There is a series of knockings on the door from outside.

There aren't any windows, so it's possible that no one's home. But if the ear was strained enough, there could be sounds of a TV heard. The knockings go unanswered for a moment, and then the sound of footsteps. Another pause, then a brief unlatching of locks, and the door opens a creak to reveal Apt. 15.

"Yo, its me Alicia." The girl says, peering in. "Nevada, that you? Yi? Anyone else ya'll hiding?"

The TV's on to some regular channel fuzzily displaying the recent news on a low level volume. Yi steps out from behind the door's shadow, with somewhat of a smile on her face. "Hello." Not quite the enthusiastic greeting one would expect, but maybe she's just shy about the messiness of the place. "Nevada's not in yet. Out somewhere, as usual. Come in, come in..."

Alicia nods her head and heads inside, closing the door behind her. She glances around slowly for a moment, then lets her gaze drift over towards her friend. "Hey.. You know why I'm here right?" She says, making her way to the couch.

Yi nods her own head in silent answer, opting to sit on a somewhat more comfortable faded happyface rug. What the galliard might notice now that Yi is wearing just sweats and a loose sleeping t-shirt, are the prolific scars around her exposed wrists and smaller ones cutting around parts of her arms. As if she was flogged, or some other punishment of the sort. Luckily the sweats hide the scars along her legs and ankles. But in the dim neon-lit apartment, it could be hard to tell just how many there are. "Not just for some girl talk, I'm sure," Yi finally replies softly.

"No, not really.. Yi, you got scars all over you now, why?" Alicia slips onto the floor next to her and reaches out, touching her shoulder. "Please talk to me, we are the best of friends and I'm here for ya."

Yi melts away from the galliard's touch on impulse, but only moving a centimeter or two away. Her eyes cast down at the scars on her wrists and arms, and she shakes her head. "I... don't, really know." Her voice is but a wisp of wind, but clear enough in the room's quiet to be heard, but the tone of it not to be made out.

"C'mon Yi, you do know. What the heck happened over there? Why are you so shook up?" Alicia sighs and lets you go, biting her lip gently. "I'm worried for you sis, really.."

Yi's body shivers momentarily and she tries to hide the scars by folding her arms close to herself. "I ... I don't want to know." A long, indrawn breath comes out as a shaky sigh. "I... I just remember screaming. And pain. I called him 'Master'. I.. I had to. I wanted to. I did, even when I didn't want to." As if the newmoon couldn't make herself any smaller, she keeps balling up more.

"Yi... please explain to me." Slowly, the Gaian wraps her arms around you again, pulling you a bit more closer as she softly whispers. "I am here for you ok? You need to be strong and suck it in. Talk to me, explain, let me help.

Quiet shivering passes a few minutes, with just the sounds of Yi trying to take control of her functions, her body, her mind. "I don't want to remember, Alicia...It hurts too much to. I can't go through it again." A few tears squeeze out and run down her cheeks to drip onto her bare, scarred arms.

Pausing for a moment, Alicia softly says. "Let me into your mind and let me see for myself?" She asks, gently wiping away the tears.

Yi glances up at Alicia, pain and shame evident and fresh in the newmoon's mind. "It's... no... I can't. It's too hard. No...I...I don't want to hurt anyone! He made me..." She clutches at the galliard's comforting arm, her grip tightening harder than she realizes.

Alicia grits her teeth as you squeeze her arm, but she allows it to happen, letting her bruise her if she must. "Yi.. don't worry." She says, leaning over to pull you in a hug. "We'll talk about this when you are ready then alright?"

Yi calms enough to realize it's not her own arm she's squeezing to death, but her friend's. Immediate release, followed by a subdued apology issues. "I don't want to make anyone worry...or mad." Her hunched over body tries to fill out the space between the galliard's arms and her. "I remember...going home. And, nothing... nothing was right." She looks up at Alicia. "Everyone was different. Tense."

