It is currently 10:03 Pacific Time on Sun Jul 11 2004. Currently the moon is in the waning Half Moon phase (40% full). Cockroach Mansion -- Downstairs The heavy, dark opulence to this mansion known as Dominion is perfectly exemplified by the room vistors first enter, this front hall. Dark-stained wood serves as paneling on the walls, gleams with high gloss in the hardwood floor, and supports a semi-circular balcony in carved pillars. The heavy double doors, made of oak, open into the hall from the south, opposite the huge, hourglass-shaped staircase composed of red and black gneiss which soars up to the balcony; both are fenced in with a wooden railing of simple spiraled posts. Several doorways can be made out on the second floor, nearly blending in discreetly with the back wall. The wall to the left of the front doors is composed entirely of windows which run from the forty-foot-tall domed dark wood ceiling to the floor; if drawn, the heavy velvet drapes of deep red would completely mask them from view, but when parted, as they often are, one has a marvelous view of the grounds outside. A doorway to the right of the front doors leads to a parlor, and towards the back are the kitchens, the large dining room, and an office with an adjoining bedroom suite. "Perhaps. But the difference is, I'm the one whose interpretation matters in the end." Marcus replies. "Tomato it is, Jeremy." He dosn't turn around, but there's a definite sense of dismisal. If Jeremy wants to go home, the Philodox isn't going to stop him. The elder's office is to the back of the house on the first floor, and the door, if not closed, is usually open only a crack. There is something in Jeremy's eyes as he watches the back of the Half Moon. Slowly, a grin soon forms around his lips, and he begins to.. chuckle. He shoulders his bag once more and starts for the door. The soft bump-bump-bump of bare feet on polished wood can be heard as Chaney trots down the stairs, Little Leap the toy alphabet frog hanging by his leg from one hand. "What's so funny?" Marcus can be heard to growl as he hears the chuckle. So far Chaney's entrance isn't noticed. "Good moooorning Chaney." Jermey calls over in a chipper voice, eyes widening a bit as he wets his lips. He hops a bit on his booted feet, creating a soft thump, chains rattling against his person. "Nothing is funny Marcus. I just realized that today.. is a beautiful day." He says, his voice almost a purr as he makes his way for the door. Oh, the grin of all grins. The Cheshire cat would be proud of him. Chaney stops at the bottom of the stairs and looks wide-eyed from Jeremy to Marcus and back again. Her slightly-open mouth closes and her nostrils flare rapidly a few times as she sniffs. "Right." Marcus' voice is stoney. He's sure there's some sort of joke, and he isn't getting it. He'll have to remind Natalie to get the Kin some pyschiatric help. Turning, the Philodox sees the new arrival and manages a smile. "Chaney." "You got a fast car. I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we can make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere. Any place is better. Starting from zero, we got nothing to lose. Maybe we'll make something, me, myself, I got nothing to prove." Jeremy sings as he actually spins a bit, looking overwhelmingly happy, which is a complete opposite that he was just a few minutes ago. "You got a fast car. Is it fast enough so that we can fly away? We gotta make a decision, leave t'night or live an die this way." He bobs his head, reaching for his cell phone. He whips it out and flips the lid and leans against the doorway, belting out. "So remember when we were driving, driving in your car. Speeds so fast I felt like I was drunk! City lights lay out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped around my shoulder, and I-ee-I had a feeling that I belonged, and I-ee-I, had a feeling I could be someone, be something." Click. He presses a single button on the phone. With that, he's out the door with a soft thump, his voice trailing down the path. Chaney stops sniffing the air, and her attention gets diverted from Marcus toward the singing kin heading out. She blinks a few times, then turns back to the Philodox and says, "Mmah-ehs!" "He's nuts." The Philodox can't believe the singing, shaking his head. "He's finally cracked. Poor boy, couldn't cope with the death of his friends. So sad. We'll have him commited in the morning." Then he looks back to Chaney. "Yes, indeed. I'm Marcus, you're Chaney. That's a nutcase." "Nnuh-tayss," echoes the lupus. "Nuh-tayss." Marcus smiles thinly. "Yes, indeed. A Nutcase. But not to worry, Natalie and I will deal with him." Chaney 'grins' with her mouth hanging slightly