Cubnapping Tenzin
2/2/2005
05:37 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.
Silver and Ellicott Streets, Midtown
Office buildings rise along Silver Avenue, several stories tall, but further north, towards Ellicott, the buildings dwindle to small specialty shops: little stores selling jewelry, clothing, or soaps, and several small, specialty bookstores are tucked along the several streets. Delicatessens, bakeries, and ice cream parlors, along with other small restaurants, cater to the businessmen along Silver Avenue and to the casual shoppers along Ellicott, in a small business district stretching from Third Street to Twelfth.
Contents:
Tenzin
Dakota
Obvious exits:
Whispering Pines East West
[look Tenzin]
There is nothing terribly remarkable about this dark-complected pre-teen boy. His head is close-shaved, only a faint stubble visible, and it has clearly been shaved that close for a while, as the skin showing is the same deeply tanned color as his face. He seems quiet, reserved even, often simply watching and listening to things that go on around him with a deep, if not slightly detached at times, interest. The slight almond shape of his eyes mark him as Asian, though perhaps not what most people think of as such. The most striking thing about him is his clothing... Rust, orange, and saffron robes wrap and billow around his slight frame, and simple sandals upon his feet. He carries a beaten up knapsack of sorts, tightly woven, threadbare in some places, patched in others. A set of dark-colored wooden beads is wrapped loosely about his left wrist, and a couple of other sets of beads, one of which appears to be made of small bone-colored carved skulls, sometimes peek out of his robes as he moves.
The two members of Resonance are out and about today, enjoying the last of the bright daylight hours after a long party with the Fianna the night before to celebrate one of their many festivals. Dakota had been enjoying a fat and oven-warm donut with gooey chocolate icing when something got her attention. A unicorn spirit, of sorts, leaping down the street right for them. However, it was a unicorn the Gaian couldn't recognize offhand. The unicorn took the form of it's eastern cousin instead of the more well-known white horse. The Theurge immediatly grabbed Yi and took off, following the spirit.
Yi surely had recognized what looked like the Qilin, more dragon than horse, more mythical than real. The Bone Gnawer's perturbed expression was soon jolted with the grabbing of her wrist and running after the theurge. Despite her sprinting speed, the ragabash lags slightly behind, face twisted into half-excitement, half-pain from the battlescar on her leg.
They don't get far when a strange sight comes into view. There, on the mundane little street of bookshops and bistros, stands what appears to be a miniature Hari Krishna. (At least to the 'uncultured' eye.) The pre-teen monk, dressed in the telltale orange robes, peers into the window of an bookstore that claims to sell only antique and first-editions. He rocks up on the balls of his feet, trying to peer closer through the window.
The spirit, with one final sweep of it's head, dissolves upon arriving at the boy's general location. Dakota, panting slightly, skids to a hault and starts looking around from a standing spot. It doesn't take too long her to put things together. Qilin. Monk boy. Hm. Coincidence? She doubts it. Nothing to her anymore is just coincidence. Letting out a breath, she looks across her shoulder to her packmate and murmurs. "...any ideas?"
The shopowner, obviously concerned that the boy /is/ a Hare Krishna, or some other 'beggar', moves to the window and starts making general 'shooing' motions at the boy-monk. It seems to take the young man a while to notice this, however, and his is visibly taken aback by the owner's attitude. He frowns briefly, and there's almost the sense that, monk, buddhist, or no, there's a definite desire to stick his tongue out at the owner, before the boy shuffles on down the street.
Yi slows only when her packmate slows, her gaze too attracted to the bright orange and saffron. The ragabash bends down slightly, lightly rubbing the top of her thigh so that the pain dulls away and gives her time to think. Glancing about, she watches the usual bystanders and cars traveling past with a short shake of her head. "Though his appearance screams of one who watches the night sky..." she murmurs, "Maybe his dreams will have told him something... but perhaps we can offer him a place to stay." She wets her lips, straightens up and starts walking more normally towards the boy, looking something like she's window shopping rather than intending a kidnapping.
Almost unconsciously, the young boy seems to be counting along the beaded wrist mala he wears on his left arm. He's actually muttering something under his breath, visibly, perhaps some kind of mantra.
