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"Woah, easy. I just got into town. I'm looking for a pack to join." He laughs nervously. He approaches with his left hand out, obviously not holding a weapon or being threatening, and his right hand outstretched, palm out.
"Bull Rush, of the Iron Masters. Didn't mean to spook you." Another nervous laugh. "I come in peace."
His short stature is evident as he approaches the two of them, he doesn't seem to get much taller with the perspective shift.
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Casey cautiously shook the stranger's hand. It wasn't about to think he wasn't a threat though. Casey wasn't exactly a bar room brawler himself.
"Why are you here in Sacramento?" he asked suspiciously. He wanted to know motivation before trusting him.
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"A buddy of mine gave me a ring the other day when he heard about how I left my pack. Said to come here, there was a lot of stuff to get done. And well, I get stuff done. And before you ask, my former lazy packmembers said I worked too hard and made them all look bad. So, can I join up?"
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Christian stands up, the better to run... well limp, away if he has to. He keeps his hands to himself by simple expedient of hugging himself to keep warm. "I don't know about any packs around here."
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Christian: Christian stands up, the better to run... well limp, away if he has to. He keeps his hands to himself by simple expedient of hugging himself to keep warm. "I don't know about any packs around here."
Casey: Casey gave a 'what are you talking about' looking before he realised Bull Rush was talking about them.
Bull_Rush: Bull rush looks a little dumbfounded by Christian's comment. "Well, you guys are two, and me makes 3, and three is what the spirits call a pack. Ergo, can I join?"
Christian: Christian shakes his head "Look, I'm not sure what you... I dunno. This is my first night at this."
Christian: "I'm still not sure about what's going on."
Bull_Rush: Bull Rush looks up at the moon. He nods at its hidden face. "I've been at this for over 3 years, and I still don't know whats going on. You just have to bite off what you can, and take it from there."
Christian: Christian closes his eyes and looks a little sick at the thought of not knowing what's going on for at least the next three years
Bull_Rush: "So, I never got either of your guys' names." He's still got his hand held out to be shaken, but is not approaching any closer.
Casey: Casey was hesitant, even though the guy seemed alright he shook the guys hand again "Casey and this is Christian."
Casey: He decided to delve a little "Why are you called Bull Rush?"
Christian: Christian listens, curious despite himself.
Bull_Rush: "I have the habit of charging straight through things. I also don't let obstacles get in my way. So i got the deed name of Bull Rush. In public I go by Caleb Rust though."
Christian: He makes no move to shake his hand though.
Casey: Did every other werewolf have a name starting with 'c'? Casey thought
Christian: "Deed name?"
Bull_Rush: "Its like a nickname, it speaks of deeds you have done."
Bull_Rush: "For me, charging straight through, when that shouldn't have worked at all. If you let me buy you both a beer, I'll tell you the whole story."
Casey: Casey glanced back at Christian to see what he thought of that idea.
Christian: Christian looks like he could go for a beer. REALLY.
Christian: Then he looks down at himself. "Could I borrow a shirt?"
Bull_Rush: Bull rush takes off his jacket and hands it over.
Casey: "Alright," Casey consented "We'll do the wine and dine."
Bull_Rush: "Sure. Though if I can make a suggestion, you probably want a really stiff drink. Don't worry, I'll cover."
Bull_Rush: "Though, I don't know any local bars around here."
Christian: Christian feels weird in a jacket without a shirt. He's also keenly aware that he's missing shoes, but doesn't mention this. "All the ones I know are.. fancy. I couldn't pay for it anyway, my money's all up north."
Casey: "I know one," It was a little lower class but it served beer as good as any other place.
Casey: Casey waited a second then went over to lend support to Christian before leading the way.
Bull_Rush: "No no, tonight we celebrate your change."
Bull_Rush: "all the cost is on me."
Casey: Getting shot or killing a girl didn't seem to much to celebrate about but "Free beer is free beer."
Christian: Christian accepts Casey's help with his leg. "I've never celebrated a hole in my leg and the end of my life before, but I guess it's better than falling off a bridge. Maybe there's a drinking game I've never heard of for it." If Christian sounds bitter, that's because he is.
Bull_Rush: "Lead the way Casey."
Christian: Christian keeps an eye out for freaky ghost cats and people with guns
Narration: The bar Casey took them to was blue collar with a scattering of truckers. This late at night/early in the morning it was not too busy.