open and her lips pulled back. "Nuh-tayss, Nnah. Nuh-tayss, Nnah!" Marcus, as soon as he figures out what Chaney is saying, bursts out laughing. Chaney bounces a little, feet not leaving the floor, and hugs Little Leap to her chest. Encouraged by the halfmoon's laughter, she chatters on. "Nuh-tayss, Nah! Nuh-tayss, Nah!" At the same time, the talky frog informs everyone that "P sounds like Pirate." "Right." Marcus nods. "Except Natalie isn't a nutcase. Jeremy is the nutcase." Chaney licks her lips and blinks at Marcus for a moment, then does a little hop and starts toward the kitchen, saying, "Buh-aaaay-uhl!" "Oh, bagel?" Marcus sighs. "You want a bagel?" It's tough being consistantly nice to Chaney. The Philodox does, however, go about preparing a bagel. There comes the sound of the front door opening and Emily enters, a large Target bag on her arm. "Hello?" she can be heard to call. "Where is everyone?" "C sounds like Cat!" says Little Leap cheerfully, and Chaney says, "Ah!" and plonks herself down at a chair by the kitchen table. Just like a _real_ human. She watches Marcus with eager eyes and tells him, "Buh-aay-uhl!" "In here, Emily." Marcus calls as he continues to prepare the bagel. "Just me and Chaney. You missed Jeremy by a little bit." "Darn," Emily says. She doesn't sound especially sincere. Heading into the kitchen, she offers both Marcus and Chaney a smile. "I got some surprises for Chaney." Chaney twists around to watch Emily come in and says to her, brightly, "Nuh-tayss!" "I'm sure she'll love those." Marcus returns Emily's smile, before shaking his head at Chaney. Emily makes sure she's on the far side of the table from Chaney, staring in polite confusion at the young Ahroun. "What was that?" "Nuh-tayss," says Chaney again, then switches to, "Buh-ay-uhl." Marcus brings the bagel over to Chaney. "There's your bagel." Now hopefully she'll be quiet. "Is that what she's asking for?" Emily seems intrigued, setting the bag down by her feet. "That's not bad, really, for only trying English a short while." Chaney drops Little Leap onto the floor next to her chair and nearly pounces on the bagel. Marcus gets his wish, since the cub doesn't try to talk and eat at the same time. "That's what Buh-ay-uhl means, yes." Marcus replies to Emily, not commenting on how good or otherwise such development is. Emily gives Marcus a mildly exasperated look. "It /is/ good progress, Marcus." She almost sounds disappointed in him before turning her attention to Chaney, giving her an encouraging smile from the safety of the other side of the table. "Good, Chaney!" There's a faint beeping and Emily's hand darts into her new and expensive looking purse, extracting her cell phone. As she waits, she idly pokes at the buttons. Chaney rocks side to side in the chair, looking mightily pleased with herself. She chews with her mouth open, but at least she's still using her hands to eat. Marcus merely rolls his eyes once Emily turns away from him. The phone causes the Philodox to ask "Good news, I hope?" Emily's head it turned down to look at the screen of her phone, faint disgruntlement on her expression. "Just Jeremy being pointless." Chaney is nearly finished with her bagel and is starting to make noises again, vaguely little gutteral grunts as she chews. "Oh?" This seems to interest Marcus. "I rather think he's finally cracked, you know? What's he got to say for himself?" Emily raises a hand up, a faint frown on her face. "Lemme deal with this. You talk to Chaney." "Buh, buh, buh, buh," says the cub around a mouthful of chewed bagel, nearly the last of it. "Don't talk while eating, it dosn't work." Marcus tells Chaney. He dosn't press for details of Jeremy now, but you can bet he will later. Details, details. For some reason, Emily smiles at something on the screen, her thumbs moving in the disturbingly rapid fashion of chronic text messengers. Chaney swallows her mouthful, stuffs the rest into her mouth, and chews with her cheeks bulging. Blue eyes focus on Emily, watching her with fascination. Marcus frowns somewhat at the smile, shaking his head at Chaney's hamster impression. Emily glances up at Chaney and snorts, a faint giggle coming from her. Chaney continues to chew, doggedly (no pun intended) and gamely attempting to masticate the overwhelming amount of tough chewy bread into submission. Marcus opens his mouth to advise Chaney not to put so much in at once, then closes it again, recognising the futility of such. Emily makes a face, shaking her head. "Yuck, Chaney." Chaney stops chewing and looks at the two of them, her expression puzzled. Marcus shakes his head. He's not about to try and explain this concept. Emily opens and closes her mouth several