Pack Time

[Emily Makerith]

Between Bleeds Well and Nathaniel, Emily's hackles are rising. she pulls herself up, a low growl rumbling. "Hey, new guy? Don't go slinging around accusations you don't fully understand. You know nothing about this city, or us." She rounds on Nathaniel. "And you. Will you quit it with the delusions of grandeur? Spirits are on the side of spirits and their own natures, not any of Daddy Wolf's kids. We aren't going to raise a fucking spirit army with one pack of wolves of standard reknown. You should know that by now. On top of that, you don't know what happened here. Nobody does. Not really."

The Ithaeur turns to Hector. "Chief, this can't work! What he's saying would take dozens of wolves, a rite of phenominal proportions.... Untill the Uratha return en mass? We can't pull off crap like that!"

Emily, so often laid back, stands agitatedly, looking at the pack. "Okay. it's pretty clear there are some real gaps in knowledge gaps here, and some things I've kept largely to myself for a while. So listen up, because this is fucking important before you all go bum-rushing off to wherever in this city."


For all her jokes, and playfulness, she took her role as Ritemaster and Spirit speaker dead seriously. Emily looks around the group. "Every story starts the same way. This Story is true. So here it is - In Sacramento, the Pure won." She reaches into her pocket, and pulls out her tobacco pouch, and starts rolling a cigarette. "They performed a Rite that shattered the Hisil, twisting spirits and turning them all on us. There weree several Foresaken packs in this city, and they all banded togeter to fight back. to restore the Gautlet back to what it was. they found several items of power, great fetishes powered by great spirits, and brought them together here. At this very Tur."

She licks the cigarette closed, and toys with it between her fingers. "And, they thought they had beaten back the tide! The shattered Hisil restored! And, for a few short months, they were right. And in that time, the packs relaxed. Families begain to return to their usual duties, went about their business. But something wasn't right, and the older wolves noticed. The Pure were moving for something huge and the Alphas made sure that some of their precious babies were safe." The emphasis is cold and bitter.

  6 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-10-17 07:06:22		Emily rolls 4 to Call Fire: Sta+Surv+Pur (10 Again)		9, 10, 10, 3, 10, 8, 10, 3		6 successes

Emily's hand flares suddenly into a bright fire in the darkness, the palm wreathed in yellow flame flecked with blue. She lights her cigarette and waves ot the flames, taking a long drag on the cigarette anblowing a long plume of smoke out into the cool Autumnal air.

"One of those "precious babies" was sent away, and when she returned, all the packs were gone. Pure. Foresaken. Vanished. No bodies, no investigations, nothing. She combed the city, looking for signs of her pack, her father. Nothing. She was very, very alone." The voice quavers ever so slightly.

"So when you say "no wonder you need allies", remember that this city lost everything. No fucking shit we need allies, but it's been six fucking years and the only wolves that have showed up and hung around are in this damned pack." She jabs a pained nail at Nate. "When you say "Let's look for the massive battle," fucking remember that I fucking tried, for years looking for where my dad went, and this isn't some fucking Aragorn-Lord-of-the-Rings bullshit that will raise and army of lost spirit wolves to fight, because real life isn't like that!" She snaps.

The Ithaeur slouches off a few paces. "This city is my home. I'll do anything to keep it, and fix it. I'll take almost any help. But it's a broken place, way more than anywhere I ever known. So these things aren't just flick a switch and we're away, okay? I'll the best sarcastic asshole around here, but dont, just don't, make light about the packs that were here or this city, okay? Becuase that fails to respect all the High that are gone. And that's a part of our Oath right there."

Emily stalks a little way down the hill, the embers of her cigarette glowing in the darkness.

I don't fucking even with that roll, peeps.

Now, some of that story is likely a bit out - that's the flaws or oral history, folks! But Emily is sure she has it right.

Also, she's not leaving the scene, just putting some distance to simmer down herself.

[Brigit]

Brigit listened as the assembled pack - and the newblood - spoke. Her expression didn't change, though the new guy's snark earns a measured frown.

