"Just can't stop being an animal."
Jul. 3rd, 2012 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
renferretIt's a full moon in the Walker house, and Salem is somehow the calmest Garou in the room.
Tenement Building - Fifth Floor(#2192RL)
An indigo night softens both of the Glass Walker hallway walls, an urban scene crawling up to the ceiling by skyscrapers and evening clouds. A bright, full moon peeks from behind the tallest building on the right side, its light dulling that of the windows and headlights of the city. A road begins on the right wall and falls into background oblivion on the left, sparse cars treading it's length. In the foreground on the right wall, however, a gust of wind swirls from an alleyway in the form of a wolf, its shape amorphous and changing as it follows the viewer down the hallway. The wind continues on the left side, picking up dry leaves and dust that glimmers in the bold moonlight.
Spaced regularly within the mural and painted to match it are doors leading into each apartment; each door bears a brass three-digit number in the one-hundred range, and a whiteboard near the stairs lists each number with the corresponding tenant (look board). The short carpet is a dark brown that doesn't stain easily. The lighting is both bright and easy on the eyes; there are smoke detectors spaced regularly on the ceiling and a couple of fire extinguishers along the walls. At the end of the hall, a large window leads to the fire escape.
The apartment door nearest to the stairwell has been removed, and through it can be glimpsed an open space for the tribe to gather.
Obvious exits:
Devon's Apartment Ishmael's Apartment Empty Apartment Solsiva's Apartment Kevin's Apartment Mouse's Apartment Chris' Apartment Kavi's Apartment Ritual Room Cubroom Breakroom Stairs
In the breakroom, Flint nods to Kavi. "Good," Flint says, quietly, looking down at the drawing for a moment before straightening the mess he's made on the table, and then he glances to Riley, ducking a polite nod of greeting. Addressing the older Galliard again, Flint continues. "It. It helps. It's hard, but it helps."
In the breakroom, Kavi looks up when Riley enters, and as the fostern heads through to the kitchen, the galliard rises. He looks once to Flint, but then his attention focuses on the ragabash. "I need to talk to you," he says, struggling already to keep the anger out of his tone, though he largely succeeds.
In the breakroom, Riley flicks her eyes immediately in Kavi's direction, but doesn't stop tilting the glass back. Nope, the glass is chugged outright, throat contracting through large gulps of the drink. When she finally sets the glass down, Riley's brows knit and she cranes her head to one side. Her voice is the slightest bit raspy, "Can it wait until morning? Morning would be better." A worn smile, and Riley runs her fingertips through sweaty hair. "...Sorta only came down for a drink in between nightmares, you know?" She leans slowly back against the counter, shrugging, "If it's important though, jump right into it."
In the breakroom, Flint rises as well, and the cliath moves to stand behind and to one side of Kavi, lips drawing into a thin line.
In the breakroom, Kavi gives a shake of his head. "It can't wait." He pulls in a breath and holds it for a beat, lips pressed tightly together. As the breath slips away, he gestures to the couch. "It would be better if you sit, though."
In the breakroom, Finding herself on the receiving end of two tight, unamused expressions, one of Riley's brows slowly works its way up. "O---kay." She turns, impatiently snagging the container of orange juice and her emptied glass, bringing both along with her as she drops down onto the couch. She sets the glass between her knees, shakes the container for good measure, and pours herself another serving, "Someone mind telling me what this is about? I don't like the 'sit down' chats." Her eyes snap momentarily from Kavi to Flint, "Is someone dead?"
In the breakroom, Flint moves over to lean against the wall, and the cliath watches Kavi, for the most part, not Riley, and the older galliard's anger, then considers. "It," Flint says, pitching his voice to normal conversational level if not one more, "It would. How about we /all/ sit, Kavi-rhya? Please?"
In the breakroom, Kavi glances briefly to Flint as he speaks, and there's a slight tightening around his eyes. He turns back, following Riley, to sit on the chair across from him. His posture is anything but relaxed, however, with a straight back and his hands nearly gripping his knees. "What you said to the cub," he begins, without preamble, "was wrong. It was..." He swallows, jaw clenched. "It was hurtful. It was harmful."
In the breakroom, Flint nods once, and then moves to sit on the floor. Still slightly behind and to one side of Kavi, however unintentionally marking where the younger galliard feels he stands in things.
In the breakroom, The moon is full. Naturally, this is the perfect time for this conversation to be happening. Riley leans back against the couch with her glass clutched in both hands, the carton abandoned on the floor by her feet. Kavi's words draw Riley's brows up, where they knit. "'What I said to the cub'." She sucks momentarily at her incisors as though struggling to come up with the phrase in question. "Oh. Ohoho, right. Man, you're right. That was pretty outlandish. Telling her the truth like that instead of treating her like an infant."
In the breakroom, The effort it takes Kavi to remain seated is obvious, and for just an instant, his hands come off his knees. One closes into a fist, and even as he brings them back, the clenched fist remains. "/Your/ truth? Not /the/ truth. She is /not/ a normal cub. You were /told/ that. You were /told/ to treat her gently. She doesn't /have/ to be anything, right now. And I won't let you hurt her, or cause her more pain."
In the breakroom, Flint scoots forward, sitting next to and in front of Kavi now, and there's a look, concerned, back over his shoulder. "Easy," he murmurs, very quietly.
In the breakroom, Riley's eyes squint, her facial features tightening to match everyone else's in the room, "Yeah, that's all well and good. Let's just /cuddle/ all of her traumas away. I'm sure eventually she'll come 'round once she figures out that we don't have an ulterior mo-- oh, well shit, that sort of /fucks/ that, doesn't it?" Riley leans sharply forward to deposit her glass of orange juice on the table. "There's a difference, you know. Between being compassionate and being condescending. She's not stupid enough to miss it, either."
In the breakroom, Kavi is up out of his seat by the time Riley suggests cuddling traumas. Both hands are clenched, now, and he leans forward, teeth bared. "If you think that's all there is? That all we are is tools? Pawns? Soldiers? You don't deserve to be called fostern! My /ulterior/ motive is her /healing/ enough to be able to make her own choices. And if all you can offer her is more pain? More threats and bullying and torture? STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
In the breakroom, Flint pushes to crouch, not between the two, but eventually stands. "Kavi-rhya," he says, quietly and levelly. "We're /talking/. Not." Riley, however, is on the receiving end of just about as sharp a look as Flint can manage while still being respectful.
In the breakroom, "I think you're missing the /fucking/ point, Kavi-/rhya/." Riley immediately snaps back, though she at least stays seated. It's clear that her hackles are raised from that rank-related quip, though. "But if you want to shove words into my mouth, feel free to have the rest of this little 'talk' on your own. You know. Since you've so clearly mapped out exactly what /my/ intentions were."
In the breakroom, Kavi remains standing, his form trembling slightly. He looks to Flint, and draws in a breath in response to the cliath's words. His fingers flex and clench again, slowly releasing some of the rage as he lets the breath out in a controled hiss. "Whatever your intentions," he says, his voice now quiet but not at all soft. "What you said did more harm than good. Your words /were/ bullying. /Threatening/. And I /won't/ let you do that, again."
In the breakroom, Salem enters from the hallway.
In the breakroom, Salem appears in the doorway to the breakroom, his posture a deceptive slouch, his step near-silent. Thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his jeans, he stands there, observing silently for the moment.
In the breakroom, Flint folds his arms across his chest, and then looks at Riley, a little sharper. The general tension is getting to the cliath, too. "Riley-/rhya/," Flint says, tone reflecting the general mood, a different emphasis on the honorific than the fostern had just earlier used, but emphasis nonetheless. "You're /making assumptions/, not--" and Flint goes silent, a nod of greeting to Salem.
In the breakroom, Riley is sitting very, /very/ still now, her eyes narrowed to the point that little enough is visible of them. "That's ... a way of looking at it." She all but grinds out. Her fingers are flexing, burying and unburying along the thighs of her sweatpants. "/Another/ way of looking at it, is that you've been trying it your way for over a /week/, and she hasn't calmed down a fucking ounce, and what's 'best' for her seems to be putting this entire building at risk while you outright /lie/ to the girl and don't /teach her/."
In the breakroom, The trembling increases as the adren galliard goes otherwise very, very still. There is no movement from him, no word, no sound, and his eyes shut tight with the effort of containing himself.
In the breakroom, Salem gives Flint a little nod in return, but his attention's mostly on Kavi and Riley. His lips thin as he steps into the breakroom, calmly moving closer to the pair. "Easy," he says to the other Adren, quietly, and then he looks at the Ragabash. "Riley... how many traumatized cubs have you raised to cliathhood?" The halfmoon's voice is calm, no obvious steel in it, his Rage under firm control.
In the breakroom, Flint takes a few steps forward, putting himself in front of Kavi, between Kavi and Riley, and attention is on the elder galliard. "Kavi-rhya," Flint says, the calm and level tone of voice again, "easy, yeah?"
In the breakroom, The young woman may be seething with indignation, but she's also not blind. One doesn't live especially long by ignoring the signs of someone being pushed too far. Riley draws in a slow, steadying breath, flicking her tongue briefly over her teeth. "We--" Salem gets his words in at about the same time, and her attention is drawn to him, cutting off her train of thought entirely. She bristles immediately under the implication of his words, responding only with a measured frown for a moment, "What rousing successes has Kavi's methods turned out? I was gone, if you'll remember."
In the breakroom, Kavi gives a curt nod to Salem, and again to Flint. "I. I'll come back," he says, and turns to walk out the door and down the long hall.
In the breakroom, Salem reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and takes out his cigarettes and lighter. Tapping out a smoke, he says, "Kavi's methods are similar to /my/ methods, and /my/ methods /have/ shown success." He lights the foul-smelling cigarette, takes a drag, then puts the rest of the pack, along with the lighter, away. "I had a cub, once, who was fifteen going on ten. Emotionally stunted, terrified of nearly everything, completely unable to even contemplate fighting. My elder kept pressuring me to cull him. I refused." He takes another drag. "Cat took longer than most cubs, but he lived, and Rited, and fought the Wyrm."
In the breakroom, Once Kavi has walked out of the room, Flint looks down at the floor, takes a few steps back and away. And then he moves to standing behind Salem to one side, otherwise staying well and out of the conversation.
