John winces - the most expressive gesture he's made while he's been here. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, he half-growls. "I'm really ... not good with children." The look he turns on Kaz is slightly pitiful. "Her name's Sophia. She keeps.. I don't know... laughing at me, I think. It's... strange."

Owen opens the door to the place, taking a look around before coming all the way in. Spotting Kaz, he walks on down the aisle, letting the door close behind him.

Kaz tries not to look amused. Really she does. "Well. You can hand her over t'the tribe if you want. But Roger's this kinda insane metis, Lucca's sort of wonky, although she's a nice person, Cindy ain't around much, an' Daisy's, well, lupus. So I think, well, you're gonna be it. Even if you ain't good with kids."

John looks up at Owen, then back to Kaz. Well... she's still talking while he's here, so he must be family. He sends Owen a cautious look anyway.

Yi is not long in opening the door after Owen, a bag in hand. Doesn't smell like anything is coming from it. She lets her eyes adjust some before scanning the room.

Kaz calls, "Yo, Owen! Yi! Whassup?" To John, she adds, "Ex-packmate and current tribemate, respectively."

John nods. "Ah. This is a Gnawer meeting place?" he questions, lowly.

Owen finds himself a seat and flumps down in it.

Kaz shrugs. "I live here. Owen ain't no Gnawer, though. It's basically a gen'ral meeting place, upstairs. Downstairs, well, it's got other stuff."

Yi shuffles towards the stage, giving Kaz a smile, Owen a respective nod, and John a dip of her head in greeting before setting down the brown bag in her arms with a clunk on the stage.

John frowns. "And I'm not interrupting anything." He eyes Kaz. "Just preventing from happening? I should leave?"

Sepdet slips in through the Gauntlet with a growl and shifts down to something less threatening, looking a little windblown.

Kaz shakes her head. "Nah. We're gonna be talkin' about some scoutin' thing we're doin' tomorrow. Siddown, have yourself a seat, listen. Introduce y'self t'folks. Get acquainted."

Yi lightens the load on her arms and turns to lean against the stage, glancing to John. As Sepdet comes through the Gauntlet she blinks before smiling a tad to her packalpha.

With a brief nod to Kaz, the fairly motionless John turns to eye each of the new arrivals in turn. Loud enough so that he can be heard to be adressing them all, he says, "John Smith. Walks-Thin-Ice. Cliath Ahroun of the Glass Walkers. Formely of Grey Sky caern." That's it. He looks back to Kaz again, before taking a seat nearby.

Signe pushes through the door of the Rialto more quietly than usual. She pauses in the entrance to brush something off her shoulder before wandering toward the stage.

Joey has his hands jammed into his pockets, yet again not looking to be in the ever-so-brightest of moods. He slips inside, wandering over to the stage before he sits down, dangling his legs over the edge.

Sepdet inclines her head gravely towards John as she paces over to Yi's side. Her introduction is curt and formal, her sharp scrutiny and steady gaze serving to announce what authority she holds. "Sepdet Swims-through-silver. Strider Seer. Alpha of pack Avalon."

The door creaks open; in steps Allie, arms resting against her torso. She looks slightly uncomfortable for some reason, eyes darting this way and that. At the sight of Sepdet, the girl moves over to the adren Strider, offering, "Hey," and a vague touch of a smile to her maw.

From his seat, John twists his mouth wryly, and murmurs to Kaz. "How many more? I don't want to have to introduce myself every five minutes."

"Song Yi Ling, just Yi if you like, Three-Blades, nomoon of the Bone Gnawers, packed with Sepdet-rhya in Avalon," Yi offers to John with a dip of her head before turning to lift out some items from the bag. They look mostly like metallic parts. Car parts. Headlights, batteries...

The Strider elder is taken slightly offguard by her tribesmate's arrival, and Allie gets a rare chance to make Sepdet blink in surprise. "You're learning your way about, eh?" she observes in a low but approving murmur to the young half-moon.

Owen leans back into his seat, looking uncharacteristically calm, cool, and collected. "Owen Hollsinger. Get Ahroun. Once child of Fenris, Weasel, and Wolverine. Fostern of the Hidden Walk. And we got business, so I won't bore you with the family tree."

Kaz shrugs at John. "I dunno. We ain't plannin' too many. I'm mostly just here t'tell folks that don't get here th' plans f'tomorrow."

A smirk is given to Sepdet. "Yeah. Slowly but surely," Allie says, and the smirk turns into a grin; her eyes move to John, and she tilts her head at the unknown Garou. "Hi."

John nods to Kaz again, and glances about at the fairly suddenly-formed crowd. "I may have something that can help you, but I wasn't counting on so many. My funds are limited."

Signe eyes the Walker and then nods to Sepdet and the others. "I see you made it," she comments to John. The Get finds a seat near Owen and seems content to wait and see who else shows up tonight. Yi's bag gets a curious look.