times, attempting to think of a way to do so herself. She falls flat each time and finally gives a resigned shake of her head. "Never mind." Chaney does seem to get the idea that _something_ is wrong, though. She chews once or twice more, slowly, then leans over her plate and opens her mouth, letting the big wet chewy soggy mass drop back out. "Bluh." Marcus recoils, looking slightly green. "That....is disgusting." Apparently the Philodox can cope with tearing people limb from limb, and other gruesome things, but this offendes his sensibilities in some way. Emily looks up from her text messanging and makes a Face. "Ew." Chaney's tongue works around the inside of her mouth, digging at bits of bagel caught in her teeth. She blinks at Marcus and Emily a bit more, puzzled, then abruptly gets up, grabs Little Leap from the floor, and starts toward the parlor, leaving the plate of chewed bagel behind her. Marcus turns away, looking out of the window. He's steadfastly ignoring the disgusting bagelly mess. Emily glances up, grimaces, glances at Marcus and snorts. "I'm not getting it." Then its back to her phone. "Where's Jeremy when you really, really need him?" Marcus mutters. Emily snorts faintly, a grin on her face. "Text messenging me, that's what he's doing." "What's he got to say for himself?" Marcus tries again. From the parlor, Little Leap can be heard to tell anyone who cares that "G" sounds like "goat". Left to her own devices, Chaney goes snooping around the parlor, looking for the thing that Natalie uses to make the big box show pictures. "Just explaining a few things. He got the same things for Chaney that I did." Emily doesn't do more than a glance at Marcus. At straight-up noon according to the atomic clock in Colorado, Nat slides open the door from the backyard and enters the house. "Moot!" she calls to the house in general, but pauses to pour herself a glass of water. "I see." Marcus strides over to the table, and in a masterpiece of doing something without looking, flings the plate into the bin. Bye bye plate. "Nah!" Chaney abandons her search for the remote -- thankfully -- and comes tearing through the house to find the Galliard. "Nah, Nah, Nah!" Emily looks up from what she's doing, blinking at Natalie in surprise. "Hey Nat." "Natalie." Marcus says, straightening up from his brush with the plate of doom. Natalie turns in time to see a pink-clad Chaney galloping for her, with a, "Woah!" she hoists the glass out of reach and fends off cub with the other hand. "Glad to see you too, kiddo. "Into the dining room, everybody - glad to see you, Emily. Marcus, is this everyone who said they could make it? Who's here?" The dining room is located adjacent to the kitchen, and there are doors leading into it both from the kitchen and from the main hallway. This stately room is dominated by the long oak table in the center; matching benches run along each side, and at each end is a chair. A wooden hutch along one wall holds the fancy china and silverware, and curtained windows give a view of the sloping lawn. From the ceiling hangs a chandelier. "Just us for now. I got done messenging with Jeremy, he won't be here." Emily stands slowly, stretching. "Bought some things for Chaney. Crayons, coloring books and a few Baby Einstein books." There's a Target bag at her feet. "That answer your question, Natalie?" Marcus strides out of the kitchen towards the dining room. "You, me, Emily and Chaney. That's our lot, as far as I know. Jeremy was here, but went home." Chaney bounces excitedly around Natalie for a bit, refraining from doing anything like jump on her or lick her face. "Nah, Nah, Nah!" chatters the cub happily. "Nah, Nah, _nuh-tayss_" Natalie glances pointedly at her own cell phone, attached to her hip as always, but huhs and heads - wades - diningroom wards. "Nuh-tayss? Anyone know what that is? Come on, Chaney - there you go. All right. I've word on Katrine, but I'll bring that up at the meeting. No one's heard from Rina?" "No." Emily's voice is a touch flat. "No word from Rina." "Yes, that's nutcase." Marcus replies. "She heard me refering to Jeremy as such, because he /is/, and it seems to be her new favorite word." Chaney gets herded into the dining room and spends a few moments wandering around in it, all excited for some reason. Little Leap seems to have been left in the parlor. Natalie snorts again and calls Chaney away from the china cabinet. "Well. As long as we have both cub and kin here, I think we might as well do this in translation. Emily, if you'll get the curtains, please? ...Thank you." She pulls a small notebook from her back pocket and lays it on the table, then when Emily's drawn the dining room into privacy, shifts to