(Grave Matters) Squat Talks

[Xadun]

I missed the rat-dog's response, but basically summarized as "KILL SPIDER-GODS. Big Momma wanna talk with you!"

The Crescent whirling into Dalu and stalking up to the Rat draws Chris's attention. A question forms but is brushed away as Emily lays out just what the things are and what they want. Arms hang loose at his sides as Chris returns his gaze to the rat-dog as it answers Tristan's question.

Quite a literal name for their leader. Wonder if it smells like this shitshow. "Well that's good to know." But maybe not good for the Big Momma if Chris's grin is anything to go by. Eyes return to his pack to see what they think. Right now Chris sees bigger prey.

"I mean... it's not wrong," Emily admits grudingly to the others. "The Gauntlet is like tar. I knew we'd have to light up some webs sooner or later. The poor Beshilu are struggling because the spiders are too big. My shoulder bleeds for you. Literally," she snarls at the rat-host. "I don't see any reason we need to talk to some Beshilu bitch-mother to know we need to fight spiders," she practically spits venom.

We need to stop the spiders now. Sure. Just as long as everyone remembers we'll have to take out the rats again after that. And then the spiders. Then the rats. And around and around it goes.

Hector let the pause drag on for a while.

"So. What the rest of you think?"

He patently avoided looking at the Rat-Dog's wide eyed stare.

"I'm going to defer to you two. This is a new ballgame for me." Chris rises to stand fully. "Honestly it sounds like we're going to be running things down one way or another."

Then he looks to the rat. "You know where the Spiders have their nest?" Nest? Probably a nest right? What else a lair? ...is that a thing?

[Emily Makerith]

Emily scowls at the rat-dog. "Answer the question, you little shit. Give us one good reason we should see your bastard matriarch instead of gutting you now and going after the spiders anyway."

She starts to pace testily.

[Yumyumcrow]

Rat-Dog drooled.

"No! No cuttings. Or smiting! Or bitings! Or eatings of his nose because he needs his nose!" Was it whining or laughing? It was hard to tell.

"You needs us! We helps you! Helps you slay many bad Spider-Gods. There are many. A city have they formed. In secret places. Suburban places. It is known."

[Chris Laurent]

"In the suburbs?" Ya that'll be interesting with this pack. Could be a trap. Cities are messy and congested but more chaotic. Chaos is good. When its yours.

"Those places are pretty damn boring." Eyes shift to Emily and Hector. "A little more quiet wouldn't be noticed if it was incremental." Then the Talon looks back to the Rat.

"Where in the suburbs?"

[Yumyumcrow]

Rat-Dog grunted.

Rat-Dog paused.

Rat-Dog stretched itself in an apoplexy of fear and excitement.

Rat-Dog attempted to explain... Badly. The Shartha might have mastered a crude approximation of human speech but it had next to no understanding of how human beings organised their settlements.

With perseverence, however, the pack picks out the words "South Sacramento" and "Land Park! Land Park!" and "House That Humans Have Forgotten" and something about "Many spiders laying their nets in the garden. Fools!"

[Emily Makerith]

"Urrrrrgh....." Emily growls. "It's in the Hisil, Chris... Odds are that half those landmarks, vague as they are, don't even exist as any of us know them."

She turns to Hector. "Look, chief. I know rats and spiders are natural enemies, but both of them hate us. I know it's completely unexpected and it's hella Cunning to side with rats against spiders, but the very idea makes my fur crawl, and it's dumb as fuck. It'd be all to easy to turn on us once we're all bled dry from fighting Azlu."

The Ithaeur squirms angrily, wincing at the pain in her slowly healing shoulder. "I mean, it's your call chief. You know how I feel. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if it wasn't jus tthe four of us, y'know?"

[Chris Laurent]

"Ha..right." The Hisil, not the fleshy side. That'd be too obvious. Damn. "South Sac near some park and abandoned houses though? It's somewhere to start." Chris shifts to look to the two others. "I agree on needing some more bodies. This is shady enough already."

"This one is making me nervous." Chris says to Hector, echoing Emily's concerns.

[Hector]

Hector's feral eyes danced between his two pack mates. His jaw worked and the flesh of his face pulsed as the Cahalith thought.

"If that is the way you wish to play it. So we'll remain quiet and keep watch. For now. Till something changes. Or we learn... more."

He paused but did not look at the cage or its occupant.

"What about the loose ends?"

Slaying the rat creature was an option; so was letting it go. Wisdom and Purity called for the Beshilu's death, given the creature's untrustworthy nature. Cunning suggested letting the beast free was an option; the Shartha would pass on word to of what happened to "Big Momma," no doubt - and that would leave the possibility of an alliance hanging between the pack and the rat-kin. And 'possibly' was a tool of Cunning.

[Emily Makerith]

"Fu-uuuck..." Emily whines. "You're meant to be fearless leader. I mean, if it was nearly anything else I'd say don't burn the bridges, but this little fucker bit me." She growls at the Rat-dog, and scratches her head.

"I... really don't like the idea, but it might be... best...if we let it go... we can always... hunt it again later. Emily grinds out the sentence through her clenched jaw. "I'd have a better idea if I knew what Necessary Guile was like." she gives a half-shrug. "And I know there's a lot of spiders. If we go see these web cities for ourselves, maybe we'll know what we need better. To, Y'know, go it alone, or... the other thing. Let the rat go to kill a lot of spiders... they'll be fighting the spiders anyway, but..." she sighs heavily. "If we work together we could do much more good for everywhere. Plus if we rope in the others I'll feel a lot happier."

She scowls, and stalks away a few yards. "There. Cunning and big-picture smarts. That's what I say. And I hated every second of it, so don't make me say it again."

[Chris Laurent]

Ending the thing would be prudent. Dead problems can't be problems ever again. Though. "Could work our way in the long term to let it go. Someone else who is looking to hunt the spiders would be helpful." The idea clearly doesn't sit well with Chris though.

"You know what we would do if you try to trick us yes?" Chris shifts to look at the rat-dog. "There would be no where to run."