[Kieran Mondblume] And what is going to happen? What is the worst that will happen if she fights with us, Simon? She gets killed by the enemy. Or one of us. *He is clearly unhappy with the prospect.* But if we constantly try and force someone like that to be an obedient kin, only one of us is getting hurt. I like my balls where they are, sir, how about you? *He gets out a small grin.* So why the hell not? Let her tag along. If she fights, and is killed by the enemy. That’s how we all plan to go out anyway. Clawing, kicking and screaming, taking the biggest thing we can down with us.
[Starla] “When ya come across a big angry bear, ya don’t pick up a stick and keep poking at it until it gets annoyed, it ain’t fun. S’like constantly sticking yar hand in a candle repeatedly, and then wondering why ya get burnt. She keeps doing it.”
Ki says they should try to work with Amunet, Starla lifts her eyes to stare at the Uktena incredulously. The corners of her lips twitch, flattening into a thin line. Her nose wrinkles again, the freckles dusting her left cheek dance over smooth bronze skin. She is listening to the Garou, her attention moving easily between Simon and Kieran.
“I disagree. Why take her with ya and then risk yar life trying to keep her alive if she gits into danger. I know how some Garou are, they’ll put themselves in the path before letting a kin take the bullet they deserve.”
[Heather Payton] She bites her bottom lip, feeling sort of like the houseguest during a family fight.
[Kieran Mondblume] *He arches an eyebrow at that.* If a Wyrm creature attacks her, I should hope to the Mother that you attack it, no matter who it is going after. At that point, it wouldn’t be a matter of defending the kin, but bringing down evil.
*He shrugs, and smiles faintly.* But it shouldn’t be me deciding for her. Ask her mate. See what he says. I’m… not talking big things. Not like war. Or a huge battle, or taking her into a Spiral’s hive. I’m taking… patrol once with her. Let her work with us. See how it works.
[Amunet Knezevic] “I haven’t gotten a single Trueborn hurt, let alone killed.” She leans in the doorway to the hall, gaze on Starla now. “Not once, in all of the shit I’ve been on. Ask Stefan, or Joey. Ask Kieran. I hold my own”
[Simon Zahradnik] He shakes his head.”You don’t bring civilians onto the battlefield. If they’re not properly trained and equipped for the battlefield they are actually a hindrance to the battle itself. By equipped I don’t even mean trained… You can know how to use a gun all you like but if you don’t know and respect the chain of command you are a liability on the battlefield and more dangerous to your own side than the enemy. That kind of decision making gets garou killed… If I was stupid enough to bring a kin who was entirely unprepared for battle then I would be putting the lives of every garou on that battlefield in peril. As a result I would be doing the Wyrms job for it… By letting her set foot on the battlefield I would be serving the Wyrms end and as Wyrmfoe I would be obligated to kill myself.”He says with a hint of a smile on his face at the end there.”No… I don’t like this plan.”
“How about she learns restraint, and respect?”He asks curiously.
[Kieran Mondblume] *He looks curiously at Simon.* We restrain our Kin, we risk them becoming formori more than anything else. Turning to some other power that will give them that ability to fight. You leash all of them, and you are doing the Wyrm’s job for it more efficiently than if you bring one with you.
[Amunet Knezevic] “Then don’t take me. Rhya.” Her eyes move to Simon now, but are quickly drawn to Kieran.
John taught her to be quiet, and she puts that to use now.
[Simon Zahradnik] He shakes his head.”We’re not a democratically elected society… We are an army selected because we were chosen and nothing more. Tell me New Moon when and where did Gaia ever offer you or I the choice as to whether or not we had to spend the rest of our lives serving in this army?”He asks Ki curiously.”Freedom might be a pretty thing but it’s not what we were put here on this earth for. Freedom and Liberty are someone else’s ideal… We’re here to make sure there is a world in which others can practice it. To that effect we must stand ready with the wisdom and discipline to do whatever must be done in service to our cause. Without question, without fear, without hesitation.”He says back to the man with a little nod.