Joey looks around as folks wander in at their whims. He pulls his feet under him, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the stage itself. Seeing no food this time, he finds his attention to something else, namely the new person. He doesn't say anything just yet, but gives John a long, careful study.

John stands again, and takes a few steps away from the main crowd, towards the stage. He nods to Allie with a fairly forced smile.

Owen holds a fist out to Signe as she seats herself. "Jarl," he says simply.

Kaz, still on the stage, says mildly to John, "Don't have to stay. If crowds is buggin' you."

John shakes his head. "No, I'll just wait till everyone's here before I introduce myself, I think. I'm interested to hear what you have planned."

Yi also takes out the maps from last meeting, laying them out dutifully on the stage as more people come in. After the maps are organized, she sets to work in hooking up said batteries, scrounged headlights, and some switches.

Signe returns Owen's fist with one of her own and they exchange greetings casually by hitting each other. She watches Yi quietly and eventually, restlessly, gets up to help her.

Joey doesn't seem all that fazed by this as he watches the new Garou around. He still doesn't appear to be his usually cheerful self, but is listening as much as he can for whatever's said in the Theatre tonight.

Sepdet hops up onto the edge of the stage and perches in a crouch, looking strangely more at home lurking on a ledge than sitting in a chair. She observes her packmate's fiddling with intense curiosity, but keeps well out of the way of the weaver-tech.

Kaz, who's sitting with her legs dangling from the edge of the stage a bit away from Sepdet, angles a grin at her.

Signe decide to start things by calling to the Strider up on the stage. "Did you have any luck with making talens?"

Kaz volunteers, "Reggie made a couple. He'll prolly bring 'em tomorrow."

Signe just shakes her head at this, her expression a mingle of amazement and disgust. "I hope they work," she says, asking, "What does a raggedy Uktena ahroun that apparently lives in the scity streets know about binding, anyway?"

Yi glances up as Signe comes over, and the momentary glance earns her a brief zap as wire and finger touches. A sharp intake of breath, and the Gnawer newmoon clenches her hand a moment before stubbornly rehooking the wire to the switch, making sure it's turned off this time. A few more moments of fiddling, and she experimentally flicks the switch. A beam of light, not too high in intensity, but still bright enough to shine to the other side of the room in a fading ray, emits from the headlight. Yi smirks, triumphant. "Check one light," she says quietly.

Kaz shrugs. "All I know is, he made 'em."

Sepdet straightens. "Limited. I will have you two or three light talens from Katina-yuf, but no fire: the preparation's taking too long. Since I delegated the binding, I should have enough firepower myself to set a few banes on fire or hold them still for your claws."

Max appears at the back of the auditorium from through a door to the lobby beyond. She moves one row in from the back and settles atop the back of a torn seat, leaning foward to rest her forearms on her knees and her feet on the armrests of the loge. Her gaze settles upon Signe from afar only to flick to the stranger by the stage.

Kaz shoots Max a grin and then subsides, to listen to Signe.

"That works," Joey says calmly, the first words he's spoken tonight. "So who's going where and in what order?"

Signe looks pleased, despite Sepdet's limited success. She especially is glad to hear the last. Nodding, she asks, "Sepdet, would you lead one of the teams then? I don't know who they'll be made of yet, but when we have an accurate count of scouts we can then make backup teams of muscle."

Kaz flexes her bicep illustratively.

Max frowns a little at what Sepdet says, straightening to cup a hand to her mouth and call from the back of the auditorium, "We rushin' cuz of Crunchy?"

Heavy footsteps sound from the stairs leading up from the Green Room, a footfall pattern that some in the room may find pleasantly familiar, like family, or childhood memories. The footsteps don't come out through the normal door, but seem to pass up onto the stage itself and then, from behind one of the tattered curtains, appears a large, heavyset man sporting a dark, brooding expression. He says nothing, just standing there in the half-shadows, listening. Those that know him, who have fought with him, will easily recognize that it is Barlow who stands there.

Sepdet dips her eyes at Signe. "Sure."

Sepdet swivels in her crouch at the edge of the stage and peers over her shoulder, then breaks into a rare public grin, quickly shuttered, at the big man behind her. She lifts a hand quietly to him.

Yi is busy at the moment, tweaking the wire carefully so the headlight shines brighter and brighter, and at the footsteps sound she swings the light thataway. Not recognizing the man of legend, she blinks some.

Kaz starts to grin, at that tread. She straightens slightly, and says, not bothering to swivel around, "Yo, Chugs." As if she sees him every day, perhaps. Except her grin is entirely audible in her voice. "Just droppin' in?"

Max shuts up abruptly and drops her hand from the side of her mouth, her gaze flickering from Signe and Sepdet to settle with no undue amount of fascination upon Barlow. With an audience like this -- who needs a spotlight?