Dakota tags along a bit behind Yi, casually popping the last of her donut into her mouth and sucking the last bit of icing off that was stuck to her fingers. The man of the store is taken note of and given a slightly disapproving gaze, but for now, most of her attention is focused on the boy.
Yi then, as if calling attention to the monk, makes her voice just slightly louder than usual, and said in her native Cantonese tongue. "(Wow, so rare to see one so young who follows the Path towards Enlightenment!)" The ragabash boldly proceeds forward, eyes upon the young boy intently to gauge his reaction to her words but also masked with that curiosity of one who has 'found her own'. Then she turns to her packmate, and remarks, "Come, come and see."
The boy's eyebrows lift, even as he raises his chin to regard the young woman speaking to him. He responds, also in Cantonese, though its tingued with the faintest of accents, really only noticable to a native speaker. <>
Dakota stands at Yi's shoulder and quietly regards the boy, looking at him and maybe past him at the same time. Being as she speaks only english and bad english, their words are lost on her ears, and she's left just watching the conversation instead of really listening to it.
"All too true," Yi answers in English, making the polite switch to a language that all three would understand. "It is rare still, to see one such as yourself out this late. Are you from the area, or traveling on your own?"
Tenzin folds his hands before him the classic greeting posture of his beliefs. Bowing slightly, he responds in decent English, though any and all accents are exceptionally noticable now. "I am with my teachers." This makes the boy pause slightly, as if realizing that, because right /this/ moment he is not with his teachers, does that mean he's telling a lie? The heartbeat pause moves on, and he adds, "We have been traveling the schools. As part of a culture exchange?" He seems as if he's slightly unclear on the term.
Dakota raises up her brows thoughtfully and nods her head to the boy to show she understands. "Nice to see they still do that, though not enough, at least in my opinion. I apologize, I hope that man was the only one that's been rude to you here. A few people always make the rest of us look bad."
Yi dips her head as well to the traditional greeting, then nods a couple of times to indicate Dakota and herself. "If you would agree to it," she continues, "Perhaps you would honor us with your presence at our dinner table tonight?"
The young boy-monk watching Dakota while she speaks, as if trying to follow her rapid sentences. He begins to wave a hand dismissively, when Yi's invitation is made. The boy takes a slight step backwards. "I am sorry," he says, "I must apologize. I have dishonored by teachers by removing myself from our group." He presses his palms together again, upright, and bows slightly again, "I must go back to them. It is kind of you to offer food, however. I will not think all of this country bad, in my memory."
Dakota smiles at the boy understandingly and speaks slower. "Are your teachers at the University? We could give you a ride, if you like? That's a long walk from here and the buses are always late."
Yi offers as well, "Surely the Eightfold Path doesn't say you cannot ride a car?"
From afar, to the room, Jeremy snickers at Yi. R Kelly was in jail for stat.
"I have no money for a bus," the boy says, almost automatically. Or simply as if it is already a known fact. "My teachers are not 'teachers', not professors. They are lamas, holy men." He eyes Yi a moment, "It is not so far as a car would be needed. We are free to come and go, but where else would be wish to go, save to follow the Path?"
Yi shrugs then. "Well, at least allow us to walk you there then, and meet your elders?" She turns to Dakota, "I believe I did hear of a talk on the university campus regarding this."
Dakota looks like she has to stop and consider the boy's words first before she nods. "I'd like to hear them speak, oi they have not already. I always enjoy learning something new." She says with a wide smile that's utterly honest.
"I thought a University was not unlike a monastary," the boy murmurs, perhaps surprisingly, "A place of learning and reverence for wisdom."
"Oh, believe me young reverend," Yi replies with a sort of impish smile, "You can be enlightened from everything, and everywhere." The ragabash then looks about. "I don't suppose you will be missed if you do not return in time?"
Dakota can only smile in agreement with her packmate and waits for the robed lad to reply.
"Yes and no." The boy seems oddly nonchalant about this. Naivety, perhaps? "We are not bound like children to our parents, but I am also not of age to minister to the world on my own, yet."
Nodding again, Yi gestures down the street. "Then shall we? I think I've lived in this city long enough to say I know a shortcut or two, and we will arrive there faster." The ragabash looks over to Dakota again, a subtle, knowing look passing from Gnawer to Child.
