03/02/2006
Wrapped tight in her jacket, shirt, pants...everything she could layer on, Veronica is sitting there in the wind. The effect of the contemplative, wise indian is ruined by the song she's piping out to the wind and the sky. 'I'm Afraid of Britney Spears', Live on Release, and not too poorly done. The girl absently sketches glyphs on the ground as she chirps onward.
Noisy Ghost wanders in from further uphill, from wherever it is that Circle Keeper has her stowed away. Her ears prick, then flatten at the song, her muzzle wrinkling in distaste. Ewww. But she heads toward the other cub anyway, not stealthy at all.
Not stealthy makes a good pairing with not particularily alert. Veronica's absorbed in her own little world as she bops around to the song. It's only when the other cub is almost right there that she notices. The melody, such as it is, comes to a stop, and her stick gets stuck firmly in the dirt. "Hey."
Noisy Ghost chuffs a bare greeting, her manner mostly taken up with incredulousness. You /like/ that song?
Veronica pouts at the Uktena-claimed cub. "Yes, and I know all the words. I was going to sing it on American Idol." No, there's no trace of irony in the Galliard's words.
Noisy Ghost stares at her. Just... stares. Then she snorts and plops her butt down on the ground. Ew.
"What do you mean, ew?" The pre-Wendigo looks slightly miffed at the other cub, as though there's no conceivable way Noisy Ghost could hold the opinion she apparently does. "It's a good song. It's all rebellious and stuff. I thought you'd be one of the people who liked it."
Noisy Ghost huffs again and then stretches up into human shape. She plops herself back down, sitting crosslegged on the ground with the tail of her coat between her butt and the dirt. "Britney Spears sucks," she says firmly. "I mean, /sucks/."
Veronica nods sharply. "The song's _about_ how much Britney Spears sucks. Even though I do like that one song...ummm...Stronger." As she starts rambling, a thought pops into her head, and she looks at the Uktena. "What's your human name? I think I forgot to ask before."
Beatrice sniffs and wipes her nose on her sleeve. "It's Beatrice," she says. Three syllables, emphasis on the first one. "Y'can call me Bee if y'want, though."
Veronica nods slowly. "Veronica. I don't remember if I told you. Can I ask where you're from? It's not here...probably. You have an accent, y'know?" She wraps her arms around her knees and watches Beatrice overtop of said knees.
Beatrice smirks. "I ain't gotta accent," she drawls. "/Y'all/ got an accent."
Veronica sticks her tongue out at Beatrice. "'Y'all'? Nobody here says 'Y'all.'." She grins as she says it. "Besides, what kinda accent do we have? We sound perfectly normal."
Beatrice pffts and picks up a bit of grass to chuck at the other girl. "Yeah, bunch'a damnyankees." She grins broadly.
Veronica snickers. "Buncha damn qussaks," she adds, happy with the new vocabulary. "I wouldn't have to sound like them if I'd grown up where I was supposed to."
Beatrice wrinkles her nose a little, her grin fading. She shrugs. "Circle Keeper's got red hair, din'cha notice?"
"He's all white in wolf," Veronica says, shaking her head. "I've never even seen him in homid. Why, he white too?"
Beatrice scratches her nose. "Part, at least. But he's also Jacinta's brother, so I guess he's not /all/ white."
Veronica nods, as this seems to set things right with the world. "They wouldn't be that close if he was all white. Like, one hundred percent. I just...didn't think he could be so totally Uktena, and be white."
Beatrice shrugs. "Uktena don't care s'much as Wendigo. I prob'bly woulda tried to join Wendigo if... y'know."
Veronica looks sidelong at the other cub. "Really? Why? You like the wind that much?"
Beatrice utters a little 'heh' noise. "Nah, but Jacinta was, like, one'a the first people I ever met here who /wasn't/ a total freak."