In the breakroom, "I don't know what the /fuck/ prompted this little outburst of..." She waves her arms in the direction of the doorway, "/His/, but it sure as fuck wasn't me bullying or /threatening/ the cub." Riley frowns, tightly crossing her arms, "All I did was tell her the truth as it came up. She scoffed at the idea of 'bad guy' Garou, so I /told her/ about them. And when she said that we've been telling her we're just going to 'teach her some things and let her go', I corrected that too. How in the /hell/ is lying to her going to help anything along?"
In the breakroom, Salem takes another long drag and lets it out with a sigh. "There's being honest, Riley, and there's feeding someone information that they are /not/ ready to digest. And that is even assuming that she was /actually/ told that we'd simply send her on her way without the tools with which to defend herself."
In the breakroom, "Yeah, well, I don't agree with that." Riley curtly states. "The facts are the facts, and they're not going to change just because she's been locked up in some terribly abusive --- thing!" Riley leans forward to retrieve her abandoned glass of orange juice to take a small sip, her frown - but not her vitriol - remaining fixed on Salem. "The fact that we're even entertaining her thoughts of walking out of here as Ronin - as a cub, or Cliath? That's sick."
In the breakroom, Rina comes in, dressed in loose yoga clothes, the sort of thing she wears around the place lately--just, since Ex's arrival, with a .45 as well. "Ronin?" Her face lights as she comes through the door and sees Salem.
In the breakroom, Salem raises an eyebrow. "Who said she was going to walk out a Ronin?"
In the breakroom, Riley snaps, "/She/ thinks that we're going to teach her to control her frenzies and then /let her walk off/."
In the breakroom, Flint's chin juts up a little, the cliath's shoulders tense, and then there's a nod to Rina as she enters. "Doesn't mean that. One thing at a time, things. To tell her when. When telling her. Does any good." Flint swallows, and goes quiet. "Not all at once."
In the breakroom, Salem lowers his head for a moment and takes another drag on his cigarette. His good eye shifts toward Rina, resting on her for a moment before turning back to the Ragabash. "Riley. Allow me to put this simply. Which is more important to you, you being /right/ or Rogue being /healed/?"
In the breakroom, Rina wrinkles her nose at Salem, but the subject brings a tightness to her face. She takes a deep breath, and stands back to watch them.
In the breakroom, Riley glares daggers at Flint, "Yeah, you know that thing? That thing I've been saying /this whole fucking time?/ That's not just 'not telling her something'. That's lying to her fucking face. You're dangling a little treat for her, and..." Salem's commentary earns him his first scowl of the evening, and she doesn't respond to the question.
In the breakroom, "I asked you a question." Salem's voice is very calm, his mismatched gaze steady on Riley.
In the breakroom, "Really? Because it felt more like an insult than a question." Riley grinds her teeth, "My /priority/ is treating her like she deserves to be treated. The way I feel /she/ would prefer to be treated. With some basic fucking dignity. This slow-drip of information? You're treating her like a wounded animal, not a person. You're all but clicker-training her."
In the breakroom, Rina tenses, a flash of anger on her face as she watches Riley speak. Her expression is grim.
In the breakroom, Flint glares right back at Riley, but the cliath is silent.
In the breakroom, Salem's scarred face hardens. There's a short moment before he answers. A heartbeat or two, heavy and cold. "I disagree," he says at last. "Kavi disagrees. /Rina/ disagrees. And you can be damned certain that all /three/ of us have had more experience healing the broken than you." He takes another drag, exhales foul-smelling smoke. "So. Until and unless you're willing to fall in line, you're going to stay the fuck away from her. You will not speak to her or interact with her in any way. If you do, I will beat your fucking brains in." He says that last so calmly, but it's clear he means it. There's no warmth there. "This will be the situation until and unless Kavi or I say otherwise. Is that clear?"
In the breakroom, Thump-SMACK-Roll-Crash! Riley's foot jerks out and contacts the table in front of her, jostling the glass of orange juice onto it's side and dumping the sticky drink all over the table. The glass then swiftly rolls its way to the edge and crashes to the floor, shattering. The ragabash stands, her expression tight. Her gaze shifts from Flint, to Rina, and settles on Salem. "/Crystal/." Of course, this being Riley, she can't let it just end there. "Any /other/ basic things I should try to avoid? Should I cover the power outlets with the little plastic thingies? Maybe I'll buy one of those little room separators so she doesn't fall down the stairs?"
In the breakroom, At the far end of the hallway, the door to Kavi's apartment opens and closes again.
In the breakroom, Salem's fist snaps out, cobra-quick, at Riley's face.
In the breakroom, Flint tenses, and then just takes a step back, moving over towards Rina and to give Salem and Riley some space. There's a low grumble, Flint shoving his hands into his pockets.
In the breakroom, If nothing else, she does make for a satisfying punching bag. Her head lashes to the side and she staggers back a step. Her fingers curl into tightened fists as she snaps her head back 'round to regard Salem almost immediately. Her glower is diminished slightly by the awkward angle of her nose and the blood dribbling down her face. "Flea collar?" She suggests.
In the breakroom, "That's enough, Riley" Rina says, very quietly. She watches the tall young woman and Salem, her posture holding tense readiness.
In the breakroom, Salem's expression turns dead cold. His control on his Rage is iron... but his anger is very obvious. "Get out," he says to Riley. "Out of this room, off this floor, out of this building. And if you say another fucking word, I will rip your fucking tongue out and shove it right the fuck up your ass."
In the breakroom, Kavi leaves the breakroom.
Kavi comes out of the breakroom.
Kavi has arrived.
In the breakroom, Rina steps adroitly out of the way, staying close to Flint.
Ex has plastered herself up against the wall right next to the doorway leading into the breakroom. She has her switchblade clutched tightly in one hand, though she hasn't flipped it open. Her eyes are ever so slightly wide, jaw tensed.
In the breakroom, Rina's is expression is somewhere between anger and worry, as she watches Riley.
In the breakroom, Flint watches what goes on, keeping what might be conscious control on breathing levelly and evenly. "So much for talk," he murmurs, very quietly, glancing to Rina.
Kavi slows as he nears the breakroom, and then stops, just before the stairwell door. "Hey," he says, and his voice is much softer than earlier. It's clear that there's still significant emotion, there, but it's also much better controlled.
In the breakroom, Riley meets Salem's words with a tight frown. She drags the sleeve of her shirt against the blood smearing her upper lip, briefly stands there sucking at an incisor before shaking her head and walking from the room. Rage is clearly bubbling up around the surface, but she holds it together long enough to reach the door, walk through it, and gently shut it behind her.
In the breakroom, "It's not a good time'a the month f'talkin'," Rina says quietly. Her gaze settles on Salem, the look in her eyes slightly pained.
In the breakroom, Riley leaves the breakroom.
Riley comes out of the breakroom.
Riley has arrived.
In the breakroom, Salem's good eye tracks the Ragabash out. He curses in Serbian when Riley's gone, muttering, "The last fucking word. They always have to have the last fucking word."
"Fucking hell," Ex mutters, as she flicks a glance toward Kavi. "You all are fucking /loons/." She jerks back a few steps to avoid any possibility of brushing with Riley, and the blood is eyed with an intensity that probably isn't very healthy.
In the breakroom, Flint grimaces, and nods. "Not," he agrees, moving over to the table to neaten a pile of sketches and paper that's there, still, and then to the kitchen, getting a dustpan and glaring at the broken pieces of glass near the couch from Riley's drink.
In the breakroom, Rina takes a slow, measured breath, and lets it out. Her lips curve in a rueful, slightly sad little half-smile. "I guess now wouldn't be the best timing for a hug, Jack. But it's good t'see ya."
In the breakroom, Salem shakes his head a little, then exhales a breath, tucks back a stray lock of white hair, and limps over to the couch. "Likewise. God, what a mess."
Riley steps outside of the breakroom, easing the door shut behind her. Her face is in a bit of a state - her nose is most certainly broken, and she has the bloody upper lip to attest to the resultant nosebleed. a glance to the side has her spotting Kavi and Ex. She bristles, and frowns across to Kavi. Her mouth opens, and her mouth closes, but it's clear that anything that would have been said would have been far from complimentary. She swiftly turns her back, stalking down the hallway and jerking the metal door to the stairwell open in one smooth yank. CLANG. Door hits wall. Riley's already gone, though.
In the breakroom, Rina winces slightly at that sound. "You had dinner yet?" she asks Salem.
In the breakroom, Flint wordlessly moves to clean up the broken glass, careful, though not careful enough to avoid getting a cut on his hand from it, which gets equally glared at as Flint stalks back to the kitchen, forcefully throwing the debris into the trashcan before he moves to lean against the counter, and just breathe.
In the breakroom, Salem slouches onto the couch, stretching long legs with a grimace. Cigarette in hand, he massages his forehead with his fingertips. "I ate... earlier today. Not dinner."
Kavi's gaze ducks downward, but he gives a small shake of his head at Ex. Riley's arrival and departure get his full attention, and a lot of the tension returns to his posture as he takes a step to put himself between ragabash and cub. Only when Riley is gone does he turn back to Ex. "It's... This time? When the moon is big? It makes it harder to stay calm. And things that are important to us? It's all harder." He keeps his voice quiet, simulating a calm he hasn't yet found.
"Yeah, /noticed/," Ex says through gritted teeth--she didn't take the clanging door well, it seems. "I'm gonna fucking kill someone. This whole damn hallway smells like blood."
In the breakroom, Rina glances toward the doorway, and heads that way to call out into the hall. "C'mon in. Have some fuckin' ziti, yeah?"
From afar, to (Ex, Kavi, Flint, Salem): Rina | I'm gonna fucking kill someone. The whole hallway smells like blood. | Come eat something.
From afar, to (Rina, Ex, Kavi, Flint): Salem laughs. Oh, this tribe.
In the breakroom, Flint glances towards Rina as she moves, but remains leaning against the counter, focus mostly turned inward for the moment, shoulders drawn in a very, very tight line.
Kavi looks to Rina, offering her a faint, tense smile. He nods to Ex, and extends a hand toward the breakroom. "It might help," he offers, and then steps through, leaving Ex to make the decision for herself.
Kavi goes into the breakroom.
Kavi has left.
In the breakroom, Kavi enters from the hallway.
