Currently the moon is in the waxing Full Moon phase (93% full).
Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 57 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the east at 5 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.00 and falling, and the relative humidity is 77 percent. The dewpoint is 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius.)
It is currently 22:47 Pacific Time on Sat Sep 1 2001.
Walker Safe House(#2832RAJL)
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.
A fuzzy shape enters the monitoring screen watching the doorway, which gradually focuses onto a young woman of oriental backgrounds. And, seeing there's no doorbell to ring on, she knocks. Tentative at first, and then harder after realizing the door seems pretty thick.
[Yi]
No more is there a curious innocence about her, just a feeling of cautious vigilance. Almond-shaped coffee brown eyes gaze out evenly for awhile, until they seem to disengage from active surveillance and turn inward to watch the soul. A short cascade of highlighted brownish black hair layers off to outline the curves of her face and mask the true hints of emotion in her eyes. The scars upon her body tell quite an enigmatic tale, the visible ones found on certain parts of the forehead, neck and limbs. The wounds, though healed, seem to cut much deeper into the regions of the spirit. Despite the inner burdens she carries, Yi moves with a natural grace of one whose life rides upon concealing shadows.
Adding to the dark effect are her clothes, covering her leanly muscular frame with their black colors. A long black jacket of leather like quality covers her shoulders, flowing down to midthigh and inside containing some hidden pockets out of eye's view. Underneath, a navy blue shirt that may as well be black. Going down are black pants, form-fitting but comfortable and loose in the right spots, a glittering steel buckled belt adding its accessory. Finishing are a pair of black boots, the recent shine to them show she's taken care of their presentation. The only things that would seem ever out of place with her modern, sombre look, is the pendant worn around her neck. (+detail Yi's pendant)
Out from the rec room comes Dizzy, walking over to the door to see who is interrupting her boredom. She glances at the monitor, then glances up the stairs. Maybe someone ordered Chinese. Opening the door just a crack so she can stick her head out, she asks, "How may I help you?"
"I'm, looking for John." Yi states clearly enough, accented as her voice were. She tries taking a peek inside via the small crack in the doorway about the size of Dizzy's head.
Dizzy opens the door the rest of the way and gestures for the asian girl to enter. "Come in and I'll go get him." She leaves the door open for the girl to close as she wanders over to the intercom and presses a button. "John, are you in?"
Yi steps in with a quick look behind her, then closes the door after. Polite as usual, she waits for further inviting commands to go anywhere or sit down. In the meanwhile, her roaming eyes find interest in the details of the place. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she notes things about the woman who answered the door.
The intercom buzzes at Dizzy, "Yeah. What's up?" She presses the button again and replies, "There's someone here to see you." Dizzy looks back at the girl for a second and then adds, quietly, "Some asian girl."
Yi is standing quietly just inside the door, waiting for the ahroun she's come searching for. At the voice over the intercom her eyes turn away from the small speaker box and focus down at the floor.
"I'll be right down," the intercom buzzes back. Dizzy walks back towards the girl, "He'll be right down," she informs her.
Yi dips her head in acknowledgement to Dizzy's statement, glancing up as she does. Again, the inner questions go unvoiced though an eyebrow arches at the cub.
He is right down. From the lobby, the sound of John's door closing is audible, and his footsteps on the stairs as he makes his way out. His eyes are fixed on the Asian girl, immediately, and he gives her a quick nod. "So?"
Dizzy takes a step back so the two can have their chat. She doesn't go anywhere, however. Anything would be more interesting then sitting around watching TV.
So what? Not that she was expecting anything more warming from the Walker ahroun, but there is a brief flash of indignancy within before it's stifled down. The full moon must be getting to her more than usual. "So. You Walkers always invite people in without finding out who they are first?" Her eyes stray past the ahroun to flitter their gaze on Dizzy before focusing back to John. "So, I'm back."