Signe turns at the call, eyeing Max briefly and asking, "Crunchy?" The appearance of Barlow turns her head again again and the surprise is outdone only by her pleased grin. "Jesus Christ, look what the cat dragged in."

Joey mutters, "Musta been a big fucking cat."

Kaz, Max translator, explains, before swivelling around on the stage to shoot Chugs that grin, "She means, are we rushin' this 'cause of Banecruncher."

Owen looks up towards the sound, witing for whatever it is. Once the big Gnawer makes his presence known, Owen gets to his feet and walks forward, looking about as stoic as stoic can be, an almost perpetual frown on his face. He makes his way over to Pete.

Pete Barlow offers a muted, dark nod to the greetings he receives, saying nothing. He seems content to listen.

Signe answers Max, via Kaz, "No. We're rushing--if you can call the snail like pace we've moved on this problem a 'rush'--'cause of the moon. That's all."

Sepdet's eyes dance at the mention of large cats, but she manages somehow to rein her expression back under control. The mention of Banecruncher probably helps her reforge her usual rather aloof expression.

John watches proceedings from his vantage point some distance away, and merely folds his arms, getting comfortable whilst standing.

Signe decides not to continue until Owen does whatever it is he's apparently planning to do, what with that purposeful walk of his. Since she wishes to include Barlow in what comes next, she waits for a moment by simply helping Yi with the next light.

Yi briefly keeps the light on some more, before switching it off. Looking towards Signe and Sepdet, the Canto-Gnawer sets the flashytoy away. "Scouts wise, here's Joey, Max, and me for the newmoons." She looks thoughtful, thinking who else shares the auspice.

Owen stands there by Pete for a moment in silence, tense. "Pete, I've got something to give you, you old dog." His frown hasn't broken.

Signe answers Yi with a brief nod. "That ought to be enough. For each no moon I'd like at least one ass-kicker."

"Way I see it," Max offers her opinion though it wasn't invited. ".. f'we've waited this long 'n we need a little freakin' sunshine on our shoulders, what's 'nother month? We gonna go half-assed cuz we ain't gone yet?"

Pete Barlow's expression warms as he sees Owen and he nods. "Watcha got?"

Max pushes up off her chair with a hop and meanders down the row to the center aisle, then heads down toward Signe, her gaze wavering from the Jarl to flicker now and then to Pete or John and back again.

Owen takes the last steps forward and gives the Adren Gnawer a big bearhug. "Goddammit, but it's good to see you again. Where the hell you been hiding, you old fart?"

Signe answers Max, her voice growing a little quieter as the newest Gnawer no-moon gets closer. "The moon'll still be three quarters full tomorrow. Having a full moon won't make up for a month more of those banes breeding down there. We might as well go now. Besides, this is still just a scouting. I just want to assess how easily it will be to take back Harbor Park's sewers."

Sepdet looks over towards Max. "Prudence is fine, but this is a preliminary foray. We've got better teeth and strength on this hunt than many I've seen in a number of years, talens or no. And more planning than I've /ever/ seen this sept attempt. Let's see what we've got before we decide it's not worth doing."

Kaz's grin softens, and she turns back to regard Signe and Max. "Also got more than talens. Lookit what Yi got, after all."

"One thing I was thinking about," Yi continues quietly, setting up a second headlight for rigging, "was how far will we push the button tomorrow? Should we have to retreat, what is to keep the banes from overtaking what we win over?" The nomoon momentarily looks towards Owen, little surprised to see the normally not so affectionate ahroun hugging. She seems pretty sure something wrong is bound to happen.

Kaz's eyebrow wrinkles. "Thought this was just scoutin'. The retakin' comes next time. Week or so, yeah, Sig?"

Joey looks over, after hearing he's officially a scout, and sees Owen hug Barlow. He turns away. "Ok, I'm officially defiled now, thanks," he says, and goes back to the conversation at hand. "Well, I got a Full-oon as backup if we need one. DUnno why he ain't all here yet."

Signe nods to Kaz, "Or maybe like Max said, when the moon starts getting fat again. But I guess it depends what we find down there. The question I most want answered is: 'How hard will it be, and what's the best way to take back this section'."

Pete Barlow returns the sudden ahrounesque display of affection with obvious gusto, lifting Owen slightly off the ground. "Been out and about, my friend. On business."

Kaz nods thoughtfully, taking this in. "'Kay."

Signe asks Joey, "Which full moon is that?"

Long distance to the room: Yi describes - Car headlights, probably pilfered from somewhere, those squarish box batteries that kids use for science experiements, and light switches. Not too stable, in fact it lacks a frame or method of carrying at the moment. But they shine ok.

Joey shrugs. "Junior. Pete's little Ahroun. Well, the one that's a Garou, anyways." Signe glances up at 'daddy', now that Joey mentions Junior, and she grins at the display between Owen and Barlow. "Pete," she calls, to get his attention."