Tenement Building - Cockroach's Breakroom(#3365RJ)
Here, a large studio apartment has been converted into a mutual meeting space for the tribe, one with its own kitchen and bathroom. The walls are a simple, plain white, and the floor is covered in stain-resistant beige carpet. The windows look out onto the somewhat less than scenic view of downtown St. Claire, but more often than not, white blinds prevent anyone from peeking in, or out.
Amenities are what might be expected--a well stocked refrigerator and cupboards, a microwave, a coffee maker, a toaster. There's a wooden table that seats four, five or six if people scrunch, and enough chairs to service it. There's also an old couch and armchair along the walls, angled to face a large, plasma screen television. Most of the entertainment goodies are here. An old NES system, an original Sega system, and an XBOX 360, each with assorted games. There's also a DVD/VCR combo player, and nearby a box of movies, most of them Ed Wood and Roger Corman specials. Ah, classics.
Along one wall is a row of tables and chairs, on which sit five desktop computers as well as the Walker's network server, a printer, and a scanner. (+view for more details)
Contents:
Kavi(#3249PJOc)
Rina
Salem
Flint
Memorial
Information Board: Skindiggers Cult
Obvious exits:
Out
Rina heads to the kitchen to get something from the freezer; she turns on the oven and leans her back against the counter.
Salem leans his head back and continues to smoke, looking more than a little weary.
Ex stalks in after Kavi, eyeing each occupant of the breakroom narrowly. By far, Salem gets the longest look, and her eyes clearly settle on the ruined half of his face. She's fidgety, a little sweaty around the forehead and the bridge of her nose. When she's done eyeing the Philodox, she jerks her head around to peer toward the ziti.
Kavi takes a breath, and then another, as he enters, eventually following Rina into the kitchen area. "Thank you," he whispers to her as he closes the distance. "Can I... How can I help?"
Flint takes a deep breath, and moves over to the fridge. "Anything to. Salem-rhya, Kavi-rhya. Anything to drink, while I'm? Rina, Ex?" The question's a bit disjointed, but given as Flint's pulling out a beer for himself, the meaning probably gets across well enough.
Salem exhales foul-smelling cigarette smoke and studies X, his expression neutral. Sitting up, he crushes the cigarette out in an ashtray and answers Flint. "Beer if there's beer. Water if there isn't."
"Hey, Ex," Rina says casually, and then the oven beeps. She turns to put the pan in.
Ex's lip tugs away from her teeth. "How about a cup of complete fucking sentences?" she snaps, toward Flint. Her volume is minimal, but she doesn't need loudness to sound harsh. "You sound like you stuffed them in a garbage disposal and just said the words how they happened to pop out."
Kavi steps out of Rina's way when she moves, though he doesn't go far. Both brows rise at Ex's statement, and he looks in her direction, though nothing is said.
Rina tenses as she closes the oven, glancing over her shoulder to Flint.
Flint has gotten halfway back through rummaging through the fridge to get what Salem asked, when Ex speaks, and the door of the fridge is /slammed/ open, perhaps a little further than it's supposed to go, as he stands there. Both bottles of beer clatter to the floor, crack, break, and then Flint just stands there, breathing very, very raggedly. "Shut." The word is growled out. "Up."
Salem inhales a breath and then lets it out. "It never changes," he says, addressing the ceiling. "It never really changes." There's a faint bit of weary amusement note in his voice. Just slightly.
Kavi whirls toward the sounds, immediately placing himself between the source and Rina. He breathes again, when Flint freezes, and though he doesn't move from his spot, he does look around until he identifies the location of the towels.
Ex's eyes flick from the broken beer to Flint. There's no flinch from her, no step backward. Notably, however, she doesn't actually say anything further, and her teeth are no longer visible.
Flint faces the fridge, still, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists and shoulders shaking with effort to contain himself.
"Breathe," Rina says softly. "You're good. You got it, Flint." She touches a hand to Kavi's arm.
Kavi turns at the touch to his arm, and looks to Rina. He nods, and finally takes a step away, moving to the towels to clean the mess. Still, his gaze returns frequently to Flint and to Rina.
Ex snorts, very softly.
Flint takes a step backwards and the refrigerator door creaks shut, a creak it definitely didn't have before. The cliath unclenches his fists, half-turns, and then all of the anger rises again, lips back from teeth, full-on glaring at Ex, and everyone else for that matter. There's no shift, though there's certainly all evidence of the rage boiling up.
"Ex," Rina says very quietly, calmly, "the full moon isn't a good time to push like this. You're riding the edge and feeling the moon right now. But so is everyone else in this room except me." She watches the young woman, focused.
Kavi turns to Flint, then. "Out," he tells him, and though the word is a command, his voice carries gentleness and caring. "Go out, until you feel calm." He once again places himself between cliath and kin, but appears ready to accompany Flint out the door, if necessary.
Salem remains seated, though his eye's on the confrontation, watching it keenly.
Ex goes from standing and staring to lunging in the blink of an eye. The poor table is what gets in her way, prevents her from full-body tackling Flint. She's not crinos, but her teeth are bared and her eyes are bright and wild, with both gloved hands clenched into tight fists and raised.
Ex also does this soundlessly, until she impacts with the table.
Flint growls, a strangled sound, but he's already picking feet up and walking out into the hallway, though his gaze rests a moment on the elder galliard, brows arching, a pause in his step. "Would--" The word is as strangled as the earlier sound, and then Flint full on /bolts/ for the door, striding at double to triple the original pace straight through the doorway to the hallway.
Flint leaves the breakroom.
Flint has left.
Out in the hall, Flint full on kicks one of the walls once he's out the doorway, and the floor, heavy thumping sounds.
Rina winces slightly at that impact sound.
As Flint heads out the door, Kavi gives a quick look around, and then follows. He doesn't speak, and he gives the younger galliard a wide berth, but he keeps himself between the cliath and the rest.
Kavi leaves the breakroom.
Kavi has left.
Out in the hall, Kavi comes out of the breakroom.
Out in the hall, Flint has gotten halfway down the hall to his own apartment, and leans forehead against one wall, one fist as well from where he'd punched the wall. Not that the punching seems to have done anything save make the cliath's knuckles red. His breathing is steadier, though, and Kavi gets a glance without Flint actually turning his head.
Salem pushes to his feet as Kavi leaves, moving to position himself between the rogue cub and Rina. He is easily the calmest-appearing person in the room, though there's a certain... readiness... in his body language.
Out in the hall, Kavi continues after Flint and shakes his head. "Keep going," he says, more gently, now. "Take time. Take space. It's okay to be angry, to feel the rage of the moon. You need to be in control, too. Go draw. Or sing. Or shower it all away. And come back when it passes. When the memory isn't right in front of your eyes."
Ex breathes. She closes her eyes and knocks her head, hard, against the table, following it up with a sharp hiss of air through her teeth. "Fucking animal," she mutters. "Knives in the brain, blood in the hall. The little kid could learn to talk. /Not/," she punches the table-top this time, "/hard/!"
Rina remains silent, and turns to get down a couple of plates.
Salem reaches into the back pocket of his jeans, fishing out the crumpled pack of discount cigarettes. "Nobody's perfect," he says mildly, as he shakes out a cig.
Out in the hall, Flint nods, still leaning against the wall, and then tenses at the cub's words in the breakroom, and finally turns to look at Kavi. "She-- I. /Garbage disposal/?" There's anger in Flint's voice, quiet as it is.
Out in the hall, Kavi shakes his head. "Words," he says. "Go into your own space. Be alone. Do what you need to do to let it go, and come back when you're ready."
Ex's next exhale is heavy, but slower. "This is a bad time." It's unclear whether she's talking to herself or the Walkers, but eventually she forces her eyes open again, and wobbles back upright. "How'm I supposed to not eat people?"
Out in the hall, "Words!" Flint agrees, hitting the wall again, though there's less emphasis and force behind it this time. "Fuck words. Can't /ever/, I. I." Whatever it is the younger galliard is trying to say doesn't coalesce, though he takes another few steps towards his apartment and then kicks the floor again. "Devon, Riley, her, NO ONE LISTENS. All they hear is failed words!"
Salem sticks the cigarette between his lips, trades pack for lighter, and lights up. Repocketing the lighter, he says (cigarette bobbing off his lip, "You just--" He glances toward the hallway, grimaces, turns back to X. "Mainly, you stay away from temptation."
Out in the hall, Kavi shakes his head, and points at Flint's apartment. "Go inside, Flint."
Ex glances toward the hallway. An eyebrow arches, and she taps her ear when she looks back to Salem.
Out in the hall, Flint draws in a deep, still slightly shaky breath and nods, moving over and opening the door to his apartment. The door is pushed shut behind him, though there's no telltale click of the lock. From inside, there's music turned on, loudly enough to leak into the hallway.
Rina glances over to Ex and Salem, gauging moods.
Out in the hall, Kavi nods as Flint moves. He lets out a breath when the door closes, and turns back toward the breakroom.
Salem inhales smoke and lets it out. "When you feel like you've got to kill someone or go mad, when you can't think of anything else but wrapping your hands around someone else's throat and squeezing, when everything is too goddamn bright and too goddamn loud... you retreat. Find a safe place. Secluded. Dim the lights. Get some music. Maybe some drink. You get /away/." His voice is even and calm.
Out in the hall, Kavi goes into the breakroom.
Kavi enters from the hallway.
Kavi has arrived.
Ex inhales slowly before she begins working her neck from one side to the other. "This building isn't good for that," she says. Low now, but not mutters. She isn't looking at any of the three. "It's too small, too many people. You've got dead people on your walls. --Anyway." She turns a shoulder to the table and frowns at the ziti. "It's not actually safe."
Salem raises an eyebrow at X's reply, but doesn't argue her point. Instead his gaze shifts over to Kavi.
Kavi looks to each of the others as he returns, but he meets Salem's gaze only for a moment. He casts a glance over his shoulder, saying, "He's in his apartment, now. He'll be okay."
Rina's brow furrows. "Dead people on the--" Then she understands, and something about her closes, her head bowing, arms wrapping around her body. "Oh. Yeah. Right."
"He made a mess," Ex says, eyeing the broken beer bottles with disapproval. Her gaze shifts to Rina as she speaks, and her eyes narrow a little.
"I'll get it," Rina murmurs, turning to get some towels from a drawer.
Kavi: Kavi already got the towels. He just got interrupted befor ehe could clean it up.
