Crescents Catching Up

[Nathaniel Dormur]

Hearing that Emily had been through this same talk before was a bit of a relief to the boggled young crescent- establishing enough clarity that, provided with her other hints, he thought he could piece the answer together.

"Renown?..." It was true Nathaniel's instruction had been incredibly single-minded. His interest in spirits, and a craving for knowledge, having combined with a knack for learning rites, had skewed his direction almost entirely towards Wisdom. "I suppose Wisdom alone isn't... Um..." Nathaniel hadn't felt he'd done anything deserving of other renown. Granted, it wasn't as if those opportunities fell out of the sky.

A slight wrinkle of his nose as the smell of cigarette smoke started to become overpowering. Work at the garage had helped with that somewhat.

[Emily Makerith]

Emily fires finger guns at Nate. "Close enough! Purity. Honour." She leans back in the chair again. "Nothing wrong with Wisdom, man. Just remember it's only one way of looking at things. When predators hunt, they never hunt to extinction, they hunt for their needs for the present, or the instinctual future. Removing something entirely form the primal tapestry of the Hisil changes the circle. Maintaining the primal cycles of ebb and flow, life and death? That's Purity." she smokes the cigarette some more, and tosses the butt into the ashtray. "Spirits rise and fall in power all the time, but when they get too big for their britches and poke the Material too hard, we step in. Recognising our authority, that we'll keep our words true, and that we won't overstep that duty to both sides... That's honour. Well. How I see them anyway."

She smiles, stands up and stretches - several joints pop loudly, groaning in satisfaction. "Ahhhh.... that got it. Um.. Oh, yeah. Basically, stick to the Oath and usually you can't go far wrong. How much respect do you have for an enemy if, once it's beaten and weak, you trap it in a box? No creature does that, man. And like it or not, we're primal creatures. It's okay for us to behave like that. Most of the time it's actually pretty fun. Or at least natural." She flashes a cheeky smile and begins pulling her top off.

[Nathaniel Dormur]

How she explained things- as almost like nature's tapestry, or a web of life... Well, Nathaniel did in part recognize it. Spirits had hierarchies, had chains. But he'd never considered his role in it- at least, not anymore than a student might looking at a web of life in a textbook. Looking at it as if he were another organism on that page- it changed things.

Purity. Honor. "Right. I understand now- or, I think I do. We're not outsiders in all of this- we're guards between two worlds. Part of that job is learning to understand and respect our place in both." Don't disrespect spirits. Don't torture prey. Don't hunt humans for food. Those were just the basics- he'd memorized much of Luna's Laws, but knowing wasn't enough. "I don't suppose convincing a spirit to leave the Pure peacefully, or hunting them down but stopping once they were weak, would serve as an example of Purity?" He scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh.

Nathaniel quickly turned his head as Emily started to remove her top. "Ah-do you want me to grab you another drink??" Blushing for a different reason now- Primal creatures or not, there were still things Nathaniel was anxious towards.

[Emily Makerith]

Emily nods enthusiastically. "Exactly, man. Father Wolf was a guardian, and Mother Luna like all the others. They had a roll in this, a place, that we've inherited." She smiles. "That last one is definitely Purity. But sneaking around? Charming a spirit to leave or undermining it? You're in Red Wolf's garden, bud. That's all Cunning."

The Ithaeur straighens up, stretched, then burps loudly. "Nah, I'm good." She begins pulling off her shorts. "But hey, if you want anything, feel free." She looks over her shoulder. "Uh, you okay?"

[Nathaniel Dormur]

Ok. He was starting to grasp the gist of things then. "And having a spirit of Faith as an ally...." Faith was ever-present in the world. Just because the Pure steamrolled along the path of fanaticism didn't mean the spirit had to. "Thanks sis. We'll talk about it with the pack later I suppose- I don't mind trying diplomacy first, but we'll probably have to be wary. The Pure might not like us having a private chat with their totem." Definitely wouldn't. And just in case, they could be ready to bind it if diplomacy failed.

The pup quickly nodded and stood, walking over to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator to find something to drink- spending a suspiciously long amount of time looking for something so simple. "Yep! Totally fine." The refrigerator was closed and now he was looking in cabinets for... A glass. Yes. That's right. He liked to pour his drinks in glasses. Have to find just the right one.

"Ah- so you were raised by other wolves right?" Brigit had been, which Nathaniel took as an explanation for her comfort in certain... Scenarios. "I ah- wasn't, much. Not until the change at least. Are you sure you don't want anything?" A quick peek back to check on the status of his fellow crescent.