Yi shrugs to Kaz, skeptical and perhaps a little paranoid. She's like that. "Granted the goal is not to get noticed, but with all of us down there, something is bound to see us. And in that case, we'll have to run or fight."

Max shrugs amenably to Signe and then summarily to the Strider as she passes her while meandering over to Yi. She picks up one of the headlights and the semi-connected apparatus and looks it over. She switches it on and it glares in Signe's direction. Under her breath she sings a little bout of 'Dankeshein' before flicking the light back off. She flicks another glance over at John and elbows the elder ragabash beside her. "Who's Knightrider?"

Owen slaps Pete on the the side of the head. "Good to see you. Really. Miss you bustin' my chops." He grins a little and backs away. "We gots business tonight. Hope you're comin'."

Kaz glances at Signe. "You int' cuttin' an' runnin'?"

"We'll see," says Barlow with a nod, his expression darkening again. He moves to the edge of the stage and squats near Signe.

Yi blinks at the elbow, turning to Max. "Knightrider?" Her expression is about as blank as her question.

Max lifts her chin in John's direction while looking at Yi.

"I'm all for surviving this trip, Kaz," Signe answers and gives Barlow her own fond greeting--even though it's little more than a touch on his shoulder. She asks the elder Gnawer, "Come play with me tomorrow?"

Sepdet tells Yi, "It depends on how we split up. I can make banes stop or at least slow down, usually, but that won't help everybody. We'll need claws like Signe's. And Pete's?" She looks hopefully towards the exchange between ahrouns.

Allie has been silent all this time; she is listening absently to the conversation going on, never offering her thoughts. Pete Barlow gets a curious look, but the young half-moon then glances to Sepdet and Yi and pipes up: "Can I come with you guys?"

John stares at Max and replies for Kaz. "John Smith. Walks-Thin-Ice. Walker Ahroun, formerly of Grey Sky. No sept now."

"You doin' the Sewers?" asks Barlow flatly.

Yi glances at John, then back to Max with a wry grin as the Walker answers the question. Allie's question garners her attention and she looks over at Sepdet before glancing back to Allie. "No one's stopping you," she says quietly, the wryness still in her features.

Signe answers, "Can't take them all back at once. Together, they're worse now than the Hospital was." She shrugs, "We've decided to take it one step at a time. Take back Harbor Park's sewers first, and work our way to the really nasty parts."

Joey speaks up, now that John does. "Joey Driscoll, Braves-Fire. Cliath raggie with the Gnawers. Alpha of...no pack. Child of...no one. Just one of your city leftovers going freelance." My, someone's in a mood. "Anyone else not here who's going," he asks to no one in particular.

Signe adds, "Tomorrow's just a scouting to see if we can figure out where they're strongest, so we can formulate the best way to keep it when we really go down there."

Pete Barlow nods, eyes narrowing. "Good place to start. Got some bad shit there, though."

Signe agrees with Barlow, but the sound comes out a growl, "I know, but it's worse at Osprey Circle."

Owen just moves to stand behind Signe, looking over her shoulder at the maps when he can.

Sepdet looks over at Allie. "We've got to finish hammering out our strategy for tomorrow night, Ma'at-yib, but I expect so. Close quarters down there limit our numbers somewhat." She turns back towards Signe, drumming her fingers quietly on the edge of the stage.

Max sets down the headlight device and meanders closer to John. "Yo. I's Max. Bruises. Boner 'n 'basher. Whatcha doin' -here-?" She stops just out of arm's reach of the Walker, looking him up and down speculatively.

Signe's eyes shift to Sepdet, and this fact brings her scowl back. "Yeah, I know. Exactly how wide /is/ it under Harbor Park? What number teams would you suggest?"

John is still as a rock, just watching Max carefully with ice-blue eyes. He replies coldly. "Found a cub. Theurge needs teaching. All the Garou I know are dead. So."

"Julie suggested coming down by a few different manholes around the park, working in towards the fountain." Sepdet sketches out a shrinking triangle with her hands. "That's riskier, but gives us more room to move. It all depends on the numbers that are coming. I think we need five a group for the sake of strength."

Pete Barlow looks down at the maps and nods toward Sepdet. "You got the right of it. Close quarters is where its at. You got the tube right beneath the fountain. But then you got the area beneath that too. Where the Glade used to be."

Yi completes the second device and sets it beside the first. There's material enough for three, and she fixes up the last one with care as the others discuss. It's clear enough to her that she's not leading anything yet. "The pipes we were in," her reply for Signe, "were high enough for hispo. We traveled in single file. They are wider at the manholes."

Junior comes inside, closing the door quietly behind him.

Owen tries to look at the map. "That wouldn't be exposing our backs, would it, coming in from three sides like that?"

Joey hmmms, as Owen speaks. "Hard to say. Down there, we're surrounded, so any side we do take'll be a hairy one, I'm thinking."