lupus. You too, Many Faces. Remus, if you will translate for Sun-Hair please. "Certainly." Marcus takes a seat next to Emily, so that he can very easily translate for her without disturbing things too much. Chaney returns to the table when bidden to and -- almost reluctantly -- shifts to her birth form. She tries to climb up onto a chair so she can still sit at the table properly, though. Holds-the-Line leaps into the chair at the head of the table, her tail curling around her front legs. Very good, Many Faces. Paws do not go on the table, remember. She looks around at the four of them, expression solemn (or in Emily's case, likely unreadable). We gather in Moot. Remus, is the house secure? "Yes, the house is secure." Marcus nods once, quietly relaying things to Emily. Many Faces settles herself, seeing how Natalie does it, and her tail wags a few times. Her muzzle gapes open, tongue lolling out. Holds-the-Line looks between the three of them. Before I start with my list, does anyone have anything old to discuss? Remus? "No." Marcus shakes his head, turning to ask Emily the same question in a language she can actually understand. Holds-the-Line glances at Chaney while waiting for Emily's reply. When a headshake is her answer, Holds-the-Line shrugs and continues. Then I shall begin. Remus, any new news on our Northern friends? Many Faces shifts a little on the chair and pants, tongue hanging long out of her muzzle and little drops of drool hanging off the tip. "None." Marcus shakes his head. "I am intending to engage the Ragabash Jervis of the Silver Fangs to provide me with some." The motorcycle's approach is audible, and a minute or two later Rina shoves open the front door and comes in. She doesn't hang her jacket in the nearby closet--just drops her helmet in the corner by the door and heads for the dining room. Her expression is taut, grim, a match to the leather armor and buckled boots she wears. Noted. The Galliard flicks one ear toward the cub and notes that she should not drool on the chairs. Or the table. As for White Bear, he spoke to me some time ago. He wishes to visit other Septs and... She turns toward the hallway, sniffs. It is Many Scars. Remus, will you bring her in? The booted footsteps are already stalking, probably leaving black marks on the floors. The moment a sound reaches her, the Kin heads in the proper direction. "White Bear is..." Marcus is cut off from whatever he was about to say about the young man, nodding and standing to admit Rina. "It's good to see you again, Rina. Take a seat. I'll be translating for you, since Natalie is conducting this in lupus for the benefit of Chaney." Many Faces bounds off the chair, muzzle snapping shut, as the door opens, and her tail curls up like a banner. Many Scars, Many Scars! Excited, she bounds around the kinswoman but keeps from knocking against her -- perhaps because of Marcus. Rina's expression is flat and grim, as she gives Marcus a curt nod; that dark face softens slightly when she looks down to the Lupus cub cavorting around her. She drops to an easy crouch with a creaking of leather, and offers a few scritches. "Hey, Saney," she says softly. White Bear has gone with my understanding, Holds-the-Line says firmly, putting an end to the discussion. Many Faces! We are at Moot. You do not bounce at people at Moot. Come back and sit down. You may talk to Many Scars /after/ we are through. Many Faces's tail drops, uncurling. She gives Rina's hand a lick before reluctantly going back to the table and hopping into her chair. Marcus refrains from expression the opinion that they'd be better off if White Bear never came back, and sits back down in his chair to return to translating for the two Kin. Rina gives the cub-wolf a taut, small smile by way of reinforcement, and rises again. She paces around the table, finding a chair and turning it around to sit on it backwards, wrapping her arms around the back. Her face drops into expressionless neutrality. "Who's White Bear?" Many Faces is a big wolfdog whose appearance favors the wild side of her heritage. Standing a little over three feet at the shoulder, she is lean and narrow-chested, with long legs and big paws. Her tail, when raised, curls over her back like a husky's, and her muzzle's a little broader than a proper wolf's would be. Apart from these details, and her coloration, she could easily be mistaken for a pure wolf. Many Faces's fur is mostly reddish-brown, similar in hue to that of an Irish Setter, but her paws, tail-tip, and ear-tips are dark brown. Dark brown spots cover her lower legs, petering out about halfway up. Her jaw, throat, and belly are all a pale yellowish color, and above each blue eye is a small white spot. Holds-the-Line