The Front Line

7/23/2007

06:45 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (60% full).
It is currently 18:41 Pacific Time on Mon Jul 23 2007.
Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 67 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the west at 9 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.07 and steady, and the relative humidity is 67 percent. The dewpoint is 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius.)

Bawn: Northern Forest(#3012RA)
Dark and forboding woods stretch in all directions but the north, the trees close together as if they were soldiers closing ranks against the enemy of Man. The trees here are tall, and close off all light from above, like they were pillars in some vast cathedral to Nature. Songbirds flit between the branches and the snuffling of small animals comes from the brush if one listens close enough. The busy interstate highway to the north, though, drowns out most of the subtler sounds in that direction.
The northern edge of the bawn is marked here by the unavoidable length of Interstate 90. Near it, the sounds of traffic drown out the more natural sounds of water and wildlife. In all other directions, the traffic noise recedes into the background.
Contents:
Bad-Penny
Obvious exits:
Interstate 90  North  Lone Boulder  Western Bawn  Central Bawn  Eastern Bawn  

Meandering through the woods at a brisk trot, the Lupus' claws scratching across rocks and sticks every so often. The wolf stops abruptly every twenty five feet or so to look around itself, then continues on. Without rhyme or reason he banks sharply every so often into another direction, but keeps a steady general direction.

Around the area, there's the scent of Runs-the-Gauntlet tracking here and there as well as other Guardians at the specifically marked borders. But so far there is no sight of the ragabash. Minutes upon minutes of seemingly aimless wandering, and then by chance, the ahroun sees his tribemate move from a tree. Rather, she just seems to appear beside one, and specifically heads in his direction like she's seen him.

Bad-Penny pauses when he senses or thinks he senses the presence of something other than himself in the area, then turns to look in the general direction of Runner. When the Gnawer spies her approaching, he trots up to her and promptly licks her on the snout. The Gnawer then starts to walk around her, brushing his shoulder along her sides and whacking his tail into her side.

Runner stands still as the ahroun comes up, greeting him with a quick huff. As he starts to circle her, however, she turns with and takes a step sideways. The ragabash's head quirks. It is rare to see you in the wolf, Kills-the-Cries.

Bad-Penny turns abruptly and tries to swat the Ragabash somewhat playfully in the face with his tail, not really putting any real force or effort behind it. The boy shifts up to Homid and tells her. "Been scouting. I'll use wolf in the woods, especially for scouting. Lower to the ground, faster, less annoying on the feet. Besides, I needed the practice in the skin before I made the cubs. I'm guessing you've heard by now?"

Runner is contrast, remains in lupus and flicks an ear to affirm. Yes, Ears-to-the-Ground told me. It is good to see you have cubs coming. A beat skips before she adds, What is it you are scouting for?

"Place to raise the cubs and make sure they're protected." Basil sticks one of his hands in his pockets, then smirks a little bit. "Well, and maybe my favorite Ragabash. How have you been out here? Your apartment's doing fine, but it's lonely without you."

Off in the distance, there's the sound of Bare Naked Ladies being sung. Loudly.

Runner flicks her ears in a brief amusement, but interrupts her own reply as she listens to the song floating through the forest. I know that voice, rumbles the ragabash. Then she lifts her head to utter a short howl of greeting. And while they wait for a reply, she turns back to the ahroun. My den in the Scab is well, I hope?

"Yep. I've only screwed five, ten, maybe twenty people tops in the shower. Maybe seven in the bed. Don't ask about the table, I'll buy you a new one." Basil's voice and expression tip the fact that he's obviously playing with the Ragabash, even if it's a little hard to tell with him sometimes. "I was actually hoping to come out here and ask you for help with something in the city."

The song breaks off to allow the singer to call, distantly, "Yo!" And then, a minute or so later, Kaz comes limping into view, not singing any longer.

Runner, to show that she's taking the ahroun's humor well, simply asks a blunter question: Males, or females? And then she too sits down, quirking her head the other way. More things to do outside the bawn? What do you need help with?

"Both. Only prudes stick to one or the other." Basil tells, glancing back at Kaz for a minute. He waves, then crouches down and touches the Ragabash on the nose. "That Wyrm bus thing we started, it ain't done yet. No one else is manning up. It needs to be solved, and if I don't get some help, I'm going to torch the place."

Kaz, as she gets up closer, asks, "Ain't that kinda more of a long term problem? You're kinda askin' her t'up an' leave her job there, man..."