Max circles around John to back up against the stage and the push herself up, a ways down from the rest of the Garou gathered. Under her breath she murmurs with a somewhat empathetic tone that she'd deny, "Sucks to be you, John-boy. You gotta place to crash?"

Sepdet growls. "That's why it's riskier. But we're not going to fit more than a pack or so's worth under the fountain at once. The other option is to split two ways: half take umbra, half take realm, starting at the fountain. That'll give us a little more information, but those umbraside have to be prepared to stay there for a while, since the Gauntlet's thick."

Kaz listens quietly, though some of her attention is on Max.

"And expect surprises," Yi murmurs, fiddling with wires and the switch.

Signe asks the Strider, "You're comfortable leading the umbral party?"

Owen grunts. "It'll be thick both ways, Sepdet. But you know that better 'n I."

John shrugs and watches Max carefully. Cautiously. "I'm keeping the girl in an apartment. Don't know how much longer I can afford it, though. I may have to start doing Things to raise the money." He scowls. "I was /hoping/ to hand her to the Walker tribe here, but it appears to be fragmented."

Yi idly wonders as the third contraption is completed, whether the Umbra would stink as bad as the Realm. "If one party goes to the Shadow, then we need backup for them. Feeling is generally, if it's this bad here, it must be lots worse there." She gives the completed flashlight an experimental flick of the switch and it beams up towards the ceiling over the doorway briefly before Yi flicks it off.

Sepdet grins thinly at Signe. "That's where I usually work. Just need enough others who can take it."

"I'll go anywhere anyone wants me to," Allie says, shrugging.

Kaz looks, slightly, torn. "Could do Umbral if you wanted. For the kicking ass part."

Signe gestures among those here. "Choose your scouts and fighters then, Sepdet. And we'll make the Realm team from who's left."

Pete Barlow looks over at Sepdet and smiles. "Count me in for the Flipside work"

Signe nods, darting a glance to Pete and smiling again. "I was going to suggest that."

Joey shrugs again. "I can go either way. Learning experience no matter what I end up doing.

Owen waits for the team captains to choose their players. "I'm up for whatever. Just wanna try out my new toy."

Sepdet looks relieved as Barlow offers. "That gives us one of the best fighters, and hopefully I'll have one to bring. Allie, come but be /damned/ careful. Yi, you'd better start getting used to scab umbra now; we'll be seeing a lot of it. She surveys the rest thoughtfully. "Kaz, I'd love to have your Troublemakers, but I don't want to claim all the scouts."

Max snorts quietly, glancing down toward the planning at the other end of the stage before she looks back to John and murmurs. "S'one word for it. There's a couple'a them 'round, but -- I ain't seen'm. You gonna stick maybe?"

Yi nods to Sepdet, then looks to Joey. "Then I suggest Joey takes the scouting pack in the Realm. He went with Chaser, Ethan, and I the last time, so he's been down there."

Signe glances over at Joey. "You up for that?"

Carlos slips in quietly from the Alleyway.

John nods curtly at Max. "Until this cub sees the proper training she deserves. I was going to move onto Hanford maybe, when she's no longer my responsibility. But. My blood might be better shed here. I don't know." He watches the proceedings on the stage thoughtfully, paying particular attention to Signe.

Allie nods to Sepdet. "Okay," she says, smiling. "I'll be careful. Promise." Then, the half-moon pauses, and says, "I'm gonna go back to the bawn. I'm getting tired. Been running around all day. Bye." The goodbye is said to Yi and Sepdet collectively with a smile, and she turns on her heels and leaves.

Kaz shrugs at Signe. "Wherever we'd be most use. Tim'n Max both ain't exactly Umbral heroes, though."

Joey nods slowly. "I can do it. I just want some backup." He looks around. "What, show of hands who's going into the Umbra? With Avalon and Elder types going Umbral, maybe Kaz's kids can stay worldside?"

Signe nods to Kaz. "I'll be on this side, since Barlow'll be on the other. So I'll be backing up Trouble in the Realm."

Kaz nods, though she casts a brief wistful glance Barlow-wards. "Right, then. Realm'll work good."

Max lifts her thumb to her mouth to chew on an already-chewed, blue painted nail, glancing down again to the conversation around the jarl. She mutters at John. "You can crash here if you wanna. S'not the Plaza, but it ain't no dumpster neither."

Signe adds, "And Banecruncher.." she pauses.

Pete Barlow licks his lips and nods.

Carlos eyes get big at the mention of Baney's name, but he says nothing.

Yi waves to Allie, and glances around, thinking before noting, "That makes four of us in the Umbra." Looking at Signe, she suggests, "Maybe we ought to have two Realm packs, glancing towards Owen and briefly wondering what toy he wants to smash things with.

Joey lets out a relieved breath. "And Bane, and Junior, you stay by me. And Troubles, and Signe. Ok, I'm cool with that."

Owen just cracks his knuckles, uncalled.