Veronica grins. "She was the first one of us I ever saw. I was completely freaked right the fuck out. I mean, like, I was getting ready to smack her with my purse when she went homid, and then I thought I was on one of those visionquests people go on. What'd she say to you that made her look normal, tho', compared to everybody else?"
Beatrice blinks a bit, her oval face going solemn. She shrugs, grimacing a little and looking away. "S'a long story. An' it kinda din' happen t'me anyway." She plucks at a bit of dead grass.
Veronica looks over the other cub. "So...what, you were just kinda there when it happened to someone else?"
Beatrice shakes her head. "Nah... it's... it's complicated." She shrugs. "Sorry I brought it up."
"Aight." Veronica scratches herself behind the ear. "That's okay. So, what've they been teaching you up there? Anything new and cool?"
Beatrice idly picks at the grass. "Mostly been practicin' forms an' stuff. Wolf stuff, an' trackin'. Language and shit too."
Veronica nods. "I've got the language pretty good. That form that Jacinta-rhya taught us...I've been practising that. And going for runs and stuff, because nobody's really telling me what else I'm supposed to do. Are you like, learning magic?"
Beatrice wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. "Been to th' Umbra, an' one'a those Moot things... they tell you about that? Moots?"
Veronica grins. "Yeah. I can hardly wait to see one! When I went to the caern, and the Umbra, I got to see where it all happens. I can just imagine how amazing that must sound, all those howls, all those voices!"
Beatrice grins faintly. "First time, I din' even know the language. It was fuckin' /freaky/. Like, ohmigod, you've never /seen/ so many fuckin' werewolves. An' the spirit showed up and it was fuckin' /amazin'/."
Veronica goes wide eyed. "No _way_. It shows up? Like, the big huge caern-thingy actually comes? Holy shit! That's sooo cool. Is it freaky looking? I saw an aurora spirit, and it was just cool."
Beatrice shakes her head. "Can't describe it. You'll see. It's fuckin' /awesome/."
"When's the next one supposed to happen?" Veronica shuffles around. "Wait wait, do they tell the stories there? Because I so want to hear 'em."
Beatrice scratches the back of her neck. "Yeah, an' they talk about all th' shit that's happened. I think there's s'posed t'be one soon. When the moon's fuller. Oh, and after? All'a 'em -- well, not cubs usually -- go off an' kill some Wyrmshit in, like, this huge raid."
Veronica winces. "Hey, I saw Jacinta-rhya after the last fight she was in. I really don't wanna see what happens when like, everyone goes out to do it...isn't that really dangerous, because we've all got such bad tempers?"
Beatrice shrugs. "Yeah, but it's important. If we din' have the moot an' the raid, the caern'd, like, die. That's what I heard, anyway."
Veronica says "That's part of the Laws." She nods gravely. "Wish it didn't have to be so...y'know, violent. Less people getting hurt.""
Beatrice scrunches up her nose. "We heal, y'know?"
Veronica nods, baring her teeth for a second. "Yeah, but it looks so nasty. Y'know? Like...all torn up and stuff. It just looks like it hurts."
Beatrice chews on her lower lip. "Yyyeah, I /guess/... but I guess y'get used to it? I mean, none'a the older Garou seem t'mind. Scars an' shit is considered /cool/."
Veronica still looks unconvinced. "Is it ever cool to like...not have scars? Because I really don't like, y'know...pain."
Beatrice thinks about this for a bit. "What auspice're you again?"
Veronica says "Um, Galliard? Why? I'm not like, an Ahroun or anything. I'm not _supposed_ to be out there getting hurt."
"I kinda think y'are," says the curly-haired girl. "Like, Galliards are s'posed t'be all 'bout glory an' goin' raaar almost as much as Ahrouns. S'posed t'inspire people an' tell stories an' be in th' thick of things."
There's the pout again. "But...but...I don't wanna be in the thick of things." Veronica pulls another pouty face. "Sides, you're just a cub. Maybe the Wendigo, y'know, do things differently. Maybe the moondancers _don't_ fight in my future tribe..."