Alicia nods her head and continues to listen, her arms giving you a bit of a squeeze for a moment in reassurance.

"And Hanna. They took Hanna." Yi closes her eyes, fists clenching up with anger born of protective instinct fueled more so by the fullness of the moon. "And I found her. And..." The fists unravel, as does some of her body. She shakes her head, fading to silence.

Alicia nods her head slowly as she lets the other girl ramble for a few moments. She just simply holds her against her body, sighing. "Shhh... Hey, you hungry?" She asks.

Yi's slowly unfolding body returns to its original Indian-style sitting position. "N-no..." comes the shy answer. Even so, the newmoon looks a little pale, even if she has eaten bits of food that her packmates supplied. Pushing more memories away once more, she looks up towards the galliard. "Are you?"

"Mmmmaybe." Alicia teases as she lightly pokes you. "Why don't we order ourselves a pizza and you can heap on as many toppings as you wish."

Yi glances at the spot she was poked at, and then back to the Coggie. "I-... I don't know. I'm not really, hungry." Her eyes distance themselves a moment, then come back. "There's... some money. In the freezer." Her gaze turns towards the kitchen.

"There's some money in my pocket too. My treat." Alicia grins and ruffles up your dark hair for a moment. "I like the new style by the way, it makes you look real cute. Many a kin will run after you."

Yi stares after the galliard a few moments after her hair is ruffled. "Grandmother thought it would look more... more... American." She runs a hand through her own hair, feeling the strands along her fingers.

"Yer' grandma is cool." Alicia grins and pulls you up to your feet, then digs around for her cell phone, pressing a speed dial. "Yo'. Dominos? I want two large's with /everything/ on em' k?" She rattles off the address and phone number, then gets the total. "Thank yas."

Yi simply gazes at the galliard as she orders the pies, focusing in and out of present thought in the span of a few minutes. "How much?" comes her query. The implied, "do I owe you?" is silenced from vocals. The newmoon then glances at the door, wondering about who Domino's will send. Someone indeed brave enough to traverse through the ghettos to knock upon the door of a Garou's home on the night of a full moon.

"Nothing but a smile." Glancing over her shoulder, Alicia winks to her once and flexes out her fingertips a bit, popping a few joints.

Yi arches her eyebrow slightly, no smile quite making it to her features yet. "Really though," she insists. The ragabash may be a Gnawer, but she's still Chinese. And everyone knows they have weird rules about gift giving.

Alicia crosses her arms and clears her throat, holding a hand out. "One smile please."

Yi cants her head off to a side, perturbed by the galliard's equal stubborn insistence. "Fine." Tersely said, the newmoon goes about trying to conjure up a smile. Happy thoughts...happy thoughts... And just when it looks like there could be the breakout of an upside down frown, just the edges of her lips curl upward in more of a smirk than a smile. "Come off it Alicia. Just tell me, how much?"

Alicia shakes her head with a grin, brushing away her hair. "Fine, if you are ganna be stubborn about it, a smile, followed by a big strong hug." She gives you a serious look, tilting he rhead.

Yi's eyes widen with an incredulous look. "You're trying to push a newmoon, here. On a full moon! We can be dangerous." She eyes the galliard with some scrutinizing measure. Then, returns to her attempt at smiling. But now, it just seems a little odd that she'd be trying to do this. What was it for again? Oh that's right... two larges with everything on it. Yi's initial smirk towards the galliard slowly, but surely, does change into a small but genuine smile. "You really know how to bargain, don't you?" Her folded up arms come away from her chest, and she steps to the Coggie to give her a hug, conjuring up strength inside. "Damn you and your hug talk," the newmoon whispers softly, though it was meant well from the tone.

Giggling softly, Alicia holds you back tighter as she leans her cheek against yours. "I love you too, sister." She can't help the huge grin thats spread along her face, she feels amazing for being able to do this, to help her out. "By the way, here is your change." SQUEEZE!

