Meeting Nikolai Dragon's-Blood

9/9/2005

01:21 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Crescent Moon phase (39% full).
It is currently 13:17 Pacific Time on Fri Sep 9 2005.

Porch
A lathe-turned wooden railing runs the length of the porch save where the steps are, well-worn with use. To the right of the stairs, a wide swing is suspended from the overhang which shelters this area; to the left, a small table is the centerpiece for several chairs pulled around it, all of which face out to the front yard and the fields and trees beyond. The entire area holds an atmosphere of peace and comfort during these summer days, lending itself well to evening reading, small talk, or just watching the stars. Low shrubs snuggle up to the porch held back by the railing, their flowers filling the air with the sweet scent of greenery.
An aging screen door newly refurbished stands between the heavy inner door of the house and the outside air. Four steps lead down to the lane, a number of pots with small flower seedling carefully arranged alongside them.
(Non-Garou, please "+view curse")
Contents:
Nikolai
Obvious exits:
Front Door  Lane  

[look Nikolai]
Nikolai stands a smidge over six and a half, straight as a board after far too many years in private schools. His hair is shaved down to a thin layer, the color such a light ashen grey it's only a few shades off of going white, despite his age which can't be more than mid-twenties at most. The same color is on the stubble on his chin and forms a thin representation of a moustache, though there are several patches where scars prevent the hair from growing in. They marr a face that would be naturally handsome, both fierce and attractive at the same time. His eyes are clear and and sharp blue, aquamarine in the light and cobalt in the shadows. Almost frequently they are surrounded by dark, sleepless circles, making the natural weight of his stares all the heavier and betraying the suffering of what could be called a very old soul. He dressed typically in nice casual or business-like formal, though periodically to be seen in clothing befitting a old world nobleman or modern highborn. When he speaks, it's in educated english with a strong russian accent that betrays his origins.

It's a typical late summer day, warm in the sun and cool in the shade, with only a few big clouds in the otherwise blue sky. Favoring the shade, Nikolai is settled on one of the porch chairs, looking out across the fields and lawn of the farm.

Off the gravel lane, crunching along by both footsteps and the brown paper bag in her hands, Yi makes her way up towards the farmhouse with package in tow. She glances over the top of the shopping bag, peering with a squint that fades off to a normal, curious calm as she comes up the porch. "Good afternoon," she greets the unfamiliar Fang on the porch.

Nikolai turns his eyes towards the arrival and dips his head in a nod as he takes a moment to observe her since she's familiar. "Hello." He replies in his deep, accented voice while shifting on the chair some.

Yi glances to the door, making a decision, and turns to shuffle the bag to one hand. It balances precariously, and the other hand stretches out to shake. "I'm Yi," she offers forth. "I guess you are a new visitor to the area?"

Nikolai reaches out his own hand to shake the offered one, his own the firm grasp of someone who's used to the motion. "Yes. I have been here a few weeks now, but not long. I am Nikolai Petrov." Gesturing to the bag, he asks. "Do you need help?"

"Hm? Oh, this." Yi's own handshake is one that indicates she /isn't/ used to it, but is firm as well in its own way. "It is only a few things to put in the kitchen. Food for cubs." She gazes to the Fang, her manner sort of distantly suspecting, her undertones probing. "Have you been here long?"

Nikolai shakes his head as he stands up, taking up the handle of the door and gesturing in so the food doesn't stay outside, responding to the Gnawer. "Since the middle to late of August, so not very long."

Yi's eyes shift up as the Fang stands, then with a thanking nod, she slips in through the opened door. "Then I suppose you have spoken to the head of your family already," she notes as she passes by. Casual conversation, full of implication.