Runner splays her ears at Basil's reply, maybe taking it a little less humored. Her head flinches back with the touch to her nose. Ears is right. There are packs in the Scab who could help you.

Kaz offers, "On th' other hand... If I could get folks t'get groceries f'me... I could take over for Yi for awhile in gen'ral. Well," she adds, quirking an eyebrow at Yi, "If you wanted."

"Name one that isn't a War pack that's good at fighting, but shit at info. Name one pack that has someone that knows that a floppy disk isn't fucking floppy." Basil glances over at Kaz, then back at Runner. "Name one better than the true masters of the concrete forest, 'uh?" Basil looks back at Kaz again, then lifts his hands. "Then what happens to Vendetta and your position here?" Basil turns back to Yi, telling her. "You can guard the bawn without being a guardian."

Kaz says, slowly, "No... she really can't. Not the way the Bawn /oughta/ be protected. Specially not with Spirals around. An' as f'Vendetta-- " She shrugs. "Seriously, if y'all didn't kick me out when I was in fuckin' /Portland/, they ain't gonna kick me out if I'm doin' a stint as a Guardian. That ain't no big thing."

Runner takes another step back, glancing between the pair. She seems content to let Kaz answer first. And while she does, the ragabash just eyes Basil. The Bawn needs Guardians. Guardians who will be here any time. There are already talks of the Black Spiral Dancers coming around, wanting to take cubs! That in particular, gets Yi's goat. The ragabash snorts again. What about Spies-the-Wyrm? The Glass Walkers know plenty about Weaver-boxes.

"The Spirals aren't ready to move on the Caern yet. If they were, they would have attacked with more than one pack. Keeping all our cubs in one area is kind of dumb anyways, isn't it? Hell, why don't they just call in a bomb threat and hack the phones so it traces back to the farmhouse? Leave bodies in the ditches near the house to attract authorities? The majority of the Pure Ones *are* the Guardians because they do friggin' leave here and wouldn't let the Caern fall no matter what posturing and crap they do." Basil shrugs his shoulders at the mention of Tu. "He's spotty. He can't be relied on now."

Kaz says, "I didn't think they was ready to attack th' Caern th' time they actually /did/, either. So basically, I don' care if it seems unlikely, it gotta be Guarded anyway." She shrugs. "And them Pure Ones that /was/ Guardin' quit, y'know. Just thought I'd mention it."

Runner flicks an ear. There are no Weaver-speakers at the cub-den to be tracked, she states. Ridgeline was disbanded, remember? They do not like how things are here. They are no longer Guardians and do not stay on the bawn as Guardians do, as Ears says. I told you, I let you and the Gnawers who remain guard and stay in my den in the Scab while I am here. Use it as you will. And not being reliable... what about my status here? What will I be seen as if I always leave the bawn but claim to be Guardian?

Kaz grins faintly. "So in other words," she says, softly, "You ain't takin' me up on my offer?"

"It would make it kind of hard for you to be Gnawer Elder, Kaz." Basil resminds her, folding his arms over his chest with a roll of his remaining eye. "Can you leave long enough for a Totem Quest at least? It's going to be impossible to form a pack with you stuck in the woods. Olga's only half the cookie, even if she'd even agree." Basil reaches into his pocket and takes out a hand rolled cigarette, lighting it up in no time flat.

Runner glances over to Kaz, her tail flicking sideways in a non-committal gesture to anything, and then as Basil lights up she growls again. The ragabash steps back, shifting to her breed form as she does. All the better to send a reprimanding look at the ahroun and his cigarette. "I will not leave the Bawn," Yi says stiffly. "Until there is proof that it can be guarded well enough. Until then, there are others who can work in the city."

Kaz shrugs at Basil. "If I decide t'go for the good of the Sept over the good of one Tribe, what's it matter t'/you/? Olga's still Olga, ain't she?" She angles a glance at Yi. "Admittedly, it ain't like I've ever worked with Alesia or Cricket b'fore, but that don't mean nothin'. An' you're a fuck of a lot better, as a ragabash and a scout, than most of the dinguses Citywards."

"Well I ain't gonna argue with you, you're stubborn." Basil tells Yi, taking a bottle out of his jacket pocket to dribble ash into. "Most of the others in the city are slash'n burners. That's why every other pack is the same predictable he-man Totems, smash hurr smash smash hurr. Barely anyone but Theurges and 'Screw ups' do anything else. It's really depressing." Basil takes a long drag off his cigarette, impassive to Yi's growl. "Of course, you could always form the pack with me, solve the problem, and switch back with Kaz in a few weeks. This is a scouting mission after all, and you're a scout. Being a guardian is a fighting position, and Kaz is the better fighter... But, if you aren't interested- " Basil waves his hand in the air, then blows a long plume of smoke into the air.