Again, the boy fidgets with the beaded cord wrapped around his wrist. "Lama Yeshe is going to expound upon The Gateless Gate tonight," he mentions, almost dejectedly.
Dakota glances up towards the sky. "Shortcuts would be good. It's almost dark and these streets are not safe alone at night. Come," She says to him with a smile, "We will walk you back to your group and see you get there safely."
Whether its naivety, a general sense of trust, or even an underlying curiousity, something causes the boy to nod, turn, and quietly walk back up the street.
Yi takes the lead, first staying on the well-lit streets more than immediately stalking towards any shadowy areas. The ragabash makes no attempt at small talk as they travel, not even commenting on the way some people pointedly stare at the miniature troupe, and others even cross the street. Eventually, as they get a bit closer towards the campus area, she moves towards a certain path through a darkened alley.
On the other hand, Dakota is happily pointing things out to the boy like a regular old St. Claire tour guide, only a bit less annoying and without a microphone. She points out some of the more interesting stores and spots as they go, explaining about this or that in case he might be interested at all in knowing.
"There are no holy men, or women, of this country?" the boy asks, finally. "No prophets, monks, or nuns? No way to even spot so-called "people of the cloth"?"
"You take it too seriously," Yi replies with a short wave for them to pause. "The monks and nuns have adapted the teachings of Buddha to suit them. As it were, not everyone can quench their thirst with the same drop of water. Come on, we're almost there." The ragabash turns to look over her shoulder and meets eyes with her packmate again before starting off.
Over the course of their walking, Dakota has fallen behind so the boy is between her and Yi. She waits until they're well into the alley and the sounds and lights of the street fade before glancing skyward, murmuring. "You'd be suprised. Teachers take many forms here." And she does a quick job of bulking up into Glabro and, hopefully before the boy can react, gives him a good hard *WHACK* right to the back of his head.
Tenzin shakes his head. "This is not what I mean." He waves a hand to indicate, perhaps, what he does mean... but, alas, whatever more he was going to say is lost in the solid thunk to his skull. Reprimanded by the cane before, yes, but that's nothing compared to a blow /meant/ to put you on the ground. He crumples into so many layers of saffron, a striking contrast to the dingy black and grey of the dark alley.
Yi turns around as soon as the sound of knuckle meeting head tells her the deed is done. She looks down at the youth, shaking her head slightly and then up to the Coggie theurge. "He should be unconscious for a little while, but, we left the car back at the donut shop, right?"
Dakota sighs loudly as she drops back into homid, looking down at the boy. "Sorry kid...you can get a free punch back at me later." She glances back to Yi and murmurs, "I really hate doing that. It's cool.." She says and tugs her phone from her pocket. "Called in the backup already."
The head lights of a black sporty car can be seen flashing down the street, approaching from behind if anyone cares to peek over their shoulder. Rumbling bass echos from the back of the trunk, playing a heavy techno. Pulling up to the curb, the black tinted window rolls down to reveal Jeremy, hair dancing about in his eyes in about four kinds of color, dog collar bobbing at his throat. "You all done yet? I can't keep circling the block for the next ten hours."
Yi blinks twice, seeing Jeremy's head reveal itself. A slight smile spreads over her face and the Gnawer laughs. "I'm sorry Jeremy," she notes to the kin, "Yes we are done I think." This time it is the Gnawer who bends down, and scoops up the youth into her arms. "Dakota, if you could open the door..."
Dakota grins a lopsided apology to her husband as she jogs (best a somewhat pegnant girl can) for the back door and opens it up, rather unphazed by the loud music. "Hey love, turn it down, the kid's gonna have a headache as it is."
No doubt the young boy-monk would have no idea what to make of Jeremy's hair, or music. But, fortunately for both of them, perhaps, he's quite out of it.
Yi thus deposits the apprentice in the back, and bids Dakota to sit up front. Until they reach a safe area, the ragabash occassionally checks over to make sure Tenzin isn't waking up just yet.
The Music is turned down as Jeremy waits for you to load the kid up, peering at him. "... Whats up with the shaved head thing?" He asks, putting the car back into gear, leaning into the chair some. "An he isn't ganna wake up and freak, will he? An start ripping shit apart? Where we going by the way." He babbles.
