"People can be a lot of things."
Sep. 4th, 2012 12:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
renferretEx arts, glowers, lurks, and pancakes.
The basement door has been, shall we say, decorated. It's a rough drawing as far as the culprit goes, but it's still a creepy, long limbed figure with no eyes, face apparently wrapped in bandages.
It looks to have been done with a charcoal pencil.
Zeke is following after the Ahroun and has grabbed two small wash towels to throw over his shoulder. As they move toward the basement, which is also where he's been sleeping, he pauses. "I'd have preferred Piper Perabo or, Morena Baccarin..."
Phoebe stops short, staring at the door. She issues a quiet sigh and looks around for X. Zeke's comment doesn't earn a smile, this time. She simply says, "I don't want to discourage her, but I think I'm going to have to impress upon her where it's appropriate, and where it's not."
There's no sign of the cub on the ground floor, but the drawing must be recent.
"She got her own space for anything like that? I know it's not typical to give cubs a /room/ but maybe someplace that she can claim a corner, a section... something for her own?" He looks around then, trying to gauge where she might have hidden herself.
"Ex!" Phoe calls, her voice lacking any real anger. To Zeke, she explains, "She has---/had/--a sketch pad. But Dagny took it, and even though it's been given back, Ex feels...violated. Dagny put her eyes on it and it's tainted now." The ahroun shakes her head, irritation flickering in her eyes. "But no. Not a room. I don't think she likes the basement. None of them do. Not Moros, certainly not Sue, and not Ex."
The door to the courtyard slides open, and Ex appears around it, peering narrowly into the house.
"Well that's all the better for me, the non-basement thing." He admits rather sincerely. Still, he seems to defer to the Ahroun right now given the situation at hand. "We might need an expansion on the house soon."
Kavi has arrived.
Phoebe and Zeke are staring at the basement door, which right now is sporting a lovely new drawing by the artist currently known as X. It's a creepy, elongated figure with no eyes, whose face is apparently wrapped in bandages. The ahroun has just called the cub, who is peering in through the sliding door to the courtyard. Phoe asks, "Is it a present?"
Ex's eyebrows lift, and one eye squints. "Huh?"
Phoebe points at the door.
Zeke steps back and watches, interested but silent.
The approach of the motorcycle can be heard from the front of the house before it pulls to a stop on the gravel.
Ex looks from Phoebe to the door. Nothing about her expression changes, but all Phoebe gets is a terribly unhelpful shrug. The sound of the motorcycle brings instant tension to her shoulders, and she looks toward the door.
Phoebe gestures for the cub to come inside, but knowing she probably won't makes the ahroun continue to speak at a distance anyway. "How come you didn't draw it in your sketchbook?"
Zeke glances back to the sound of the motorcycle, and very quietly offers to Phoebe, "I'll see who's here."
Shortly after the engine dies, there's a knock at the door, a series of three raps, not terribly loud, but enough to be heard.
Ex comes in at least far enough to stand in the doorway, though no farther. "I hid it."
Phoebe nods, first to Zeke and then to Ex. "Yeah, I can understand that, after what happened. But, we can't have you drawing on the walls...and ceiling. It's not where drawings belong. They belong in a sketchbook. If I get you a new one, will you promise to put them there, and not on the walls, furniture, ceilings and floors?"
Ex gives a long suffering sigh. "Okay. You won't tell the Greedy Bitch? You'll beat her up if she comes here?"
Zeke is at the door, and having peeked out, grins a bit, "Phoe, it's Kavi. You up for guests or you want me to keep the conversation outside?" He waits for the answer trusting it will come quick and then opens the door to at least begin the greeting.
Kavi lifts a hand in greeting as Zeke opens the door. "Hey," he offers, though there's a twitch at his brow before he continues. "Are you... Do you have time?"