“Nowhere does it say we get a choice in our duties. We carry out our responsibilities… Period. We do what we need to do and we don’t care that we never got a choice. Right? Gaia didn’t create us as her little agents of peace and democracy. We’re Gaia’s defenders and that is what we do.”
[Starla] Never once has Amunet gotten a Garou killed for her actions, Starla meditates on those exact words. She redirects her gaze to the Strider kin, now mated to a Shadow Lord; something shifts in Starla’s demeanor, she is finding it difficult to snap back as quickly with witty retorts.
She shifts her body against the banister, wiggling and leaning to arch back, trying to alleviate an itch that doesn’t seem to want to go away. They continue to address the issue about restraint, how inappropriate it was to bring a kin to the battlefield as Simon put it so eloquently. She flicks her gaze over to the Ahroun, arching an eyebrow as she studies him quietly, mouth pursed together in quiet contemplation. He’s doing exactly what he does best, talking.
[Kieran Mondblume] Yes, sir, *he says with a small nod.* I know. And it is a pack’s responsibility to watch over one another. It is not freedom, however, that I speak of. It is the fact that by restraining our kin, we are risking them turning to the Wyrm. I have seen it happen before. An unsatisfied kin, feeling as if they were lower than their station, lower than the dirt on the ground, wanting power. Is almost as dangerous as one of us falling.
Nothing about democracy, or peace. We’re of war. I know that all too well. But we create an enemy of who could be an ally, another pair of sharp eyes, another pair of fists to draw them away. Another quick creature. I think in tactics, Wyrmfoe. I can’t help but see the merit in having more eyes out there to gather more information.
[Amunet Knezevic] She drifts closer, arms crossed around her middle. She stops next to Kieran, close enough that her elbow brushes him.
[Simon Zahradnik] He shakes his head.”If our kin turn to the Wyrm it is not because we told them what to do. If our kin turn to the Wyrm it is because they were too weak to turn anywhere else. Completely betraying everything your believe in and stand for is not something that happens when a person holds their head high and proud about who and what they are.”He says back to the New Moon.”There’s no shame in serving… In standing the fuck up and doing your part. There’s nothing wrong with looking at yourself in the mirror and being proud of who in the fuck you were born and the life that was decided for you. If you are weak and loathe your person then you open yourself to corruption.”
“I don’t think we need to be treating our kin as anything special. If they don’t have the nerve to step the fuck forward and do their job they’re either useless to us or a danger to us and in either case we can’t trust them enough to be a part of our society. So they should be removed from it one way or another.”
[Amunet Knezevic] “But what is their job, Rhya? If you ask some Trueborn, the job of kinfolk is nothing more than repopulating the Nation, on the rapidly shrinking chance that more True are born.”
[Kieran Mondblume] I disagree, *he says idly. He rolls his shoulders.* I do, however, need to get out. I have a bit of patrolling to do myself. I have no shame in what I am either, Wyrmfoe. Being uncertain of oneself, however, does happen. And if you prod that uncertainty, you open a wound. And any number of diseases can go into that wound. Not treating our kin as special. But getting them to help us. To get to those wounds before they fester.
Good night, sir.
[Amy’s Cell Phone] Don’t we just have perfect timing? Interrupting a debate Amy’s having with a Garou about the role of kinfolk. Of course, you would probably have to schedule time where you’re not interrupting one of those debates if you’re calling during her waking hours. But that’s why we love her. She’s spirited, is the word that they use.
Oh…uh, yeah. I mean, “Riiiiiiiiing,” or rather, “Insert Amy’s Ring Tone Here.”
[Starla] The no moon disagrees with the Ahroun, Starla flicks her gaze away, stepping forward to move from the banister. She tilts her head to the side, arching an eyebrow at Simon. “So how do ya feel, Simon, when a kin steps out of their place and threatens yar honor wit’ the actions that they take. What about the things we do, thinking we’re halping Garou, only seems to make’em think they’re weak, that they can’t do it themselves.”