"I can see that..." John grunts, making his way down the steps and eyeing Dizzy. "And yeah. That's why the security on the door. Finding out who people are, first." The look's only brief, though, and John stops at the bottom of the stairs, folding his arms and looking Yi over critically. "So. And what that means, is... how'd things go?" A pause. "What'd you... find?"
Dizzy does not just invite people in! She shrugs, looking indefferent. "Thought maybe someone ordered takeout. Plus, not too many people come looking for John here, except for..." She looks at Yi, trying to figure out if she's safe, "except for people who are okay to let in."
Yi's eyes fall downward and away, a subconscious reflex at the mere thought of what happened, both last night and in the past few months. Body language tells most of the mood, and she shoves her hands, gloved as they are, into her jacket pockets. "Enough." Her answer is terse, bitter, vague, and probably enraging if one were overly curious. Certainly not a satisfactorily informative answer.
John nods to Dizzy, satisfied. "Yeah. They ask for me, it's okay. Yi here's Garou, though." He eyes Yi again, and that strange quiescence, with a vague hint of concern. "Enough." he repeats, thoughtfully. Starting to frown. He leaves the silence hanging.. waiting to be filled.
"Yi. Otherwise known as Three-Blades, if you need that. Newmoon, cliath, Gnawer." Each bit is clipped, to be filled in with a more warm introduction should a time for relaxing come. The floored eyes slowly trek back upwards, settling on the chest of the big ahroun, then his neck. "Sepdet...was right." She swallows dryly after that statement, and pushes her gaze down again.
"Gnawers mostly," Dizzy says, finishing her sentence how she intended it. "I'm Dizzy, Ragabash cub. Spins-in-Circles and Protects-Others-from-Themselves." She glances over at John to judge his reaction to her introduction.
John's measurement of Yi is interrupted - he can't help but raise an eyebrow at Dizzy's last addition. "Hmm. We have to talk, sometime." he grunts quickly, then looks back to Yi - his face softens somewhat. "About how much?"
Yi debates within herself. How much indeed. But, instead of telling the ahroun with words, she lets him see. The gloves get pulled off, then the black jacket. Holding the coat in hand, the black tanktop she's wearing tonight reveals enough of the scars that criss cross over her arms, shoulders, and elsewhere.
Dizzy balks at the scars. Garou are not supposed to get scars, except from toxic stuff, right? Something bad must have happened.
John's eyes run over the wrists and shoulders enough to take in the marks before he drops his eyes, and his head, with a short, grunted sigh.
Jeremy opens up the front doors and steps inside, clearing his throat gently as he peers out from behind his glasses. He's dressed up warmly, bundled in a heavy jacket.
Yi quotes herself softly from last night. "At least, I'm not dead, right?" She sniffs quietly, finally raising her eyes to gaze at the ahroun. Her glance flickers at the surprised Dizzy, before running their way back to John. "I heard... that they got him, in the end." She runs a hand through her hair, and then almost jumps a couple feet forward impulsively as Jeremy opens up the door. She stares at him, almost glaring malevolently at first, but the image of the hated vampire quickly fades to reveal the kin. Her body untenses, and she looks towards John again. "Lot of traffic, since I last came."
"Hey, Jer," Dizzy greets, obviously glad to see the kin boy. "How're you doing?"
John shakes his head mildly as Yi speaks, grimacing. He looks up at her, and stares dully. "Yeah. Like I was gonna say. You're alive." He chews on the inside of his lower lip, and rumbles lowly, "Should've gone with you." A sudden wince as he follows that thought through, though, and then looks to Yi, a little apprehensively. "You, uh... settle business, though?"
Blinking for a moment, feeling the eyes of hate, Jeremy looks uncomfortable, a light swallow in his throat. ".. Hi, Amanda." He softly says as he closes the door behind him, then heads over towards the cub.
Surprised at John's reactions, Dizzy goes to meet Jeremy half way. "What's up?" she asks. If it something that makes John _this_ emotional, it must be really big.