Phoebe looks from Ex to Zeke, and before she answers the cub, she tells him, "Company's fine. I'm sure Ex would love to see Kavi." Then--and quickly--she tells the cub, "If she comes here and gives you any trouble, you're damn straight I'll beat her up."
Ex's tension seems to ease a little, first at the mention of Kavi, and then, much more, when Phoebe answers her question. The Fury Ahroun gets a very slight nod. "Okay. I'll promise then."
Zeke nods the way in, "Yeah, got time. Everything alright? Just me, Phoe and Ex here right now. Come on in and join us."
Kavi steps inside, nodding in answer to the philodox's question. He hesitates for a fraction of a second when Zeke mentions the cub's presence, but smiles as he takes the next steps and looks across to where she stands. "Hey," he calls again, a bit louder, to include Phoebe and Ex.
Phoebe leads the way into the common room with Ex. She smiles in return. "Evening, Kavi," she says.
Ex looks up, regarding Kavi with an intent, if otherwise blank, expression.
Zeke moves to the couch then, apparently intent on relaxing amidst family and friends. "I think the workout is doomed tonight Phoe. How about first thing in the morning?" he jokes.
Kavi moves toward the seating, but doesn't yet sit. Instead, he watches Ex for a second or two, the smile fading a little as he studies her. He finds it again, but it comes with a questioning furrow to his brow. "How are you?"
Phoebes amusement is brief as she looks to Zeke. "I have pack training first thing in the morning. Of course, I could wake you before the sun, work out with you, and /then/ go to training. If you want to get up at 5?" She seems serious.
"I'm okay," Ex says. "I'm learning. Life on the Line and Fezzik are teaching me. I killed a big ugly dog. Phil's an asshole. This place is nice."
Zeke nods to Phoebe, "Uh yeah um. Can I decide once I figure out what time I fall asleep tonight?" He grins a bit, offering a sheepish grin until the conversation from Ex crosses his attention. He watches Kavi's interaction with the cub with new curiosity.
Phoebe's dark eyes remain amused, but she too is looking at Ex after that.
Kavi studies Ex, considering her response, for a moment longer than it takes the cub to give it, and then he nods, the smile more firmly in place again. "Good," he says. "I'm glad you're doing well. Rina was asking about you. About how you are? And if there's anything you need." He glances to Zeke, then, and the smile fades.
Moros comes down the stairs from the second floor.
Moros has arrived.
Ex shakes her head from side to side, before a thought occurs to her. "You could beat up the Greedy Bitch."
Phoebe silently pinches the bridge of her nose, but it's a momentary thing that soon passes.
Moros clomps down from the upstairs in his big heavy boots and his big heavy steps.
Ex glances toward Phoebe, and then adds, "With Life-On-the-Line."
Zeke looks to Kavi, "How is /she/ doing?" asks the halfmoon to the Walker. "Did you talk to her more about what you asked of me?"
Kavi's focus is pulled back to Ex, and his brows rise. "Has she--" He look to Phoebe, and then to Moros when he appears. "Has she done something more?" There's something in his posture that suggests he would not turn down Ex's request if the answer were yes. "I. I asked Jack to... It was a philodox's job to address the litany." Only at the end does he look again to Zeke and he catches his lower lip between his teeth. "That's why I came," he says, his voice dropping lower, and though he looks back to the others, he moves closer to the philodox.
Phoebe turns towards the stairs as Moros joins them. She offers the large metis a simple nod of greeting before turning back and answering Kavi. "No, she hasn't done anything new. Not that I'm aware of, anywya." A look to Ex and she adds, "But there doesn't need to be anything new, since the old is still there."
There's another shake of the head from Ex, before her attention shifts to Moros. He doesn't get any kind of greeting either, but she does give him the same intent look that she gave Kavi. The basement door is still sporting a rather creepy drawing of a figure with elongated arms, no eyes, and a bandage wrapped face.
Moros lets his red-eyed stare pass over the group, lingering unsmilingly on each face and ending at last on Ex's drawing on the basement door. He stares at this, head tilted.
