Corax Don't keep Secrets

3/19/2005

10:40 AM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (60% full).
Currently in Saint Claire, it is mostly cloudy. The temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). The wind is calm today. The barometric pressure reading is 29.55 and falling, and the relative humidity is 96 percent. The dewpoint is 31 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius.)

Regan Avenue East, Downtown
Red brick buildings rise, some of them crumbling from disrepair and disuse, others patched together by repairs. Graffiti covers some of the walls near street level, some rude, most crude, but the occasional drawing is meant for a lighter-hearted reaction. The graffiti becomes a colorful, almost gaudy mural at the western end of the district, an announcement of the Regan Hope Project's presence. Trash litters the majority of the gutters, from Harbor Park in the east across to just before the Regan Hope Project's domain, where the trash is less prevalent and the buildings less run-down. Small shops with apartments in the floors above them span a block here and corners there: delis, second-hand clothes, textiles, small restaurants, a grocery store. Sandwiched between the buildings are weed-choked empty lots.
Contents:
Finds-Stories
Obvious exits:
Harbor Park  The Gunbarrel  Abandoned Lot  Empty Lot  Pizza Parlor  Regan Hope Project  North  South  West  

[look Finds-Stories (a Corax in corvid)]
A magnificent bird, covered entirely in a glossy blue-black plumage. Two bright black eyes look out at the world from just above a powerful and heavy beak. Bellow the beak there is is a well-developed ruff (hackles) of fine feathers that cover the throat. These are fluffed up, or flattened, depending on the bird's mood. From beak, to her wedge-shaped tail, Finds-Stories is two feet in length. While her wingspan is an impressive five feet.

Flying above the streets and buildings below, Finds-Stories keeps an eye on things. Following familiar patters and making certain that nothing unusual is happening.

A black-capped figure climbs up from one of the fire escape ladders atop one of the few red-brick tenements that are scattered in between the commercial shops. Yi, upon arriving on the roof, takes off her cap and shakes her hair free, stuffing the hat into a pocket. Over her shoulder is slung a black shoulder bag, looking stuffed with something or other. The Gnawer then walks over towards the edge of the roof, to have a look out over the city street from a higher angle as well.

Oooh. Now there is something interesting. The large black bird lands on the edge of the room and caws loudly, hoping from one foot to another and looking directly at the Gnawer.

Yi normally wouldn't respond to the usual sounds of bird calls. Undeniably though, having a large raven swoop up and land not far away draws the woman's attention. Eyes turning from the street to the avian, Yi gives her a short look over. "...is that you, Finds?"

Finds-Stories rrrrrs, then clicks her beak together. The raven half-spreads to wings to slow her decent as she hops off the edge and onto the roof proper. With that awkward gangly gate that raven's are know for, the bird waddles toward the center of the roof. There she turns into a woman, who smiles and wriggles her fingers at Yi. "No other. How're you doing? Seem to have been busy. Doing a little unconventional shopping? Get anything good?"

Yi takes a step back as the bird shifts, clutching the strap of her bag more or less as a subtle support and calming agent. Garou shifting is one thing for her, but the melding shape of the bird to human proves to be unsettling still. "I, ah," she looks from where the woman is down to her bulging bag. "It's just some cleaning up. Have to make a living somehow, right?" It isn't so much pride in her tone for thievery, but straight fact. "Just some random items... nothing particular. But otherwise, I am fine. How about yourself?"

Val tilts her head to one side, still smiling. "Nothing all that good? Too bad. Its amazing what you see in some houses, especially in uptown." The slim woman shrugs her shoulders. "Oh well. So whats all this buisness with Dillen? The Get of Fenris. Thats what he said he was anyway. Was all depressed because a friend had broken one of your rules. Litany rules, is what he called them. Didn't get which one his friend had broken, since he didn't really want to talk about it."

Yi, about to continue along the lines of what is in her inventory, again tenses like she senses a prickle along the small of her back. The Gnawer's brow furrows at the other woman, but then her composure returns. "It was very serious. From what I heard, not just one of the rules was broken. But, I do not know the whole story. Only that... Dillen's packmate is dead. As well as Jarred." The ragabash lets go of the tension with a long sigh. Bidding the woman to come closer as she slides down to a sit, the ragabash looks out over the morning in the city. "We've lost two more already... and even the sky looks like it will grieve for them."

Val tilts her head to one side. "Two more on top of the packmate and this Jarred?"