She shakes her head, “I don’t know anymore what ya’ll expect from us kin.”
[Amunet Knezevic] She looks irritated when Kieran leaves, then even more irritated when her phone goes off. Her eyes flicker from Starla to Simon to poor, quiet Heather before she steps away to answer her phone.
“This is Amunet.”
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Amy.” Sarita is quiet, and she sounds drunk from the bit of slurring even in that short word. She actually sounds…somehow relieved to hear Amy’s voice. “Yer okay. Good.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “Why would I not be okay?” She tries to keep her tone low, brow creasing in a frown.
[Simon Zahradnik] He nods his head back towards Kieran.”Goodnight to you as well.”
He then looks back to Amunet.”When I walk around out there… People are terrified of me. I can’t get a cup of coffee without someone staring at me in terror like they are gonna piss their pants. Dogs fuckin’ attack me for no reason and babies cry when I walk into the room. That is how it is on the rare fucking break I have between having my face ripped off by freaky scaly skinned eight eyed maggot monsters. And the whole time… Every second of my life I am screaming in my head because all I wanna do is beat the holy living fuck out of everything I see!”He says as his eyes burn furiously.
“Maye you got the impression that that the life of the garou is all hugs and giggles but you might be surprised to learn that we’ve got a goddamn good reason to be a little pissed off.”He shrugs.”Our kin are the one thing in this world that isn’t running in fear us or attacking us constantly. Sometimes it’s nice to have people, and family, and friends you can trust and rely and depend on. That’s the kin’s job.”He says before a phone rings and the Full moon turns his attention back to Heather.
“You alright over there?”
[Because Simon would be pissed as fuck if she answered the phone in the middle of him answering her question I am gonna say this goes BEFORE the phone Rang.]
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Mmm…no reason.” A pause, and the exhalation that typically comes with a lungful of smoke being exhaled.
“Never mind, Ame. Ignore me. I’m ignorable. Jus’…had a bad dream. Needed to…jus’…”
She sighs, quiet a moment. A very long moment, in fact. “Jus’ needed t’hear your voice. Rea…y’know. Just needed to know you’re okay. An’ you are…so s’all good.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] The scowl deepens, and she moves down the hall for her phone call.
[Amunet Knezevic] “What the fuck, Sar? Are you okay?”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Heather Payton] She nods. “Totally fine. Just listenin’.”
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Yeah, yeah.” Some fumbling around. Amy might recognize the sounds from previous times that they’ve spoken. The enclosed area of the van just sounds different from anywhere else after you’ve slept in it for so long.
“Yeah, m’fine. Just chillin’. Like I said, woke up’n had a bad dream. But you’re good. S’all good.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “I’m fine. I promise. What was the dream about?”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Simon Zahradnik] His eyes narrow and he watches Amy disappear down the hall his fury shines through but he eventually turns his attention back to Starla.”I think that kin should do what their tribe or mate needs of them. If their actions actually shame that person in question then they should probably not be doing it should they?”He asks Starla curiously.
[Starla] Starla’s frowns; he was addressing Amunet before she answered her phone. Heather was quiet on the couch, simply listening to the conversation. The Gaian kin glances down at the suitcase sitting next to her leg, scrunching up her nose, she sucks in a deep breath, cheeks billowing out as she releases her breath.
“Guess this is the time for awkward silences.”
[Heather Payton] “Well. I’m gonna have to call it a night. Gotta work t’morrow. Have a great night!” And off she goes, to question whether or not she made the right decision. ((bed!))
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Don’n’t matter.” She says it quickly, almost short with Amy. Definitely a blunt cut-off of that line of conversation. She’s quiet for a long moment again.
“How”re you an’ Hunter? Y’still hate each other?”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Starla] Starla relaxes her arms, the left arm drops to her side, tucking her left hand behind her to rest it on the back of her hip. The right hand lifts to touch along her freckled cheeks, she squints at Simon’s remark, running her hand along the line of her jaw from left to right and back again. Her nostrils flare out, snorting softly in response.