"Don't ask. We'll deal with it. Farm." Dakota replies back, actually able to understand the goth-kin's rapid-fire speech. She scoots her way into the passenger seat and buckles herself up.
Big Red Barn(#3420RA)
The barn is built in the old style, a vast three level structure that is greater in height than a mere three stories, actually closer to five. Great wooden posts support the weight of the upper levels and roof, sunk into the hard-packed dirt floor of the first level like a sparse forest of regularly spaced, naked trees. The stalls and flagstones which once were here have been torn out to leave a rather open area where even crinos Garou may roam freely without fear of running into anything but the supports or the walls or the ladder at the back which allows access to the other two levels.
The first two levels are relatively open to each other, the second being only little wider than a catwalk going around all the walls but the front one, which has massive, twenty foot tall doors set into it. The third level is a true second floor except for a place cut out that allowed hay to be tossed down to the ground floor when the farm was actually worked. Now, it is a hayloft where Garou can sleep outside of the house.
(Non-Garou, please "+view curse")
Contents:
Dakota
Jeremy
Obvious exits:
BarnYard
Yi exits Jeremy's car once they come screaming up the driveway to the farm. "Jeremy... I have a fake driver's license, but I have no idea how the DMV let you through," she utters with attempt to compose and unfrazzle herself. Then bending back into the backseat, she lifts and carries Tenzin out. "I will put him in the barn, first. Just in case he decides to change..."
"What? My driving is cool. Just because my car can hit eighty in like.. three seconds doesn't mean I"m reckless. At least I can read the stop signs." Jeremy says teasingly as he follows after the group after he retreats from the car, glancing around the barn and farm. He pauses for a moment, freezing up as he feels the push of the curse upon him, biting his lip gently.
The boy begins to stir slightly, a faint groan escaping him as he's heaved out of the vehicle.
Dakota hops out of the car without a care, not even sea legs. She scoots over to Jeremy to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Can go home, love, if you want. I know this place gives you the creeps." She says as she gestures Yi to the barn, figuring she already knows, but feels the need to point it out anyway out of habit.
Yi has to open the barn door with her foot rather than her hands, but she notices Tenzin's slow stirring. Almost as soon as she has an opening large enough to slip through, she does. "New cub coming through!" she calls out into the barn proper.
Inside the barn is a rather ridiculous sight! A sport shirt on and a pair of oversized sweatpants, Rae can be seen beating on the punching bag. Which, all and all look rather pathetic. When she hits the bag, the girl makes a face. After making a face, the cub grumbles, shaking her hand. She than kicks the bag! It swings a little, circling back! This of course causes the CoG cub a moment of panic! Dancing around than out of the way- it looks like if the object has the upper hand! Hearing the barn door open, she looks towards the entrance. She offers a smile to Dakota, right before the bag bowls Rae over!
Tenzin mumbles something, in what might sound to anyone but Yi to be Chinese, but its obviously not, to her. He's still not completely come around, yet.
"Well.. you know.." Jeremy murmurs to Dakota as he leans into her for a moment. "Just thinking when I was last here.. Leonard stuck me in the hole." He peeks into the barn, watching Rae get bowled over, eyes widening in amusement. He clings to Dakota's hand tightly.
Dakota shakes her head slowly as she catches the young new moon get plowed over by the much-used bag. "I gotta get you a helmet, Leaf?" She says with a lopsided grin and gestures the girl over while giving Jeremy's hand a squeeze. "Well, since you're here, you get to help us with a new cub, one of our's. Dunno his name yet, I didn't get around to asking."
Yi only pauses in her movement long enough to see Rae get smacked into by the punching bag. Even the ragabash smiles in amusement, but then moves over to a hay bale and sets the young boy down with care. Guarded, she watches him more than the others in the barn. It looks like the ragabash has many questions, still gone unanswered. "He looks like he is waking," she notes aloud.
A few seconds of stretching, before the boy starts to sit up. Only to catch himself, dizzily, lifting a hand to the back of his head. He looks... perturbed. Oddly enough, not angry, not even scared. More just 'put out'. "What is the meaning of this?"