Rina: I thought I remembered SOMETHING!
Rina does, in fact, still get the redundant towels.
Salem sucks in another lungful of tar-laden smoke and lets it out in twin streams through his nostrils. "Jack Salem, by the way," he says to X as he returns, limping, to the couch. "Or Scar."
Rina drops to a crouch to clean up the spill, careful of the glass.
Out in the hall, Even over the music from Flint's apartment, there's an audible exclamation that carries across the fifth floor, again. FUCK WORDS.
The shift in Rina's posture does not go unnoticed by the galliard, and he crosses to her, bending to take the towel from her hand even as his other hand touches her arm.
"Ex," says the cub. She looks sharply toward the hallway at Flint's outburst. There's a faint trembling about her, and then she snorts with badly contained laughter.
Salem nods to the cub. If he hears Flint's yell, he gives no indication. Instead he casually asks the cub, "Do you smoke?"
"I'm good," Rina murmurs, giving a little jerk of her head toward Salem and Ex. "Shoo."
Kavi lingers for a moment longer, his gaze on Rina, but then he nods and returns to the others.
Ex shrugs at the question. "Weren't any cigarettes."
Salem is about to reply to Ex when his pocket bleeps. He frowns, fishes out a cheap-looking little cellphone, and peers at the tiny display. Apparently, it's important, since he excuses himself with a mutter and heads out.
Kavi watches the man rise, and dips his head as he heads out. "Stay safe," he says, a brief pause at the end, as though something else might follow.
Ex's lips tighten as Salem heads out. She gives Kavi a brief, questioning look.
Out in the hall, Not long thereafter, the music that's been bleeding from Flint's apartment into the hallway stops, and there's the click of a door being opened.
Kavi takes a moment, but then settles into a seat at the table. He reaches across for his notebook from earlier and pulls it toward him. His gaze flickers upward, to meet Ex's for only a second, and he nods, as if in answer. "He was elder, when I first came."
Ex shakes her head. "The hell's that mean?" She pauses, and glances toward the door. Either because of the sound, or perhaps checking to make sure Salem's out of earshot. "He /is/ really old looking."
"He was... in charge," Kavi says glancing toward the doorway. "He's seen a lot. He knows a lot. I... I learned a lot from him."
Ex pulls out a chair, and flops into it. The table surface is eyed for a moment. "Riley had blood all over her face." Her tone is almost conversational.
"She kept talking, after Jack said he was done," Kavi says, as if that were explanation enough.
Out in the hall, Flint takes his time making it down the hallway, but eventually, he ends up in the doorway to the breakroom, though he doesn't step inside, yet. The cliath looks significantly more relaxed, though he's still tense, and there's a short glance over everyone inside, before Flint's gaze settles on Kavi, and he nods, once.
Out in the hall, Flint goes into the breakroom.
Flint enters from the hallway.
Flint has arrived.
"He busted her face?" Ex looks toward Flint. Her eyes narrow further.
Kavi nods in answer, and glances across to Flint. There's a moment of question, there, but it goes unspoken, and he turns back to the cub. "He didn't frenzy. And if she shifts? She'll heal quickly. Like I showed you, the other day. But... But he wanted her to know he was serious. She didn't stop when she was supposed to, when enough was enough."
Flint looks to Kavi a moment longer, and there's another quick nod. He's okay, now. For the moment. The younger galliard diverts towards the kitchen. "I just," he says, very quietly, and pauses, taking a deep breath, then starts again, "food. A-a drink, then. I. I'll. I'll go again." The words, though with no less of the usual stammer and stutter, are slow and deliberate and enunciated very carefully.
Ex turns her head back to Kavi and starts to say something. She doesn't. Her mouth closes.
With a nod to Flint, Kavi turns back to the cub and offers a faint smile. "Yes," he says, his voice quite soft.
"Ziti should be ready." Rising, Rina goes to rinse towels in the sink.
Flint nods once, glancing to where there had been a mess on the floor, and then to Rina. "I. I'm sorry," he offers, to the kin--and perhaps to Kavi as well--moving to the refrigerator. It creaks when it opens, but this time at least, Flint manages to get himself a beer, and open it and take a long sip, all without incident.
Ex's response is an immediate, faint scowl.
Kavi looks to Flint at the statement and gives a simple nod in answer before turning his attention to Rina. "Do you want help?"
Rina murmurs, "It's fine," looking to Flint. "It's full moon," she says. "I got it, caro." Then she opens the open, gets out the ziti, and starts plating.
Flint leans against the counter, out of the way, a small tense smile edging onto his face, and takes another long sip of the drink. Perhaps thankfully, the cub's either not seen, or ignored.
Ex puts her head on the table, with her hands over her head, threading up through her short hair. She tugs at it.
Kavi looks between Ex and Flint, and though he doesn't speak, he appears to be weighing something, considering.
Rina brings the plates over to the table. "What's up, X?" she asks, laying out forks.
Flint moves to claim one of the remaining plates that Rina hasn't carried yet, a very short shake of his head, though for the moment, the cliath sets it on the counter next to where he leans rather than immediately retreating and leaving again.
Ex mumbles into the table, "I don't know."
Kavi sets his notebook aside again, and rises from his seat. He nods again to Flint, and gives a longer look to Rina, before he pulls down a pair of glasses and fills them with water from the creaky fridge.
Flint sets the bottle down on the counter and picks up his fork, eating rather more carefully than he often does, and still trying to be out of the way.
Drinks, food. Once everyone's set up, Rina comes to the table herself. Watching Ex, she says, "I need to go pick up art stuff, you want anything?"
Ex shakes her head without lifting it from the table. Her elbows are pressed against her cheeks.
Kavi brings the glasses, and sets one near enough to Ex that she can reach for it without difficulty, once she lifts her head. He looks to Rina, and reaches across to touch her hand before he takes up his fork. "I need a new pick," he says. "For the electric?"
Flint looks over at Rina, a moment. "If. Could you. I," the cliath says, drawing in a breath, "my sketchbook's near full, and this was the. My second. The spare. And. I. I'd appreciate it."
Looking to Kavi, Rina says, "What, I hafta go to that hippie music joint, too?" She flashes a teasing grin.
Ex suddenly pulls her head up from the table, grabs her glass, and jerks her hand back. She does /not/ throw it, but only, noticeably, through a clear effort.
Flint sets his fork down, alert, quiet.
Kavi smiles at Rina, but the sudden violence in Ex's movement grabs his attention.
Rina's attention turns to X instantly. "Ex?"
Ex sucks a breath in through her teeth, and then slowly, carefully lowers the glass back down to the table.
"Y'oughta eat," Rina says softly.
Flint watches, a moment longer, before he reclaims the bottle of his drink, and takes another sip. And then sets it down again, moving silently to the fridge, save for the new creak of the door.
Ex grunts. She pulls her plate closer, and picks up the fork.
Kavi watches the glass until it once again reaches the table and then picks up his fork again to resume eating.
Flint isn't quite all the way done with his first drink yet, but he emerges from half-disappearing into the fridge with a second bottle that gets set aside on the counter anyway.
"What'd you do today?" Rina asks, her gaze steady on Ex a moment before she glances away. She eats casually.
Kavi lifts his gaze to the cliath, and his brow furrows slightly. "Flint? Maybe one is enough for tonight? Save the other for... when the moon is smaller?"
Ex shrugs at Rina's question. "Slept. Drew. Slept some more."
Flint glances at the second beer, and at the closed fridge, and then finally at Kavi. There's thought, and a very quiet murmur of, "Words," in explanation, but Flint nods, puts the drink back, and returns to eating.
"What'd you work on? Drawing, I mean." Rina munches away, entirely casual. As if this is some sort of normal dinner. With normal people.
Kavi returns to his own meal as the second beer is returned. His gaze shifts between the two women at the table, listening to the conversation without adding anything more of his own, at the moment.
Ex pauses with her fork just touching the noodles. Her mouth tugs into a deeper frown. "...Things."
Flint drains the last of the beer, moves to drop the bottle in the recycling, and glances to Kavi, then to the door of the breakroom.
"And stuff?" Rina asks, wryly.
Kavi sets his fork down, though he hasn't quite finished. "Do you draw-- Do you plan what you're going to draw, before you start? When I'm playing? When I'm writing a new song? Sometimes I can almost hear it before I start to write it down."
Ex touches her tongue to her lower lip, eyes narrowing. "I draw what I see," she says slowly.
Flint picks up his plate, finishing off his food and then carrying the plate to the sink. "I. I'll," Flint says, after a moment. Plate thus dealt with, he goes back to the doorway of the breakroom. "Kavi-rhya, Rina, Ex. Goodnight."
"She's good," Rina says quietly.
Rina looks across to Flint, thoughtfully. "Night, kiddo. Sleep tight."
"Stay safe," Kavi says to Flint with a nod, and then turns back to the others and nods. "Sometimes, when I'm trying to write something. For a purpose? It's harder than when I'm just writing what... what I feel."
Rina returns to eating, watching them talk.
Flint ducks a nod, and slips out of the breakroom and off down the hall. Not long after, a door opens, and shuts.
Ex gives Kavi another one of those unhelpful shrugs. She doesn't respond to Flint's departure.
Kavi looks again toward the doorway, once Flint passes through, and he waits for the sound of the apartment door closing again. Returning to Ex, he says, "That was hard for you. With him, here." He lifts his glass to drink, but watches Ex over the top of the glass.
Ex's nose wrinkles. "I'm not afraid of a stupid little boy." She stabs the ziti a few times before forking a considerably large amount into her mouth. "Didn't want to ruin dinner," she says, with her mouth full.
Kavi nods again as he sets the glass back down. "I saw you. When you decided not to say what you wanted to, because you knew how he would respond. That... That takes strength." He turns back to his own meal, his focus shifting to the task of eating.
Rina's brow furrows. "You didn't, hon," she says softly.
Ex shrugs again. She chews, swallows, shovels another fork-full into her mouth, and repeats the process a few times. "I've got self control," she says, a little defensively. "Just can't stop being an animal."
Kavi finds a small smile as he finishes his dinner. "Self control-- That is the difference. If you can control the words you say, you can control everything else. It just takes practice."
Ex again speaks through a mouthful of ziti. "Guess I work on that." She doesn't sound thrilled.