Yi shakes her head. "No, I meant Jarred and Dillen's packmate, Lucas. Two good Garou... even if they were Shadow Lords." She looks back over to Val, and from her blandish expression, it would seem like she did actually care. "My packmate Alicia, she told us the news."

Val ahhs softly. "What did bring this all about, anyway? Sounds like quite a messy buisness, even if you're not particularly known for being of even temper."

Yi rubs the back of her neck with a hand. "I'm not too sure myself. All I heard was that Lucas had become Tainted, and was... eating homeless people... amongst other things." The rubbing pauses, her fingers cold. "And then his elder, Jarred, was trying to keep it within the tribe. But, this was far greater than a simple tribe matter. I heard that it had been happening since before last moot." There's no containment of the inward surprise at the length of time this took. "When all is said and done though... I believe the whole story will be told at the next gathering."

Val ahhs. "Yes, well, I remember Dillen saying something about a rule that involved not eating people. Not one that we have, but thats not particularly surprising." The woman flashes a quick and slightly crooked smile. "For various reasons. Really a shame that I probably wouldn't be welcome at your gathering. Would be horribly interesting, if somewhat dangerous. The more of you there are packed into one place, the more frightening things tend to be."

Yi smiles at that, if just vaguely because it could be construed more as a compliment. "The more of us there are, indeed, the more worried everyone should be. As for the rule... yes, we have one that says we are not to eat humans. But, I imagine it applies to wolves as well." Her hand slips back down to rest at her knee. "You know, if perhaps you made yourself known, to an extent, you might actually be welcomed. At least, you could be allowed permission to be on our territory."

Val shrugs. "Well, I've said hello to quite a few people, including the one you call Megan. Have noticed that non of you talk to eachother all that well."

Yi tilts her head at the other woman. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, well, quite a few of you know about me, but they don't seem to tell anyone about me." The bird-woman shrugs. "I mean, if you did, I would be having a much harder time finding people who haven't heard of me at all."

Yi ahs softly at the explanation, then nods her head once. "Well, secrecy is part of... something valuable, I guess. There is an important law for us, and maybe for your kind, not to reveal ourselves to people. Even if that law is meant for us to keep the humans from knowing, I think it could apply to other shifters in some way. At least, the Sunset People here believe it is so."

Val wrinkles up her nose. "Uuuh. You think its a good idea to be secrative to the point of not passing along important information amoungst yourselves?"

"We /do/ tell each other things," Yi counters with a narrowing look at the other woman. "But some things are not to be spoken about, and others are." She can't stay angry though, not in the light of thinking about recent events. With a sigh, the ragabash turns back to the city below. "We all have our secrets to keep."

Val hmms and shakes her head. "Silly thing to do, if you ask me. Whats the point of even ebeing able to talk to eachother, if you're not going to actually 'talk' to eachother. I mean, we don't keep secrets. Its just not something that we do. Heck, for all the talk of honor you guys blather about, I've seen an awful lot of double talk and just plain old lying."

Yi just shakes her head. "I do not know, Val. We have news spreaders amongst us of course. Alicia is one of them. Even Dillen, I believe, is one. But just because they are ones to pass information doesn't mean they do not pick and choose what to say." The ragabash glances back to her. "After all, there are just some things that cannot be learned by the others. For example... I will never know some things that you know. Like, how to fly."

Val shakes her head. "That is because you are a wolf, not a raven. It has nothing to do with what you know."

"True. But say, something not so breed centered..." Yi replies in thought. "Like, how you are able to see the death of a victim."

Val blinks reapeatedly, then lightly shakes her head. "Surprised you know about that, but that still has more to do with what we are. We are Raven's children, the birds of war and the eaters of the dead. Death is a part of us, the same as flying. All I'm saying, is that the lot of you should learn to talk more and more honestly. You're supposed to be helping out, not waisting all your time killing eachother because you don't like talking."

Yi twists one side of her lip up. "Your kind keeps no secrets you say, so, my friend back East told me a long time ago." The ragabash nods slightly though. "It is true... our kind needs to communicate more. But as it is with wolves... we are protective of our own territories."

Val lifts up her hands, perhaps in a placating gester. "My apologies. It is true that there are not many of my people here and all that. Most here are surprised that I even exist, let alone know what we can do."