"You got balls talking like that in a territory you haven't helped fight for," she said, "Watch your words. You wanna help? Fine, but trust is earned. Not given."

Then Nathaniel twists her words.

"That's not what I'm saying, bring your head back down to earth," the Once-Pure offered, her tone stern.

The excitement is already spreading through the pack, however. Matt and Hector both jump at the opportunity to speak in support. Brigit says nothing and then Emily breaks, lays down some truths, and gives herself some space.

Brigit let the silent hang for a moment before pointing in the blue-maned woman's direction.

"Em has the right of it," she says, before returning her gaze to Bleeds Well, "So here's some advice, you want a warm, happy welcome? Earn it. Then I will call you brother. Not before."

For the first time since Bleeds Well's arrival, Brigit finally shifts her body fully away from him, this time her gaze landing on Nate.

"Kid," she said, "You got a responsibility. And part of that responsibility is keeping our aims with the Spirit in reality. No more storybook shit. We already have an asset. Use them."

Then Hector.

"With respect, Alpha," she says, her tone respectful if frustrated, "We are one pack. We cannot cover all the incursions of the Pure in Sacramento. You wanna go all black ops with Bleeds Well then that's your business, but I don't suggest ranging too far out of the Tur. They hunt just as well as we do. And there's more of them."

The Redeemed takes a breath calming her own nerves a bit as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I meant what I said," she said, "We need more Urdaga. Not a spirit army. We need to figure out how to draw more in and keep 'em, even if they're nomads. If we don't, it's us against a rising tide and down the line that only ends one way. So how do we get the word out?"

[Bleeds Well]

A growl rumbles deep somewhere in my chest at the , "Foolish CHILD, You CLAIM a TUR to be your own! This is a NEUTRAL GROUND. A place of PEACEFUL gathering. This Land Belongs to NO PACK and to claim it as your very own is to invite conflict in a sacred place." My feet move of their own volition propelling me toward the insolent Talon. "You question the validity of my BRANDS. I come in peace to offer help as is customary and I'm met with hostility! I give my name and you do not respond in kind. You wish to lecture me, first learn respect, and what is TRUE."

My rage boils, but the Crescent moon speaks with an anger that has simmered until the steam burst from the pressure cooker. I halt and catch fire at her words. Her presence grows with her story and reality hits me like sledgehammer.

"I'll help you keep it sister," the words tumble out of my mouth toward the blue-haired Ithaeur. In a flash my bones grind and I walk on four legs, everything within me screams for action. I sniff the air before locking eyes with the Alpha, <I hunt.> With those final two words I turn and lope away from this chaos. This isolated pack, so used to assault from anywhere that they have forgotten what it is to be Urdaga.

[Hector]

Hector hisses through his teeth as one wolf, then another, heats up their conversation. Tempers are flaring; words are being said - the kind that seal fate.

And he is just sitting there let it happen.

Hector's eyebrows raise when Emily pulls off her Gift: the sheer audacity and magnificence of it has him grinning foolishly. He catches the glance Bleeds Well gives him and he barely manages to school his face into a semblance of seriousness. He grunts as the newcomer makes off.

<Catch you later> The words are unfamiliar and heavy in his mouth. Hishu man-form is not suited to such language.

He frowns, returning his gaze to the pack.

"Brigit is right. No one knows what happened here. They say this Tur is where the first wolf to take this place from the Pure is buried. And somewhere along the river is the place an Idigam was slain, or so the stories say. And to my knowledge no other wolfs have come this way other than the Pure and a few strays who pass through. This is all we have..."

"So I say: keep trying to get some back up from the spirits. As for the Pure. All we can do is pick a target and hunt. We can't get them all, but we can make some of them pay."

He looked up a the sky, then at the earth.

"And. I dunno. I could try my contacts in the Tribe. But I don't know if they have the resources or the time... Or the cost..."

His last words spilled from his cracked lips as a growl and his eyes narrowed to a feral aspect.

ST: Up till now Hector's connection to Max Roman and the Silver Syndicate has just been backstory. Not sure if you want to incorporate it further in this story Kelreth

[Nathaniel Dormur]

Nathaniel thought the idea promising, thought they might make some ground, and then....