Casey: Casey led Christian and Bull Rush to a table off in a corner.
Casey: "If you have your hooded cloaks you can complete the cliche," he said
Bull_Rush: "Bartender, a bottle of your strongest. Start a tab." he hands over his credit card (AmEx)
Bull_Rush: He pours out the three glasses "To a new life, with all the joys and sorrows we may face."
Casey: Casey took a small drink without much enthusiasm
Christian: Christian raises his glass and gives a kinda-enthusiastic "Yeah". Christian briefly wonders if a Coors Light would be dangerous to him now.
Casey: "So what exactly do you want to get done here?" he quoted to show he hadn't forgotten the topic of Bull Rush joining them for a pack
Narration:The liquor pours down his throat, but the bite that he expected is not nearly as strong as the bottle suggests. Its like a strong beer.
Bull_Rush: "Well, I told you I'd tell you the story of how I left my pack. I was in Davis at the time, was in the first pack that picked me up."
Casey: Casey took another drink from his glass.
Christian: I'm homeless now... No. He could be mopey by himself. Maybe he could figure out what he was supposed to do if he listened to Caleb calling someone Bull Rush just seemed silly. He put down his glass and listened to Caleb carefully.
Bull_Rush: "We were dealing with a spirit who wasn't being cooperative. The rest of the pack said to forget it. That it wasn't worth our time. I refused to accept that. That spirit still had much to offer us. So I stayed on it, kept chasing after it. My pack told me I was neglecting my duties. But my duty was to my pack, and to keep my pack going on the same direciton. The beta challenged me for leadership. I accepted, and got my ass handed to me."
Bull_Rush: "The new alpha told me to drop it or get out. So I left. Tracked down the spirit, got the information, gave it to the pack, and then left." There is definetly some pain as he speaks of his downfall and expulsion. If not evident on his face, the three doubles of 151 he just pounded through the story speak volumes.
Christian: "I think I saw a ghost tonight." Christian looks around in case the cat is behind him. "Is that what you mean when you mentioned a spirit?"
Christian: "It was this big glowy black cat with headlight eyes"
Casey: Casey has only now just finished his first glass. So Caleb was stubborn, used to leadership, but had a loyal mentality to his pack even after he had left. He started out of his thoughts when Christian spoke.
Casey: "Spirits can look like anything I'm pretty sure."
Christian: "Knocked me off my balcony after it chewed my ear up. I kinda think it caused all of this somehow." He shrugs.
Bull_Rush: "Might have been Luna. She shows up for the really important first changes."
Christian: Christian obviously has no idea what Caleb is taking about. "I have no idea what any of that means"
Bull_Rush: "Its a bunch of cosmology thats complicated and you wouldn't get just yet. So, the summary: A really powerful spirit said that you were important."
Casey: Now the conversation was turning to a topic Casey was really interested in knowing. Was Caleb a religeous zealot? He smiled at his reply to Christian's question.
Casey: His liking of Caleb took an instant upturn.
Christian: "Is that why that guy, Casey said he was probably Pure or something, came after me with this?" He drops the silver bullet fragments he took out of his legs on the counter
Bull_Rush: Bull rush looks at the fragment with distaste. "He comes from a group that hate that powerful spirit. We see her as our patron. Its a typical schism that has extrapolated and exponentiated far beyond what it once was."
Christian: Christian pokes the misshapen bullet around with a finger while he thinks. "I mean beyond how much it hurt, it just seemed like a real dickish thing."
Bull_Rush: "But anyway, what happened during your first change?"
Bull_Rush: "Think of it this way. He comes from a society that sees that spirit as evil. And you were then blessed by that evil."
Casey: Casey poured himself another drink. "All werewolves have to change with a moon phase, how can they not be 'blessed'?"
Christian: "I woke up, then this luna knocked me off my balcony. This big hockey-player tried to shove me in his car. He shot me and I ran away, or I ran away and he shot me."
Bull_Rush: "I don't know how, but I know that the Pure can keep a werewolf from getting a blessing from the moon."
Bull_Rush: "Its a good thing you ran away. Those guys don't play nice."
Christian: Christian puts the silver bullet on the back of his knuckles and tries to make it dance across them, with mixed success. He chuckles. "Tell that to the hole in my leg. Then I shifted somehow. I ran across town until I hit the bridge." Oh god the bridge,
Casey: "Forsaken aren't all bundles of joy either." he said before he could stop himself.