"I know we're different from humans- I know that as we develop as wolves, it... the more we 'grow', the more different- and the stronger- we become?" Nathaniel hadn't much embraced that yet. He still felt just as much bound by as he was capable of interacting with the Herd's rules and customs. He'd heard plenty of mythical tales of werewolf behemoths capable of wrestling spiritual giants to the ground... And plenty more about reclusive hermits that rarely interacted with the herd.

Granted at the moment he was just looking for a distraction while he continued to idle at the cabinets. Should he wash the cup? That was just good practice right?

[Emily Makerith]

"HA!" The Crescent barks out a laugh. "Nope, they sure as fuck won't. Doing that is definitely an idea, and I can see it working, but we need to plan. If we could put an idea together, and we'd need to find the Totem too... hmmm." She strokes her chin thoughtfully.

"You sure? You're taking a while in there." Emily pokes her head in the kitchen door, cleaning oil off her face with a make-up wipe. It doesn't look like she's wearing much else. She shrugs and the head vanishes back around the corner. "Oh, yeah. Well, Dad raised me, while I was still a kid," she calls form the next room. "And when I had my first change, he kinda felt happy letting em into the pack and stuff. One of his packmates became my teacher, and, well, the rest is history." As Nate peeks around the corner, he sees Emily wander, naked, into her bedroom and re-appears wearing a fluffy dressing gown - it doesn't look like there's anything beneath it. "Yeah, I remember you saying. Why? You got a question? And sure, I'll have another beer. You sure you're okay? You look a little flushed." Emily cocks her head, watching him, and scratches on the inside of her robe.

"Are you talking about the bit of us the Herd recoil from? The nature of the predator?" The Red Wolf asks. "Least, that's what Dad called it. The bit of us that the Herd notice about being different. Apparently if it gets strong enough, we become more like spirits ourselves. We walk between, remember." Emily slips into the kitchen and grabs a beer form the fridge. "Why? What's on your mind, bud?"

[Nathaniel Dormur]

Yes, they'd need to make a plan. The simplest option Nathaniel could think of was one group distracting the Pure while another called and negotiated with the Spirit... But that could come later.

"Yep! Totally fine- just washing my hands after work." Totally fine.

Hearing her story... It might have explained why she and Brigit got along so well. "I've heard family packs are more common." Just casual, distracting small talk. Seeing his exposed sister Nathaniel immediately looked away and continued focusing on washing his glass until it was crystal clear, and then some. Hearing that she wants a beer, the crescent happily takes his time pulling one out of the fridge and cautiously setting it on a far counter, filling his own glass....

....Oh for Father Wolf's sake, he was going to have to be blunt here wasn't he? "No, it's not just that. I'm just wondering...Is it normal for werewolves to be exposed to one another like that?!?" He knew some rites revolved around such exposure, and without a dedication rite (which Nathaniel used extensively) any shifts caused quite a sight upon return to Hishu. "Ah- it's just, I heard that city wolves were more into the whole clothing thing. And it's um... Yeah." It wasn't really about any feeling of attraction; Nathaniel just wasn't as comfortable in his own skin. Or at seeing a fellow packmate comfortable in theirs, as judgmental as that might have appeared.

He tried not to stare as he brought over the beer bottle, not even thinking to grab a bottle opener for it.

[Emily Makerith]

"I dunno if they're common. Some, like those whack-a-doodle Ivory Claws, are nothing but family." Emily shrugs. "From what Dad used to say, there are so many things than can trigger the change that it's just more usual for it not to be like that."

Emily grins, her eyes twinkling. "Oh.... OH! C'mon, Nate, you've seen me naked loads of times!" She pulls the robe tighter around her, making sure she's covered up for the little wolf. She offers a matronly smile "That better? Um... I guess that's more about practicality. City wolves interact with Herd more, so there's more to deal with public indecency laws. Dad obviously wasn't a big fan, but everyone else was like that and I kinda fell into it, except when Dad was around." She punches him on the arm. "But, you haven't thought of three important things. One, being naked is natural and wonderfully liberating. Two, this is my house. And three, I'm a bit of a slut with very little shame." She winks at him and takes the beer. "I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, Nate. I'll try and tone it down, okay? Just relax, and remember you'll have to get used to it at some point. Somebody's gonna see you naked sooner or later!" She grins and drinks from the bottle.

