7/14/2004

08:39 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

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.
(Non-Garou, please "+view curse")
Contents:
Joshua
Sunny
Obvious exits:
Hallway/Living Room  Back Door  

Joshua crosses his arms. "I do not know any... jokes." He responds icily. Typical Josh, miss the blatantly obvious.

Sighing, Sunny remarks, "From /you/." She shakes her head, abandoning the hot water and standing, re-rolling the leather strip. "So much for evening relaxation."

A floatation of lyrics from the stairway near the front room fades off to humming, and then to silence as Kenneth steps in from the hallway. Seeing both Josh and Sunny, he considers turning right back around. Nah. Why should he run? "Evenin'."

"It is the evening. The sun is setting." Josh informs the taller kin with no grace. Did he sleep on a stick, or something? "And I am fine. I am home again. I am happy to be home with my packmates." Josh doesn't sound very happy, and he jerks his head around to, lo and behold, the Shadow Lord Cub. "Good Evening."

"Well, you /sound/ like someone pissed on your kill," Sunny observes candidly, re-attaching the leather roll to her belt. "I've no desire to intrude on your bad mood, so I bid you good evening." Kenneth is offered a nod, as she passes back out towards the porch.

Kenneth would be in Sunny's way, as it were, if she wanted to get out via the porch. He does, though, step one pace aside to allow passage. "Night," he adds, if the kinswoman is indeed headed out.

[look Sunny]
At first glance, Sunny might not appear particularly out-of-the-ordinary. This is, after all, a multicultural society. She stands a willowy 5'9" tall, well-built without being too muscular, more of the wiry and half-conceiled strength about her. Athletic, her body is trim and supple, the woman moving with a sensual, almost feline grace that speaks of long hours in practice, or a lifetime's training. Her skin is a deep bronzed hue, partly by birth and partly from an active, outdoor lifestyle, offset perfectly by long and silken black hair. Her facial features - high cheekbones and a soft jaw, nose a little more prominant than it might otherwise be - suggest a native Indian heritage. This is only enhanced by the keen, almost preditory watchfulness in her eyes, those being so dark that it's hard to tell where pupil ends and irises begin.

She is wearing a snug-fitting outfit of native design, looking to have been made almost entirely from doeskin. Snug pants case her legs, the material dyed bark-brown and laced up at the outside seams with strips of dark green leather. Over her torso is a tunic-shirt of the same material, though this has been mottled so that the green hue on it is ever-changing and aids with camoflage. It's not entirely dark though, red beads sewn in complex clusters about the throat and sleeve cuffs. A belt about her waist plays host to several pouches as well as simply cinching her shirt in close, and finally her feet are cased in soft-soled moccasin slippers.

Joshua jerks the kettle off the table and throws it full force at the sink. "You forgot your water! Boiling! Water!" He Yells in behind the Kin. He growls for a moment, glaring death at the cub and looking like he was about to have an aneurism.

Sunny stalks on out.

Kenneth tenses as the clang of metal against sink sounds heavily, one hand lifting in reflex to shield any sprays of boiling water in his direction. Gaze jerking right back to the ahroun, the cub's evidently okay mood is wiped away in a second. "Jesus Christ on a shitstick man, what the fuck?" He glares right back, even if it's for a simple instant of anger. "Like you didn't screw up this place enough already?"

Joshua whips around again face twisting up to a snarl as he stares right at the cub. "Are you challenging me, cub?" He growls over to the other. He really sounds like he wants to beat something to an inch of it's life. Kenneth will do, in that regard.

"The only thing I'm challenging you to do is to use a freakin' ounce of self-control! Other people have to live here too, you know! Goddamn!" Kenneth yells right back, life be damned. He's sick of the ragewhores, even if he himself is one. He turns to leave the kitchen, himself feeling his Rage seeking some outlet.

Joshua doesn't, much to his credit, frenzy. He looks like he's about to flip the lid, the the Ahroun doesn't fly off the handle, making his way over to the sink where the fallen kettle lie.

Kenneth doesn't really leave the kitchen persay but to step out into the hallway, where he doesn't have to look at the ahroun. The cub can be heard breathing in and out, willing some control to himself as well. And it's just a new moon. Long, tense moments pass with much fist clenching and releasing. Once he does get himself into line mentally, the cub dares to turn back and face the ahroun again.

Joshua glares at the sink as he rolls the boiler in his hands, looking it over with aggravated patience. "There is nothing wrong with this kettle, damn it!" He barks out behind him, slamming it into the sink again. "Absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Kenneth shuts his trap, but only because he knows it's stupid to argue over a kettle. He just stands there, arms folding upon his chest, eyes narrowed in a none-too-impressed glare at the ahroun's back.