“It sounds easy when ya phrase it like that, Simon, but then actually doing the act and then git’n caught for doing it, may go against the desire to keep doing it. Do ya jus’ stop all together or keep it up and not give a fuck. It’ll still look real bad.”
[Amunet Knezevic] She sighs heavily, then is quiet for a long moment. “I don’t hate him. I just wish he were dead.”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Simon Zahradnik] He looks back at Starla.”We all have to make decisions in life and sometimes the decisions you make will affect what others think of you. That doesn’t mean you have to make decisions one way or another just be sure that when you make a decision that there will be consequences for that you are ready to face the consequences.”
[Amy’s Cell Phone] That makes her laugh. It’s one of those sudden, wildly inappropriate laughs. It cuts off into something else. There’s something a little bit wild in it…something a touch unhinged, before it calms down.
“Sorry.” She coughs. “Had to be there.” There’s another long pause, before…
“M’sorry, Amy. That I didn’t do a better job keepin’ ya safe from…the last couple-a months. Y’deserved a better job from me than that.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Starla] She closes her eyes for a brief second, maneuvers her hand up so the first couple of fingers pinches the bridge of her nose, she listens to the things he tells her, her breath draws inward sharply, then slowly rolls out into a sigh. “Roman knows, Simon, he ain’t too happy wit’ me either, seems like for all the good I thought I done by halping out wit’ that usb flash drive, ‘cus I didn’t go to him or the Last Watch, ‘cus I thought it better to go to the Wyrmfoe instead. He said, it seems like I ain’t got no trust in ’em, me thinking I was protecting the Church by not returning there… I jus’ done nothing but stupid shit.”
She sighs now, dropping her hand from her face, letting it slap uselessly against her thigh, she tilts her head to scrutinize him, “It paints a whole different picture when ya got ya blood kin calling ya a whore for sleeping wit’ a man they don’t, and it turns dishonorable.”
[Amunet Knezevic] She’s quiet for a few seconds. “What the fuck is going on, Sar? Seriously”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “S’goin’ on is that I fucked up. And you got fucked up ’cause-a it. Over an’ over an’ over again. Just one on top-a the other, takin’ turns until…”
She cuts of suddenly, breath catching. There are a few moments before she speaks again. “That psycho fucker better be good to you. I know ‘e’ll to a better job’n I did. But if he destroys you, I’m-a kill ‘im. Jus’ hadta say that.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] Her voice is quiet and gentle then “Where are you?”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Simon Zahradnik] He looks back at Starla with his hands folding over his chest. He hadn’t even bathed yet, or cleaned himself up, and yet he didn’t feel the need to do so anytime soon either.”That’s funny that he’ll call you a whore and yet there isn’t a girl alive that boy isn’t trying to get into bed. That sounds more to me like anger than anything else. Your guardian shouldn’t be calling you a whore…”He shrugs his shoulders and looks a little bit angry.”As for how you deal with the matter… I suppose that’s up to you.”
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “M’in the van.” No shit, Sherlock. “I jus’…needed to get some me time, y’know? I like me time. I miss us time too, but me time is good.”
A sigh. “M’fine, Ame. I just…I didn’t sleep well. I had a bad dream an’ it just…don’ worry about it. Do your thing…go be you. Te amo.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] She thinks about it for a minute. How easy it would probably be right now to talk Sar into coming and getting her, then pointing the van west and driving until there wasn’t anywhere to drive to anymore. How the first couple of days might be awkward, before it settled into their old pattern. When everything was how it was before.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sar.” Is what she says instead. “I’m a big girl. I made my own decisions. Why did you ask about Hunter?”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Starla] They standing at a distance from each other, Starla sags against the banister again, a weariness born into her features as wave of frustration watches over her. It builds a tension in the middle of her shoulder blades, runs down her spine to make her body go rigid. Her leg nudges against the suitcase at her side, his words make her gaze drop from him and back to it.