Zeke nods to Kavi and leans in to converse with him in softer, more private tones. A glance passes over Moros as he enters, and he does a moderate job of splitting his attention for that brief moment.
Kavi gives another glance to Phoebe, and then to Ex, nodding once in understanding or agreement, and then he turns to Zeke and settles onto a nearby seat. His voice is soft, but not so quiet that it would be impossible to hear. "She. She's worried. Mostly about... About if I would be okay. She asked for a little time. To... To think about it, and not to think about it. But I think she'll be ready, soon."
Phoebe lets Kavi and Zeke speak, turning to give them more privacy. she looks to Ex and asks, "Would it be a problem if we washed the door?"
Ex turns and considers the door for a long moment. Then she shrugs again. "No."
Moros wrinkles his nose briefly, then hunkers down into a sit on some of the bottommost stairs. His face is full of distant thunder, a hint of possible bad weather on the horizon.
Zeke nods to Kavi, "No rush, at least not yet. I don't think I'm meant to leave for a while yet. So, perhaps the visit will be a bit more of a season, and not just a vacation. Just keep me in the loop Kavi, anything I can do to help." He turns back to catch Ex's response, but again remains out of the interaction.
Phoebe begins to walk back toward the kitchen and the basement door. "Ok, good. Thank you, Ex. I promise to pick up a new sketchbook tomorrow." She eyes Moros as she passes the stairs, noting the brooding, dark look without commenting on it.
Ex heaves a little bit of a sigh, but she doesn't seem to have much else to contribute. The cub eases back toward the door, and glances outside.
Kavi nods to the philodox, but again catches his lip between his teeth. "Zeke? There's... Jack mentioned, and. And I wondered if. He said he thought he remembered that your tribe has a rite. To... to help women who were..." He swallows, and his voice drops to a whisper.
Moros's attention slowly wanders over toward Kavi and Zeke and stays there, more or less. Apart from that feeling of anger on low ebb (but ready to burst forth at a moment's notice), his face is rather disturbingly blank.
Phoebe gets a small bucket and fills it cleaner, soap, and water. She finds a couple of rags and sets it all down in front of the basement door. "We may have to repaint, too. But, that could be fun. Right?" she asks of Ex before setting in to see if the drawing will clean up.
Zeke looks to Kavi, all seriousness in his expression. When the words reach him, there's a decidely disappointed look to the halfmoon. A shake of his head follows, and a low voiced return. "I know of it, I know exactly which one you're speaking of. But I have not been taught it. I'm sorry Kavi."
It's messy, as charcoal tends to be, but water and a little scrubbing gets it off well enough. The question to Ex, however, catches her just as she starts slipping back out the door. She glances back, and a wrinkle appears between her eyebrows.
Kavi swallows again, and he looks hard at Zeke. "But. It's real? It... It's..." The words don't come, though his jaw works as though to speak, and after a moment he simply swallows again.
Phoebe catches Ex as she's leaving, and it makes the ahroun frown. "I don't suppose you'd want to, would you? Help me paint?"
Moros's gaze slowly wanders back over toward Phoebe, then shifts to Ex.
Ex stares at Phoebe for a moment, that wrinkle growing, then looks at the basement door. "Okay," she says, though this time without the shrug. She hovers in the doorway, neither fully inside nor out.
Zeke nods to Kavi, "I wouldn't joke about something like that Kavi. I've seen it first hand." He lingers on this thought for a moment and then offers a smile, "One thing at a time though I imagine. But maybe if all goes well we can appeal to my mother's sept for some counsel on it."
Kavi watches the philodox for a moment more before he nods. "Okay," he says aloud, his voice just barely more than a whisper, still. "Okay. And. And thank you."
Phoebe continues washing the door, every once in a while looking to the cub. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it might be fun. We could practice our words. Have you been practicing?"