Junior nods to Joey, listening to the planning. "OK."

Signe is also looking at Owen. "If everyone shows and things are real tight down below, I'll split it into two teams." she too wants to know what toy, but she doesn't openly ask yet.

Kaz, on the other hand, hops off the stage and wanders over Owen-wards. "You say somethin' about a toy?"

Signe's eyes narrow keenly to see if Owen answers Kaz.

Yi glances around again, mostly settling with curiosity on Owen.

Owen grins at Kaz. "I just got me some learnin' recently. New Gift from the spirits."

Kaz says, patiently, "What Gift?"

John nods neutrally at Max. "When the rent is next due, I pay, and we move out. Thank you. I haven't had much luck finding work here, yet."

Yi gazes up towards Sepdet. "If things get hazy on the Shadow, then we should send Allie back over for help."

Max casts another glance over John before noting, "You into getting your ass handed you 'n Sig's 'ready sniffed your butt 'n called you Blue, you can come shit-huntin' with us."

Alicia pages to Tom and Yi: Be right back guys, I'm trying to install some stuff Owen scratches at his bearded chin. "It's a type of growl. Saps my foe a bit of concentration."

Kaz says, "Aha. Cool," and hops back onto the stage.

Sepdet shakes her head at Yi. "Too slow and too long. She'd take twenty minutes to cross, and we'd be left with too few. We get into trouble we head for the bridge, and I have a way to let Signe know what we're doing." She adds, "I think I'll pick up an extra one or two for our team to make sure. There's a few Garou who will come if I ask."

Pete Barlow continues to squat at the edge of the stage, listening. A smoke finds its way to his mouth as he looksout over the crew gathered there in the old theater. He nods to himself.

John tilts his head at Max, and just looks at her consideringly for a moment. Eventually he calls over to Signe, "Where can I be of use?"

Kaz gives Max a brief, approving sort of glance, and then refocuses on Signe.

Joey is sitting, listening.

Carlos nods, "I'm in too, if I can be of help."

Yi nods to the Strider elder's words, trusting she knows a lot more about Umbra here than her own mind. "Alright," comes her reply quietly. "We might need another set of claws in the Shadow." Granted there's two adren in the Umbra pack, but.

Pete Barlow looks over at Junior, finally spotting the Gnawer. He motions the kid over with movement of his head.

Junior heads over to Pete. "Hey, Dad."

"So," Owen says as he kneels downs next to Signe and the maps. "Want it that I should face forward or cover the back?"

"Kid," says Barlow with a nod, offering Junior a shake from his pack of cigs. "How you doin'?"

Sepdet nods at Yi. "We need two more." She looks around debatingly.

Yi looks towards Carlos and John, the two of them not having a group yet. An eyebrow rises as she motions with her head in a small tick towards them.

Max's gaze drifts from John to Signe to father and son, some fascination seeping back into her expression. She kicks her heels lightly against the side of the stage.

Carlos stands, "Carlos, Gnawer Theurge and Cliath, for those 'an don' know me so well," he smiles a bit shyly, "I'd like to be there. Baney was my packmate for our Rite of Passage, and though I haven't been around as much as I shoulda, we're packmates now too."

Sepdet's mouth turns down at Carlos' announcement, although she doesn't seem particularly surprised. She murmurs something to Yi.

Sepdet whispers "Carlos will want to be at his friend's side for his last battle. He has the right. I'll be getting a few from the caern for us to make sure."

Junior shakes his head at the offer, but smiles. "Doing OK...you?"

Joey looks up, indicating Carlos with a free hand. "Someone tell him what happened?"

Carlos flushes a bit at Sepdet's reaction, and he looks uncomfortably at the floor.

"Better after tomorrow night," says Barlow to his son.

Kaz shrugs. "In which context? Carlos, you know about the Veil shit, or not?"

Yi nods slowly and glances towards Carlos and then letting her gaze fall around the rest of the room. Banecruncher's fate doesn't get much enthusiasm from her either.

Junior nods to Pete. "Yeah..."

Carlos nods, "I 'don know the details as why, but I know Baney's gotta lead the attack, and die."

Kaz says, "Yeah. He broke the Veil, tried to eat a police car in hispo, frenzied and tried to rape a kin in Crinos, stuff like that. It, um. Ain't much somethin' I'm favorin', but you gotta do shit when someone does shit, y'know?"

John winces, and ducks his head. He massages his eyebrows with one hand, and waits for an explanation of this terrible waste.

Yi tilts her gaze towards the maps and the flashlights. Her attempt to get her mind towards a different subject, like how to make sure the contraptions don't fall apart, is working quietly. She murmurs back up to the Strider elder softly.

You paged Sepdet with 'Who else are you getting from the Caern?'.

Carlos nods, "I wish it never happened. Baney's my /packmate/, but.." his eyes glisten a bit, "I know justice must be done."