Her entire life was in that single suitcase, hadn’t taken her a long time to pack it up, to drag it out the door when she left the Church.
He hasn’t cleaned himself, he’s bloody from battle, wears it like it was just another addition to the mural of tattoos he already has. She clears her throat, swings her gaze back up to meet his, frowning. “I git the impression that Roman’s done wit’ me, he ain’t gone trust anything I say or do from now on. He mentioned something about me finding another protector, and I really am tired staying at the Church.”
She shrugs, “I can stand on my own two feet, I jus’ don’t know where I stand that one little private matter.”
[Simon Zahradnik] He shakes his head.”Well my car’s outside let me clean up and you can stay with me till I talk to Roman.”He says with a nod of his head. He looked as if he was looking rather angry at the moment but quietly he slipped back to pay a visit to a shower.
[Amunet Knezevic] Amy looks distressed, bottom lip having been chewed to bloody while she talks on the phone. Her eyes track Simon as he moves by, but don’t meet his now.
[Starla] Starla just nods her head, “Yeah, I’ll hang out here til ya get cleaned up…” he was looking rather angry and she couldn’t quite meet that heated gaze, just watches him leave when exits to go clean up.
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Jus’…no reason.” Even as drunk as she is, she knows how lame that sounds. “Wanned to make sure m’top was gonna fall over. Not keep spinnin’ on forever and forever.”
An Inception reference. Checking to make sure she was awake and not dreaming.
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “You should shift, burn the alcohol off. Then come and get me.”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Get you.” A moment as she processes. “Y’in trouble? Whassrong?”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “No.” She answers quickly, to avoid an incident “No. Not at all. I’m just at the Broho. I stopped in to check the board.”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Oh.” Amy can practically hear Sarita blink. They know each other that well. “Well…wha’, you wanna hang out?”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] Hang out. Run away. Whichever. “Yeah…”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Dunno if thassa good idea. Yer mate gonna be good with that?” A cough sounds. “An’…no ‘ffense, I always wanna be aroundja…but I a’mt good comp’ny right now. M’all grumpy an’ shit.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “He doesn’t own me, Sar.” It comes out sharper than she means for it to, and defensive sounding.
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Yer right…yer right.” She sounds immediately apologetic. Rolling over very quickly tonight, it seems. “M’sorry. Din’t mean that.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “It’s okay. I’m sorry. I know you didn’t mean that.” Her nose stings suddenly. She walks down the other bend of the hall, tapping softly on the door of room nine before opening it and slipping inside.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Okay?”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “S’not the way I see it. But okay.” It’s pained, weary. Resigned.
“M’sorry. I didn’t mean to…drag you down. Y’know. Hope I didn’t ruin yer night.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “Do you ever think about what would be different, if we’d have kept going to Madison instead? All the shit that wouldn’t have probably happened? Your pack, and…”
She trails off, her breath hitching now.
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “Yeah.” She’s quiet a moment. “Think ’bout that a lot. Both good an’ bad.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “It might have all gone to shit. It might have turned out like fucking Dallas. It might have been really fucking horrible, you know?”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “It coulda been the worst shit ever, I know.” She sighs. “Here ain’t so bad, right? I mean, beyond the piles o’ fucked-up shit, there’s been some good?”
[Amunet Knezevic] “Yeah….” She sniffles, very quietly. “I should get back. I told him an hour like, three hours ago.”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “I love you. M’sorry. I din’t mean t’upset you.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “You didn’t. I upset me. I love you too. Come over, okay? Soon. Promise.”
to Amy’s Cell Phone
[Amy’s Cell Phone] “‘kay. Talk t’ya soon. Blame it on me. I give you p’mission.” A chuckle. “I’m blamable.”
to Amunet Knezevic
[Amunet Knezevic] “Yeah, well. So am I.” She sniffles again, then sighs. “Bye, Sar. I love you.”
Echoes of Laughter 