"Yes." And this time, Ex is a lot more firm in her answer. "Mother's Tongue, archery, punching, climbing, running. And some more research, a week ago before the moon got too large."
Zeke nods, "Alright. It's either workout now, or bed now and workout tomorrow. Either way, I need to excuse myself from the party here guys. Phoe, see you in the morning." He clasps a hand briefly on Kavi, "I heard Mouse was back, so I'd like to come down to your neck of the woods this week. I'll see you soon ok?" A final nod to the remaining occupants, "Moros, Ex, g'night you two." Then he heads into that very door they were working on, into ... the basement.
Moros's eyes track Zeke as the other metis vanishes into the basement, and his mouth scrunches briefly into a scowl. Abruptly he stands up and wanders into the room proper.
Kavi's flinch is small but noticeable to anyone looking when Zeke reaches out to him. He doesn't pull away, though, and nods at the philodox's words. Once Zeke leaves, he turns his focus to the cub, and watches her in silence for a moment.
Phoebe asks, overly curious, "Research on what?" The ahroun scoots out of the way to let Zeke through the door, and she nods to him in answer, just before he disappears.
"Feminism," Ex replies. "Humanism. Rape culture." One finger scratches at the scar running along her cheek. "That kind've stuff."
Moros stalks the common room, passing by each chair and running a hand lightly across the back, and eventually ends up over by the antique crossed swords on the wall. He regards this with tilted head, looking distantly thoughtful.
Phoebe's expression grows at least mildly disconcerted. She looks to Moros, but that doesn't help, so she looks to Kavi. Eventually she just goes back to the door. "Heavy subjects."
Kavi's gaze follows Moros as the giant walks through the room, but then his gaze shifts back to Ex and Phoebe. Something in Ex's words increases the tension in his shoulders, but he takes a breath and it settles again. After glancing again to the metis, he crosses closer to the others.
Ex shrugs at this. "They're Fury things, right? Feminism is. The other ones relate to it. So they're important." She glances briefly toward Kavi, and her eyebrows tick a little higher. "I can't go to the library right now though."
"They are," Phoe agrees. The door is clean, now, and the fostern ahroun takes the rags and bucket back to the kitchen to dump and rinse out. Ex's comment reminds her of something, and she turns to the Walker in particular. "Kavi, if I wanted to gte a car, could you help me with that? I...I had a permit, when I came here, and my dad had taught me a little. But I haven't driven since I changed. but now I think I might want to..." she glances at Ex, then back to Kavi. "Might like to go to the city on occasion."
Moros lowers his head as he turns it, not quite looking over at the other three.
Kavi may have been intending to speak, to say something about the previous topic, but when Phoebe addresses him, he looks to her, mild surprise in his expression. "I--" He, too, glances to Ex, and then returns to the fostern. "I can. We can... if you want a real license? We can help you with that, too."
Ex seems to take this change in topic away from her as permission, because she slips all the way out through the door, and closes it behind her. She walks out of view, toward where the archery supplies are stored.
Phoebe thinks about it some more as she puts the bucket away under the sink. "I might need lessons, as well," she comments to no one in particular. Then, another thought. "Maybe a scooter?"
Kavi's gaze turns again to Ex, watching as she leaves, and his teeth catch at his lower lip. "We can... We can help." He swallows, finally turning from Ex long after she stepped out of view. "How is she doing?"
Moros is very clearly listening, though he hardly moves but for the slight curling twitch of thick fingers.
Phoebe only seems to realize Ex has slipped out the door when Kavi points it out. There's a small, huffed exhale of air before she answers. "Some good, some bad. I see progress, but honestly Kavi, I don't feel like we're getting through to her on any meaningful level, and it worries me."
Kavi draws in a breath, gaze ticking briefly to the door before returning to Phoebe. "What... what are you thinking? What are you... expecting?"
Moros shifts his weight, turning so that he can stare at the two homids.
