folding them up in front of her. She's almost, almost enthusiastic, making a little puppet show of gestures with her hands to illustrate how useful a Ragabash can be.
Dizzy watches her roommate and then thinks on what she says, turning her attention towards the ceiling. "Be sneaky, hmmm? I suppose I should call someone about training in that sort of stuff. I mean, since Core is the only other one of us that is a new moon. I'd call Bernie, like you suggested, but I'm not too sure I want to do anything to Core any more. He's been such a great brother lately."
Sophia grins, true and sincere happiness warming her face like dawn washing over the night. "You should call her anyway! She is /so/ cool. She's like, one of the neatest people I've ever met in my whole life. Well, except Signe-rhya and Sepdet-rhya. And no, you shouldn't do anything mean to Nails now. He has it just as rough as the rest of us, I just never realized it because he always seems so... sane. But yeah! Call Bernie, anytime you want. She's real, real nice, and smart, too. And you'll need a girl to keep you company once I leave, besides."
Dizzy frowns, "You're not still planning to go out in the woods, are you?"
Sophia nods. "Well, not still, but again. For different reasons. There's nothing here for me to run away from, so you don't have to worry about that any more. But yes, there are things I need to learn that can't be taught in the city. It's too dangerous to go in the Umbra for a cub, this far from the Caern. It's not guarded well out here, and even some of the /good/ spirits will kill you for looking at them wrong. So I have to go into the woods. I'm gonna live on the bawn and everything, learn from whoever I can. But don't feel bad for me. I love it out there."
Dizzy is not pleased by this news and almost voices this, but instead she keeps her mouth shut. Staring at the ceiling intently now, wishing that this whole garou thing had never happened.
Sophia frowns, concerned. "What's wrong, Dizzy? You can come see me! It's not like we're gonna be separated forever. You just gotta get someone to take you out there."
"That's a problem, Sophie. I didn't get to meet enough people before that night," Dizzy explains, "I hardly know anyone else around town, garou or not. I've met a bunch of cubs to be sure, but I can't leave with them. I can't even call Jeremy over and go out to eat or something. This place is really a prison."
Sophia looks down at the floor, thinking. "Alright, then. We'll just have to get you acquainted with everyone, before I go! First of all, there's Bernie and Kaz. And I don't care what you think of Gnawers, if you want to meet people Gnawers are the place to start. Kaz is great, but really I think you'd get along better with Bernie. She's a little older than me, and lots of fun. Did I tell you she can open beer by looking at it funny? That's a Ragabash thing. Useful for other stuff, too."
Dizzy relinquishes a bit on her previously stated opinion, "I've met them, albeit briefly. I've met quite a few people, but getting ahold of them while stuck here is a big problem. I know around where Kaz is supposed to hang out, but I just can't go and say hey, you know?"
Sophia holds out her hands. "Bernie has a cell-phone. You /should/ have that number, from when John gave you that list. Or if not, I've got it. And I already cleared things with her, asked her if it was cool if you came to her for advice. So here's what you do. You come up with some question. It doesn't even matter if you already know the answer, just make sure it's something Bernie would know about and would enjoy telling you about. You following me so far?"
Dizzy blinks, sitting up, "Oh, I thought that was the number for her place, wherever she stays. I didn't know it was a cell number."
Sophia nods. "She's got both. I'll make sure you have both the numbers. Ok, so next. You've got this burning question in your mind, so who do you turn to? Everybody's favorite Gnawer, Bernie! Did I tell you her deedname? It used to be Reads-In-The-Dark, but now it's something like Kicks-Da-Shit-Outta-Da-Wyrm-With-Steel-Toed-Boots, or some crazy shit like that. Anyway, so you call her with this burning desire to have the question answered, and you invite her over to visit. And order pizza or chinese from the place down the street or something, make a little party out of it. And just use that time to make friends with her. Then you can call her for no reason, and not feel funny about it, like you're intruding."
Dizzy walks over and gives her roommate a hug, "Thanks," she says with a smile. "I'll be sure to do that."
Sophia hugs her back, happy that to have found a groove again. "Y'know what, though? Better to make it several questions, or just think of more while she's there. Make sure the conversation lasts long enough that you can really get to know each other. And if it doesn't? Keep calling her, when you think of something else to ask. K?"
Dizzy nods, "Yeah, will do. But for now..." She grins and motions with her head to the bedroom, "I'm off to bed."
Sophia nods, smiling warmly. "I'll be up a while longer. Sleep well, and dream of sneaky victories."