Farmhouse: Hallway and Living Room
All doorways in the front part of the house lead to the front hallway, a J-shaped area with the short tail starting at the stairs, the front door hitting the bottom curve, the doorless opening to the living room halfway up the long side, and the also doorless opening to the kitchen and dining room at the very top. The hall has a simple wooden floor, and decorated with a generic print of soft-colored flowers hanging on the wall to the right of the front door, and a tall table sitting under the print which serves as a place to toss keys. A closet under the stairs serves as a place to hang coats or to toss shoes.
The doorless opening to the living room is halfway up the side of the hall's J, and the word cozy might spring to mind when looking into is, as it seems to radiate comforting vibrations. A long couch sits against the south wall beneath a large bay window curtained only by sheers that manages to obscure the view in but only filters the day's light. A variety of out-of-date magazines are strewn atop a low coffee table; more neatly presented are the plethora of books filling the small bookshelves which line the eastern wall. Three chairs sit about the room, focused inward, to allow group conversations. Large floor pillows are stacked in one corner of the room, except one, which lies carelessly in the middle of the floor, apparently left out the last time it was used.
An opening in the northern end of the hallway allows access to the kitchen and dining room at the back of the house, while carpeted stairs twist up at the other end of the hall, leading to the second floor. A door at the base of the J lets out to the front porch.
(Non-Garou, please "+view curse")
Contents:
Nikolai
NOTE: Current Farmhouse Residents (Updated: Sep  7)
Obvious exits:
Kitchen/Dining Room  Front Door  STairs  

"Yes, Jervis and I have spoken." Nikolai remarks. "I have organized some aid for my tribe, but I still need to work on a chiminage that will assist the sept at large. I need to gather both Jervis and Alicia and see what needs to be done."

Yi nods again, headed for the kitchen. "It helps if you have an idea in mind..." As she's walking down the hall, "I suspect you for a full moon. From the scars." The Gnawer glances back. "Am I right?" She gives him a faint smile.

"The knowledges I hold are strict to my tribe, so those are not of use to the sept. My money and claws are." To her question, Nikolai nods his head once, giving up a brief smile. "Yes, I am an Ahroun. Twin-born on the eclipsed moon. I am called Burned By the Dragon's Blood."

The fridge door is opened, and in goes a few implements. Vegetables (gads), meat to the freezer, cheese, sandwich making material. A six-pack of Coke. Neatly folding the bag, Yi continues on. "Ah. A very interesting deedname, yes. Mine is Runs-the-Gauntlet." The bag is slipped into a drawer. "Earned during my fostern challenge not long ago. A successful one." Once everything is in place, she straightens up and looks back to the Fang. "A surprise to me, too. I did not expect to pass, being a ragabash and a Bone Gnawer, but Gaia has a sense of humor too." Her eyes roam about the fullmoon. "Perhaps I can talk to Jervis and Alicia about you, when there is more talk about dealing with things in the city."

Nikolai offers a polite congradulations to the new Fostern before saying, "I am already joining with Touch Deer, Tamara, Clemency, and Jervis in scouting the tire fire since no word has been heard from the Birdseye pack. I am also going to assist Touch Deer in dealing with the Great Hunt monster."

Yi leans up against a wall, nodding. "Better to deal with those things quickly, and then see about the hospital and the Crawler that seems to have disappeared. The monster in that lake... whatever it might be, must be destroyed and the area cleansed. Hopefully, soon as the moon grows big enough, but... We did travel there by moonbridge. I wonder if Touch Deer knows where that place is. Or how to get there."

Nikolai gives his shoulders a shrug, the left rising higher than the right. "I trust that he does know the location, or at least how to return there through the Umbra. I will go along to assist in removing the creature and I've offered my money to purchase weaponry if it is needed."

Yi blinks a couple times. "Weaponry? Oh.. well. Yes, maybe that will work. But if it is in the Umbra, things like guns and knives do not work as well." She scratches a fingertip along her cheek in thought. "Especially in water. But, I also trust Touch Deer has his plans to make."

"I agree. This is his hunt to lead, I am just here to help." Nikolai remarks as he moves towards the living room. "I have yet to actually go into the city. I have been occupying myself out here to meet others and get used to this sept."

"Really? Oh, you should go. At least once," Yi suggests, "but maybe more than once, because your first impression might not be good." She smirks. "At least see where the safehouse of the Walkers, and the Odeon where the Gnawers live are." Then in a bit of puzzlement, she asks, "Where are you from?"

Nikolai gestures absently towards the west. "The Old World and the sept of the Citadel in Russia, now fallen nearly two years past. I have some... affiliation with the Caern of the Crescent Moon." He says, speaking almost quietly of the greatest seat of Silver Fang power in the world.

