Gnawer Rite of Passage Gifts: Aaron's Side
10/9/2005
12:34 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Half Moon phase (42% full).
It is currently 12:29 Pacific Time on Sun Oct 9 2005.
[TIMEWARP NOTE: This is timewarped back to the night of September 28, 2005, the night of the Bone Gnawer Cubs Rite of Passage.]
Odeon - Theatre(#3973RA)
The floor sticks to one's shoes like flypaper, and the seats all sag limply under even the slightest pressure. It's dark and dank with the evaporation of untold unknown liquids, and sounds echo menacingly off the soundproofed, honeycombed walls. The theatre is like a giant abandoned hive filled with row upon row of empty egg sacs; about a hundred of them, arranged in two columns, with three neat walkways, one through the middle and one on either side. High up and inset over the lobby doors is the projectionist's booth, a small alcove overlooking the theatre; opposite it is the screen, framed by ratty curtains that no longer close, and taking up most of the wall. It can no longer serve it's purpose, though: the screen is no longer blank, scrawled across it, from top to bottom, is a disconcerting mess of fluorescent grafitti which glows out bright oranges and greens even in the dark theatre. Like massive glowing worms the lines coil in and out of tags and outlines of images, in a roiling, reeling, psychedelic nightmare. The hundred empty seats all point towards it, mute and dusty.
Contents:
Squeaks
Obvious exits:
LObby Alley
When the cubs returned, Yi was there, standing to greet them. She had been working at the mortar and pestle once more, grinding some red paste that smelled roughly of fruits and herbs. "Welcome back," she had said, and bid them to rest themselves.
The air now, is filled with a sweet smoky scent from burning incense or herbs of some other kind, pushing out the musty odor of the Odeon in the immediate area, muddling one's mind with sleepy comfort. After she takes Masao aside, speaks to her, and paints some of the mixture on the ragabash's face, the younger newmoon slumps into the fostern's arms, asleep. Yi picks her up and lays her into one of the seats of the front row, and looks to the other three to see which might be next. With a crook of her finger, she gestures Aaron to come forth and enter the chalk drawn circle, now slightly smudged. Candlelight burns lower, showing the amount of time that has progressed.
Aaron steps foreward, entering the smudged circle. He straightens his shoulders as his left leg slightly limps. His eyes look straight towards the Fostern but no expression registers on his face.
"Sit," Yi says with a nod, picking up her small grey bowl and tossing something in. As she mixes the substance, the fostern says, "So, I have heard one side of this story. Tell me yours."
Aaron takes a seat, looking over to Yi. He relaxes his shoulders as he begins his story, speaking in a low but thick accent that is hoarse now after their long night. "As we arrived at the warehouse, I asked that we enter in in a specific fashion. Basil was to be in front, then Christine, Masao, and I; but Christine rushed in, which I felt the ned to follow her, then Masao, and lastly Basil. The floor of the building was covered a fog which ate at our lungs, it burned..." he begins. Christine, Masao, and I clustered in a group as Basil went ahead." The Ahroun looks quite annoyed as he speaks, "Even when I asked that we all keep together, things got off to a rocky start. Perhaps it is because we are all not seasoned-warriors, but I do know that the situation could have been either better or worse than it was..." The Ahroun pauses for a moment as he looks to the Ragabash breifly before he continues.
Yi slowly nods, remaining silent for her audience's end. She looks up when he pauses, expecting continuation, still working the reddish paste in her bowl.
"We spotted two figures across the factory, one was carrying a flashlight. There was a thunder of footsteps before we were faced up against these creatures that wheezed some type of acidic gas and another type of creature was vomiting this vile contamination of stinging liquid. Masao and Christine seemed to get an onslaught of the puking creature. Basil was going on like a squawking bird the whole time, trying to be heroic and leaderly while the rest of us tried to just make it through the fight. I clamped onto one of those creatures with my teeth and felt like an oxygen-mask was being strapped onto my mouth; feeling those gasses go straight into my lungs. Everything went red from there, and I didn't come out of the frenzy until most of the fight was over. It seemed like every time I began to come down from the high, I snapped back and was taken by the storm again. It was a good feeling though, I felt like an Ahroun, right there I was truly a warrior. When I finally woke-up, Christine had dragged me out the door. Masao was unconscious. Basil kept poking at Masao, almost roughly but I picked her up and was about to bring her back here. I could only get a block, my legs felt like bricks. Masao finally awoke and we paused in an alley before deciding to return to the factory after taking a few minutes to heal." Aaron goes on, although he is only half done with his story.