requests that Remus catch Many Scars up to speed, please. She waits politely while he does. From afar, Rina's angry. Not fighting/killing angry, but the prickle of a stormcloud looming angry. She pushed it aside to say hello to Chaney, and then the curtain fell again. Many Faces licks her chops and sits somewhat still, though she keeps looking this way and that and her nose twitches visibly. "White Bear is Joshua. He's gone walkabout." Marcus' voice is scornful. "You havn't missed much, besides that." Rina pages to the room: For the lupus here: Rina smells like spiky, pointy anger. Big black cloud. Ozone. "Thank you," Rina says, controlled and even. Holds-the-Line flicks an ear, her teeth flashing out from briefly lifted lips. Does she have anything old to discuss? Many Faces shifts her weight, lifting one forepaw and then the other. The cub remains quiet, however, except for panting. "Natalie asks if you have any old news to discuss?" Marcus tells Rina, glancing over to the pair in lupus for a moment. The Kin girl watches Holds-the-Line, more so than Marcus. Her eyes are black, slightly narrowed, and arrowhead-sharp. She gives a small shake of her head in answer. Holds-the-Line: Then I will continue. She glances at the notepad before her, more from habit than anything. As for the possible Veil breach from two moons ago. Rags-torn-to-Rags has a ~video~ of Judges-Souls in which she shifts to glabro in front of the men we are investigating. I have taken it to Sidhefuil; she is judging this matter. We are to continue watching him as we have done, but the decision as to what will happen is out of our hands. "There was a veil breach two months ago." Marcus relays for the benefit of the two Kin. "Rags-torn-to-Rags, whoever he is, has a video of Judges-Souls, whoeever she is, shifting to glabro in front of a normal human. This video has been given to Sidhefuil, and no, I don't know who she is either. Apparently Judgement is no longer ours to pass, but rather Sidhefuils." Rina nods curtly. "Fine." Holds-the-Line notes that judgement never was ours; we have always been the watchers. Wildfire was in charge of the decision, but he is no longer. My last three items of old business are the two ahroun cubs and Sun-Hair. Many Faces is learning very quickly, as you all know. Many Faces perks her ears up and lolls her tongue. Her curled tail wags. Very quickly, yes! "The last three items of buisness are to be the two ahroun cubs and Emily." Marcus announces, looking between Natalie and the Kin during his translations. "Chaney is learning very quickly. We all know this." Rina cracks a slight smile, but her brow furrows slightly. "_Two_ ahroun cubs?" Holds-the-Line's ears swivel toward Rina. The cub White-Bear found was taken to the farm. I do not believe he will be joining us, but I intend to watch over him as best I can until he chooses a tribe. "Joshua found a new cub. I think his name was Lucas. He's at the farm. It dosn't look like he'll join us. Natalie is going to keep an eye on him until he finds a Tribe." Marcus translates the answer. Rina raises an eyebrow. "/Finds/ a tribe? What, is he so awful we don't want him? I mean, if we found him, and there's no little mojo spirit attached..." Many Faces puts a forepaw up on the table, then takes it down before anyone can scold her for it. She licks her chops again. That is Firewatcher's decision, the Galliard answers evenly. All lost cubs are to be allowed to choose their own tribe. This is something... She cuts herself off with a snap of her teeth, and eyes Many Faces sourly for a moment. Is there anything -else- old to discuss? "The h-" Marcus cuts himself off. "The Alpha has, in her wisdom, decided all lost cubs are to allowed to choose their Tribe. It does not look like he will choose us. Once again, Natalie asks, is there anything else old to discuss?" The answer result in a raised eyebrow. "Huh." Rina gives a little shrug. Holds-the-Line's ears are flattening slightly, perhaps from all the feelings of love and well-being in the room. Doggedly she continues, then on to new things. Sings-Without-A-Voice is no longer with us. She had news that her mother is not well, and has flown south. She will be joining ~Steel Angel~ sept. Many Faces grows more restless and is clearly considering getting down off the chair. But she doesn't quite dare to. The grumpy aura of the room, however, isn't to her liking. Marcus again speaks Natalie's words in english. "Sings-Without-A-Voice has gone to the Steel Angel Sept. Her mother is not well, hence her departure." "That's Katrine, yeah?" Rina asks. Holds-the-Line confirms that it is. Many Faces, stay. If you have questions, you may ask them. "Yes, that's Katrine." Marcus