Kaz blinks. "I am /what/? Basil, have you noticed lately I can hardly fuckin' move, half the time? Yi is what you call slash and strike again, someone who don't get hit because she ain't there /to/ hit. Me, I bull through everything, but it /don't/ mean I'm necessarily a better fighter than her. It just means I'm better at the frontline shit you were just deriding."

Yi folds her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing in her stare. She focuses on the lit end of the cigarette. The only deviation is when Kaz moves on to explain their fighting techniques, at which point Yi glances over and smirks. "You're not the only one who feels like she's slowed down a little." The ragabash moves a hand and pats her right leg lightly. "But, still." Her gaze goes back to Basil. "If it is a scouting mission, one time, then I will find someone - like Kaz - to stand in and get permission from Jamethon to go help you. But a pack? A pack, is different."

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for." Basil tells Kaz, his attention mostly on making sure the tip of his cigarette remains mostly over his water bottle. "Being a guardian, it's a front line kind of job. Troops called to fighting." Basil tells Kaz, then turns ti raise an eyebrow at Yi. "Why's that? There aren't any downfalls to being in the pack, aside from the bans. With people you like, it's even fun. No stupid squabbling."

Kaz regards Basil levelly. "I give myself plenty of credit. I know what my strengths are, and quick movement ain't one of them. Anyways..." She trails off, and sinks down creakily into a crouch, looking for a stick to fiddle with.

"No stupid fights? Are you sure you've been in a pack of Garou before, Basil?" Yi asks doubtfully. She glances back down to Kaz, watching her a moment. "A pack is much more than just a bunch of Garou together doing things. A pack... it is family, and all that that word comes with." She looks back up. "Plus, the Warder has already asked the Guardians to be bonded under a totem spirit. Unless you think you can convince him..."

Kaz blinks. "Oh. I ain't available f'/that/. Thought I could help, but if he's wantin' that, I ain't into that."

"Yeah, like I said. A family. No stupid squabbles. To be fair there was only the one when I was the Alpha, even if it was a little big... " Basil waves his cigarette hand, then starts to walk away. "I need to find people to form another pack, or one that's good for what I need. See you later ladies, I ain't got long with the moon climbing this high. Talking gets harder when everyone's so pissed they can barely see straight."

Kaz blinks. "I ain't pissed." She looks down at Yi. "Are you pissed?"

Yi glances back at Kaz, very not pissed, herself. "Basil," she calls back, "What are you looking for? In a pack, that is."

"Every day the moon rises, it gets closer to full. I have limited time before I can't talk anymore until the moon goes back down, you see? Garou don't dig the whole... Arguing thing on the big moons. Even I don't." Basil sticks and looks back at Yi with another puff of his cigarette. "The thing I started to begin with. A group of people, a family, that can settle differences without claws and shit. That listen to each other, deal in the forest and the realm, and think. Guts and glory are great, but the first mission when I go out is a simple one. Everyone comes back alive. Anyone that doesn't think those goals are great ones to shoot for in a pack can go to hell."

Kaz says, more than half-fond, "And he really does try to do that kinda shit, too."

It's a few beats of silence after his reply that Yi sighs softly. "Even a blind man could see that is what you care for. I appreciate your honesty," she notes, hand running through her hair. "I'll think about it, Basil. There are some things that... do need doing, out there. Combat the Wyrm where it dwells and breeds. And it certainly dwells in the city, no?" She also adds with a look to Kaz, "And outside it, possibly. I've gotten permission to go off the bawn one more time to do what Vera has asked."

"I'm an honest person with good intentions, I just happen to pave my own road to hell with them." Basil glances between Kaz and Yi, asking. "What'd she ask you to do? Something the Lords should and can do themselves?"

"Cool," Kaz mutters to Yi, and then nods at Basil. "Yeah. She asked me t'find Matt's mom. It only occurred to me once Yi asked, but... Yeah, she coulda done it herself. But on the other hand, it's our turf, so... Maybe she's just bein' polite."