Beatrice's eyes narrow. "I've been 'round longer than /you/," she points out. "Anyway, it don't matter. /All/ Garou gotta fight."
Veronica doesn't notice the other's look. "Yeah, I know, people keep saying, and I'm practising. I am. And I'm gonna be able to fight. But I just don't want to get that messed up."
"Why? 'Fraid y'gonna mess up your pretty face?" Bea's voice has taken on a harder, sneery edge.
Veronica bites her lower lip, just a bit. The sort of 'uh oh' expression calculated to manipulate teenage boys. "Maybe," she says, sounding a little less sure when she catches the edge in the other's voice.
"/Huh/," says Beatrice, grimacing. She stands up. "Now /that/ is /completely/ qussak."
"Hey, what?" Veronica scrambles to her feet as well, frowning at the insult. "I'm not a qussak."
Beatrice juts her jaw. "You /act/ like one, though." She makes her voice all high-pitched and mocking. "'Oooh my gawwwwwd, I don't wanna fiiiiiiight, I'll mess up my haaaaaaaair!'"
"Shut up! That's..." Veronica sputters, eyes welling with angry tears. "That's not what I sound like! I'm not a stupid qussak! Shut up!"
Beatrice keeps at it, though, taking a vicious delight in the mockery. "'Shut uuuuuuuup!'" she shrills in an exaggerated whine. "'I'm naaaaaaaht a qussak! Even though I sing songs about Britney Spears an' piss myself at the thought of a fight!'"
Veronica whines pathetically, another one of those 'daddy make her stop' sounds. The Wendigo cub even goes so far as to stamp her foot at Beatrice. "Quit it!" she snaps. "I'm not a fucking qussak! I'm an indian! You stupid...I don't piss myself!"
"/I'm/ a better Indian than /you/!" Beatrice yells back. "At least I ain't afraid to /fight/!"
Veronica's chest heaves, that one not a calculated move. She's fighting between running away crying and actually fighting. The Rage burns, though, so she stays. "I'm not afraid to fight!" she yelps. "You're just a mean, stupid white kid who wants to be an indian! At least I actually am one! My dad's even a shaman!"
"Your dad sucks /cock/!" Beatrice retorts.
"Less than your mom," Veronica shoots back, already flinching away from the anticipated retaliation.
Beatrice's eyes narrow. "You can go /fuck/ my mom, f'all I care." She storms forward abruptly, hands coming up to shove at the other girl. "Have a fuckin' lezbo /orgy/."
Veronica gets pushed, and flails wildly with a limp hand, trying rather sadly to fend off the other girl. "Stop it!" Words fail her for the moment, and she takes another poorly aimed swing at the no-moon.
Beatrice may not be the greatest at Jacinta's special Eskimo martial arts, but she's an old hand at playground brawling, and she pushes her advantage, aiming a roundhouse punch at Veronica's mouth. "Make me!"
Veronica is apparently a veteran of the school of 'cry until the boys do it for you', because that's what happens. The punch connects solidly, and the Wendigo cub makes a strangled sort of squeak. She goes skittering backwards, trying to straighten herself out to defend herself.
Beatrice stops, though her hands remain clenched into fists. She stares at the other cub, her face all disgust and scorn. "/God/," she says. "You /suck/. Wyrm's gonna roll right /over/ ya."
Veronica mops blood off of her lip, looking as though she's making up her mind. Then, her options clear, she rabbits. The Galliard lets out a sob, then goes running for the treeline as hard as she can.
Beatrice, as she watches, loses a lot of her steam, 'til she's just standing there chewing fretfully on her lower lip. By that time, though, Veronica's at the trees and probably gone. "Fuck," says the Ragabash, and drops down into lupus before scuttling off the other direction.
Veronica disappears into the bush, not even bothering to shift as she runs.
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