"It seems this rite has not faded your annoyance of your fellow ritemate," Yi says in commentary. "And maybe a blessing that you did not make it back here. The factory was far away."
"I am not quite sure what Basil and Christine did while we were away." Aaron goes on. "I told them to keep an eye on things until I returned." The Ahroun combs back his greasy tresses with his fingers. "When Masao and I had returned, we told them about the alley that we hidden in to regain our energy. Basil refused to go but before I had a chance to say anything Masao begged Basil to go with Christine." Aaron lightly grinds his teeth. "I was beginning to get beyond angered at Basil's teamwork, but I remembered what we were there for and as long as Basil did what was asked I could not do anything at that particular moment. I knew in my heart and mind that I had more important things to deal with then." Aaron finally gives a pause to answer Yi's comment mid-way through his spiel. "I am sorry, Yi-rhya, but I am afraid that this experience has made our relationship sourer, and I have lost my trust in Basil's ability to look after his fellow tribemates." He sighs, not particularly happy about revealing these truths. "Gnawers may look out for number one, but they also look out for their fellow family." He then gets back on subject quickly. "While Basil and Christine were away, Masao and I looked into the factory for ideas on what to do with the bodies. I began cutting up the bodies of the creatures so that they were unrecognizable. A man then attacked me, and I struggled with him in the tussle. He was larger than I, and we ended up a t each other's throats. I shifted to end it, killing the man too. When the other two returned, Basil killed the human witnesses that were chained against a wall while we threw the bodies into a sewer tunnel that Masao had found. Basil was making cocky remarks and ticking me off, but the deed wasn't quite done. A group of Wyrmy-rats attacked that were the size of dogs when we finished throwing the last of the bodies down there. One bit my ear and another at my leg but Masao, bless her, came to my rescue and dragged one off while I got rid of the other."
"Ahrouns will be ahrouns," Yi says lightly, examining the fullmoon and his wounds. "Well, trust is something easily lost, and not easily found." She motions for the ahroun to lean forward in his seat a little. "At least, you have accomplished what there was to do. The vampire is dead, and so are what monsters of the Wyrm that have attacked you and your ritemates. Your story is full of Glory, at least, and you returned with the others all alive. You kept each other alive, at least in numbers if not in conscious thought. For this, the elders recognize you as having earned your place to stand with us. Now, we will see if the spirits think the same."
Aaron looks to Yi and leans forward in his seat. His expression one of calmness.
Yi paints a few glyphs upon the ahroun's face. The mixture tingles cooly where it touches to skin, soothing what acid burns there were on his features. "Gaia bless you with her Gifts," she says softly, before the cub's vision wavers in a blur, and the mind melts towards unconsciousness.
When the ahroun regains consciousness, he finds himself in a meadow of tall orange-colored flowers looking towards a rather Umbral looking night sky, the half-moon shining down from above. Eerily almost, all the flowers are pointed towards him. That, and a fat looking brown rat with beady black eyes sits on his chest.
Aaron takes in the biggest breath of those flowers that his lungs can possibly fill before he even realizes that there is a fat brown rat sitting on his chest. He blinks for a moment and smiles,
Aaron takes in the biggest breath of those flowers that his lungs can possibly fill before he even realizes that there is a fat brown rat sitting on his chest. He blinks for a moment and smiles, "Hello."
The rat twitches its whiskers, eyes sparkling in the moonlight, a quiet squeak issuing from the rodent. The wind picks up, blowing the flowerheads to one side and parting the ahroun's hair with its soft force. Eventually the speed of the cool, crisp air swirls all around. The rat-spirit squints its eyes, and then somehow it speaks. Though it has no different voice from before, the ahroun can understand. *She sent you here to learn from us.*
Aaron almost minics the rat adn squints his own eyes but the gesture is unintentional. "I have become an adult now," he explains to the rat spirit. "I wish to learn the gifts that the adults are given so that I can better serve Gaia and all under her."