nods to Rina, waiting to hear what's next for him to relay. Many Faces opens her muzzle and pants. I am staying, I am staying, she protests to the tribe's alpha. See? I am staying. "Good," Rina murmurs, offering the cub a faint half-smile. Continue to do so, the Galliard advises sternly. Now then. She regards the other adults in turn. New kin. Two of them, perhaps. I have been sending ~email~. One is a guardian-of-laws from ~Portland~, the other works in ~computer security~ and is from ~Vancouver~. The second is here already, the first is not. "There are two new Kin expected to be joining us." Marcus begins. "One of them is a cop from Portland, the other is some sort of computer security geek from Vancouver. The geek's already here, the cop isn't." Many Faces shifts her weight again and makes an aborted attempt to scratch herself with a hind leg -- aborted, since the motion would likely make her fall off the chair. Again a paw goes up onto the table and this time it stays there. Holds-the-Line eyes Remus with those pumpkin eyes of hers. But at the thump of paw onto table she turns back to the cub. Yes, Many Faces? You had a question? Rina's mouth quirks in a little smile. Many Faces's ears twist backwards; she looks confused. No? Yes? "There seems to be some confusion as to whether Chaney wishes to ask a question or not." Marcus observes for the benefit of the Kin. If you have something to say, a question to ask, then ask it now, the beige wolf explains. If you do not, then remove your paw from the table. You do not see my paws on the table, do you? Many Faces does not see any paws on the table other than hers, so takes hers off and huffs a sigh. Children forced to endure Sunday sermons would understand her pain, deeply. We are almost done, Holds-the-Line offers kindly. Remus. She turns back to the Philodox. The last new item I have is the Bone Gnawer Kin. Explain what you have done with him. "Apparently she was just bored." Marcus shakes his head slightly, before continuing. "Onto the topic of Dirk, then. The lovely Bone Gnawer Kin who's been causing us a headache. I've not managed to secure an interview with him yet, he's an illusive bastard apparently. When I do manage to speak to him, I will present him with my credentials as an FBI Agent. These have already been prepared. I will tell him I am doing deep undercover work, and I need him to back off and leave this thing alone before he causes it to blow up in my face. That should be the last we hear of him." Rina purses her lips. "The curious george, right? What's he done so far?" Holds-the-Line wonders if Remus would care to take the lead explaining it to Many Scars. She will if he will not. "He saw Chaney's cubnapping, and got it all wrong." Marcus begins the explanation. "So he thinks we're some sort of cult who kidnap innocent young girls and all that nonesense. You know, the sort of thing in the old Hammer House of Horror films? Anyway, since then he's been following us, staking us out, harassing our Kin and being a goddamn pain. And since the Gnawers can't reign him in, we're going to." Rina nods minutely. Holds-the-Line lifts her front paws in turn, then settles. The last item also concerns the Gnawers. Specifically, the Ragabash Three-Blades. She killed a man who was Walker kin, but does not acknowledge our authority over him. I have not yet decided what to do with her. Marcus frowns at whatever Natalie just said, before translating it. "Yi of the Bone Gnawers killed a Walker Kin. She refuses to acknowledge our authority over him. Natalie has not yet decided what to do with her." Many Faces's ears come up alertly at this. Kill? Smelly omega-Garou killed one of tribe-pack? Rina's nostrils flare. "Three-Blades killed a /leech/. He was, at one time, Walker Kin. Before he became undead." Her voice is flat, the fury restrained. "Before he became /something of the Wyrm./" Holds-the-Line tells the cub that that yes, this is what happened. She ignores Rina's flare of temper. "Natalie has stood up, and under Truth of Gaia, claimed the man as our Kin even after his...accident." Marcus replies, his face unreadable. "As she is Elder, that means he was Walker Kin right up until his final death." Chaney gets a brief smile for her description of the Gnawers. "Still a creature of the Wyrm. And miserable. Regardless of whether he was Kin or not, there was /nothing else to be done/." Rina's voice remains quiet but taut. Rina pages to the room: No flare of temper here. It's all tightly controlled. Many Faces's hackles rise. She looks at Rina, then Emily, and seems to be thinking for a moment. The cub shifts her weight on the chair restlessly, edgily, making the wood creak a bit. Her only comment, after