A definite awk! comes from the squeezey toy Yi as she's given her 'change'. "Let go... I.. erk." Her eyes bulge a little and she wavers slightly in the strong arms of the galliard girl. Eventually the two break off the hug, just in time as another series of knocks sounds from the door, followed by a nervous, "Yo? Pizza?"

"Yo! Pizza dude! You hot?" Alicia heads to the door and grins, unbuttoning her top a bit to expose a hefty amount of cleavage. Opening it up, she leans forward, gazing at the man with a sultry look on her face.

Pizza guy, or why don't we call him... Brian... isn't exactly the guy you see in all the happy Domino's delivery commercials. But, he does look very surprised to see Alicia and her...assets... living in a place like this. Catching a glimpse inside, the pizza dude clears his throat and offers over the pizza. "Er... two larges...everything on it?" And, he wasn't exactly referring to the two /larges/ elsewhere.

Yi peeks around behind Alicia, hissing a soft, "What are you doing?" to the galliard. She may be Americanized, but she'll never really get used to the 'customs'.

"Uh huh.. two larges, /everything/ on 'em." Alicia reaches out and takes them, then turns around, handing the boxes to Yi and pushes her away. "So.." She trails off, licking her lips. "How much do ah' owe you?" Teasing a strand of hair with her finger, she shoves her hand deep into her pockets, turning on the charm as her eyes dance to meet his.

Ara... Yi handles the packaging, as usual. However, she does strain to hear from the makeshift table what the two at the doorway are conversing about. And the price, of course. Then the idea occurs to her to look at the receipt on the boxes, which she does. And then she goes into the kitchen.

'Brian' blinks a couple of times, having some bit of difficulty keeping his eyes away from the 'larges' in front of him. "Total's 24.87... uhm..." The pizza guy smiles, with a little hesitant shift in waiting. "You...know, you're shirt's..." He stops himself. Why tell her to cover up? The view's not too bad.

"You like it?" Alicia says as she steps forward, adjusting her breasts a bit, then finally, for his sanity, buttons one more. "I got it from the mall." She takes out two 20's and waves them around playfully in front of him, licking her lips. "Hey /Brian/." She says, reading the name tag off his shirt. "You can keep the change. Consider this the biggest tip you ever got in yer' life." Winking to him, she takes another step back and heads inside the apartment, blowing a kiss to him.

He's left a little speechless, indeed maybe it -was- the biggest tip of his life. Poor guy, barely stammers something as the door closes behind Alicia. Then a few moments after, the sounds of his footsteps fading back down the hall.

Once Alicia closes the door, Yi comes back out from the kitchen with a couple cans of Coke, offering one to her fellow Garou. "You... are mean. And this is for you." Yi takes Alicia's hand and places the cold Coke in it, along with the feeling of paper bills. Then, there's that smirk again as she sits herself back down, eyeing the pizza boxes.

Alicia smirks and follows after her, dropping the money down on the table with a smirk. "You already paid me Yi." She pops the tab on the soda and grins, heading to the kitchen. "And I am not mean, that kid /loved/ it. You know he wanted to suck these titties." Laughing, she can't help it.

Yi gives off another one of those small smiles of hers, watching the galliard laugh it up is enough. "So..." She clears her throat to avoid the thought of sex in any way shape or form, and eyes the pizza boxes. "Did they -really- put -everything- on it?"

Alicia opens up the box and reveals it to her. "Volia. /Everything/ is on it." She states proudly.

"Even anchovies?" Yi takes a closer look at the pizza toppings under the lone light of the kitchen. She looks up dubiously at Alicia. "Is it safe?" Granted...this must be the... sixth or so time Yi's actually eaten pizza. And not with /this/ many toppings on it.

Alicia laughs and shakes her head. "Its definitly not safe, this will clog up yer arteries. I say dig in." She takes a piece and takes a huge bite out of it.