Kaz says, softly, "Yeah," and leaves it at that.

Sepdet comes to a decision finally, and murmurs a name or two at Yi. More loudly, she adds, "Need a lupus, but a decent fighter will do. John, unless you've got a strong preference, you're umbraside with us."

Sepdet whispers "Kristine. Megaera if I can find her. And I'm hoping we'll get part of Avalon with us, although Joseph must stay home."

Signe spends several long moments studying the map. She finally looks up and comes back to the conversation slowly.

John looks up at Sepdet and shifts uncomfortably. "I prefer not to fight in the umbra, but... You need the claws. I'll be there."

Pete Barlow pushes up suddenly. "I'll meet you all here tomorrow in the evening?"

Signe glances over at the Walker, and asks, "Can you /fight/, Walks on Thin Ice?" She says the name as if it were truly apt.

Signe lifts her chin at Barlow, thanking him with that look and saying goodnight all at the same time.

Owen looks up and away from Signe for a moment. "It's a last chance to enter the Hall of Heroes and be prepared for the next coming." He pats Signe on the shoulder, then gets to his feet.

Kaz says, "Aye aye, boss," towards Chugs, slight grin rising again.

Yi nods again, and packs away the 3 flashlights into the bag for later fiddling.

John's discomfort doesn't go unnoticed, but she says nothing about it. "We should meet here first, and then move towards the Park in different routes. Look less suspicious, yeah."

Sepdet scowls faintly at the answer. "All right. If I can get a couple from the caern you can stay this side, Walker."

Junior nods to Pete. "Sure. See you later, OK, dad?"

Pete Barlow moves off again into the shadows of the stage.

Signe adds, to Sepdet, "You can have Owen to fight on the other side if you think you're short scrappers. We have plenty enough for the realm team."

John's face hardens at Signe's question, and some of the scars on his face wrinkle. "I can fight. And well. And I'll be there."

Signe answers with a simple nod. Her judgement, it seems, will wait til tomorrow. "Fuckin' A," Max mutters after John speaks and pushes to her feet on the stage. She meanders over toward Kaz, sinking down to a crouch close behind her and muttering something near the Galliard's ear.

Yi looks over the maps, and then back around the room. "Well, we have who is going with who, now we should come up with the where are we going. We start at the Park, right, and the worst of it is north at Osprey Circle. Which pipes should we take?"

Joey leans back, holding himself up by his palms. He seems a lot calmer now.

Signe shakes her head at Yi. "We won't get much past Harbor Park itself, I'm thinking. In fact, I think we should stay to just that, or just outside of that."

Kaz gives Max a very long look, and then mutters something back to her.

Max settles her elbows on her crouched knees and slides a glance over to Signe from behind Kaz.

Sepdet adds, "And goal is not necessarily to tear down every bane in sight, but just to see what's there, and if possible get an idea what they're feeding on, what kinds of abilities they have, any weaknesses we might exploit in future. Only take 'em out if there's a limited number." She looks towards Signe questioningly.

Kaz adds, more audibly, though it's still a mutter, "You don' gotta if you don' wan'. I c'n thinka somethin' else."

Signe nods to what Sepdet says, each part, and then adds, "And, again, to assess what it will take to reclaim just that section, and how feesable it is to /keep/ it, once we do."

"But if there is more than one pipe, are we spreading out to explore, or going down just one of them and seeing what is there?" Yi presses some more.

Signe looks at the map to see exactly how many pipes are on the map, leading out from the fountain.

Junior shakes his head. "Don't like leaving unexplored stuff behind us...but splitting up would be worse, wouldn't it?"

Signe isolates the main pipe that runs across the Park. "Ignore the smaller ones, where the going is gonna be even tighter. We'll just do this one pipe, first. Ok?"

Yi is satisfied with the tactics now. "Talens I'm guessing will be distributed when we get them. I'll figure out a way to make it so the lights can be carried." She nods to the Jarl, giving the maps one more glance.

Carlos addresses Signe, somewhat diffidently, "Which group may I join? How may I help?"

Owen stands back up after a bit and looks to Sepdet. "So."

Signe eyes Carlos a moment, her scrutiny rather harsh. "I dunno. How can you help?" Kaz doesn't watch Max overly much, just now.

Sepdet glances from Carlos to Owen. Her brows lift sharply at the Get. "Yes?" Owen ticks his head towards Signe. "Your side?"

Carlos straightens himself, "I am Neon, a gnawer Theurge, Signe-rhya. I can sense the enemy. I can fight well, and know the rite of cleansing. I am familiar with the city's umbra."

John murmurs quietly, "And if it helps, Helios lights the way for me."

Sepdet fails to parse Owen's question, but hazards a guess. "I'd expect you'd want to be fighting with your Jarl, Owen."

Max snorts quietly and mutters rather boldly though still rather hushed, "Fuck /that/."

Signe answers Carlos, "Then show up tomorrow and we'll put you where you can do the most good."