Phoebe shakes her heads, the lift of her shoulder proving she's uncertain. "I don't know. Some idea that she understands what it all means, maybe, beyond satisfying any current, immediate need of hers." She glances through the door to where the girl is, down by the archery butts. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's all there and I'm just not that good at seeing it in her."
Kavi catches the corner of his lip, and turns to Moros. "What do you see?" he asks, only in speaking releasing that hold.
Moros, surprised to actually be addressed directly, tips his head to the side. Slowly, he says, "She's smart. She learns. She _seeks_ learning." A beat. "She's fierce. She pushes. She fights." He grins a little, unpleasantly. "She reminds me of me. Not... and _easy_ cub."
Phoebe listens to Moros's assessment, and while she doesn't disagree with it, she clearly thinks there's more to it. "Not easy, no," is what she chooses to say in answer. Then, looking back to Kavi, she adds, "I think she needs better teachers. I can teach her basics, but she needs...she needs someone with more experience to teach her deeper things."
Kavi listens, watching Moros and then Phoebe as they speak. He nods, at the end, and looks back through the door with a furrowed brow. "After the vampire is gone... I'll have more time. I." He looks back to the giant, the furrow still there. "She's not easy, because she's had to survive too much, had to learn ways to survive. She's hard to teach, because the others... they want to make her give up what she needed to survive. She needs to learn the deeper things without... Without being told to give up what she has. But she can do it."
Moros tips his head, squinting a little as he considers Kavi's words. He doesn't say anything, though he doesn't seem to find fault there, either.
Phoebe seems to agree with the adren, as well. "Maybe it's just patience I lack. This moon has been...exceptionally trying, at time, too. We'll just have to take it one day at a time, I guess."
Kavi brings a hand up to rake back through his hair. "I... I need to go. But. Tell her I'll be back. And if you want help. With the car? I. It might have to wait until after the vampire, but after that? Just. Just call. Or come to the tenement."
Phoebe nods her understanding. "Sure. Thank you, Kavi-rhya." The Fury walks him to the front door.
Moros turns away, heading for the glass doors to the courtyard.
----
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16 From: Harper At: Wed Sep 5 10:11:14 2012
Fldr : 0 Status: Unread
To : *Black_Furies, Twitch, Ex
Subject: Harper's Departure
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The meeting took place late in the evening on the fourth of September. A fully decked out GMC Envoy pulled up to the Fury house and deposted four people onto the steps of Greek House. A closed door discussion took place for more than a few hours between the elders of the Furies and the visitors who had come, though Harper was among them. In the end, the cub who had come to be seen as one struggling with her fate left with them. For those who might have caught a glimpse of these visitors, it would be easily seen they were all quite well bred; a man in his mid thirties, and three women. It may as well have been Fury royalty showing up on those steps given their appearance and posture. They left as quietly as they came, and only those who were privvy to the discussion know for certain who they were.
OOC: Harper's gone with them. Phoebe and Melodie would be the Fury's on hand who know the story.
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Greek House: Common Area(#2409RAJ$)
This is the central hub of the house. From here, you can still see the entrance foyer to the west, as well as the stairway that heads to the second story. Towards the eastern side of the common area is a set of glass doors that lead out to a courtyard. To the north, an arched doorway leads to what apparently serves as a less formal lounge, with a couch and an armchair, and to the south, an arched doorway leads to what appears to be a kitchen and dining area.
There are several chairs here, simple, elegant, yet functional in their design and intent. The room has a comfortable feel to it, but is a bit ascetic in design. The walls are off-white, the molding dark cherry wood and decorated with acanthus-leaf ornamentation at the corners. A pair of antique spears are hung crossed against each other on one wall, and a wall-relief depicting a scene of Grecian warriors hangs on the other. Above the mantle of the fireplace is a small statue of Artemis, on either side of that, dark metal candlesticks with ivory pillar candles. The entire room is a study in the contrast of light and dark.
