Challenge the Master
1/3/2009
08:19 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (50% full).
It is currently 20:17 Pacific Time on Sat Jan 3 2009.
Currently in Saint Claire, it's a sunny day. The temperature is 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the southwest at 9 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.82 and rising, and the relative humidity is 82 percent. The dewpoint is 29 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degrees Celsius.)
The Sept Compound(#2075RAM)
Sweeping branches of trees form a sort of natural roof overshadowing most of this clearing. In the center of the clearing is a fire pit with several old logs polished from use for seats. A stack of firewood is discreetly piled up at the base of an old spruce under a tarp. At the edge of the clearing and extending back a bit into the woods resides a rough wooden structure with a slate tile roof. A stone slab rests off to one side of the clearing in a place of some prominence. Nestled among the winter-browned grasses are a few hardy perennials that, come spring, will create a profusion of color in the clearing. (+view works here)
A faint trail leads off to the east, and a bit north.
Contents:
Kaz
Carries-Fire
Stone slab
Obvious exits:
Forest
[look Kaz (homid)]
Beautiful, this woman isn't. Most people wouldn't even call her interesting, although there is a spark of something, deep down in there. Even so, most people would call her homely, if they bothered to call her anything at all. In her mid to late 30s, she's about 5'6" tall, and burly. Not fat -- It's the kind of burly that's all muscle, just not well defined muscle.
Her hair is brown (with some encroaching white hairs she's not bothering to pluck), distinctly curly, and in her eyes. Constantly. The part that's not in her eyes is about shoulder length. Her eyes are distinctly odd, although it's hard to tell, given how often she hides behind her hair. They're yellow, and look almost cat-like. The rest of her face isn't offensive, just boring. The nose is a bit big -- maybe it's been broken, or maybe she was just born that way. Her chin is broad, as are her cheekbones. Classic features for a man that don't at all work on her. There's a wry, half-cynical smile sometimes playing about her lips that does very little to add to her general appearance. Makeup, it's clear, is of very little use to this person.
"Battered" would describe her choice of clothing quite well. Voluminous dark black wool coat, tired blue jeans, an oxford shirt hanging open, with a t-shirt underneath. Her sneakers are black, and she often has a black hat jammed over her head.
On his way back from a westerly direction and heading in a roundabout easterly way, Far-Cry skirts around tree and bush to come to the edge of the sept compound. The halfmoon in his lupus form appears to be in a traveling mode that switches to investigative as he sniffs the wind to test the scents upon it. Visible on the north side of the compound, the black wolf looks towards the area that normally encompasses the firepit at the center of the clearing.
There is Kaz detritus there-- her coat and her shoes, among other things. But she's not actually there-- it smells as if she might be some distance toward the Caern. And in fact, she can be heard off thattaway, singing something from Rent.
Carries-Fire is in lupus, ambling alongside the singing Kaz, her tail sweeping lazily behind her. Occasionally she moves ahead of the Gnawer, and sometimes she falls behind to stick her nose in something interesting, but usually she's at Kaz's heels in a general sort of fashion.
His nose turns in the direction of the smell, and ears twitch at the sounds of the song. Eventually the Shadow Lord heads off in that angle and follows their trail of song and scent to lead him to them. Along the way, the philodox shifts his way through the forms in a noisier process as paws turn into feet, and feet crunch on the earth.
Thus, Kaz meets Kenneth about 2/3 of the way towards her goal of the Compound, and cuts off her song when she meets him. "Hey," she says, affably. "You lookin' f'me or somethin'?"
Carries-Fire draws up short next to Kaz, and then settles back onto her rump with a brief, mildly interested sniff in Kenneth's direction.
Kenneth peers down towards the many-limbed metis briefly in a moment of acknowledgment. His eyes return their gaze to Kaz after and he nods. "For a number of things," he supplies affirmatively, tone maintaining a forced politeness. A hand gestures back towards camp. "We can talk along the way, if that's where you're headed."
Kaz, barefoot, says, "Yeah, that'd be good. I want my coat back." She heads thattaway and, once there, settles on a log, near her coat, which she starts taking things out of. Flashlight, clothing, string... "What can I do you for?" she asks, politeness not, apparently, forced.
Carries-Fire continues to trail after Kaz until they reach the compound, wherein she instead begins to prowl around the edges of the area, snuffling at whatever draws her interest.
At the compound, Kenneth waits until the alpha has her things all settled before he finds himself a spot of his own nearby. "I have some things I want to talk to you about. Things you said at moot," he begins. "The first being, whether you're serious about challengers for Master of the Challenge." He leans in a touch, studying the Gnawer galliard. "Because if so, then I'm interested. And I'll do it formal like if need be."
Kaz seems to be making a project of removing all the stuff from her coat, but she listens carefully as he talks. "'Course I meant it. This Alpha gig means I'll suck as Master of the Challenge 'cause I ain't got time for it, and also, power shouldn't oughta be collected in one person, so yeah. Viv, of all people, already challenged me for it, so I'll set up a Moot f'it soon. Unless you wanna do the whole formal full name challenge thing. That's always fun. It kinda gives me a kick in the tradition, really."
Kenneth furrows his brow with Kaz's response, but seems put off track. "Alright," he says slowly as he gathers himself again. "I'll do that at the challenge moot 'stead," he considers aloud, gaze shifting off to track the erratic path of Carries-Fire while she's still in view. That lasts for the span of a few seconds until he brings his gaze back to the Gnawer. "Second thing you said at moot. Packs. You named some of my tribemates during that long list," he points out. "And I disagree with it."