"A new cub?" Rae says in a shaken voice, casting a ghastly stare towards the punching bag. Gathering what little pride she can collect, she gets up off the ground. Dusting her pants, she looks at those gathered. A sly smile cast at Dakota. "I think I need more than a helmet." The girls she knows, the boys- "Who're you?" She asks Jeremy, an eye looking towards the boy while Yi places him on the hay bale. "Where did you find him-.." She is cut off by the boy, "Woah, -I- had nothing to do with this!"
"I'm Dakota's husband." Jeremy says firmly as his dog collar bounces about his throat, hair of all colors falling forward into his face. The young Gothic tugs his trench coat a bit tighter around his body, chains rattling against his person.
[look Jeremy]
Here stands a young man nearing the age of twenty-one, thin, pale, and not much to look at. When once he was a shy, mild mannered and ignored computer nerd who couldn't weigh much more then a hundred when wet, now stands the exact same person, yet, gothlike. The glasses on his face reveal the pair of blue eyes he bares. His black hair still sprawls out over his face, but no longer dipped in blonde about his bangs, just a solid darkness.
His clothing has changed dramatically as well, having abandoned the button down shirts and slacks, replacing it with baggy dark jeans, a solid black shirt that simply reads: "Chicks dig scrawny pale guys" A long, ankle length trenchcoat billows about his thin frame, nearly cloaking him like a cape. Upon his feet is a pair of heavy steel toed boots, those which travel halfway up his calf. Chains adorn his jeans, three hanging off his wallet, and two more simply embedded into the fabric, jingling and clanking as he walks. To finish off his ungodly apparel, there is a leather collar bound around his neck, with a small metal skull dangling from the end of a steel hoop.
Dakota gestures Rae briefly to relax and sit and then looks back to Tenzin, keeping herself between him and Jeremy. Ya know, just in case. "Sorry, again, it was just the only way we could get you here to talk. Now, by chance, have you been having strange dreams lately?"
The boy's eyes narrow. "What do Westerners want to know of /my/ dreams?"
Yi pulls off her cap, running her hand through her hair. "It is a matter of great importance," she replies to the boy, this time in that Cantonese tongue. A glance is passed over to Jeremy for a moment, and she continues, "We were called to you by a spirit, because you are one of what we are."
A bemused smile crosses Rae's face while she listens to the 'new' addition. Shrugging her shoulders, she walks quietly towards the kin. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She lowers her head very slightly. "My name is Rae MacIntyre. I -was- the newest cub here." A look is cast back at the young boy, before turning towards Jeremy once more. "And if I may say, your hair is freakin' cool." She says this in a whisper, before walking beside the kin, turning to watch the drama unfold.
Folding his arms across his chest, Jeremy answers. "I am a Glass Walker kin, of course my hair is freaking cool." He says this with a straight face, but a small smile escapes at the end of his lips. If one was to peek at the folds of his jacket, they'd see a number of electronic gizmos attached to his person.
"Have you been feeling differently, lately?" Dakota says as she looks to the boy, letting kin and cub talk on. "Dreaming of being someone else, something else?"
"Lama Yeshe says it is not unusual." The boy says, defensively. "I have a very strong connection with my ancestors."
Yi resists a smirk at the kin's answer, and keeps her gaze on Tenzin. "Your ancestors may have shown you already what you are," she murmurs.
Relating a little too well to Tenzin, Rae turns to converse with the kin. Glancing at his said jacket she smiles, than speaks in a whispered voice. "You don't happen to have one of those Game Boy DS's do you?" Her tone quiet, but obviously pleasant. "The only technology I'm allowed to use here is the microwave- which can only be entertaining if you have peeps." Eyes look towards Dakota as she and Yi question.
Jeremy glances over to Rae for a moment, eyes blinking some. He flips his jacket back and slides a small fold out device off his hip. "Got the Advanced version." He admits. On his belt and inside his jacket is hiding an iPod, a Clie, cell phone, what looks to be a taser, and a revolver settled against his hip.
Dakota does a casual gesture of reaching back behind her, giving Rae a thwap at her question, all while watching Tenzin serenly. "In fact, I'm sure they have. You're not the only one who's had dreams of being something else. Do you believe you could be something else? Something not human?"
"To become a Buddha is to be not human," he answers, like a good little boy-monk.