"You're doin' all right," Rina murmurs. "Way I see it, the full moon *now*, this one, is hard. But it's probably the hardest one for a while. It'll get easier as you learn."
Tenement Building - Fifth Floor(#2192RL)
An indigo night softens both of the Glass Walker hallway walls, an urban scene crawling up to the ceiling by skyscrapers and evening clouds. A bright, full moon peeks from behind the tallest building on the right side, its light dulling that of the windows and headlights of the city. A road begins on the right wall and falls into background oblivion on the left, sparse cars treading it's length. In the foreground on the right wall, however, a gust of wind swirls from an alleyway in the form of a wolf, its shape amorphous and changing as it follows the viewer down the hallway. The wind continues on the left side, picking up dry leaves and dust that glimmers in the bold moonlight.
Spaced regularly within the mural and painted to match it are doors leading into each apartment; each door bears a brass three-digit number in the one-hundred range, and a whiteboard near the stairs lists each number with the corresponding tenant (look board). The short carpet is a dark brown that doesn't stain easily. The lighting is both bright and easy on the eyes; there are smoke detectors spaced regularly on the ceiling and a couple of fire extinguishers along the walls. At the end of the hall, a large window leads to the fire escape.
The apartment door nearest to the stairwell has been removed, and through it can be glimpsed an open space for the tribe to gather.
Obvious exits:
Devon's Apartment Ishmael's Apartment Empty Apartment Solsiva's Apartment Kevin's Apartment Mouse's Apartment Chris' Apartment Kavi's Apartment Ritual Room Cubroom Breakroom Stairs
In the breakroom, Flint nods to Kavi. "Good," Flint says, quietly, looking down at the drawing for a moment before straightening the mess he's made on the table, and then he glances to Riley, ducking a polite nod of greeting. Addressing the older Galliard again, Flint continues. "It. It helps. It's hard, but it helps."
In the breakroom, Kavi looks up when Riley enters, and as the fostern heads through to the kitchen, the galliard rises. He looks once to Flint, but then his attention focuses on the ragabash. "I need to talk to you," he says, struggling already to keep the anger out of his tone, though he largely succeeds.
In the breakroom, Riley flicks her eyes immediately in Kavi's direction, but doesn't stop tilting the glass back. Nope, the glass is chugged outright, throat contracting through large gulps of the drink. When she finally sets the glass down, Riley's brows knit and she cranes her head to one side. Her voice is the slightest bit raspy, "Can it wait until morning? Morning would be better." A worn smile, and Riley runs her fingertips through sweaty hair. "...Sorta only came down for a drink in between nightmares, you know?" She leans slowly back against the counter, shrugging, "If it's important though, jump right into it."
In the breakroom, Flint rises as well, and the cliath moves to stand behind and to one side of Kavi, lips drawing into a thin line.
In the breakroom, Kavi gives a shake of his head. "It can't wait." He pulls in a breath and holds it for a beat, lips pressed tightly together. As the breath slips away, he gestures to the couch. "It would be better if you sit, though."
In the breakroom, Finding herself on the receiving end of two tight, unamused expressions, one of Riley's brows slowly works its way up. "O---kay." She turns, impatiently snagging the container of orange juice and her emptied glass, bringing both along with her as she drops down onto the couch. She sets the glass between her knees, shakes the container for good measure, and pours herself another serving, "Someone mind telling me what this is about? I don't like the 'sit down' chats." Her eyes snap momentarily from Kavi to Flint, "Is someone dead?"
In the breakroom, Flint moves over to lean against the wall, and the cliath watches Kavi, for the most part, not Riley, and the older galliard's anger, then considers. "It," Flint says, pitching his voice to normal conversational level if not one more, "It would. How about we /all/ sit, Kavi-rhya? Please?"
In the breakroom, Kavi glances briefly to Flint as he speaks, and there's a slight tightening around his eyes. He turns back, following Riley, to sit on the chair across from him. His posture is anything but relaxed, however, with a straight back and his hands nearly gripping his knees. "What you said to the cub," he begins, without preamble, "was wrong. It was..." He swallows, jaw clenched. "It was hurtful. It was harmful."
In the breakroom, Flint nods once, and then moves to sit on the floor. Still slightly behind and to one side of Kavi, however unintentionally marking where the younger galliard feels he stands in things.
In the breakroom, The moon is full. Naturally, this is the perfect time for this conversation to be happening. Riley leans back against the couch with her glass clutched in both hands, the carton abandoned on the floor by her feet. Kavi's words draw Riley's brows up, where they knit. "'What I said to the cub'." She sucks momentarily at her incisors as though struggling to come up with the phrase in question. "Oh. Ohoho, right. Man, you're right. That was pretty outlandish. Telling her the truth like that instead of treating her like an infant."
In the breakroom, The effort it takes Kavi to remain seated is obvious, and for just an instant, his hands come off his knees. One closes into a fist, and even as he brings them back, the clenched fist remains. "/Your/ truth? Not /the/ truth. She is /not/ a normal cub. You were /told/ that. You were /told/ to treat her gently. She doesn't /have/ to be anything, right now. And I won't let you hurt her, or cause her more pain."
In the breakroom, Flint scoots forward, sitting next to and in front of Kavi now, and there's a look, concerned, back over his shoulder. "Easy," he murmurs, very quietly.
In the breakroom, Riley's eyes squint, her facial features tightening to match everyone else's in the room, "Yeah, that's all well and good. Let's just /cuddle/ all of her traumas away. I'm sure eventually she'll come 'round once she figures out that we don't have an ulterior mo-- oh, well shit, that sort of /fucks/ that, doesn't it?" Riley leans sharply forward to deposit her glass of orange juice on the table. "There's a difference, you know. Between being compassionate and being condescending. She's not stupid enough to miss it, either."
In the breakroom, Kavi is up out of his seat by the time Riley suggests cuddling traumas. Both hands are clenched, now, and he leans forward, teeth bared. "If you think that's all there is? That all we are is tools? Pawns? Soldiers? You don't deserve to be called fostern! My /ulterior/ motive is her /healing/ enough to be able to make her own choices. And if all you can offer her is more pain? More threats and bullying and torture? STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
In the breakroom, Flint pushes to crouch, not between the two, but eventually stands. "Kavi-rhya," he says, quietly and levelly. "We're /talking/. Not." Riley, however, is on the receiving end of just about as sharp a look as Flint can manage while still being respectful.
In the breakroom, "I think you're missing the /fucking/ point, Kavi-/rhya/." Riley immediately snaps back, though she at least stays seated. It's clear that her hackles are raised from that rank-related quip, though. "But if you want to shove words into my mouth, feel free to have the rest of this little 'talk' on your own. You know. Since you've so clearly mapped out exactly what /my/ intentions were."
In the breakroom, Kavi remains standing, his form trembling slightly. He looks to Flint, and draws in a breath in response to the cliath's words. His fingers flex and clench again, slowly releasing some of the rage as he lets the breath out in a controled hiss. "Whatever your intentions," he says, his voice now quiet but not at all soft. "What you said did more harm than good. Your words /were/ bullying. /Threatening/. And I /won't/ let you do that, again."
In the breakroom, Salem enters from the hallway.
In the breakroom, Salem appears in the doorway to the breakroom, his posture a deceptive slouch, his step near-silent. Thumbs hooked into the belt loops of his jeans, he stands there, observing silently for the moment.
In the breakroom, Flint folds his arms across his chest, and then looks at Riley, a little sharper. The general tension is getting to the cliath, too. "Riley-/rhya/," Flint says, tone reflecting the general mood, a different emphasis on the honorific than the fostern had just earlier used, but emphasis nonetheless. "You're /making assumptions/, not--" and Flint goes silent, a nod of greeting to Salem.
In the breakroom, Riley is sitting very, /very/ still now, her eyes narrowed to the point that little enough is visible of them. "That's ... a way of looking at it." She all but grinds out. Her fingers are flexing, burying and unburying along the thighs of her sweatpants. "/Another/ way of looking at it, is that you've been trying it your way for over a /week/, and she hasn't calmed down a fucking ounce, and what's 'best' for her seems to be putting this entire building at risk while you outright /lie/ to the girl and don't /teach her/."
In the breakroom, The trembling increases as the adren galliard goes otherwise very, very still. There is no movement from him, no word, no sound, and his eyes shut tight with the effort of containing himself.
In the breakroom, Salem gives Flint a little nod in return, but his attention's mostly on Kavi and Riley. His lips thin as he steps into the breakroom, calmly moving closer to the pair. "Easy," he says to the other Adren, quietly, and then he looks at the Ragabash. "Riley... how many traumatized cubs have you raised to cliathhood?" The halfmoon's voice is calm, no obvious steel in it, his Rage under firm control.
In the breakroom, Flint takes a few steps forward, putting himself in front of Kavi, between Kavi and Riley, and attention is on the elder galliard. "Kavi-rhya," Flint says, the calm and level tone of voice again, "easy, yeah?"
In the breakroom, The young woman may be seething with indignation, but she's also not blind. One doesn't live especially long by ignoring the signs of someone being pushed too far. Riley draws in a slow, steadying breath, flicking her tongue briefly over her teeth. "We--" Salem gets his words in at about the same time, and her attention is drawn to him, cutting off her train of thought entirely. She bristles immediately under the implication of his words, responding only with a measured frown for a moment, "What rousing successes has Kavi's methods turned out? I was gone, if you'll remember."
In the breakroom, Kavi gives a curt nod to Salem, and again to Flint. "I. I'll come back," he says, and turns to walk out the door and down the long hall.
In the breakroom, Salem reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and takes out his cigarettes and lighter. Tapping out a smoke, he says, "Kavi's methods are similar to /my/ methods, and /my/ methods /have/ shown success." He lights the foul-smelling cigarette, takes a drag, then puts the rest of the pack, along with the lighter, away. "I had a cub, once, who was fifteen going on ten. Emotionally stunted, terrified of nearly everything, completely unable to even contemplate fighting. My elder kept pressuring me to cull him. I refused." He takes another drag. "Cat took longer than most cubs, but he lived, and Rited, and fought the Wyrm."
In the breakroom, Once Kavi has walked out of the room, Flint looks down at the floor, takes a few steps back and away. And then he moves to standing behind Salem to one side, otherwise staying well and out of the conversation.