The wind whispers in such a way, that understanding also comes. Where there was one voice before, there is another and another, and soon a whole chorus of voices. *Is he worthy?* *Is he safe?* *His Rage is strong.* *He is a fullmoon, of course.* The voices seem to come from the wind and the plants. Then the breeze dies down a little, and the rat seems to speak again. *The Gnawers of Bone serve Rat. Rat serves Gaia. But, there are many things Rat does that will not please others.* The rodent tilts its nose up, sniffing at the air, seeming like it's looking away at other things, but never getting up off the ahroun's chest.
"No one can be perfectly happy in this world," Aaron answers with a cock to his head. He does not seem to mind the rat sitting on his chest. "I am a Bone Gnawer and I follow your kind; you are family."
*Your anger is great. Those of your moon must learn to guide it.* The rat peers back with just an eye. It twitches its whiskers again, almost like it were contemplating. *I have use for ones like you. Rat knows of War. Revel in the violence, but know that violence will not always be the answer. For that, you should know how to avoid it. And to avoid it, you must know the right words and the right beliefs. When you understand what you know, then you can make others understand.* The rat skitters up closer, almost to the point where the ahroun must cross his eyes to look at the little rodent. Its eyes flash a moment, a glowing red, but just a blink. In that flash, an imparting of knowledge passes between the spirits and the ahroun. The knowledges of the wind's ability to be so strong, it pushes anything over, and wears away even the mountains over time. The knowledge of convincing others of what you believe. And finally, the secret knowledge of the plants and insects to attract those that would eat of sweet nectar. *These gifts we give to the fullmoon, the human-born, and the family. Use them wisely, fullmoon. You are he who Savages-the-Enemy.*
"I will," Aaron answers softly to the rat spirit. In exchange, perhaps even a friendly gesture, the Ahroun offers gnosis to the spirit for his kindness and sharing his gifts with the young Claith. "We will be seeing each other again soon, cousin?" he asks.
The rat blinks twice, glowing brighter a moment, but doesn't answer. The spirit sits heavier and heavier, before finally it feels like one's lungs are under painful pressure to breath. A blink later, the scenery has changed back to a dark, candlelit surroundings. The air is no longer filled with the scent of flowers, but of the musty Odeon. And the pains of reality return with force, from the throbbing of a hamstrung leg, to the hearing loss and dull pounding of an ear. Movement from the corner of an eye reveals Yi, coming closer as she notices the awakening. "How did it go?" she asks quietly.
Aaron blinks as he wakens, glancing up at Yi owlishly. "Well," he says with a rub at his throat has he feels it tighten with the sudden onrush of pain return to him. The young Ahroun finds his feet and rises up to meet the Fostern eye-to-eye. "You may call me Savages-the-Enemy," he explains to Yi. He feels slightly awkward but he leans in and gives Yi a quick hug. "I am going to go to the farmhouse for a few days," he explains
Yi blinks as she is hugged, and looks down at her slightly stained clothing. "A-ah," the ragabash sighs, "and here I was hoping to keep these clothes free from blood for a little while longer." She speaks with a soft teasing manner, but bows her head. "Then, you are Savages-the-Enemy. A fierce name, for a fierce warrior of the Bone Gnawers." A hand lifts and a finger pokes out. "But even fierce warriors should be presentable to the sept. Go to my flat, and you will find a change of clothes there, along with a shower. Masao has gone ahead. I can dedicate your clothes later, once these two wake up."
Aaron han't realized his clothes and looks completely at guilty towards Yi while muttering curses under his breath. The Gnawer nods his head to the Fostern. "Yes, ma'am." he smiles that looks like one of thos Obitz commericals. Even though he looks like he has been through hell, he has a perfect, toothy smile.
"Yes, yes," Yi says, gently pushing the ahroun along off towards the aisle. "It is late at night, so I don't think anyone will really be watching, but be careful when you are on your way. Leave the dirty clothes in the laundry basket in the closet."
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