It Was The Worst Of Times
1/8/2009
01:45 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Full Moon phase (82% full).
It is currently 13:43 Pacific Time on Thu Jan 8 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.)
Silent Valley(#1351RJ)
Tall pine trees extend upwards like rows of spears from the valley walls, blocking off the sowing of the wind. The valley stretches from north to south, in almost a straight line. Steep slopes rise up along the east and the west, carrying evergreen soldiers. A small spring is situated near the southern end of the valley; a mirror-like pool that reflects the deep green of the pine and the brilliant blue of the sky during the day while showing only the ominous darkness framing a slightly lighter celestial heaven during the night. Hanging over the valley is a silence which is neither ominous nor foreboding, but tends, rather, toward a more meditative solitude.
A beaten trail winds up the slope between the trunks of the pines and disappears over the top of the western ridge. Situated beneath the shadows of the evergreens, a small cave opens into the side of eastern wall.
Contents:
Danae
Obvious exits:
Cave Foothills
The recent winter storms of the northwest have dumped quite a bit of snow on the mountainous regions near St. Claire and surrounding areas. Amidst this place, within the silent valley by Thunder Cave is the Shadow Lord elder working out and working off all the tension that results from the pull of the moon. His coat is off and laid out over the snow, exchanged on his torso for an older beat up sweater. He doesn't appear bothered by the snow. The philodox's breath gusts out in a smoky, visible cloud with each pushup done.
Danae is not so lucky. She shivers as she comes up to the cave and shivers more as she watches the man exercise. Her feet crunch upon the snow as she nears, but for the moment there is only silence and her breathing.
Kenneth may be focused on the workout, but that doesn't mean he's unaware. The crunch of snow nearing makes him pause on the downswing, and he looks in the direction of the kin. There's a frown. Then, he pushes up and stands with a wipe of his brow. "Danae. What are you doing out here?" he calls out to her, mediating his initial expression of displeased nature.
Danae always picks the worst times to do these sort of things. There is a frown at the displeasure and then she merely wipes away all traces of her thoughts. "I thought we should talk about last time."
Kenneth reaches down to pick up his coat, brushing the snow off. His eyes don't look to her, busy with examining the clothing article gifted to him just weeks ago. "What's there to talk about?" speaks the halfmoon, his tone filled with forced callousness. "You left."
Danae lifts her brows to that slowly as she cants her head. "It isn't like a cave is warm for a pregnant woman, Kenneth. Would you have me suffer hypothermia for you?"
Kenneth takes some more time to pick off the snow and the dirt. Hands cold from the contact with snow, he breathes into them alternatingly a couple of times. "No," answers the philodox. "But it would've been warmer to stay inside than ditch into the morning snow by yourself." He looks up from his coat finally, swinging it around himself to put on. "Why are you here, Danae? Seriously. It's the full moon, and you have a house that's reserved for Kin alone to hide in," remarks Kenneth.
Danae takes a breath and walks over towards him. She stays out of striking range, the best she can. "I told you, I wanted to talk about what happened, like adults. I um.." She takes a breath and then looks up at him. "I wasn't sure I should be there in the morning and I didn't know um.. what you were thinking and.. are you going to tell Quentin?"
"With the way you're acting? He's bound to find out at some point," Kenneth replies simply. Here, he finally looks up to the woman. "Let's talk about that night then," he elicits. However, the philodox doesn't begin.
Danae lowers her brows, "How I'm acting?" Then she nods her head and draws her arms around her for more heat. "Okay, so um.." She's out of her element here and it shows by the lack of braveo. "What does this alter?"
Kenneth levels his gaze. "Guilty, is how you're acting," he informs her matter-of-factly. "As for what it alters, you tell me. What you said that night, you didn't mean it. So actually, it doesn't really change a thing does it?" He turns to face down the kin.
Danae lowers her eyes so as not to appear challenging her her looks. "What part of what I said, Kenneth?" Her voice soft as she watches him from under her lashes.
A hand runs through his short hair as Kenneth sucks in a breath. "Anything. Everything. Fuck if I know, you're the one with the womanly wiles, aren't you?" The tension in his voice ratchets up a notch. "I spoke to Jason. And the things I heard about your meeting, I tell you I'm not surprised at the truth of it. I don't know what you're up to, Danae, but you are /not/ going to trap me in your little game." The last words come out from between clenching teeth.
Danae blinks a few moments to the words and then she looks at her elder for a long moment to that. There is silence there and it just stretches to an uncomfortable level. "I'm not playing a game with you, Kenneth." There is a sigh and then she offers. "Would you rather I left St. Claire?"
Kenneth narrows his eyes. "Don't guilt trip me with that talk," he grates out. "I said from the very beginning, if you cause trouble I'll just as soon put a stop to it in a more permanent fashion than get mired in some roundabout clusterfuck." He steps forward towards her, eyes locked on. "Why did you let me sleep with you that night?" he asks her straight out.
Danae tries not to step back, but her foot moves to do just that. She pauses for a moment and then cants her head to the side. "I don't know." The words leave her lips, but her honesty is there.
Kenneth growls out a thick, "I think you do. I think you know perfectly well why, deep down inside somewhere in that coldhearted pair of regrettably, perfectly formed breasts." He steps off to a side with a jerk of his gaze away from said chest and its possessor, sucking in a breath.