In the breakroom, "I don't know what the /fuck/ prompted this little outburst of..." She waves her arms in the direction of the doorway, "/His/, but it sure as fuck wasn't me bullying or /threatening/ the cub." Riley frowns, tightly crossing her arms, "All I did was tell her the truth as it came up. She scoffed at the idea of 'bad guy' Garou, so I /told her/ about them. And when she said that we've been telling her we're just going to 'teach her some things and let her go', I corrected that too. How in the /hell/ is lying to her going to help anything along?"
In the breakroom, Salem takes another long drag and lets it out with a sigh. "There's being honest, Riley, and there's feeding someone information that they are /not/ ready to digest. And that is even assuming that she was /actually/ told that we'd simply send her on her way without the tools with which to defend herself."
In the breakroom, "Yeah, well, I don't agree with that." Riley curtly states. "The facts are the facts, and they're not going to change just because she's been locked up in some terribly abusive --- thing!" Riley leans forward to retrieve her abandoned glass of orange juice to take a small sip, her frown - but not her vitriol - remaining fixed on Salem. "The fact that we're even entertaining her thoughts of walking out of here as Ronin - as a cub, or Cliath? That's sick."
In the breakroom, Rina comes in, dressed in loose yoga clothes, the sort of thing she wears around the place lately--just, since Ex's arrival, with a .45 as well. "Ronin?" Her face lights as she comes through the door and sees Salem.
In the breakroom, Salem raises an eyebrow. "Who said she was going to walk out a Ronin?"
In the breakroom, Riley snaps, "/She/ thinks that we're going to teach her to control her frenzies and then /let her walk off/."
In the breakroom, Flint's chin juts up a little, the cliath's shoulders tense, and then there's a nod to Rina as she enters. "Doesn't mean that. One thing at a time, things. To tell her when. When telling her. Does any good." Flint swallows, and goes quiet. "Not all at once."
In the breakroom, Salem lowers his head for a moment and takes another drag on his cigarette. His good eye shifts toward Rina, resting on her for a moment before turning back to the Ragabash. "Riley. Allow me to put this simply. Which is more important to you, you being /right/ or Rogue being /healed/?"
In the breakroom, Rina wrinkles her nose at Salem, but the subject brings a tightness to her face. She takes a deep breath, and stands back to watch them.
In the breakroom, Riley glares daggers at Flint, "Yeah, you know that thing? That thing I've been saying /this whole fucking time?/ That's not just 'not telling her something'. That's lying to her fucking face. You're dangling a little treat for her, and..." Salem's commentary earns him his first scowl of the evening, and she doesn't respond to the question.
In the breakroom, "I asked you a question." Salem's voice is very calm, his mismatched gaze steady on Riley.
In the breakroom, "Really? Because it felt more like an insult than a question." Riley grinds her teeth, "My /priority/ is treating her like she deserves to be treated. The way I feel /she/ would prefer to be treated. With some basic fucking dignity. This slow-drip of information? You're treating her like a wounded animal, not a person. You're all but clicker-training her."
In the breakroom, Rina tenses, a flash of anger on her face as she watches Riley speak. Her expression is grim.
In the breakroom, Flint glares right back at Riley, but the cliath is silent.
In the breakroom, Salem's scarred face hardens. There's a short moment before he answers. A heartbeat or two, heavy and cold. "I disagree," he says at last. "Kavi disagrees. /Rina/ disagrees. And you can be damned certain that all /three/ of us have had more experience healing the broken than you." He takes another drag, exhales foul-smelling smoke. "So. Until and unless you're willing to fall in line, you're going to stay the fuck away from her. You will not speak to her or interact with her in any way. If you do, I will beat your fucking brains in." He says that last so calmly, but it's clear he means it. There's no warmth there. "This will be the situation until and unless Kavi or I say otherwise. Is that clear?"
In the breakroom, Thump-SMACK-Roll-Crash! Riley's foot jerks out and contacts the table in front of her, jostling the glass of orange juice onto it's side and dumping the sticky drink all over the table. The glass then swiftly rolls its way to the edge and crashes to the floor, shattering. The ragabash stands, her expression tight. Her gaze shifts from Flint, to Rina, and settles on Salem. "/Crystal/." Of course, this being Riley, she can't let it just end there. "Any /other/ basic things I should try to avoid? Should I cover the power outlets with the little plastic thingies? Maybe I'll buy one of those little room separators so she doesn't fall down the stairs?"
In the breakroom, At the far end of the hallway, the door to Kavi's apartment opens and closes again.
In the breakroom, Salem's fist snaps out, cobra-quick, at Riley's face.
In the breakroom, Flint tenses, and then just takes a step back, moving over towards Rina and to give Salem and Riley some space. There's a low grumble, Flint shoving his hands into his pockets.
In the breakroom, If nothing else, she does make for a satisfying punching bag. Her head lashes to the side and she staggers back a step. Her fingers curl into tightened fists as she snaps her head back 'round to regard Salem almost immediately. Her glower is diminished slightly by the awkward angle of her nose and the blood dribbling down her face. "Flea collar?" She suggests.
In the breakroom, "That's enough, Riley" Rina says, very quietly. She watches the tall young woman and Salem, her posture holding tense readiness.
In the breakroom, Salem's expression turns dead cold. His control on his Rage is iron... but his anger is very obvious. "Get out," he says to Riley. "Out of this room, off this floor, out of this building. And if you say another fucking word, I will rip your fucking tongue out and shove it right the fuck up your ass."
In the breakroom, Kavi leaves the breakroom.
Kavi comes out of the breakroom.
Kavi has arrived.
In the breakroom, Rina steps adroitly out of the way, staying close to Flint.
Ex has plastered herself up against the wall right next to the doorway leading into the breakroom. She has her switchblade clutched tightly in one hand, though she hasn't flipped it open. Her eyes are ever so slightly wide, jaw tensed.
In the breakroom, Rina's is expression is somewhere between anger and worry, as she watches Riley.
In the breakroom, Flint watches what goes on, keeping what might be conscious control on breathing levelly and evenly. "So much for talk," he murmurs, very quietly, glancing to Rina.
Kavi slows as he nears the breakroom, and then stops, just before the stairwell door. "Hey," he says, and his voice is much softer than earlier. It's clear that there's still significant emotion, there, but it's also much better controlled.
In the breakroom, Riley meets Salem's words with a tight frown. She drags the sleeve of her shirt against the blood smearing her upper lip, briefly stands there sucking at an incisor before shaking her head and walking from the room. Rage is clearly bubbling up around the surface, but she holds it together long enough to reach the door, walk through it, and gently shut it behind her.
In the breakroom, "It's not a good time'a the month f'talkin'," Rina says quietly. Her gaze settles on Salem, the look in her eyes slightly pained.
In the breakroom, Riley leaves the breakroom.
Riley comes out of the breakroom.
Riley has arrived.
In the breakroom, Salem's good eye tracks the Ragabash out. He curses in Serbian when Riley's gone, muttering, "The last fucking word. They always have to have the last fucking word."
"Fucking hell," Ex mutters, as she flicks a glance toward Kavi. "You all are fucking /loons/." She jerks back a few steps to avoid any possibility of brushing with Riley, and the blood is eyed with an intensity that probably isn't very healthy.
In the breakroom, Flint grimaces, and nods. "Not," he agrees, moving over to the table to neaten a pile of sketches and paper that's there, still, and then to the kitchen, getting a dustpan and glaring at the broken pieces of glass near the couch from Riley's drink.
In the breakroom, Rina takes a slow, measured breath, and lets it out. Her lips curve in a rueful, slightly sad little half-smile. "I guess now wouldn't be the best timing for a hug, Jack. But it's good t'see ya."
In the breakroom, Salem shakes his head a little, then exhales a breath, tucks back a stray lock of white hair, and limps over to the couch. "Likewise. God, what a mess."
Riley steps outside of the breakroom, easing the door shut behind her. Her face is in a bit of a state - her nose is most certainly broken, and she has the bloody upper lip to attest to the resultant nosebleed. a glance to the side has her spotting Kavi and Ex. She bristles, and frowns across to Kavi. Her mouth opens, and her mouth closes, but it's clear that anything that would have been said would have been far from complimentary. She swiftly turns her back, stalking down the hallway and jerking the metal door to the stairwell open in one smooth yank. CLANG. Door hits wall. Riley's already gone, though.
In the breakroom, Rina winces slightly at that sound. "You had dinner yet?" she asks Salem.
In the breakroom, Flint wordlessly moves to clean up the broken glass, careful, though not careful enough to avoid getting a cut on his hand from it, which gets equally glared at as Flint stalks back to the kitchen, forcefully throwing the debris into the trashcan before he moves to lean against the counter, and just breathe.
In the breakroom, Salem slouches onto the couch, stretching long legs with a grimace. Cigarette in hand, he massages his forehead with his fingertips. "I ate... earlier today. Not dinner."
Kavi's gaze ducks downward, but he gives a small shake of his head at Ex. Riley's arrival and departure get his full attention, and a lot of the tension returns to his posture as he takes a step to put himself between ragabash and cub. Only when Riley is gone does he turn back to Ex. "It's... This time? When the moon is big? It makes it harder to stay calm. And things that are important to us? It's all harder." He keeps his voice quiet, simulating a calm he hasn't yet found.
"Yeah, /noticed/," Ex says through gritted teeth--she didn't take the clanging door well, it seems. "I'm gonna fucking kill someone. This whole damn hallway smells like blood."
In the breakroom, Rina glances toward the doorway, and heads that way to call out into the hall. "C'mon in. Have some fuckin' ziti, yeah?"
From afar, to (Ex, Kavi, Flint, Salem): Rina | I'm gonna fucking kill someone. The whole hallway smells like blood. | Come eat something.
From afar, to (Rina, Ex, Kavi, Flint): Salem laughs. Oh, this tribe.
In the breakroom, Flint glances towards Rina as she moves, but remains leaning against the counter, focus mostly turned inward for the moment, shoulders drawn in a very, very tight line.
Kavi looks to Rina, offering her a faint, tense smile. He nods to Ex, and extends a hand toward the breakroom. "It might help," he offers, and then steps through, leaving Ex to make the decision for herself.
Kavi goes into the breakroom.
Kavi has left.
In the breakroom, Kavi enters from the hallway.