Yi nods once at the ahroun's question, even if the gesture may seem hesitative. Her eyes though are on Jeremy, yet another stranger to her world of people she knows. Her gaze does turn a bit soft towards the kin, almost innately apologetic for the first shot of hate-filled lightning that came with the first reaction. "Yi," she offers up with a hand, scarred along the wrists and up the exposed forearms. "You are?"
".. Jeremy Winters. Kinfolk to the Glass Walkers." The young man softly murmurs in a hushed voice as he steps up to Dizzy, not answering her just yet. That will come.
John just nods, quietly, with his arms folded. Looking Yi over, consideringly.
Dizzy glances at Yi and then refocuses back on the kin boy. "Something up, Jer?"
Yi dips her head towards the kin acknowledgingly, lowering her hand as Jeremy doesn't take it up in that American-ish introductory handshake thing. Her gaze travels towards John, and she tilts her head slightly off-kilter. "Don't feel guilty." Now if only she could follow her own advice. "It's been taken care of." The newmoon slips her gloves into a pocket, and clears her throat. "So. I heard the sewers were still full of shit." An attempt at a joke?
John straightens a little, rolling his eyes at Yi, but easing somewhat. Or at least... fading from vague concern to the usual grim neutrality. "Yeah. Still full of shit. We're lighting it up, bit by bit. It's having an effect. But only small. Gradual. Half the shit we do is maintenance of what we've put up." His brow furrows a little. "Going to have to start sending bigger groups."
Jeremy clears his throat a bit and meant to shake her hand, he was too busy staring at her scars. ".. Um.. No. I just came by to see you." He admits with the softest of voices.
John's cell phone begins to rattle and ring. Riiiing.... Riiiing.
Dizzy smiles at Jeremy and clears her face of bangs. "Oh, usually you call, so I thought maybe something might be up."
"This is me just trying to be spontaneous." Jeremy shoves his hands into his pockets and shifts a bit on his feet.
John reaches into his jacket, and pushes a few buttons on the tiny cell phone - the ring becomes a dull purr, though it stil vibrates. "Left it on 'wake me up' setting." he rumbles, before answering in the usual fasion. "John."
Yi grunts softly. Feeling Jeremy's eyes upon her she pulls her jacket back on and glances at him briefly, noting the interactions between the kin and the cub. Then, the cellphone ringing garners her interest as an eyebrow arches. Walkers. Politely though, she doesn't ask who it is and concentrates instead on thinking of what to do with the sewers.
"I see," Dizzy replies, nodding her head. She smiles at the kin boy, "So, in all of your spontaneousness, did you want to do anything, or did you just come over to say hi?"
John sucks on a tooth, for a momement, turning away from the others to talk into the phone. "Yeah, sure. When did you want to do that? I can't give you a ride /right/ now. Got guests. But gimme a half-hour or an hour, and I can pick you up near Nicholson Hall."
"I'm here aren't I? I want to do something." Jeremy turns his eyes away from the cliath's to gaze at Dizzy with a fond smile. "If you are allowed to go out, I was thinking just going for a walk."
Dizzy nods, "Yeah, I can go out." She quickly glances at John in case he has a split second argument against that statement. Satisfied to see he's busy on the phone, she turns back to Jeremy. "Let me go grab my jacket. Are we going anywhere specific or just walking?"
Yi blinks a few times, and simply listens in on both conversations. The Gnawer seems a bit out of place in this case, but she's quite content on keeping herself out of the way for the moment. She leans over towards Dizzy and Jeremy, and whispers, "Better go while he's still distracted." She smiles faintly.
John frowns. "Actually, farmhouse works for me, too. An hour or so. I'll see you there." He hangs up, with the press of a button, and slips the cell back into his jacket, turning back to Yi, with a rough, "Sorry." He nods to Dizzy and Jeremy, as they make their way out, then looks back to Yi. "So. You got all your shit tied up. What's the plan, now?"
Jeremy waits by the front door for Dizzy as he shrugs his shoulders. "Just for a walk Diz'. Nice moon out tonight, and I thought we could just talk and stuff."