"It's like being torn in two different directions, Kenneth. There is this side of me that you understand and you are.. you." Danae starts. "Then there is the other part that is filled with him. I have a child on the way with him. I care about him." She doesn't say she doesn't care about the other man before her though. "He offers me home and a family." She chews her lower lip though. "I'm not sure what you offer me."
Kenneth stares outwards towards the snowed over valley. "He's offering you all that, and yet look how quickly and easily you fall from your loyalties to him. Tche. If you care about him so much, then what are you going to do to show him that?"
Danae winces. That comment hit her where she lies. She looks over towards Kenneth for a long time. "What can I do? I house him, I make sure his wants are taken care of, I am carrying his child. I.." She stops and lowers her brows. "Do you want me not to see you again?"
Kenneth turns back to face her. "Don't come here until you can control yourself," answers the halfmoon, his tone as chill as the ice at their feet. "If you care for Quentin at all, you'll do your best to play your chosen part of his 'mate' until that's played out." He puts a special emphasis on the latter half of his words, exhaling heavily in resolution.
Danae looks at the man for a long moment, "Don't tell him, Kenneth. It will.. either work or it won't. I just." She stops and stops talking with a nod of her head.
Kenneth looks back at her, expression veiled over much like the first times she and he had ever met. The philodox says nothing and starts back behind him to head towards the eastern wall where Thunder Cave resides.
The kinwoman takes a deep breath feeling the cold pull into her lungs as she exhales. Her lips curved downwards as she takes the first step to the cave. Then she takes another one. It is then that she is committed to follow Kenneth. "What do you want Kenneth? In the grand scheme of you, me and Quentin. What do you want?"
Kenneth crunches along in the snow, and halts as she speaks up again. Without turning around, he answers, "There's nothing I want that I haven't already gotten." The deadpan delivery falls just short of truth. "And really, Danae. There /is no/ you, me and Quentin."
Danae winces to that. It is obvious she takes it as her just being a toss in the hay. However, the woman doesn't even justify the insult with anger. She just looks sorrowed. She steps up closer to the man and takes a breath. "What do you want from me? Honestly. What did what happen mean to you or not mean to you or.. were you offended I left? Did you regret it?"
Kenneth still doesn't turn around, but it takes him some time to answer. "You ask me that question every time," he speaks in low volume, "and every time the answer was the same. Why should it be any different now?" He finally turns his head, eyeing the woman over the top of shoulder from the corner of his eye. "You're /taken/, Danae. And you're pregnant with another man's child. I'm the guy you had an affair with. Face it. Someone's going to get screwed, and I don't mean it in the literal sense."
"I'm not asking you what it is. I'm asking you what you want." Danae frowns and her thoughts are transparent across her features then. "Why did you sleep with me, Kenneth?"
Kenneth's answer is pretty quick on that one. "Because I wanted to." It isn't purposefully heartless, but the statement comes across very matter of fact.
There is the one that hits her hard. Her eyes close as Danae nods her head. "Because you are a poor loser."
Kenneth swings himself around at that comment, glaring darkly. "So what if I am?" he barks back. "Next thing you're going to tell me, you slept with me out of pity? Or because I was just /that/ easy?" His head shakes rapidly, trying to clear.
"No, that's what you are telling me. I was just a warm easy body." Danae offers. Her voice is soft as she looks around the snow covered area. "Congrats, you played the superior Lord."
"Don't," Kenneth growls. "Don't patronize me. You want to talk about this, I said, let's talk. Why did I sleep with you? Because I fucking /felt/ something that all wrapped itself up nice and tight inside, and then it /exploded/ into one huge mess that night. Because that night... that night, I know, it's a catalyst for trouble. And I told you about causing trouble long before Quentin /ever/ got mentioned. This has nothing to do with Quentin. This is about you. Ever since day 1. I can't decide whether you're a thorn or the rose attached to it, but either way, you have some balls to be trouncing around teasing the lot of us, flirting and shit and even attaching yourself without any remote hint of fidelity." He snorts. "And I'm telling you now, if this is how shit is going to be? I don't want any part of it. And I will do what I have to do to find my closure."
Danae lowers her brows to him. "I've backed off on the flirting. Hell, Kenneth, I didn't even come provocative in clothing. We were talking and then.." She shakes her head. "I have been faithful to Quentin since we were put together. You are the only trip in that fidelity. I'm not even sure why I did it. I just lost everything I had for what? To be a man's easy lay? To have a point proven to me? Great, I get the point. I'm sure he'll leave me and I can hurt so horribly bad over what I lost. He'll find some other girl in a matter of moments after I'm gone. You'll be able to be smug about your victory and I will have my child and a wrecked political career. I get it. I get what I have done."
Kenneth lifts a hand and points an accusing finger. "Fuck your clothing, and fuck your guilt tripping," he hisses, "You know damn well what I mean. And now you want to keep all this a secret from him. Well you know what? Whatever. You don't want to tell him, fine. I'm not going to be one to stop you from enjoying yourself. You do what you want, Danae." He retracts his hand, shoving both back into his coat pockets, turning to continue on the path back towards the cave.
Danae takes a breath. "Really.. I.. we'll talk on a different moon." She starts then to turn away as well.
Kenneth doesn't protest that, as he takes angered steps towards the mouth of the cave away from her. There are only a few steps that the philodox crunches along with before the sound changes. Instead of boots on the snow, it's paws lightly traveling over the white surface. And instead of actually entering the cave, the Shadow Lord halfmoon takes off in a sprint along the valley wall to disappear into the mountain forests beyond.
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