a beat or two, is simply: Bad. Bad Bone Gnawer. Holds-the-Line pages to the room: Make that 'outburst', then. Rina pages to the room: Just clearing Rina's demeanor. She's very quiet, very angry, and very in control of it. Emily's expression is tight as she watches Rina; its not entirely clear whether she agrees with the other Kin or not. Regardless, she remains quiet, her hands folded in her lap. Holds-the-Line agrees that Three-Blades is a /very/ bad Bone Gnawer. She should have come to me, the Elder of his tribe, to deal with him. She flicks an ear pointedly toward Rina. "Yi has wronged our Tribe greatly. She should have come to Natalie, as Elder of his Tribe and let her deal with him." Marcus' voice is emotionless. Right now he might as well be an actual translation machine. Rina purses her lips. "True. In an ideal world, she would've shown up on our doorstep and said, 'Hey, did you know your Kin is a bloodsucker?' But guess what. It's not an ideal world, and there are a shitload of Garou who happen to hate undead with a hate that knows no bounds. It's not an ideal world, and holding onto our warriors is /far/ more important than exercising vengeance." "But if they start with one violation like that, how long till they move on to the next, dispensing their own brand of justice without stopping to think? I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that and I bet you wouldn't either." Now its clear. Emily disagrees with Rina. Holds-the-Line thinks this subject is closed. If there is nothing -else- to discuss, this Moot is ended. "The subject is closed." Marcus announces in a heavy tone. "Unless someone has something /else/ to discuss, the Moot is ended." Rina shakes her head minutely. "We're not talking about a 'they' here," she murmurs, glancing to Emily without the enmity or anger she shows to the two older Garou. "We're talking about an individual. One who's been here, putting her life on the line for /this/ Sept, long before either of /them/ showed up." She looks to Marcus and Natalie, with a bitter little twist on her lips. Shaking her head, all Emily says is, simply, "You sound like Jeremy." That delivered, the other kin returns her attention the Garou, watching the trio closely. The Moot is over, Many Faces, Holds-the-Line tells the cub with another pointed flick of her ears. Now what was it you were telling me before we started? You have a new word; what is it? "Oh, you don't want to ask her about that." Marcus tells Natalie. "I told you, she wasn't meant to learn that one." Many Faces, relieved, doesn't answer the Galliard right away, but jumps down from the chair with alacrity and sits down on the floor to scratch herself with a hind paw. Itch! Itch itch itch! Rina lifts one shoulder, and lets it fall, signalling to Emily that she doesn't take anything from the comment. She gets up and paces over to the cub, dropping to crouch beside the wolf and bestow helpful scratches where necessary. "Long wait, huh?" "Nutcase?" Emily asks Marcus, one eyebrow raising slightly. Holds-the-Line supposes she should be grateful she has not picked up language from the ~movies.~ Her attention is split between kin/cub and kin/cliath, with most of it on the latter. Many Faces leans heavily into Rina's hands, tongue lolling out of her long muzzle. Good Many Scars. Very good. Long talking. Bad smelly omega-wolf. Don't worry, Many Scars. Holds-Alpha and Remus will bite her _good_. "She doubtless will, when she finds one she likes the sound of." Marcus points out, nodding to Emily. It's a miracle Chaney hasn't learned anything worse than 'nutcase' from him. Rina lets out a breath, releasing some of the tight-held anger and tension--some, but not much. She leans briefly against the wolf's shoulder, ducking her head. "You did pretty good, sitting still through all that yammering," she murmurs. Emily, of course, missed the lupus part of the conversation. She grunts slightly and pushes up from her chair, stretching slightly. She seems content, at the moment, to merely observe the others and their interactions. She does give Marcus a look, the sort that hints that they will talk later. Holds-the-Line leaps off the chair to indulge herself in a long str-et-tch. Remus, will you ask Sun-Hair about Dark-Hair? While that's happening, she shifts up - taking her time - through each of the five forms. Holds-the-Line contorts and blurs as she is transformed. Holds-the-Line stretches as she changes, finally settling into Homid. "Emily, Natalie wants to know what's going on with Jeremy." Marcus relays to the Kin. Many Faces licks the side of Rina's face, then rests her head on top of the kinswoman's for a moment, looking sleepy. "In what way?" Emily leans back