Joshua bangs at the kettle again, picking it up for yet another good slam into the sink. "Nothing!" He finishes, turning to go 'thunder' on off. More or less, stomp off to the door in a huff, but a huff which could turn dangerous real fast like.

Kenneth is most annoyingly in the ahroun's way again, at least in the path towards the front door. "I'm not going to let you out there on the porch. Not if that woman is out there." The cub says this evenly, even through gritted teeth. "If you're this close to just poppin' off, you're a danger to everyone."

Joshua simply shoves the cub out of the way. Or tries to, anyhow.

Kenneth gets shoved, but he's decently aware. The cub's hand surges up to grab at one of the ahroun's wrists and stall, or at least redirect the rage. "Fuckin' listen you dumbass! I know you're ranked higher but you got less sense than Lucas when it comes to self-control. You /know/ you got problems when a /cub/ is tellin' you you need to cool it."

Joshua's response is to suddenly toques the cub's arm around, twisting it rather ungracefully in ways wrists are not meant to in a lighting gesture. There's definitely rage behind it. If nothing, Kenneth would be in a world of pain, if it didn't break all together. Where'd he learn that one from? "Get out of my way. I things to do." He states evenly.

Kenneth, to his credit, doesn't scream or cry out in pain. His eyes do widen up though as white hot fire from a nastily twisted arm and wrist shoots up to his head. At first it looks like the cub just might flip out himself and get in some shots before Joshua most likely killed him dead. But he still somehow, manages to keep himself in reality. "Fine," he growls out, half in pain, half in anger. His grip has already loosened - maybe there's a fracture in there somewhere.

Joshua releases the cub's wrist, pushing him to the side as he brushes on by. "Shift in the infirmary. You do not want to leave that... untreated." He states without looking back, blowing out the porch. Apparently nearly breaking the Shadow Lord's arm put him in a better mood already.

The muttered phrase of 'bitch' follows after the ahroun, Kenneth clutching at his arm but not heading the infirmary just yet. Hell, no one's around. Maybe he'll just shift right there and get the healing overwith within a second or two.

Joshua is already gone, out of sight and out of hearing, arching around the house for the woods.

[And later that evening...]

Porch
A lathe-turned wooden railing runs the length of the porch save where the steps are, well-worn with use. To the right of the stairs, a wide swing is suspended from the overhang which shelters this area; to the left, a small table is the centerpiece for several chairs pulled around it, all of which face out to the front yard and the fields and trees beyond. The entire area holds an atmosphere of peace and comfort during these summer days, lending itself well to evening reading, small talk, or just watching the stars. Low shrubs snuggle up to the porch held back by the railing, their flowers filling the air with the sweet scent of greenery.
An aging screen door newly refurbished stands between the heavy inner door of the house and the outside air. Four steps lead down to the lane, a number of pots with small flower seedling carefully arranged alongside them.
(Non-Garou, please "+view curse")
Obvious exits:
Front Door  Lane  

The distant sound of an engine grows slowly in volume--on the paved road, getting closer to the farm. It stops abruptly, some distance away; the light is visible down at the end of the lane, through the trees, and then it disappears.

Kenneth leans against the porch railing, drumming a finger idly enough until Rina comes along. His eyes watch the woman, as he remains silent in her presence. Once she's on the porch, he tips his chin up once. "Sup?"