Yi hesitantly goes for a slice. One that looks... less likely to cause immediate heart attacks. Her eyes watch Alicia first, carefully, then after a certain amount of deemed time she takes her first bite out of her slice. It isn't long before she's done with it. Whoever said Asian Gnawers weren't hungry? The newmoon gives her Coke can a concentrated look, and it pops open with a sudden hiss of released air. But just as she's about to drink, she pauses and sets the can down.

Alicia watches her for a moment, then continues to eat her slice, slowly of course. She doesn't like to rush, it gives one gas. "MMm.. I bet yer' happy ta' get back in the swing of things eh'? Find Sepdet, do yer' pack stuff."

Yi cradles the can in her hands, gazing at the shining silvery top. "Yes... it's good to be back. Being away was... painful." Coffee colored eyes never leave the can's top as she nods. "I haven't seen her yet... Sepdet-rhya. I still have to give this pendant back to her." Her slim, scarred hand reaches up to touch the ankh slung around her neck snugly laying beside the carving of a white Native American style little bear. "She, said it brought luck to it's wearer. Everytime she gave it to someone close to her... they eventually returned it." Yi finally breaks off nursing the undrunken Coke, and glances up at the galliard. "At least I'm not dead, right?" The ghost of a smile flits over swift as a shadow.

"At least you aren't dead." Alicia echos her friend as she smiles, raising her can up to salute her. "Here is to living forever eh'? To become Elders and give the cubs shit."

Another flash of emotion crosses the newmoon like a clap of thunder, Yi's eyes widening a touch at the words of the galliard. "R-...right..." Hand slightly shaking with the can, she returns the salute and takes a small sip of it, setting it down just as quickly. She glances at the relatively uneaten pizza, and sighs softly. "Guess I am not that hungry after all. Sorry to have wasted your money..." Yi notes in apologetic, humbled tones.

Alicia tilts her head a bit and leans over, giving you a squeeze of the hand, steadying that shaking. "Hey, left overs is best when warmed up eh'?" She smiles and shakes her head. "We are sister's Yi, kaie? I'm ganna be here for ya."

Yi nods silently, gaze fluttering down to settle like a bird on the galliard's hand upon hers. "Okay." She looks up at Alicia, eyes locked in holding the other cliath's for moments. "You said you wanted to know about the scars." She looks down at her arms carefully. "I honestly, don't remember much. But, if you can find out..." The newmoon trails there, eyes travelling up again to meet the galliard's lighter ones.

"You want me to go inside your head?" Alicia softly asks her as she reaches out to run her fingers along the scars.

Yi shuts her eyes, dipping her head in quiet affirmative to Alicia's question. "But... I can stop it, right?" Yi's eyes open, hesitant and cautious of this idea she wishes to undertake with the help of her friend.

Alicia nods her head in reply. "Yes, you can. It'd be like a vulcan mind meld. You can turn it off."

Yi nods again, taking a short sip of her Coke and setting it down on the table. Her eyes have almost gone black in the dimly lit room. "Let's do it." And after those words, your mind feels warm for a few moments until it opens up into complete darkness. And from the shadows, melts away the kitchen once more to reveal the two as if nothing happened. But you know, you can feel, that this is so much different.

Darkness. That's what it started off as. At least... that's how all things start isn't it? From the mind's eye, a crack of light comes through. Then, the memory opens up to chaos. Neon lights blazing, people moving, tall skyscrapers of the oddest shapes designed not so much for practicality, but to direct the flow of spiritual aura proliferating all around. And underneath it all, the feeling of a cold heartbeat. Cold. Metallic. Like silver...

The brown eyes of the Galliard peer about the city as she materializes in the dreamscape, rubbing her shoulder absently. She continues to watch the scenes unfold, drinking in every detail possible.