against the table, her arms crossing over her chest as she looks between Galliard and Philodox. "Mmm," Rina murmurs. "Naptime, huh?" She straightens, still crouching on one knee but looking over her shoulder to track the conversation. Natalie massages her jaw, then runs her hands through her hair. "Just wondering what his text message was, and also marveling at how contagious my Evil Walker Bitch cooties are, since he would have gotten infected if he'd paged -me-." Many Faces confirms Rina's guess by yawning widely and then flopping down to lie near the woman's feet. Her eyes close without ceremony. "Ah but you're not Kin, are you Natalie?" Marcus points out. "We're Garou. And we're Garou taking the place of the best friends he's ever had, who the Pope will be elevating to Sainthood any day now." His voice is dripping with sarcasm. "And horror of horrors, we're changing things. Of course he won't talk to /us/. He's hoping if he ignores us, we'll go away." Emily's eyes flicker over toward Marcus for a long moment before she finally answers Natalie. "He texted me to chitchat, mostly. Said that he passed some information on and brought some fun stuff for Chaney like I did. Then he promptly said he had to do something at work and couldn't make the moot. As simple as that. As for his stupid disbelief that if he ignores it, things won't change, it doesn't appear to be uncommon." Rina rolls to her feet. "What's the deal? Jeremy bein' sullen again?" Natalie's eyebrows go up, and up, and up again as Emily talks. "The /hell/? Damn, but Jer's gotten into the drugs again, hasn't he? Does /anyone/," she turns to each of the others, "Know what information this is he's supposedly 'passed on'? Because I sure as hell don't." Marcus frowns for a moment. "He probably means what he was telling me, but from what I understood that was all /old/ news. Like Thomas era news." Rina's brow furrows a little, and she lifts one shoulder. "If anyone wants me to go talk to him, lemme know. He prolly really did have to work. Doesn't lie about that stuff." Rolling her shoulders, she glances to Natalie and Marcus. "We're gonna talk about this shit, at some point. New moon, preferably." To Emily she offers a smile, only slightly strained. "Good to see you again, hon." Emily nods to Marcus. "Jeremy said in the text message that it was stuff that he hadn't bothered to tell anyone yet. Maybe he thought that Walker would have already passed it on to you, Nat, or maybe he was just being pouty and secretly believing that Roger and John would appear again and things could go back to what he used to like. I don't know and I don't much care. That's just the gist of it." Studying Rina for a moment, she merely nods. "And you." Natalie sighs, a much put-upon exhalation. "Considering what /else/ is suddenly popping up that Thomas never bothered to pass along, I can only assume that it will be something like 'the house is going into foreclosure' or 'Oh by the way, I have proof that Megan dances the Spiral'." She eyes Rina tiredly. "Oh, really? When did you Challenge me for Elder and win?" Marcus laughs softly at the idea of Megan dancing the Spiral. It's obvious he'd like that one to be true. "No Natalie, just some minor things that, were they still an issue, would be all over the newspaper. Leading me to conclude they're no longer issues." Emily merely grunts faintly, her arms remaining crossed over her chest. "I'm just passing the news. I have no idea the content." Rina glances to Natalie coolly. "I'd appreciate it," she says, "if you kept me apprised. If you're gonna kill any friends of mine, I'd like to know about it, is all." She turns on a heel and walks out. Natalie purses her lips. "Hmn." She doesn't sound particularly convinced. Nor terribly awed by Rina or her attitude. "Well, pass them along, will you? I think I'm going to carry Sleeping Beauty here upstairs and see about a nap myself." She does unbend enough to drop a nod of farewell at Rina's back. "I'll see you later, then." Marcus hasn't moved from his chair. "Ok, Natalie, I'll catch you later then." Emily smiles after the Galliard before looking back at Marcus. Emily pushes up out of her chair, meandering over in Marcus' direction. She reaches a hand out to gently smooth his hair. "We done here?" "Yeah, we're done here." Marcus nods in agreement. "You wanting to go home?" "At least out of here," Emily decides, looking down at him. "Get some fresh air or something." "Alright then." Marcus stands slowly. "You call the shots, and I'll follow." Emily seems satisfied by that, snagging her purse before leading them out of the mansion. "Let's go get some food," can be heard as she heads out the door. Marcus nods, and follows Emily out.