Grinning, Dizzy nods to Yi and snags her coat. She's a bit surprised that John had no objections, but she conceals it well. "Sounds fun," she says to Jeremy.
Yi jumps an eyebrow up a notch, and nods back towards Dizzy. "Just remember it's a full moon. I don't want to run into you while I'm ... hunting." She faintly smiles a bit more enigmatically, and turns back to John. Only to shrug. "Help. There's enough Wyrm in the world, that I don't have to look far."
Jeremy nods his head and opens up the front door, sauntering out with a tiny wave to everyone.
Dizzy shrugs, "The moon isn't that bad for me." And with that, she follows Jeremy outside.
Regan Avenue, Downtown
Tenements, small businesses, and tiny restaurants line the street. Heavy metal bars encase the glass fronts of the stores. Battered cars, almost falling apart with rust, are parked haphazardly here and there along the sidewalks. People travel in groups, here, wary of the small gangs of young boys at street corners. Several blocks have the same dull repetitiveness, from Fifth Street all the way to Twelfth. Only the graffiti marks a difference between the blocks, the occasional rudeness sometimes broken up by light colors and strange designs.
Jeremy turns around and faces her, giving a faint grin. "So.. how ya doing? Everything alright? Better?" He asks, his arms slinkin around her slowly.
Internally, Dizzy is beaming. He's actually being forward with her. The only indication of this externally is a small grin gracing her face. Dizzy nods to the kin boy, "Yeah, I was just a little angry the other day, that's all."
Jeremy dips his head a bit and pulls her close, resting his cheek gently against hers. "Well get like that sometimes. I remember when I got real angry when Shane died."
Dizzy nods her head and looks at the kin boy quizzically, "Shane?"
"My best friend in the whole world. Mister popular at school, while I was the brains, top of my class. He got shot at the basketball courts one day after I left to get dinner." Jeremy furrows his brows a bit. "Gangsters.."
"Oh..." Dizzy says, slightly shaking her head. "I'm sorry."
"Its ok, it happened two years ago.. I've moved on." The nerd shifts a bit on his sneakers and looks distant as he tips his head upwards, staring into space. "He's with God now, I hope."
Silently nodding in agreement, Dizzy leans her head on Jeremy's shoulder.
Jeremy smiles and gently rocks back and forth with you in his arms, softly whispering in your ear. "I'm glad that we have this time together."
"Me too," she whispers back.
Walker Safe House(#2832RAJL)
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.
There are some noises at the door and it opens, Dizzy walks in and shuts the door behind her. "Hi," she says with a smile.
"A mountain of stone doesn't feel the wind wearing it away," Yi replies softly. But, she looks up at the ahroun with calm in her eyes. A sort of, resolution trying to build itself a foundation from shifting sand, if only by pounding it into a rock. "I understand." An ungloved hand traces the scar along the back of her neck. "Do not suffer others your sickness." She gives the ahroun a faint smile, and then turns at the returned cub. Her head dips in greeting.
"Do not suffer /yourself/." John rumbles quietly, but pointedly, pulling his hand away from the ring and slipping both into his coat pockets, before looking to Dizzy. "Chased Jeremy off again, hmmm?"
Dizzy shakes her head, "Nah. We just talked for a little while and then he went home."
Yi gives Dizzy a once over glance and arches an eyebrow at the exchange, before slipping her free hand into a pocket. There's a brief flicker back to John in question, then she nods at Dizzy. "How is cub training, Amanda?" Direct, sure. But it's the easiest way to find out status of knowledge.
John looks over to Dizzy - there's a calm, quiet look of expectation.
"Dizzy, please," the girl almost begs. "Training is going well. John and Daisy-Rhya are excellent teachers. I need to take a little more inititive and talk to people to learn the new moon-type stuff, though."
"And so, what have you learned? .... Dizzy." Yi arches her brow at Dizzy, the name rolling around off her tongue. She'll have to get used to it. She glances at John. "Stealth? Gifts? What's there to teach?" It's asked rhetorically, but in essence the Gnawer newmoon is churning to think of what she herself learned in the past.