Christian: He shudders a little. "There was another wolf there, on the south side. He was kinda creepy."
Christian: "In a Gandalfey-You-Shall-Not-Pass kind of way"
Christian: "Then I attacked the guy, who had followed me there and he just about broke my neck. I got better somehow."
Bull_Rush: "You have a good point there Casey. Sometimes the pure are better than the forsaken. As I said, its a classic schism, you just have to act your own concience. Ahh, thats healing. Beatiful thing. What humans days to heal you heal in minutes. And when shit hits the fan, you can supercharge it. Though thats an explanation for another day."
Casey: Casey shivered a little at the thought of what he had done while 'supercharged'.
Christian: "Then Gandalf hulked out and attacked the one that chased me. I was a person again, so I ran away."
Christian: Christian looks at his nearly untouched drink. "Then I ran into Casey here and Cory." His lip twists in distaste at the Cory's name.
Bull_Rush: "I didn't see a Cory. He fall in?" Its a crude attempt at humor
Christian: Christian doesn't notice the humor. "No, he..."
Casey: "I told him leave," Casey said.
Christian: "Gah. I dunno"
Christian: "I mean he helped me, He carried me when I couldn't walk and he gave me his giant shirt, but he was just so weird."
Bull_Rush: Caleb shrugged. "Weird how?"
Christian: "He told me to toss out my life that I've spent the better part of two and a half decades putting together and go hunting"
Christian: "I haven't hunted since I was in the Boy Scouts"
Christian: "I mean yeah, every single aspect of my life is in a place where I'll get shot up to hell if I show my face again, but he didn't need to sound so happy about it"
Bull_Rush: "Well, I say you should salvage what you can. Take away everything you can. I mean, I didn't let my first change stop me from getting my PhD, or from my fiance."
Bull_Rush: "And if you want help, I'm your man."
Christian: Christian slams his hands on the Bar and then puts his head down. He rubs the back of his neck with his hands.
Casey: "Hey you ok?" Casey asked with concern putting down his glass.
Bull_Rush: Caleb jumps at the sound of the hands on the bar.
Christian: "I miss Jen." He sighs. "I think I do at least. There was something about that whole thing that just seemed weird all the time. I never said anything before, but now..."
Bull_Rush: "Jen? Girlfriend?" He notices the absence of a ring
Casey: Casey looked at Christian oddly. He knew, at least from his experince that there wasn't doubt in his mind about his feelings towards his girlfriend.
Christian: "Kinda. Sorta. I don't know, some kind of surrogate relationship."
Christian: "I thought I was in love, but it seems really messed up now somehow."
Bull_Rush: "Its always messed up. Its love. You can try to fix on it, or you can give up on it."
Casey: "That's clear as mud," Casey said. He directed his comment to Christian "Do you love her or not?"
Christian: "I mean, She cooks for you and you change who you are for her and you promise never to eat a cheeseburger again because red meat is bad for your health and that's love isn't it? Only I feel like I was the one doing all of the changing and she was just telling me how to do it."
Casey: "Were you doing it because she told you, or because you wanted to?" Casey asked
Casey: "Were you trying to improve yourself because you wanted to be the best for her sake?"
Casey: "Or was it just you following instructions?"
Christian: "Do I love her? I love my Mom and my Dad and my brothers, but that's not the same at all." Truth was, Cristian couldn't fit the heart-shaped peg called 'Love' into the cold, white apartment shaped peg labeled 'Jen'.
Bull_Rush: "Sounds like you two need to talk."
Bull_Rush: "Recommend a phone call in the morning."
Christian: But it seemed horribly wrong to just say that. Like if he admitted to himself that he was just following instructions, then all kinds of things in his life had to be questioned.
Casey: "Believe me, there's no mistaking it," Casey said.
Christian: Oh wait. He can't go back to... And the mopey train pulls into the station again.
Christian: Christian changes the topic. "So what are the Iron Masters?"
Bull_Rush: "listen, i'll tell you about it later, for now, you can sleep at my place."
Christian: After a little thought, Christian answers. "Okay." He wanted to say something about how he couldn't believe he was homeless, but he knew that would make him sound like a broken record. He hated that.
Narration: Chrisitan heads to Caleb's place and sleeps. Casey returns home.
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