[look Rina]
Dark-brown eyes, touched with amber, look out from a pixie-sharp face. Rina's skin is fair, but not quite pale--a light Mediterranean olive from generations of pure Italian ancestry. Her black-brown hair is left just long enough in the front to fall almost into her eyes; the butch cut tapers to an army-short buzz at the sides and back, hardly more than a velvet fuzz covering the nape of her neck. Her chin is delicately-boned, her mouth small, the line of her jaw well-defined. Her eyes have a shadowy, bruised look, either from fatigue or the artful use of makeup; save for that Gothic touch, she might have stepped from a pre-Raphaelite painting. She can't be more than twenty-five or so, but in that youthful face the eyes are cynical, brooding, world-weary. Athletic grace and a certain streetwise confidence show in her movements, but there is often an element of tension as well.
A black barbed-wire tattoo encircles her neck, and matching inked bracelets are visible on her wrists.  There is another marking visible at the nape of her neck, not ink but a scarred-in symbol that looks as if it was branded into her skin.  (page for details if taking a closer look)
It can only be described as body armor: lean black leather motorcycle pants, with a base of matte stretch fabric, descend into knee-high boots with metal shinguards. The boots (black leather, of course) buckle up the outside of the calf, and have the characteristic nearly-flat heel of footwear made for motorcycle driving. On top, she wears a snug grey t-shirt with a curved blue ribbon symbol on the front--similar to the red ribbon for AIDS awareness. Beneath the ribbon are the letters EFF and the legend 'Support FREE SPEECH Online'.
A traditional biker jacket in black leather, at least two sizes too big, adds a layer of toughness to the petite woman's attire. Several patches of electrical tape and a small plate of discarded circuit board patch a few holes and rips in the leather: the front and back of both shoulders, and a spot near her waist on the left. There are more additions to the traditional biker body armor: scraps of circuit board, metal spikes and rivets, and a pair of mismatched vambraces that make her look like some sort of Mad Max knight errant.
She wears two rings, both a silvery white gold. Her right hand bears a single diamond framed by two smaller ones, the decorative work on the ring elegant and subtle, perhaps Art Deco. On the left she wears a simpler band decorated with letters and scrollwork.

It's a long approach, from the end of the lane to the farmhouse; the woman's walk is loose, a cross between good mood and predatory grace. She offers the boy a half-smile. "Not much. Just stopped by f'somethin'a drink before I head home. We've met, right?"

Kenneth looks back behind him, towards the lane as the sound of the car gets louder and stops. Then his eyes go back to the woman. "Yeah. Twice now, sorta." He's a bit wary, if only because her mannerism and dress tell him a lot. "So, who're you?"

Rina steps up to the level of the porch, and leans easily on one of the posts. "So I guess we /haven't/ really been introduced, then. Which means I don't feel so bad f'not rememberin' y'name." She offers a hand, still gloved from riding. "Rina. Walker Kin, ex-Don... blah, blah, blah."

Kenneth lifts his left hand up first, that one being his dominate, until he realizes the woman's holding the other. Switch. "Kenneth Syuusuke Saitou-Sardelis, philodox cub of the Shadow Lords," he introduces evenly, eventually withdrawing both hands into his jean pockets. "Y'mean Don like a mafia don? How very Godfather."

Rina lifts one shoulder and lets it fall. "I just ran things f'r a bit when there was a power vaccuum." Her eyes narrow, looking out toward the road. "Some things I still handle, but I leave the Garou end to them." Dark eyes swing back to him, merciless in their scrutiny. "You know Cutter, then."

Kenneth feels those eyes on him, his own going to meet hers rather blandly. "Yeah. Cutter-rhya comes by sometimes." There's some annoyance in his tone, but also that nearly unidentifiable sense of appreciation for the gesture. "Why d'you ask?"

"He's a good friend," she says simply, with a wry little twist of her lips that betrays some things left unsaid.

Kenneth hms in that manner that asks, oh really? but doesn't say anything either. "You gonna root for him when it comes to who's Shadow Lord elder?" The philodox asks this with strains of curiosity, but more or less he seems glad to have someone to chat with. Someone who isn't going to maul his face if he were to say something off-color.

Rina's eyebrows lift. "What, he hasn't gotten off his ass and done that yet? Yeah, I'll be on his side. Seein' as how the other guy would like t'see me dead f'some reason."

Kenneth looks interested there. Jarred? Wants this woman dead? "Seeing as Jarred-rhya has a ton of his business deals and whatever that he does," he begins, before deciding to leave that thought be. The cub looks back off towards the dark of night, pondering things in silence. "Hey... you ever go to SCCU?"

Her smile goes taut, a hint of pain coming to the expression. "Yeah. Used to. Y' there now?"

Kenneth arches a brow. "Na. I'm not even 15 yet," he replies, a thought going passingly. "My... adopted parents. They're there, doin' some ministry. I was thinkin', maybe, to get word to 'em somehow."

Rina's brow furrows. "Ministry? Like as in, Christian?" The reaction isn't negative, but it's a little... bemused. "I could get in touch, sure... let them know you're OK. Are they, y'know, informed?"

Kenneth doesn't look at the woman, instead staring off into the distance as he replies. "Bill. My adopted father. He's the pastor for a Bible study group that meets on campus." The youth finally does break his stare with a blink, looking to her. "But they're not Garou. They're not even kin. At least, I don't think they are. But it's not like I want to tell them all this stuff. They'd go batshit crazy if they heard it- or think I was. But, it's better than just leaving them hangin'."