Tenement Building - Cockroach's Breakroom(#3365RJ)
Here, a large studio apartment has been converted into a mutual meeting space for the tribe, one with its own kitchen and bathroom. The walls are a simple, plain white, and the floor is covered in stain-resistant beige carpet. The windows look out onto the somewhat less than scenic view of downtown St. Claire, but more often than not, white blinds prevent anyone from peeking in, or out.
Amenities are what might be expected--a well stocked refrigerator and cupboards, a microwave, a coffee maker, a toaster. There's a wooden table that seats four, five or six if people scrunch, and enough chairs to service it. There's also an old couch and armchair along the walls, angled to face a large, plasma screen television. Most of the entertainment goodies are here. An old NES system, an original Sega system, and an XBOX 360, each with assorted games. There's also a DVD/VCR combo player, and nearby a box of movies, most of them Ed Wood and Roger Corman specials. Ah, classics.
Along one wall is a row of tables and chairs, on which sit five desktop computers as well as the Walker's network server, a printer, and a scanner. (+view for more details)
Contents:
Kavi(#3249PJOc)
Rina
Salem
Flint
Memorial
Information Board: Skindiggers Cult
Obvious exits:
Out
Rina heads to the kitchen to get something from the freezer; she turns on the oven and leans her back against the counter.
Salem leans his head back and continues to smoke, looking more than a little weary.
Ex stalks in after Kavi, eyeing each occupant of the breakroom narrowly. By far, Salem gets the longest look, and her eyes clearly settle on the ruined half of his face. She's fidgety, a little sweaty around the forehead and the bridge of her nose. When she's done eyeing the Philodox, she jerks her head around to peer toward the ziti.
Kavi takes a breath, and then another, as he enters, eventually following Rina into the kitchen area. "Thank you," he whispers to her as he closes the distance. "Can I... How can I help?"
Flint takes a deep breath, and moves over to the fridge. "Anything to. Salem-rhya, Kavi-rhya. Anything to drink, while I'm? Rina, Ex?" The question's a bit disjointed, but given as Flint's pulling out a beer for himself, the meaning probably gets across well enough.
Salem exhales foul-smelling cigarette smoke and studies X, his expression neutral. Sitting up, he crushes the cigarette out in an ashtray and answers Flint. "Beer if there's beer. Water if there isn't."
"Hey, Ex," Rina says casually, and then the oven beeps. She turns to put the pan in.
Ex's lip tugs away from her teeth. "How about a cup of complete fucking sentences?" she snaps, toward Flint. Her volume is minimal, but she doesn't need loudness to sound harsh. "You sound like you stuffed them in a garbage disposal and just said the words how they happened to pop out."
Kavi steps out of Rina's way when she moves, though he doesn't go far. Both brows rise at Ex's statement, and he looks in her direction, though nothing is said.
Rina tenses as she closes the oven, glancing over her shoulder to Flint.
Flint has gotten halfway back through rummaging through the fridge to get what Salem asked, when Ex speaks, and the door of the fridge is /slammed/ open, perhaps a little further than it's supposed to go, as he stands there. Both bottles of beer clatter to the floor, crack, break, and then Flint just stands there, breathing very, very raggedly. "Shut." The word is growled out. "Up."
Salem inhales a breath and then lets it out. "It never changes," he says, addressing the ceiling. "It never really changes." There's a faint bit of weary amusement note in his voice. Just slightly.
Kavi whirls toward the sounds, immediately placing himself between the source and Rina. He breathes again, when Flint freezes, and though he doesn't move from his spot, he does look around until he identifies the location of the towels.
Ex's eyes flick from the broken beer to Flint. There's no flinch from her, no step backward. Notably, however, she doesn't actually say anything further, and her teeth are no longer visible.
Flint faces the fridge, still, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists and shoulders shaking with effort to contain himself.
"Breathe," Rina says softly. "You're good. You got it, Flint." She touches a hand to Kavi's arm.
Kavi turns at the touch to his arm, and looks to Rina. He nods, and finally takes a step away, moving to the towels to clean the mess. Still, his gaze returns frequently to Flint and to Rina.
Ex snorts, very softly.
Flint takes a step backwards and the refrigerator door creaks shut, a creak it definitely didn't have before. The cliath unclenches his fists, half-turns, and then all of the anger rises again, lips back from teeth, full-on glaring at Ex, and everyone else for that matter. There's no shift, though there's certainly all evidence of the rage boiling up.
"Ex," Rina says very quietly, calmly, "the full moon isn't a good time to push like this. You're riding the edge and feeling the moon right now. But so is everyone else in this room except me." She watches the young woman, focused.
Kavi turns to Flint, then. "Out," he tells him, and though the word is a command, his voice carries gentleness and caring. "Go out, until you feel calm." He once again places himself between cliath and kin, but appears ready to accompany Flint out the door, if necessary.
Salem remains seated, though his eye's on the confrontation, watching it keenly.
Ex goes from standing and staring to lunging in the blink of an eye. The poor table is what gets in her way, prevents her from full-body tackling Flint. She's not crinos, but her teeth are bared and her eyes are bright and wild, with both gloved hands clenched into tight fists and raised.
Ex also does this soundlessly, until she impacts with the table.
Flint growls, a strangled sound, but he's already picking feet up and walking out into the hallway, though his gaze rests a moment on the elder galliard, brows arching, a pause in his step. "Would--" The word is as strangled as the earlier sound, and then Flint full on /bolts/ for the door, striding at double to triple the original pace straight through the doorway to the hallway.
Flint leaves the breakroom.
Flint has left.
Out in the hall, Flint full on kicks one of the walls once he's out the doorway, and the floor, heavy thumping sounds.
Rina winces slightly at that impact sound.
As Flint heads out the door, Kavi gives a quick look around, and then follows. He doesn't speak, and he gives the younger galliard a wide berth, but he keeps himself between the cliath and the rest.
Kavi leaves the breakroom.
Kavi has left.
Out in the hall, Kavi comes out of the breakroom.
Out in the hall, Flint has gotten halfway down the hall to his own apartment, and leans forehead against one wall, one fist as well from where he'd punched the wall. Not that the punching seems to have done anything save make the cliath's knuckles red. His breathing is steadier, though, and Kavi gets a glance without Flint actually turning his head.
Salem pushes to his feet as Kavi leaves, moving to position himself between the rogue cub and Rina. He is easily the calmest-appearing person in the room, though there's a certain... readiness... in his body language.
Out in the hall, Kavi continues after Flint and shakes his head. "Keep going," he says, more gently, now. "Take time. Take space. It's okay to be angry, to feel the rage of the moon. You need to be in control, too. Go draw. Or sing. Or shower it all away. And come back when it passes. When the memory isn't right in front of your eyes."
Ex breathes. She closes her eyes and knocks her head, hard, against the table, following it up with a sharp hiss of air through her teeth. "Fucking animal," she mutters. "Knives in the brain, blood in the hall. The little kid could learn to talk. /Not/," she punches the table-top this time, "/hard/!"
Rina remains silent, and turns to get down a couple of plates.
Salem reaches into the back pocket of his jeans, fishing out the crumpled pack of discount cigarettes. "Nobody's perfect," he says mildly, as he shakes out a cig.
Out in the hall, Flint nods, still leaning against the wall, and then tenses at the cub's words in the breakroom, and finally turns to look at Kavi. "She-- I. /Garbage disposal/?" There's anger in Flint's voice, quiet as it is.
Out in the hall, Kavi shakes his head. "Words," he says. "Go into your own space. Be alone. Do what you need to do to let it go, and come back when you're ready."
Ex's next exhale is heavy, but slower. "This is a bad time." It's unclear whether she's talking to herself or the Walkers, but eventually she forces her eyes open again, and wobbles back upright. "How'm I supposed to not eat people?"
Out in the hall, "Words!" Flint agrees, hitting the wall again, though there's less emphasis and force behind it this time. "Fuck words. Can't /ever/, I. I." Whatever it is the younger galliard is trying to say doesn't coalesce, though he takes another few steps towards his apartment and then kicks the floor again. "Devon, Riley, her, NO ONE LISTENS. All they hear is failed words!"
Salem sticks the cigarette between his lips, trades pack for lighter, and lights up. Repocketing the lighter, he says (cigarette bobbing off his lip, "You just--" He glances toward the hallway, grimaces, turns back to X. "Mainly, you stay away from temptation."
Out in the hall, Kavi shakes his head, and points at Flint's apartment. "Go inside, Flint."
Ex glances toward the hallway. An eyebrow arches, and she taps her ear when she looks back to Salem.
Out in the hall, Flint draws in a deep, still slightly shaky breath and nods, moving over and opening the door to his apartment. The door is pushed shut behind him, though there's no telltale click of the lock. From inside, there's music turned on, loudly enough to leak into the hallway.
Rina glances over to Ex and Salem, gauging moods.
Out in the hall, Kavi nods as Flint moves. He lets out a breath when the door closes, and turns back toward the breakroom.
Salem inhales smoke and lets it out. "When you feel like you've got to kill someone or go mad, when you can't think of anything else but wrapping your hands around someone else's throat and squeezing, when everything is too goddamn bright and too goddamn loud... you retreat. Find a safe place. Secluded. Dim the lights. Get some music. Maybe some drink. You get /away/." His voice is even and calm.
Out in the hall, Kavi goes into the breakroom.
Kavi enters from the hallway.
Kavi has arrived.
Ex inhales slowly before she begins working her neck from one side to the other. "This building isn't good for that," she says. Low now, but not mutters. She isn't looking at any of the three. "It's too small, too many people. You've got dead people on your walls. --Anyway." She turns a shoulder to the table and frowns at the ziti. "It's not actually safe."
Salem raises an eyebrow at X's reply, but doesn't argue her point. Instead his gaze shifts over to Kavi.
Kavi looks to each of the others as he returns, but he meets Salem's gaze only for a moment. He casts a glance over his shoulder, saying, "He's in his apartment, now. He'll be okay."
Rina's brow furrows. "Dead people on the--" Then she understands, and something about her closes, her head bowing, arms wrapping around her body. "Oh. Yeah. Right."
"He made a mess," Ex says, eyeing the broken beer bottles with disapproval. Her gaze shifts to Rina as she speaks, and her eyes narrow a little.
"I'll get it," Rina murmurs, turning to get some towels from a drawer.