Signe looks to John, blinking suddenly. "Meaning what, Walker?" She eyes Max, and Kaz, for a moment, but doesn't say anything to them.

Carlos nods.

John tilts his head, looking at Signe and shrugging slightly. "A Rite. On occasion, the Wyrm is more easily visible to me."

Sepdet jabs a thumb towards Neon. "Carlos, I could use your moon's instincts, if you don't mind not fighting with your old packmate."

Owen dips his chin for a moment. "I've been offered to you. I an sure I'll be needed on either side, but I'll go where the leader's wisdom dictates."

Max flicks a look back over to John. "Rock'n roll. Johnboy's a flasher." The ragabash sounds pleased. "Maybe he oughta run with Trouble."

Kaz just chuckles silently, still not quite looking at Max. Mostly at Owen and Sepdet, really.

Signe answers with a grunt. "Well, pretty much anything we come across is gonna be Wyrmy, where we're going."

Kaz flicks a look from John to Max. "Huh," she mutters, and then looks back to Sepdet.

John nods to Signe and a corner of his mouth twitches upwards. "Better to see it coming."

Signe grins ferally.

Carlos nods at Sepdet, "I would like to go where I will be of the most use."

Yi listens to most of this, and finally runs a hand through her hair with some frustration. "Just come tomorrow, and we'll see what's in store for us," she snaps a little.

Signe eyes Yi. "You ok, Blades?"

Joey hops off the Stage. "Ok, catch folks tomorrow night," he says, looking around before he heads out.

Yi glances up at Signe and nods curtly. "We have most of the plans laid out. What's left is trivial. The new Walker can show up and we'll find him a place, the same with Carlos. But one can't count chicks before they hatch, so to speak, so the number tonight may or may not be the same. We'll see, and then decide," she says quietly.

Max watches Joey leave, calling after him. "Slam it, Jojo."

Signe leans against the stage casually, the Gnawer's words bringing a slow, agreeable nod from her. "Yeah. You need to work off some of that tension, though, or you won't be much good tomorrow."

Yi pauses at that and nods a little more slowly. "I'll do that," she replies in a barely audible tone. Her eyes stray towards Carlos and John and she dips her head towards them in silent apology.

John attempts a warm smile, but it really doesn't sit well on that face.

Carlos smiles at Yi for a moment, before his face again falls serious.

Signe looks around, since Yi put it so succinctly. "We are pretty much done here, though." She pushes off the edge of the stage.

Sepdet holds out a hand to the Gnawer. "I need to get back and check with Katina on those talens, take a swing past home," she says in a low voice. "You be all right?"

Owen starts counting outloud. "...4 ...5. Five chicks in this room."

Yi gazes over towards the hand and the Strider offering before taking it oddly and giving it a squeeze. "I'll be fine," she says with restrained tone, releasing the hand and gazing over to the others. "If you want copies of the maps, there are some here."

John stalks over towards the stage quietly, and nods to Yi. "I'd like to take one."

A voice in your head says quietly, with a soft hushed sound like wind in empty spaces, "We will walk in the shadow with eyes open and stride sure."

Kaz lies down, looking up at the lights. Evidently, she's thinking.

Junior hmms, going up to get a copy. "I'd like a copy too."

Sepdet squeezes Yi's hand strongly before relinquishing it and wishing the company, "Rest well, all. Tomorrow we begin to take back our own." She slips for the door, evidently choosing the solid world for the walk home.

Signe seems to be heading that way herself. She gathers up her copies of the maps and puts them on the inside of her black jacket before turning toward the door.

Yi blinks for a moment, brow furrowing in a light period of confusion before glancing towards the departing Strider with a short smile. Then she turns back to the stage, lifts up the copies of the map she made, and hands them to Junior and John, each a piece.

Carlos takes a peek at the maps as well.

Owen turns to Signe. "Say, if I show off tomorrow, maybe we can get back to teaching each other."

Yi lays a copy of the map aside for Carlos if he wants to take it, and then turns to gather up the original materials and place them back in the bag she brought.

Signe glances back at Owen, looking him up and down. "you thinking about learning something particular?"

Carlos takes the map, and studies it carefully for a moment, before tucking it away.

John examines his briefly before rolling it up and placing it inside his coat. He makes his way slowly and quietly over to Kaz, and murmurs lowly, "You gave me some addresses. I was wondering how well you know the rest of the city... the less savoury parts."

Kaz regards the young man. "Kinda sorta. Some've 'em's in my territory, even. What'cha want, specifically?"

Junior finds a place to settle, and starts to go over the map in detail - tracing the routes over and over.

Yi picks up the bag, the contents clunking metallically as she shifts it around before nodding towards the others and heading out of the Rialto. She left about 3 or so copies more if there were people who wanted one and didn't get one.

You leave through a door out into an alley and quickly find yourself on the street.