[Nathaniel Dormur]

Brigit was proof enough of those "Whack-a-doodle" folks, as Nathaniel now knew for certain. It appeared that Emily was actually an unusual case then? A bite of the tongue to avoid saying that out loud.

She finally caught on. "Ah.... But! Right.." Tactful, Nate. Tactful. The pup kept darting his eyes to look everywhere but directly at her while she tightened up, though even then the crescent started to stammer his way over back to the couch as she spoke in that casual and blunt manner what Nathaniel had no chance against.

"One, being naked is natural and wonderfully liberating- Wait. But? "Ah-bur... Wha?.... Mrre...." As might be expected, a sheltered existence followed shortly with being raised by a crotchety old man hadn't really given Nathaniel much confidence in that regard. But before he could process that....

Two, this is my house- Well yes... WAIT! "Buhthat'snot- I mean!" That wasn't the... Wait... NO?! Territory didn't automatically disqualify hospitalit-

and three, I'm a bit of a slut with very little shame." Warning. System overload. Warning. System overload. "bth... Fuh... Huh?....Mrrrrr..." The wink just added onto it- by now someone probably could have cooked an egg on the poor pup's head. Feeling mentally drained all of a sudden, Nathaniel attempted to get a drink of water in, taking her advice to try and relax. But then, as if she'd timed it perfectly:

-Somebody's gonna see you naked sooner or later!"He almost choked on the drink. What did she mean by that? Were-was he expected to get.. To have?! "Wait is-.. Wait are we...Supposed to get! I mean am I supposed t..to have... Be PHYSICAL?!?" Forget EVERYTHING that'd just been said the past minute. What did she mean, 'Sooner or Later?!' Was there some holy mandate about having children???

He remembered Brigit saying that the Uratha and the Pure had both encouraged and allowed her relationship with herhusbandbecause he was wolfblooded and both sides seemedtowantmorechildren but that wasn't some rule right?! RIGHT?! The pup's eyes were practically begging Emily to clarify, looking more terrified than ever.

His well thought-out plan of how he thought the rest of this day would go had ended in a puff of smoke... Or, steam- as at this rate one might have not at all been surprised if it started billowing out his ears.

[Emily Makerith]

The full deer-in-the-headlights look was only driving Emily to tease the poor wolf more. She lays a hand on his shoulder and leans in, holding back a snigger. "I hate to tell you this, buddy, but I've seen you naked. The Rite of Dedication doesn't hide your wolf-dick!" She bursts out laughing and collapses in a fit on the sofa next to him.

When she finally starts breathing, she turns her head to look at him. "Ha, aw, man... Hadn't... hadn't you noticed when you see all the other guys with their wolf-junk hanging out?" She sniggers again. "Um... What?" The punk tries takig a deep breath to control herself. "Be physical? Why do you think I take your scrawny ass and beat you around for a while? We're physical beings, Nate! We hunt and fight and fu-ohhhh, shit, I get you! Damn... Errr..." She looks really confused for a moment. "Uhhhh, well? I guess you don't... have...to? If you don't want? I mean, I don't know why you wouldn't because sex is goo-ood..." She winces and looks both awkward and apologetic. "Wait. Shit. No. Sorry. This is about you, not me. Your feelings are, like valid, and I should really be more sympathetic about that..." She reaches onto the table and starts rolling another cigarette, frowning slightly as she thinks.

"So... nakedness freaks you out... I'm guessing you still got your v-plates, huh?" She holds her hands up and offers a gentle smile. "No judging, buddy. Just... trying to metaphorically feel my way around the waters here. I mean, is it... is it something you're worried about? Or have you never really wanted to... y'know." She waggles her eyebrows once, still smiling softly, her voice gentle.

The Horizontal Charleston. Take the 12-noon to pound town. Bone down! ...no, wait, Ride the Bone-Shadow Train! I'm HI-larious.
Nate needs some real help here! You know what it's like to do this! Get your brain out of your pants, woman! Focus!

Emily offers a reassuring pat on the shoulder, thinking. Was he Ace? An ace wolf? Why couldn't it be possible? Why the fuck not? "Look... Nathaniel. This is a safe place. If you wanna talk about it, I won't tell. If you don't... it's up to you. Talking and sex have one thing in common; Consent is important, man." She gives him another smile. "I'm just super-comfortable talking about this, because I love sex. had to come out as Bi to my dad, and that was awkward. You're clearly not used to talking about this stuff, but what I do isn't for everyone." She shrugs with another cheeky smile, and reaches down the side fo the sofa, pulling out an old Gay Pride flag and draping it over herself.