It is currently 21:02 Pacific Time on Wed Jan 1 2003.

Currently in Saint Claire, it is raining lightly. The temperature is 48
degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in
from the east at 8 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.88 and
falling, and the relative humidity is 93 percent. The dewpoint is 46
degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius.)

Currently the moon is in the waning No Moon phase (9% full).

The Walker Elder's rust-orange Yugo grumbles its way up the lane and parks
outside the farmhouse. Salem gets out a moment later, the collar of his
coat turned up, his bootsteps noisy on the gravel and the wooden steps of
the porch.

"Hm," Aubrey lightly purrs to Lancelot. Then the Fianna watches as the
Yugo parks outside the farmhouse and Salem makes his way towards the
porch. The woman quietly watches him for a moment. "Good evening, Salem."
she offers kindly.

Lancelot straighens up on the swing, causing it to sway, guiltily, from
side to side. His hand stays around Aubrey's waist, however. "Sir," he
mumbles.

"Evening, Aubrey," Salem offers to the young Fianna, with curt courtesy.
He gives Lancelot a nod as well, though clearly doesn't recognize the man.
"As you were." He heads into the farmhouse, leaving the pair alone on the
porch again.

Tugging hard on the heavy door opens it with a creak. You step through
into the living room of the house.

Farmhouse: Hallway and Living Room

All doorways in the front part of the house lead to the front hallway, a
J-shaped area with the short tail starting at the stairs, the front door
hitting the bottom curve, the doorless opening to the living room halfway
up the long side, and the also doorless opening to the kitchen and dining
room at the very top. The hall has a simple wooden floor, and decorated
with a generic print of soft-colored flowers hanging on the wall to the
right of the front door, and a tall table sitting under the print which
serves as a place to toss keys. A closet under the stairs serves as a
place to hang coats or to toss shoes.

The doorless opening to the living room is halfway up the side of the
hall's J, and the word cozy might spring to mind when looking into is, as
it seems to radiate comforting vibrations. A long couch sits against the
south wall beneath a large bay window curtained only by sheers that
manages to obscure the view in but only filters the day's light. A variety
of out-of-date magazines are strewn atop a low coffee table; more neatly
presented are the plethora of books filling the small bookshelves which
line the eastern wall. Three chairs sit about the room, focused inward, to
allow group conversations. Large floor pillows are stacked in one corner
of the room, except one, which lies carelessly in the middle of the floor,
apparently left out the last time it was used.

An opening in the northern end of the hallway allows access to the kitchen
and dining room at the back of the house, while carpeted stairs twist up
at the other end of the hall, leading to the second floor. A door at the
base of the J lets out to the front porch.

Salem catches the door before it slams shut behind him, then calls out,
"Anyone home?"

"In here," Andrea calls from the kitchen, looking up as she hears the
familiar voice. "Come on and join me."

Salem curves his mouth into a thin, humorless smile as he heads for the
kitchen. The Walker sheds his coat on the way, draping it over one arm as
he joins the Child of Gaia.

You go through the open doorway at the end of the front hall to enter the
large room subdivided into the kitchen and dining room of the house.

Farmhouse: Kitchen and Dining Room

Homey is the first word to come to mind when looking at the farmhouse's
kitchen. Dark, wood-paneled wainscoting covers the walls to about waist
height, dark beige wallpaper continuing to the ceiling. Twin refrigerators
occupy the north wall, facing the large six-burner stove on the south. The
kitchen counter runs the length of the eastern wall, broken only by the
double-basin sink. Cabinets run above and below the counter and a
twin-pane window is set in the wall above the sink. A small pantry is set
into an alcove alongside the refrigerators, presumably holding the deep
freezer as well as shelves of dry goods.

Some twelve feet above the floor, a large chandelier hangs from the
ceiling, lighting the dining room and casting long shadows over the bar to
the kitchen. A long table occupies the center of the dining room, three
chairs setting along each side, and one on each end. On the west wall, a
large window looks out on the trees alongside the western pasture. Set
into the north wall is a large cabinet, its glass doors closed on shelves
containing a full compliment of fine china and glassware as well as a few
decorative nicknacks. On the east, a wide bar separates the dining room
from the kitchen.

An opening in the southern wall allows passage to the front entryway of
the house, while a sliding glass door in the kitchen opens to a clearing
behind the house.

Andrea offers Salem a short glass tumbler. "Completely inappropriate
glass," she says, with amused apology. "My mother's sister would be having
fits. But it's only sparkling apple juice, anyway. Happy New Year."

Salem lays his coat over the back of a chair and accepts the glass. "Happy
New Year," he echoes, then adds, dryly, "May it be much less...
_interesting_... than the one before it."

Andrea raises her own tumbler to clink against Salem's glass. "I'll drink
to that."

Salem smiles crookedly, then drinks, taking a brief swallow before setting
the glass down and taking a seat at the table.

Andrea slides back into the seat across from Salem; from the book sitting
open against the table surface, it's apparently where she was sitting
before he arrived. "So," she begins conversationally. "We've discussed the
philosophy of what makes a cub an adult. I have shown you how to make the
paste I use for the glyphs, though of course you may vary it as needed.
You know to invoke their breed, their moon and your tribe, so the spirits
make take notice of them as you send them on their way. I suppose the last
thing to discuss is how to select their test."

Salem folds his hands on the table, his expression turning somber as she
begins to lecture. He nods once. "Right. The _difficult_ bit." His tone is
somewhat wry.

Andrea chuckles. "The one that takes the most judgement," she agrees. "How
would you go about doing it?"

Salem strokes his beard, looking thoughtful. "I'd consider the strengths
and weaknesses of the cub in question, as well as any, mmn, lingering
issues that might need confronting." He grunts. "Of course, a one-cub Rite
would be more... tailored than one involving a Rite-pack."

Andrea nods agreement. "Would have to be, in fact. A one-cub rite is often
necessary, given the nature of the Change and different rates of
instruction, but it certainly raises their risk of fatality."

"True." The Glass Walker frowns. "Still, not every Rite of Passage needs
to have a heavy combative element, surely. For an Ahroun cub, yes, of
course, but..."

"Many don't," Andrea agrees again. "Though, as through all our lives,
sometimes combat is found unexpected."

Salem nods. "Of course. That goes without saying."

Andrea adds thoughtfully, "Even an ahroun would not necessarily require
combat, if he had been sufficiently tested there before the rite and had
another weakness that was more appropriate than retesting his strength. To
see that our strengths are enough to overcome and that our weaknesses will
not destroy us--those are the core elements of every testing for rank,
from the Rite of Passage on to rank challenges."

Salem purses his lips. "Hmnh. I've been thinking about that, too."

Andrea just raises her eyebrows but does not respond to that part, at
least for now. "I think you understand," she concludes. "If you want me
there for the first time you perform it, I'd be honored. I'm certain
you'll serve your tribe well."

Salem smiles thinly. "I do hope so." Lifting the glass tumbler, he
finishes off the apple juice and gets up, chair scraping along the floor.
"I'll let you know when the Rite'll be performed."

Andrea inclines her head in a nod. "Mother walk with you, Salem."

"And you," the Walker responds, and then slips out the back.