Rina shakes her head minutely. "You can't tell them, if they're not-- you know. Your real parents. Kin. It's better, trust me. You disappeared, as far as they're concerned?"

Kenneth's hand tightens against the railing. "It's not like I want to tell them where I am. I just want 'em to know I'm alive so they don't have to keep praying to God that I am. And I /know/ they're doin' just that. It's such a /bitch/. I can't even go to McDonald's, just because if I was spotted by my friends or something..." He sighs out heavily, closing his eyes, head going down to his hands with an uttered curse. Then an eye slits open. "What if I give you a letter? I mean, just drop it off in their mailbox or something. And also another friend's place. I want her to know that I'm still, y'know, around... but not." His head lifts, as he looks over to the kinswoman.

Rina purses her lips slightly. "I'll pass it through Cutter--but if it's OK with him, I'll do it, yeah."

"No, don't. Ah, fuckit." Kenneth shakes his head, frustrated. "The whole point isn't to let Cutter or Jarred know. The whole reason why I haven't told 'em where my family is, is because I know they'd probably just kill 'em or something. Fuckin' Garou Veil shit. I mean, I'm not going to tell them where I am or anything. Something like, 'Hey, I'm alive, don't worry about me... I'm seeing the sights. Just thought you'd want to know.' or something like that."

Rina shakes her head minutely. "I don't think Cutter woul have a problem with that," she says quietly. "And we don't kill mundanes, not unless we have to, like if they're the Enemy."

Kenneth narrows his eyes at the woman suspiciously, and then shakes his head. "Forget it. Just... forget I mentioned it. Was a bad idea." The cub runs a hand through his hair, going back to staring out at the night. "Don't expect her to forgive me anyway," he grumbles to himself quietly. "Sorry for keepin' you from your drink."

Rina lets out a breath, tipping her head and watching him--more than a little concern in her eyes. "This is the hardest part," she says. "The part where there's no one but you to rely on. Try to make a couple of friends, other cubs. Find people you can talk to inside this." She makes a circling movement with one hand.

"Tche. You think it's that easy?" Kenneth grunts. "Everyone runs away the moment I say Shadow Lord. Kinda makes you feel compelled to be an ass, since everyone's an ass towards you in the first place."

She purses her lips, her expression shadowing. "I hear ya," she murmurs. "Maybe try givin' them a chance. Initiate. Instead of returning the same old negative shit they're sendin' ya."

Kenneth rolls a shoulder. "They get their chance. The first time they meet me, they gotta chance. But it's the same result no matter what. Just like Cutter says. No one trusts a Shadow Lord. It's like tradition." His words are acerbic, bitter. "Hell, even Lucas gets better press and he doesn't have a tribe." The philodox narrows his eyes again, that hint of jealousy revealing itself.

Rina wets her lips, a pained look crossing her face. "Sometimes people need more than just one chance," she says quietly. "Sometimes if you try, a good thing happens."

"Like what?" Kenneth turns, his eyes boring into the woman. "Like this?" He gestures to the farmhouse. "Like being stuck out here for weeks, nothing to do but having to deal with cocky rage-whore elders who don't give a shit about a Lord cub just because of his tribe, or elders who don't give a damn about respecting territory because they just make off with what they feel like thinkin' it'll teach the cub a lesson? Seeing bloodshed on a regular basis because people just can't keep their tempers under control? Getting my wrist broken because I told an elder to shove his ragey ass down and cool it? Screw that." Granted his wrist was healed up within half a second in Glabro form, but it was the gesture that cut him, and that wound remains bleeding. He sucks in a breath, shaking his head again to clear it. "All this just because this world's fucked up and we're the ones who gotta right it? Screw it."

Rina makes a smoothing gesture with both hands flat. "Easy. You don't hafta take on the world. You were born to it... but you can walk away. Just... if you do that, you gotta be willing to accept the consequences. Which can be dire." She watches his face, his eyes. "If you're in... then you just do the best you can with the cards you're dealt.

Kenneth huffs, turning away. Rina's not the one he's mad at. "Yeah. Stop bein' such a whiner, right? Suck it up and deal." The cub growls, caustic in every respect. A hand feels along the opposing wrist, if just to make sure the bone healed right. "Shouldn't hang around here so much. Everyone's angry. An' since you're kin, you don't heal up easy."

Rina gives another small shake of her head. "I didn't say you should suck it up and deal. It's your decision... you can stay, and decide to put up with some shit until y'get Rited, and after. Or you can walk, and take the risks and consequences of that." Her voice stays soft, gentle.