Yi rubs a finger on the bridge of her nose, easing off the frustration that creeps up. "Yes, Matt's mother. I spoke to Matt. He said, his father was a Get of Fenris kinfolk. His mother, Ronin. She killed him for some act of betrayal, but can you believe - he does not fault her? A Garou killing Kinfolk? Killing her own mate? His father wanted to take him and his brother back to another sept, to be rited as Get. And now instead... Matt wants to be a Shadow Lord."

Kaz just shakes her head. "That continues to be the weirdest fucking thing. I /told/ him, not in so many words, that those fuckers will eat him up and spit out the pieces, but... Well, I guess he's bound and determined." She sighs. "As f'th' rest of it-- his mom's fucked, sure, but he loves her. And /she's/ the one that got to tell him the story, over an' over. 'Course he's gonna believe her."

"So tell Jamethon. Any kid that would pick Lords over Get is too runty to be a Get cub anyways, and that kid is off his rollers. His hot wheel car has left the track. His screws are almost as loose as the standards for who I sleep with for fuck's sake." Basil puts his cigarette into the bottle then clamps it shut abruptly, shoving it down his jacket pocket. "Any Garou that kills their mate, someone that would stick by them even when they've become a Ronin, is worthless scum." Basil's dour voice takes a turn for the worse, darkening along with his facial expression before he turns forward again and starts to walk off faster than before.

Yi lowers her hand, shaking her head too. She glances up as Basil speaks, her lips thinning. She stays quiet until he is off, turning back to Kaz and letting out a long sigh. "I fear what we will find, when we find this Ronin," she comments. "But the moon is getting larger. We will have to be cautious."

Kaz says, glumly, "Yeah. Although it does give an advantage if we wanna check umbrally."

Yi glances skywards, and then nods again. "Let us see about going when the moon is full. If there is Wyrm about her, we will have that edge." The ragabash steps a pace closer, changing subjects. "About the storytelling moot - have you found enough food to rival Olga's share?"

Kaz nods, briefly. "Works." At the question, she shrugs. "I dunno. I ain't /seen/ Olga's share yet. But I got th' Walker's freezer an' their fridge, an' I'm stuffin' things in there at a great rate. So... I'm chuggin' along."

Chuckling then, Yi gives a nod. "Now I don't expect you to be using that rite you taught me not long ago, are you?"

Kaz shakes her head, fervently. "/After/ we're done with th' Challenge, yeah. F'th' Sept, an' f'th' homeless afterwards. But f'th' thing itself? Fuck no, I ain't int' cheatin'. Plus," she adds, "Olga's... a good one. I'm teachin' it to her."

Yi smiles wider, nodding with understanding. "This, I look forward to. And if you need help with the rites, I would be glad to help. Good thing Olga is learning it too... Squeaks must be getting bigger, eating more. Oh, yes." She pauses with a finger lifting. "I spoke to Jamethon, and he has given the OK to bring Squeaks back on to the bawn, as long as we keep an eye on her of course."

Kaz brightens. "Rockin'! He tol' me it was OK t'bring her to the shindig-- I think we should tell her it's jus' f'th' one night, an' she how she copes, then extend her stay if it works out, y'know? So we don't fuck with her head if th' bossman kicks her off again."

"Great!" Yi claps her hands together once, pleased to hear the news. "I agree with the plan too. And I will watch her for the storytelling moot, while you and Olga are in challenge."

Kaz says, "Cool beans. Means I can tell a story or two, too." Smile fading, she says, "Mebbe the one about how Malachi died in th' first place. Since it seems like people don't know. Y'know?"

Yi clears her throat at the mention of Malachi, her eyes narrowing slightly and gaze dropping. "There are not many left from those days," she agrees softly. "But that is why it is important to tell those stories, yes. And I told Matt... if he comes to this storytelling moot. He should ask about Malachi. More and more cubs seem to be lost ones, these days."

Kaz's lips thin. "Just, I figure, given as th' point here is f'Jacob t'talk about the /current/ threat... tellin' th' story of one've th' previous... debacles... would be a good idea. Kinda... /reinforce/ the point." She sighs. "Anyway. So now that I've thoroughly depressed us both, I'll just say, I'm lookin' forward to the food parts, at least."

Yi glances up again with the mention of food, and gives a small laugh. "Oh, depressed is not how I would describe it. Determined, instead, a better choice." She grins instead, starting off forced but working herself up to a genuine smile. "But since you mention food... I could do with some now. Heading back to the farmhouse?"

Kaz says, as if weighing the word, "Determined... Yeah." She grins. "That'll do. An' yeah. Let's get th' heck over there."

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