Kaz grins a little at that response, but then narrows her eyes. "Yeah?" she asks, the question just a touch wary. "Whyso?"
Carries-Fire sticks her nose into a pile of stiff, long dead leaves, and sneezes.
Kenneth looks away again and gathers his thoughts into an answer. When he looks back, the straight laced, no nonsense tone tells, "Because half of them aren't members of the sept. And because you can't force Garou into something as tight knit as a pack. And because this sept is no longer in a time of War. And because, Kaz, they're Shadow Lords."
"That's a lot to answer all at once," Kaz says, removing what looks to be a first aid kit from her right coat pocket. "The Sept thing..." She trails off. "I thought they'd started on their chiminage?"
Kenneth shakes his head as he responds, "Ilona has her terms, though she's working on following through. And the other ahroun, well, he's yet to figure out what good he brings to the sept besides his claws. And pure breeding. If he doesn't come up with something, I'm half inclined to deny him any part of my tribe here. I don't have any use for someone who can't figure out something as small as chiminage." He lays his hands on his knees, finger tapping erratically. "Unless you feel there's something an ahroun ought to be able to do."
Kaz says promptly, "Lead battles. Fight shit. F'/Chiminage/? I'd say, find a way t'teach people somethin'. Hell, if he's got money, he could spend it on somethin' that'd help defend the Sept, like I dunno, some kinda fancy schmancy communications equipment. But yeah, if he don't figure something out by end of January, we're gonna have t'chase him out. We ain't no repository for lonely Garou who don't wanna contribute."
Carries-Fire finally meanders back towards the Lord and the Gnawer, where she scratches out a place on the ground, and flops down, companionably.
The suggestions gain the Shadow Lord elder's attention, though Kenneth doesn't look all influenced by the options. "He seems new to the job, if anything. Which is another reason why I don't appreciate your pushing people - my people - into your politics." He shifts his gaze back at the Alpha after the return of the Fianna gets a glance. "It ain't right, and you know it," he says through gritted teeth.
"Well, that's a diff'rent issue, there," Kaz says. "It ain't politics. It's how a Garou oughta be. 9/10ths of Garou just ain't /right/ without a pack. Now, as f'your statements that you can't just force Garou into packs, 'cause packs are tighter knit than that-- ain't you never heard of a mission pack? This kinda shit happens all the time. You need a thing dealt with, you create a pack for it. It ain't the /same/ as a pack like you made, or like Morgan and me made, but it's a /type/ of pack, and given as I've been in more'n one, with a fuckin' Totem and everything, I think I'd know. So cool your prescriptive jets, huh?"
Kenneth flexes his fingers out along his knees before they curl back over his knees. "Nine-tenths of Garou aren't right without a lot of things. A pack is one of them, but the way you said it, these weren't appearing as mission packs. Just how long were you expecting these things to hold together? Or that they'd even succeed? Especially with barely any opportunity for the new members to even get to know who the hell they're teaming with?"
"Some've 'em will fall apart." A flash of sadness flicks across her face. "The Gnawer bunch already has." She's briefly silent. "But I know Sean's gettin' closer to them Tenacity folks, and I know Riley's talkin'a Mouse. Honestly, I said it kinda flatfooted, but you notice I didn't talk about consequences if people /don't/ get into packs, other than me maybe assignin' 'em to a reasonable bunch of people f'them? I ain't /insane/, and I ain't here to set myself up for rebellion. I know most of this isn't gonna work, but /as/ an Alpha outside of Wartime, I /do/ have the right, and some folks would argue the duty, to try and lead this Sept, to try and make it a stronger place. One of the ways I want to lead it is make people more aware of the fact that /packs are the Garou way/. It don't gotta be immediate and I ain't hittin' no one over the head with it, but if me urgin' 'em to get goin' with shit can help kick even two people in the butt, well, so much the better." She fixes him with a look. "Shadow Lords too, yes."
Kenneth meets that look for the flash of a few seconds before a blink changes its direction elsewhere. The Shadow Lord stands slowly. "If all you're trying to say is the sept would be stronger with packs, and those without should find themselves one, that I agree with. I just want to ensure your vision for a stronger sept upheld in the right way," replies the philodox. "I'll talk to the others of that proto-pack next chance I get."
Kaz smiles just slightly. "That's one of the things I'm trying to say, yes." She nods. "Yeah, OK. I kinda fucked up there, you're right. But that Garrett dude's flashy enough that I figure if you shake him, /something's/ gotta fall out."
Kenneth turns his gaze to look towards the general direction of Edgewood, and thins the line of his mouth. "Yeah," he grunts out, sounding semi-agreeable to that theory. Once he swings his attention back, the halfmoon makes a small additional note. "You're in the city, yeah? If you hear anything about Cutter... send his ass my way, will you?"
Kaz's eyes narrow slightly. "Yeah," she says, thoughtfully. "I ain't seen him in /quite/ awhile. If I do, I'll give him th' message, though." She starts putting things /back/ in her coat, carefully. "And thanks. F'talkin' reasonably t'me."
Kenneth's gaze dips as does his head. "Little reason not to," he replies to her thanks at that. And without further comment on Cutter, he checks a glance towards Morgan one last time before he excuses himself. The Shadow Lord shifts down again, and a shake of his pelt later trots off into the woods heading east again.
Kaz watches him go, thoughtful. "He don't suck," she mutters to Morgan, and keeps organizing her coat.
Back | Next | 2009 Logs | Main