Yi nods again. "It is not like where I am from, truly. Even after years of living here, I still sometimes feel out of place." She traces the scarring around her neck in thought. "Still, I think part of why I have not told anyone about you is for your safety. But, if you are not worried... then perhaps if you would like, I could tell the others about you when we are next meeting."

Val shrugs. "I've got no problems with helping out, so long as I get a promise from your big wolf that I'm off limits as far as being attacked is conserned. I'm just here to do my job."

Yi holds out a hand, an offering of friendly alliance. "Then I will see to it. Perhaps you could help us with some things that need to be checked out as well. I don't suppose you have visited other side of the city's Wall, have you?"

After a moment of hesitation, Val offers the Gnawer her hand. "Repeatedly. We're rather at home on the other side."

Yi shakes hands to seal the deal, so to speak. "Then you have seen what is out there. The riverside, the hospital, all of it?"

Val nods. "Yes, I have. Not that you'd get me all that close. Nasty place. Certain things there that I wouldn't want to have noticing me."

Yi also nods some more, expression thoughtful. "I know your kind isn't for fighting. That's what we are for. But, your eyes are sharper than even our best seers I bet. Perhaps you've met Tobin? He reported last time that there was some great force at the hospital. To tell the truth, he said it was greater than our entire group together would be able to handle. He wanted to find out why it was there."

Val's body gives a brief shudder, as she takes her hand back. "No way you are reclaiming that place. Not unless you start from the top down and there is no way you're taking out that thing. Its old, old, old. Like to sit on the roof, not that it is always there. Wanders the streets from time to time. If you've lost anyone in the Shadow, this guy is probably the reason why. All spikes and horns and glowing eyes. Huge. Bigger then some of the buildings. You don't want it seeing you. Not at all."

Yi furrows her brow at the visible fear coming from the other. "But where it came from, or how we did not see it before, who knows?" She too, is uncomfortable by the description given. "There must be some way, though, to take that place back."

Val shakes her head. "Spike boy likes that place. Hit it hard enough and you'd end up with a visitor. I wouldn't recomend it. The guy is big, really, really, big. I'd never seen one so big before. Must be horribly old, centuries, easily. The small ones are bad enough. I mean, its nearly as big as a house, even if its not quite as tall. Nasty, nasty, things."

Yi wets her lips, feeling the inward spine prickle again as the thin hairs on her skin stick up. "Right," she manages to say with a low tone. "Well, the whole city is sitting on a time bomb at this point. If that thing wakes, it would be the Apocalypse... for us at least. The wheel is still turning though..."

Val wets her lips and fidgits a little, eyes darting around her. "Probably heard about these guys, really. Nasty things, covered in spikes, hidious teeth. Can change things just by looking at them. All it has to do is see you and that is all it would take, espically with such a powerful Nexus Crawler."

Yi nods slowly, comparably calm despite that sudden tension. "Maybe so. I have only heard of them though. I would rather it stay that way, I think. From the impression Tobin gave, it was still sleeping."

Val shakes her head. "Its not always there. If it was sleeping when he saw it, he was lucky."

Yi blinks a couple of times, brow furrowing again. "What do you mean it is not always there?"

Val tilts her head to one side, a sharp bird-like movements. "Its not. I've seen it in the streets nearbye."

Yi parts her lips and ahs softly, but disturbed anyway that the Wyrmbeast moves. "I hate to think it might come closer to the caern," she murmurs quietly, gazing off in the direction of the hospital. "But if that happens, Gaia willing we will kill it or die trying."

"I've never seen it outside the city," Val says. "There is something about the hospital that keeps drawing it back."

"Power," Yi answers almost immediately, though it's the first thing that normally comes to her mind. "What about around it? If you know of some place that does need our attentions... don't be afraid to tell us."

Val says "There are always places, but you can't always tell without going inside. Which is dangerous."

Yi turns to look at the woman. "That may be true, but we can't always just watch from the outside."

Val rubs at the back of her neck. "But if we don't stay alive, we don't do any good at all."

"Still," Yi says softly, "it would become a matter of waiting. And that's even worse."

Val gives her head a light shake. "Anyway, I should really get going. Things to do and all that."

Yi comes out of her slight reverie of contemplation, looking back over as the woman says she is leaving. With a slight nod, the Gnawer offers another smile. "I won't forget to tell the others about you, Val. And don't be afraid to drop by again."

Val nods once and partially turns, then bolts toward the edge. Her arms transform into wings as she moves and Yi gets the briefest of looks at her middle form, before she takes to the air as a raven and flies across the city.

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