Well, then Emily pops up to be the realistic one. To say her story, say her doubts... Nathaniel didn't know the full of her story. He figured it was bad of course. Still- they all had their stories.

A part of the crescent wanted to scream at her. At Brigit. At all of them. Wave his own fiery hands and shout at them and say that yeah, of course it was a long shot but what other choices did they have! Better than wallowing in booze and cigarettes and relying on help that would never come! At least he was hopeful, at least he believed in something. Believed that some spirits might rely to undo the insane damage!

So yeah, Nathaniel had a fantastical view of things! What was the alternative, considering that from what his Mentor said, this 'war' they were in was a lifelong commitment?! Of course the idealistic one would want a storybook, compared to that... This was probably the closest Nathaniel felt to rage since he'd been in Sacramento- and as with all Uratha, it gnawed at his stomach and tore at his thoughts. A clenched fist, a deep breath. A slowly calming mind... For now. He was glad to see the newcomer leave,

"I will.... Awaken allies. See what I-" his teeth grated lightly -can do to help.."

At any other point Nathaniel might want to help Emily. But not now- too many voices, too much tension. A damned powderkeg, and Nathaniel needed to get out of there before another spark was lit.
<<Anything... Else... Pack Leader?>> Speaking the Spirit Tongue was a good focus to get away from his thoughts.

Emily had a point- but it was seemingly so pessimistic to the Bone Shadow. To protect a home that was so broken- Nathaniel wanted more. Nathaniel had a bit of hope... And secretly prayed to Luna that he wouldn't lost. He was perhaps glorifying their task. But he was still young, and a bit of idealism still stirred in his soul.

[Brigit]

"You want a fucking welcome parade? Name's Brigit, asshole. Happy?" Brigit said looking at the volatile Rahu, "And I didn't say shit about your brands, did I? No one is saying you don't have worth in the eyes of Luna. It's pretty damn clear you do, but plenty of lone wolves do to and they don't run well with packs. This is about trust."

She watched as the Rahu turned and walked away from the group.

"I respect your brands," she affirms, her tone frustrated and more than a little annoyed, "but I don't know you."

It wasn't Well's brands that required validation. It was his character. This was about whether or not the pack could trust him and if he would rise above prove himself trustworthy.

The Redeemed's brown eyes shifted to Hector as he spoke in support.

"Thanks... ," she says. The response to his support was genuine, even as she grits her grimaces lightly to hold back her rage. "I shouldn't have gotten so heated, so sorry..."

"If you really want to hunt them outside our territory and the Tur, best to take me I think," she offers after some pause, "I'm damned anyway and I'd feel better if folks without the blackmark stay out of the hunt until we have a plan. Less of a blow to the Mother that way, you know?"

There it was. A hard truth. Brigit didn't want those with Auspices to engage first and her reasoning was clear to those who knew her. They had been marked with a purpose by Luna. Brigit was bereft of such markings.

A look is offered Nathaniel Dormur and Emily Makerith .

"Which is why we need intel," she says, "I'm good with bleeding, but the less I need to the better, right?"

She offers the Crescents a half-smile and a light chuckle, trying to make light of the situation.

"Might be best to check in on our eyes before we move on things," she said, "That's all I'm saying. We did our part of the bargain. You two would know better than me, but maybe it's time to see if they've done theirs?"

[Emily Makerith]

Emily watches Bleeds Well stalk away. She sighs, shoulders slumping. Well that was a clusterfuck.

Of all the introductions she'd had to do over the last eighteen months, she'd never flown off the handle. Then again, no-one had ever mentioned the wolves here being shit either, and she was mighty tetchy at that.

"Any more of those beers left?" She asks half-heartedly, pulling on her cigarette again.

The Crescent listens to the plan. It was solid, traditional. She could actually make time to talk to the Spirits nowadays. Nathaniel seemed pissed. Well, tough shit. The guy needed to wake up and see the world for what i was, not the legends you dream of that are beyond reach.

Emily felt very, very tired all of a sudden.