John looks like he's bitten into something unpleasant. "Bullshit." he rumbles, under his breath. "I can't teach you a damn thing about being a Raggie. Only what not to do, and how to be Garou." Not pulling his hands from his pockets, he jerks his head towards Yi. "Yi's a good Raggie. Don't think of this as teaching. Just learn to be friends, or something. Or at least listen to what she knows and has to say, and know that she has my respect."
"I didn't say you needed to teach me anything," Dizzy clarifies, "I said I needed to take inititive to find people who could train me." She glances over at Yi for a second before continuing. "There's a lot of people I could talk to, like Bernie or Helen. Now that I can go out again, I just need to go out there and take inititive."
Yi shrugs lightly, nodding at the cub's explanation. "Suppose it would be rude to impose myself as a teacher when we've barely met." She gives John a short look of curiosity aimed at the hands stuffed in his pockets. Hands in pockets usually mean there's something to hide, after all. "I hope I am one of the people you will talk to, Dizzy."
John always has something to hide... and he usually has his hands in his pockets. He seems oblivious to the scrutiny, instead watching Dizzy with that same quietly thoughtful, and expectant, look. "Said well enough, Diz. Had any thoughts about school? Looked into the part-time options, yet?"
Dizzy's face brightens up like a christmas tree, "You mean I can go back to school now? This is great!"
Well, that certainly wasn't quite the thought Yi had in mind as far as reactions, but her blinking eventually settles itself back to normal...blinking pace. But mention of a job... "Don't think any place is hiring for cooks again?" The question again, is more directed at herself aloud than at the others.
John gives Yi a brief nod, murmuring, "I'm a pretty good customer. I don't think Mr. Chen'll have a problem hiring you again." His mouth twists slightly wryly. "Food at Tin Yen just hasn't been the same." The look fades as he peers curiously towards Dizzy, though. "That's always been an option." he grunts. "Just not full time. And you've got to realize that it's possible, or even likely, that you'll miss a class or two due to..." The Ahroun hmmphs, slightly amused, "Fighting the Wyrm, and such."
Dizzy nods, "Yes, yes. I understand."
Yi gazes back at the ahroun, a light of appreciation in her eyes. Then Yi looks back at Dizzy. "Think you can handle the homework?" She says so with a bit of a smirk, well meaning though.
John doesn't wait for Dizzy's response, but looks to Yi, instead. "You get yourself sorted out and everything, all settled back in, hmm? You need anything, ask. I have to go meet another cub, out at the farmhouse. Theurge, trying to find more of them in the woods. They're too shy, that lot."
"Psssha," the cub says, shaking her hand. "Homework's not a problem. I'm pretty smart, you know."
Yi nods once, moving towards the door. To Dizzy, she inclines her head and twists a smile. "Then, we'll start soon enough. Be ready." She glances back at the two Walkers, opening up the door and stepping halfway out. "I'll be... around."
From afar, Cameron snuggas and sometimes forgets that you've only been here two months. I think we've done all our teething foo, and got down most of what it means to be a Garou. We'll want you to go out and see if you can find willing raggie teachers for the next month or two. I'm nervous about speed-Riting, but it shouldn't take much more than that. Diz and Core are pretty close to being Good-to-Go.
John follows Yi to the door, giving a brief nod, with a hint of a smile. He pauses, though, before following her out, to look curiously at Dizzy. "Thoughts?"
"Thoughts? About what?" Dizzy asks.
Yi, stepping fully outside, remains just beyond the doorway to listen to what the cub may have to say. She shakes her head slightly, and the smile again fades somewhat from her features as the prospect of the night is ahead of her.
"Yi. Nevermind. We'll talk later." John grunts. "I'd better grab Jon, now. Who knows what trouble he'll get himself into with those farmhouse people." The Ahroun frowns faintly as he steps out the door. "Uppity bitches, most of 'em."
"Yeah," the cub agrees quietly. "Well, have fun, then." And with that she turns to go to her apartment.