Yi lifts her brows. "Russia? A neighbor of the north," she comments, a slight half-smile attributed to memories though tempered by the news of a fallen sept. "I come from Hong Kong. The Sept of the Rat's Tail." She quirks her head a touch. "So, what brought you here, to the Hidden Walk, do you think?"

Nikolai dips his head with a hint of pleasure to his face at meeting another non-American. "I have been travelling this country over a year now, from north and south, east and then finally west. I was in the Sept of the Western Eye when I heard of Jana and Tobin's deaths and decided to come and see if I could offer aid to them. I have also made it no secret I am also here, in America, to regain the honor I lost."

Yi's smile fades yet more, her gaze casting down when Tobin is mentioned. "Tobin.. my heart still hurts, to think of my packmate gone. And his Gathering... I heard, was strange and not.." She shakes her head, trying to dispel the thoughts with a look up. "What did you do?"

Nikolai frowns slightly as he moves to the living room chair and takes a seat. "I was once a Fostern, called Shatters-the-Heart after I reached down the throat of a bear-like monster and shred its heart in my claws. I was once a Guardian in a pack lead by Shark and a diplomat for my sept. When the Wyrm came for our sept, we all fought. All died, save me. The memories of what exactly caused my fox frenzy are lost to me, but I ran, ran like a coward. The Crescent Moon Garou found me hiding in the Ural Mountains several hundred miles away, I had not eaten or slept in days. They judged me and stripped me of my rank for abandoning my sept, saying that I would have to either regain my lost honor or take my own life in payment to Falcon."

Yi furrows her brow, following after the ahroun, but choosing not to sit and instead lean against a different wall. "I see," she notes quietly. "Well, I am glad for your choice to try and regain your honor. Death can be honorable, but then we would have lost another. And Gaia, perhaps, has her plans for you yet. In a way, we are not so different." She glances down to a hand, examining the old, thin burn and knife scars. "And who knows? There are many stories of old heroes who come back from dishonor to gain greatness." She glances back up, trying another smile out.

"My family is full of heroes; ancient kings of our tribes, the Russian royal family, and even one who helped slay the Zmei dragon." Nikolai murmurs. "It is a great lineage to live up to, but I am trying my best. I can only trust in Gaia and fight until my life gives out."

Yi tilts her head again. "Maybe I can convince you to tell some stories to the cubs at the Story Tree, once you are given permission to go upon the bawn." The ragabash pauses. "Or at moot, when the next one is called."

"I have met several of the cubs." Nikolai says. "Taught Maggie a few tips on combat. Beyond that, I have sparred and beaten Brom and lost a match to Touch Deer, both of them excellent fights. I would like to see the bawn sometime and spend some time in the wolf form, but I have not even met a Guardian since arriving to speak with them."

Yi frowns. "I understand the Bawn is very large," she thinks aloud, "but there is little excuse. Though I did hear that Horace, a young Wendigo ragabash, had gotten some strange wound. Or, was changed by a Wyld-spirit during the last Revel, and something is wrong with him. No Cleansing Rite worked upon him, I think." The ragabash rubs at her neck, underneath the chokechain. "But if you are wishing to spend some time in the wolf, maybe the forest in the park or around the bawn will be good? Requiem's territory lies north of ours... Resonance's territory which cares for the woods outside of Kent Crossing. Or maybe the mountains are your choice, farther east. The Wendigo bluff is there, but the mountain range is quite large too."

Nikolai nods slowly to her suggestions. "I will keep them in mind. After spending most of my time as a Garou on four legs, it feels strange to be unable to stretch them. Hopefully, I will have a proper Chiminage soon and can officially join the sept."

"If you weren't a Silver Fang, I would almost say to try the city," Yi says with a slight smirk. "But right now it would be dangerous. And given your blood, it would be more than dangerous." She pushes off the wall, heading again for the door. "Soon, too, I hope. I must be getting back to the cubs, but I am glad to meet you, Nikolai."

"It was good to be you, may Gaia watch over you." Nikolai says to the Gnawer with a low nod of his head.

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