Salem sucks in another lungful of tar-laden smoke and lets it out in twin streams through his nostrils. "Jack Salem, by the way," he says to X as he returns, limping, to the couch. "Or Scar."
Rina drops to a crouch to clean up the spill, careful of the glass.
Out in the hall, Even over the music from Flint's apartment, there's an audible exclamation that carries across the fifth floor, again. FUCK WORDS.
The shift in Rina's posture does not go unnoticed by the galliard, and he crosses to her, bending to take the towel from her hand even as his other hand touches her arm.
"Ex," says the cub. She looks sharply toward the hallway at Flint's outburst. There's a faint trembling about her, and then she snorts with badly contained laughter.
Salem nods to the cub. If he hears Flint's yell, he gives no indication. Instead he casually asks the cub, "Do you smoke?"
"I'm good," Rina murmurs, giving a little jerk of her head toward Salem and Ex. "Shoo."
Kavi lingers for a moment longer, his gaze on Rina, but then he nods and returns to the others.
Ex shrugs at the question. "Weren't any cigarettes."
Salem is about to reply to Ex when his pocket bleeps. He frowns, fishes out a cheap-looking little cellphone, and peers at the tiny display. Apparently, it's important, since he excuses himself with a mutter and heads out.
Kavi watches the man rise, and dips his head as he heads out. "Stay safe," he says, a brief pause at the end, as though something else might follow.
Ex's lips tighten as Salem heads out. She gives Kavi a brief, questioning look.
Out in the hall, Not long thereafter, the music that's been bleeding from Flint's apartment into the hallway stops, and there's the click of a door being opened.
Kavi takes a moment, but then settles into a seat at the table. He reaches across for his notebook from earlier and pulls it toward him. His gaze flickers upward, to meet Ex's for only a second, and he nods, as if in answer. "He was elder, when I first came."
Ex shakes her head. "The hell's that mean?" She pauses, and glances toward the door. Either because of the sound, or perhaps checking to make sure Salem's out of earshot. "He /is/ really old looking."
"He was... in charge," Kavi says glancing toward the doorway. "He's seen a lot. He knows a lot. I... I learned a lot from him."
Ex pulls out a chair, and flops into it. The table surface is eyed for a moment. "Riley had blood all over her face." Her tone is almost conversational.
"She kept talking, after Jack said he was done," Kavi says, as if that were explanation enough.
Out in the hall, Flint takes his time making it down the hallway, but eventually, he ends up in the doorway to the breakroom, though he doesn't step inside, yet. The cliath looks significantly more relaxed, though he's still tense, and there's a short glance over everyone inside, before Flint's gaze settles on Kavi, and he nods, once.
Out in the hall, Flint goes into the breakroom.
Flint enters from the hallway.
Flint has arrived.
"He busted her face?" Ex looks toward Flint. Her eyes narrow further.
Kavi nods in answer, and glances across to Flint. There's a moment of question, there, but it goes unspoken, and he turns back to the cub. "He didn't frenzy. And if she shifts? She'll heal quickly. Like I showed you, the other day. But... But he wanted her to know he was serious. She didn't stop when she was supposed to, when enough was enough."
Flint looks to Kavi a moment longer, and there's another quick nod. He's okay, now. For the moment. The younger galliard diverts towards the kitchen. "I just," he says, very quietly, and pauses, taking a deep breath, then starts again, "food. A-a drink, then. I. I'll. I'll go again." The words, though with no less of the usual stammer and stutter, are slow and deliberate and enunciated very carefully.
Ex turns her head back to Kavi and starts to say something. She doesn't. Her mouth closes.
With a nod to Flint, Kavi turns back to the cub and offers a faint smile. "Yes," he says, his voice quite soft.
"Ziti should be ready." Rising, Rina goes to rinse towels in the sink.
Flint nods once, glancing to where there had been a mess on the floor, and then to Rina. "I. I'm sorry," he offers, to the kin--and perhaps to Kavi as well--moving to the refrigerator. It creaks when it opens, but this time at least, Flint manages to get himself a beer, and open it and take a long sip, all without incident.
Ex's response is an immediate, faint scowl.
Kavi looks to Flint at the statement and gives a simple nod in answer before turning his attention to Rina. "Do you want help?"
Rina murmurs, "It's fine," looking to Flint. "It's full moon," she says. "I got it, caro." Then she opens the open, gets out the ziti, and starts plating.
Flint leans against the counter, out of the way, a small tense smile edging onto his face, and takes another long sip of the drink. Perhaps thankfully, the cub's either not seen, or ignored.
Ex puts her head on the table, with her hands over her head, threading up through her short hair. She tugs at it.
Kavi looks between Ex and Flint, and though he doesn't speak, he appears to be weighing something, considering.
Rina brings the plates over to the table. "What's up, X?" she asks, laying out forks.
Flint moves to claim one of the remaining plates that Rina hasn't carried yet, a very short shake of his head, though for the moment, the cliath sets it on the counter next to where he leans rather than immediately retreating and leaving again.
Ex mumbles into the table, "I don't know."
Kavi sets his notebook aside again, and rises from his seat. He nods again to Flint, and gives a longer look to Rina, before he pulls down a pair of glasses and fills them with water from the creaky fridge.
Flint sets the bottle down on the counter and picks up his fork, eating rather more carefully than he often does, and still trying to be out of the way.
Drinks, food. Once everyone's set up, Rina comes to the table herself. Watching Ex, she says, "I need to go pick up art stuff, you want anything?"
Ex shakes her head without lifting it from the table. Her elbows are pressed against her cheeks.
Kavi brings the glasses, and sets one near enough to Ex that she can reach for it without difficulty, once she lifts her head. He looks to Rina, and reaches across to touch her hand before he takes up his fork. "I need a new pick," he says. "For the electric?"
Flint looks over at Rina, a moment. "If. Could you. I," the cliath says, drawing in a breath, "my sketchbook's near full, and this was the. My second. The spare. And. I. I'd appreciate it."
Looking to Kavi, Rina says, "What, I hafta go to that hippie music joint, too?" She flashes a teasing grin.
Ex suddenly pulls her head up from the table, grabs her glass, and jerks her hand back. She does /not/ throw it, but only, noticeably, through a clear effort.
Flint sets his fork down, alert, quiet.
Kavi smiles at Rina, but the sudden violence in Ex's movement grabs his attention.
Rina's attention turns to X instantly. "Ex?"
Ex sucks a breath in through her teeth, and then slowly, carefully lowers the glass back down to the table.
"Y'oughta eat," Rina says softly.
Flint watches, a moment longer, before he reclaims the bottle of his drink, and takes another sip. And then sets it down again, moving silently to the fridge, save for the new creak of the door.
Ex grunts. She pulls her plate closer, and picks up the fork.
Kavi watches the glass until it once again reaches the table and then picks up his fork again to resume eating.
Flint isn't quite all the way done with his first drink yet, but he emerges from half-disappearing into the fridge with a second bottle that gets set aside on the counter anyway.
"What'd you do today?" Rina asks, her gaze steady on Ex a moment before she glances away. She eats casually.
Kavi lifts his gaze to the cliath, and his brow furrows slightly. "Flint? Maybe one is enough for tonight? Save the other for... when the moon is smaller?"
Ex shrugs at Rina's question. "Slept. Drew. Slept some more."
Flint glances at the second beer, and at the closed fridge, and then finally at Kavi. There's thought, and a very quiet murmur of, "Words," in explanation, but Flint nods, puts the drink back, and returns to eating.
"What'd you work on? Drawing, I mean." Rina munches away, entirely casual. As if this is some sort of normal dinner. With normal people.
Kavi returns to his own meal as the second beer is returned. His gaze shifts between the two women at the table, listening to the conversation without adding anything more of his own, at the moment.
Ex pauses with her fork just touching the noodles. Her mouth tugs into a deeper frown. "...Things."
Flint drains the last of the beer, moves to drop the bottle in the recycling, and glances to Kavi, then to the door of the breakroom.
"And stuff?" Rina asks, wryly.
Kavi sets his fork down, though he hasn't quite finished. "Do you draw-- Do you plan what you're going to draw, before you start? When I'm playing? When I'm writing a new song? Sometimes I can almost hear it before I start to write it down."
Ex touches her tongue to her lower lip, eyes narrowing. "I draw what I see," she says slowly.
Flint picks up his plate, finishing off his food and then carrying the plate to the sink. "I. I'll," Flint says, after a moment. Plate thus dealt with, he goes back to the doorway of the breakroom. "Kavi-rhya, Rina, Ex. Goodnight."
"She's good," Rina says quietly.
Rina looks across to Flint, thoughtfully. "Night, kiddo. Sleep tight."
"Stay safe," Kavi says to Flint with a nod, and then turns back to the others and nods. "Sometimes, when I'm trying to write something. For a purpose? It's harder than when I'm just writing what... what I feel."
Rina returns to eating, watching them talk.
Flint ducks a nod, and slips out of the breakroom and off down the hall. Not long after, a door opens, and shuts.
Ex gives Kavi another one of those unhelpful shrugs. She doesn't respond to Flint's departure.
Kavi looks again toward the doorway, once Flint passes through, and he waits for the sound of the apartment door closing again. Returning to Ex, he says, "That was hard for you. With him, here." He lifts his glass to drink, but watches Ex over the top of the glass.
Ex's nose wrinkles. "I'm not afraid of a stupid little boy." She stabs the ziti a few times before forking a considerably large amount into her mouth. "Didn't want to ruin dinner," she says, with her mouth full.
Kavi nods again as he sets the glass back down. "I saw you. When you decided not to say what you wanted to, because you knew how he would respond. That... That takes strength." He turns back to his own meal, his focus shifting to the task of eating.
Rina's brow furrows. "You didn't, hon," she says softly.
Ex shrugs again. She chews, swallows, shovels another fork-full into her mouth, and repeats the process a few times. "I've got self control," she says, a little defensively. "Just can't stop being an animal."
Kavi finds a small smile as he finishes his dinner. "Self control-- That is the difference. If you can control the words you say, you can control everything else. It just takes practice."
Ex again speaks through a mouthful of ziti. "Guess I work on that." She doesn't sound thrilled.
"You're doin' all right," Rina murmurs. "Way I see it, the full moon *now*, this one, is hard. But it's probably the hardest one for a while. It'll get easier as you learn."