"Words aren't going to get us too far, I see." Dakota says and steps forward, making little show of shuffling through the forms until she settles on the full Crinos warform. For a giant killing beast, she looks rather casual as she folds her big, black-furred arms across her chest and regards the monk-boy with bright yellow-gold eyes.
Tenzin does his best impression of a scuttling crab as he pushes backwards, hands and feet, until his back meets with a rather solid wall. "Demons..."
"Dude, thats my wife yer talking about." Jeremy says casually as he turns on his iPod, starting to flicker with the scroll wheel. "Sides, yer ganna pop too, may as well just suck it up and let it out bro. Buddha got nothing on big daddy Gaia."
"Be not afraid," Yi notes aloud with a clear, calm composure. "We are not demons, but we are not human. Here, we are Garou." The ragabash turns to gaze at Tenzin. "And you are too." Sure, it's not much of an explanation, but she bears through it the same way like it's done before.
Brown eyes shine brightly, "What game to you have?" She whispers hastily, "May I-" Dakota's scolding hits home, home being Rae's hip. Becoming more irritable as late, Rae snorts loudly in response. Taking a step back the cub becomes withdrawn and too angry for the occasion. Popping one of her sharp shoulders, she moves away from the group back towards the punching bag. She begins hitting it now, though this time there is a hit of rage behind each blow. Dakota's change isn't noticed, Rae is much too intent on hitting. Tenzin's situation just stirs up recent ills of Rae's own.
Rifthealer lets out a snorted breath and glances towards Rae. ~You're here to learn, not play. Now watch and learn, you may have to do this one day.~ And then it's back to Tenzin and shakes her head, the human gesture looking odd coming from a bipedal wolf-creature. She crouches down into a tripod stance so she's not quite so huge seeming.
"Bla spyang thul gyon pa zhig," the boy murmurs, in (not that anyone would know) his native tongue.
Yi sighs softly, looking like she would say something to Rae, but deciding against it. "So, what is your name?" she asks Tenzin, approaching him and his retreated state. She looks back to Dakota and Jeremy briefly.
Still a bit miffed, Rae beats the bag one last round! Deciding that she should listen to her elder, Rae turns to look at the boy-monk. Her face isn't at all amused, or friendly.
Rifthealer lays her ears back in a rather weary expression and returns to her human form, still crouched, which makes for an effort to right herself again. "We're not demons and we're not here to hurt you. We're here to help you understand." She assures the boy, best she can.
Tenzin shakes his head quickly. "Lives with the spirit of the wolf in the skin of the wolf," he says, rapidly, as if perhaps in translation of his earlier outburst.
"You can change too," Yi notes evenly. "But I would first suggest you cast off your robes. But then, there is little that you hold on to, right?" She smiles widely - and maybe too toothily.
"Dude, I so don't wanna see his dork." Jeremy murmurs from the back of the group, then starts making his way for the door, shifting some uncomfortably. "I think I'm going home.. babe, you staying here for the night?"
"Seems like it." Dakota glances over her shoulder to Jeremy with an apologetic grin. "I'll call you later." And then it's back to Tenzin. "Look, your head's probably killing you. If you wanna rest for the night, you can, and I'll explain first thing in the morning."
The boy... nods? His gaze is much more intently locked on Dakota, than previously, "I am to understand that I am not able to... 'leave'?"
Yi clears her throat, but her smile fades off. "Unfortunate, but no. This is one temple that, until the time comes, you will have us as your teachers." That said, she smiles back over at Jeremy and looks over to Dakota. "I can stay as watch for tonight, if you want to return with Jeremy."
Dakota gives the Gnawer a grateful smile. "You seem to be doing better than I am." She then looks to Tenzin, "I'll be back in the morning. In the meantime, feel free to explore the farmhouse and get comfortable. The food is stocked and there is a shower and extra beds upstairs."
Rae huffs lightly. Without a word she slips outside the barn door. Walking outside, the cub vanishes into the night's dark.
Jeremy steps past Rae as she slips out the door, leaning against one of the walls.
Tenzin eyes Yi thoughtfully, then lowers his head, audibly settling into some kind of trained breathing rhythm, "I will meditate on what I have seen. Tara will reveal the Truth."
Yi dips her head and follows the others. "I will be outside if you need me," she notes, and steps out.
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