Brigit's words were like lead in her stomach. Dammed? Did the Talon really think so little of herself?

Man, this pack was messed up. Only Hector and Matt seemed without issues.

"Uh, sure. We can see what Eyes-With-Wings came up with. Sounds like a plan." The Iron Master's voice is a weary whisper.

[Nathaniel Dormur]

Things were a mess. Tensions were high. And then...

Why. Why why WHY was everyone so mopey so fatalistic so... UGHH!!! Nathaniel's knuckles were white as he gripped the bottle he'd barely drank from. Calm down- not here, not now.

"Brigit... Are you a part of this pack? If so, I REALLY.... REALLY.... Want you to act like it... The People Do Not Murder The People. And I think of you as one of the people." It wasn't what Nathaniel wanted to say- or rather, shout and scream. That wouldn't help now- he'd vent later. No, people needed something kind of happy and uplifting. "Mother Above is with us all, but she is far away... Her laws serve as our guides. Mine, and now yours too. You're not damned- there is always a chance. And should that chance come and we are recognized, I want it to be all of us. Following her laws, and succeeding. Whatever scars and marks you have... Well, we all have them. And we'll all bury them." Nathaniel knew the rite. Spirit Brands. If it succeeded, the Lunes would mark them in Silver.

"So please don't think of yourself that way. You're not Pure anymore- you're Us. Mother Above doesn't like it when we kill, and that includes you now, too... So, please?..." Nathaniel was practically begging. He didn't have it in him to go all-out with it- practically shaking still. Hopefully this would be enough.

  3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-10-22 15:50:14		Nathaniel Dormur rolls 5 to Pep Talk Brigit (Manipulation + Persuasion + SL) (10 Again)		9, 6, 10, 10, 5, 4, 4		3 successes

after that, Nathaniel didn't have much left to say. He sits back down, rubs his forehead, takes his booze and drinks. Wincing slightly at the taste, but drinking anyways, and clearing his throat. "so... Yeah... I'll see about more spirits- sis, you probably have more experience. Know any good prospects?"

[Hector]

"Yeah. There should be another beer..."

Hector dug through the remains of the bags he had bought, if only to hide the frown and the growl etched into his worn face.

"So. We join Bleeds on his hunt and find something..." He bit of his words before he said something that would sour the mood even more.

"We look to strengthen our spirit allies. If we have them."

A furtive glance up.

"I'll locate our brother in the herd."

Pausing to rub his nose before giving Emily the last drink can.

"And I'll see what my contacts can bring. Even if its just a bit of local lore..."

Keeping the door open to Nathaniel Dormur suggestion. Adaptability was strength.

[Brigit]

Brigit's gaze locked on Nathaniel as he spoke.

So it came again. Idealism and a near-innocent understanding of their life. Nathaniel didn't know her history and he was uncomfortable with the truth.

The Mother cannot forgive all sins.

That was the reason Brigit lacked an Auspice. It was a reason held as true by many seasoned People and it was a fervent belief in the Redeemed herself. A few kind words from an Urdaga with little experience with the Pure wasn't going to change that. Brigit bore silver brands for other deeds, but Mother Luna withheld some of Her greatest blessings. Her reasoning was clear and Brigit had never been one to shy from her fate.

But.

Tonight was not the night to lay heavy into Nate, even if she really wanted to. His words had at least succeeded in at least simmering her down. Brigit would lay off. Tensions were already high enough.

"Sure, kid," she offered, granting the younger Crescent a forced half-smile, even as her eyes fumed.

You just don't get it, do you?

Then her head turns to Hector, "My preference stands, Chief. If you want my help, you know how to get a hold of me."

A glance is leveled at the largely silent Matt, Brigit looking the Giant over for a moment as Hector dictated the Pack's path.

Then a glance to the senior Crescent.

"Don't know enough about the Spirit to be of much use there," she said, "I'm gonna take off. Prepare a bit."

Shifting the gaze to the greater pack.

"Good luck, let me know when it's time," Brigit offered.

With that, Brigit turned and left, fists clenched. She had to hit something and she couldn't do that here.

Brigit leaves the scene!~