Kai Tak International Airport. Hub of the Weaver's web to reach out to the world it seems, spreading its wires from every plane that lands on the sparse number of runways to the people flowing in and out like cells through veins and arteries. From here, the route to a new place flashes by in chunks. The laundry being hung up by an old woman atop the tenth floor of a tenant building, or the newspaper stand with a mangy dog gnawing away on yesterday's news. Eventually the scene focuses on a curious and antique shop, large Chinese characters across the top in faded gold paint against an equally fuzzy red plank of wood. "Uncle Lau!" A face of a middle aged man appears, smiling and warm. Then, an old lady...undoubtedly Grandmother Rui. The aura she exudes is tangibly confident, wise in mind and spirit beyond even her countless years.

Another flash, and it's night. In the dim lit cargo hold of a fishing ship, murmured conversations. Worry pervades the dream atmosphere, then anger. Hate sinking in, with promise of vengeance...

Alicia continues to watch through this window of pain and past, her eyes taking in every detail and memorizing it.

The background turns red. Red like blood. Red like lust. Red, like Rage. Then the face of a young man, smooth to a T and cunning behind the eyes of knowing reality as it is. The proposal of alliance, and shock of ideas punctuate. Flashes of the slums, of the people barely making a life out of trash. The life of a Gnawer. The haze fades into a district of skyscrapers, the epitome of cold feeling. Central District, financial zone. Hanna's face fades by. A sense of urgency, carried further by the still beating heart of Weaver energies. A scouting mission takes course. Again, that young, smooth talking man and a hesitant, nervous companion. Another name mentioned: Mr. S. It's a restaurant background... the songs of Chinese tradition being sung by some washed out singer who was too old to keep up with the changing times. Then the red fades...

Following after the scenes, Alicia slips her hands into her pockets, curiously wondering which page will turn next in the book.

Burning! Pain cuts in like knives as the sleeper awakens to hideous faces. Twisted, laughing, demonic and green with madness. The watchers laugh, spittle flying in a mocking manner. Rage builds up, unleashed without hesitation at the images. Blood flies and splatters against the wall, giving in to the newmoon's fury. Something stings in the back of the mind, and a presence is felt. A large, domineering presence. Against the beast's will, she is brought down to her knees. Strength leaves, Gaia's spirit shriveling, shrinking, all by the power of the man before her. This... is Mr. S. This...is Master.

Alicia winces at the odd feelings, but she continues to keep her cool. Mr S eh'? Cute guy, must be a prick.

A ragged scream cuts through the silence, the voice hoarse. Straining against the bonds, the chains cut into skin without mercy. The feeling of drugs rushing through the veins, replacing the Rage, replacing the will and spirit. Somewhere, from the darkness, the watchers have returned. The world is dark, black, silent except for the burning. Inside and outside, physical and mental. It's no use straining. The chains hold fast. They choke the neck, holding her limbs as she lays prone. It's cold...so very cold... but the silver burns. Master comes, and the watchers disperse with cackling laughter. Hate them, he says. But you will love me. Freezing wind blows through, like ice stinging as he touches her, feels her... samples her.

And just like that, the dream is cut off and everything goes back to normal. Alicia can't handle this, no more. No more pain.

Yi hunches over the table, eyes opening and unblinking when the dream cuts off suddenly. She chokes on her own attempt to breath, like breaking the surface to gasp for air and getting water instead. In the midst of coughing, Yi grips the can of Coke and crushes it easily. The soda spills onto her hand and the table, leaving a dark brown bubbling trail to flow. Her eyes finally come back, and she slowly gazes up towards the galliard. Her features are solemn, but her eyes tell of the pain, the shame, the memory.

".. Yi.. babe. You'll work through this, I had to also." There is a deep burning anger behind her eyes, and the moon isn't helping much. But its only her tribal nature that stops her from flipping out, or destroying the table. Standing, she walks around it to give you a strong hug.

Yi doesn't nod, doesn't really say a word. But as she's hugged, her body gives another shiver as she pushes up into the galliard's arms. "I will..." she murmurs softly. "I will."