"No. I gave Jarred my word I wouldn't run. I don't have anywhere to go anyway," Kenneth mutters, brushing away his hair from his face as he stares down at the porch railing. "Just that I wonder if what comes after this rite thing is worth putting up with shit for."

"You'll be a cliath," Rina says quietly. "A grownup, basically. You'll have certain rights. Still hafta show respect for those above you--but they'll owe /you/ some decency. So."

Kenneth snorts. "After what I see from the cliaths around here? It's bullshit. You can't even say they'll show any respect after, since then it'll really be 'oh no, it's Shadow Lord Ken'." Like Silver Fang Barbie! "But whatever. That shit won't matter when it comes to fighting some big ass monster in the Umbra."

Rina wets her lips. "Cutter's got friends. The people who know him. He had a great pack, not too long ago. If people have a chance to /know/ you... I mean, not everyone here is a shallow asshole like -- some of them are."

Kenneth shrugs again. "Some of the cubs are fine. Lucas, Dillen, even what's his name... Aug. But the cliaths. It's like they all had sticks shoved up their asses and if they didn't complain, they passed their rite." The halfmoon grumps, turning around to look through at the farmhouse before him.

Rina laughs wryly. "Oh, fuck no," she murmurs. "Don't think they didn't bitch just as hard as you." She shakes her head, rueful, and looks over to him again. "Of course they complained. It fucking bites."

Kenneth doesn't see what's funny about it. It's the woman's words, though about complaining though, that make him narrow his eyes as he looks back at her. The cub clenches his jaw. "So I should stop bitchin' about all this, then. I get it." He stalks down the porch to a corner, checking around in the sky for a moment as if looking for the moon, but not finding it immediately. "It'd probably go faster if I didn't say anything about it."

"I didn't say that," Rina says softly, watching him. "I don't you /oughta/ hold it in, actually. Just... try not to break the rules. Bitch to the other cubs, or to me. Don't fight back when it comes to your elders. That kinda thing." She takes several steps after him, slow, and then leans against the rail. "Keep bitching all you want... just try not to get y'self killed."

Kenneth shakes his head. "No, complaining about life doesn't do shit anyway. It just makes everyone else pissed off at you and think you're an attention-whore." The halfmoon rubs at a shoulder, wanting the muscle beneath to loosen up from all the tension that's been running through him. "I haven't broken any rules. Maybe once, when I wanted to kick the shit out of Todd." He shrugs again, wetting his lips like mentioning the dead Gnawer only served to dry up the reserve of compassion within him.

Rina nods, a tiny movement. "Y'doin' better than most."

Kenneth glances at the woman neutrally, inwardly doubtful of the truth in the statement. "Maybe." He turns away again, caught off guard by all this quiet talk and nicety. "Missing stuff, though. Y'know, things like a name to use in lupus. Or hell, just knowing what the hell is what in lupus." Not that he expects the woman to know what it would be like, but it's just something that comes to his mind. "You stayin' at the farmhouse too?"

Rina shakes her head minutely. "Fuck no. I'm not fragile or anything, but it'd prolly give me nightmares to try'n'sleep here."

Kenneth actually does laugh at that. It's a laugh that indicates just how well he understands her, accompanied with a nod. "Yeah. I don't recommend it to anyone. Jarred gave me a choice of stayin' here or stayin' at his place. Thought I would take this place, since there were actually people, but damn." He pushes off the railing then, moving for the front door of the farmhouse. "You still want that drink? Thinkin' of getting some water before I head out... maybe do some running before I go to sleep."

Rina nods. "Yeah, I think I'll have a glass of somethin' before the drive. Splash some cold water on my face." She offers him a wry smile. "Running helps."

"Cool." Kenneth nods, opening up the farmhouse door and holding it open for the woman to step inside. "So, if you see Bill... William... he's my adopted father. William Kingston. Keep an eye out for him, yeah?"

Rina nods, offering him a faint half-smile as she steps in. "Yeah... I'll look up the bible study thing, see if I can drop in on him every once in a while." She heads for the kitchen, taking down two tall glasses and filling them up.

Kenneth takes the water glass when it's offered, drinking down the liquid in nearly all one go. The cub does a quick wash of the glass afterwards. "So... y'want me to walk you out? Just thought I would, y'know. Offer."

"I'll be fine," the woman says, giving him a half-smile. "Just me and Luna, y'know?"

Kenneth combs a hand through his hair, eyes avoidant as he nods. "Alright. Guess, I'll see you around, Rina." He moves off from the kin, towards the glass door rather than the front then to open it up and slide out. "G'night."