Contents:
Sue
Wallchart
Obvious exits:
Downstairs Upstairs Courtyard Out
Greek House: Roof(#439RJ)
Up on top of the Fury House, on what is a pitched roof with gable ends, there's a stunning view out over the forests to the east of the house. To the west, the driveway runs up to Sunrise Road, visibly cutting through the trees. To the north, Nicholson Hall is viewable, and it's just possible to make out the I-90 beyond, on a clear day.
Obvious exits:
Down To Lawn Down To Courtyard
From the courtyard, "As long as I can remember," rumbles the big fullmoon. His eyes narrow, gaze going distant. "A rat got into my basement once, back when I was... young. Before I Firsted. It would eat my food if I left any, if I tried to save any for later. It took me a long time to catch it, but eventually I did." His head tips to one side as he recalls the incident. "I bit off its ears first. Then its tail, in pieces. Held it and listened to it scream, let it bite me for a while. Then I started slicing into its skin with my claws." He pauses, then stares down at Zeke. "I was going to skin it alive, but my claw went to deep and I killed it instead."
From the courtyard, Zeke considers this a moment, and he looks up to meet the monsters face, eyes cool. "That's pretty dark brother. What made you do it? What made you want to do it?"
From the courtyard, Moros shrugs broad shoulders. "I don't know. I just... wanted to. I hated it for stealing my food, and I was bored. I enjoyed watching it in pain. I liked that it fought me, that it didn't just curl up and die." He frowns. "I don't torture rats any more... but I still want to. And not simply rats."
From the courtyard, Zeke gives a nod. "Well it's good that you don't, it'd be better if you didn't want to. Have you ever talked to anyone about this before?"
From the courtyard, Moros squints. "No."
From the courtyard, "Do you think that desire emulates Gaia's heart?" Zeke reaches into the water then, watching the fish scatter from the commotion.
From the courtyard, Moros grimaces. "Is that supposed to be a trick question?" He takes a step back from Zeke, no longer looming right in the halfmoon's personal space. Though he's still standing and the other sitting.
From the courtyard, "No, no trick. Just open discussion. You've never talked about this with anyone, so it's not going to be easy I imagine. But I told you it wouldn't change anything on my end, and I will not go against my word. I like learning Moros, and I like gaining knowledge. Discussion is a foundation to both of those things. I don't know your story, nor do you know mine. Maybe you like being the person you are right at this moment. Maybe not. But you came here seeking a fresh start; wanting others to give you that clean slate and a chance to be something you couldn't be elsewhere. I found that those chances only come, when you ditch the slate you've carried in for yourself."
From the courtyard, Moros listens, frowning, then shakes his head slightly. "And... what? Be someone else?" The twist of his mouth says how little he thinks of _that_ idea.
There's a light scratch of shoe on shingles.
From the courtyard, Zeke shrugs a little. "People can be a lot of things. Sometimes, they become one thing because they have to. Sometimes because they lack for something and they have to fend for themselves. Different for everyone. But you have to figure out who you are. Under all the bullshit, the hurt, the bad experiences, the good ones, the successes and failures. Find out who you /really/ are."
From the courtyard, Moros is silent for a short while before saying, "I'll have to think about it."
Ex appears on the roof's peak, with her hands cupped to her mouth. She lets out a loud, wordless shout skywards. Not really a howl of any kind, but perhaps a distant cousin.
From the courtyard, Zeke nods to this, and stands up with a slight grin, "It is something worth thinking about." A pause then, " And I'll offer my opinion. And keep in mind, it's just that- an opinion. But I don't believe Gaia makes monsters. We can make them, and humanity can make them- because we fail Her more than we should. On the flip side of that, I believe she can unmake them too." The halfmoon looks to the roof then, thoughtful, before stretching slightly. "If you're to teach her, help her find what was was left behind, rather than show her a path that will lead her further from it."
From the courtyard, Moros looks toward the roof, his expression mixed. He's troubled and thoughtful, yes, but there's anger there, too, and something uglier. He nods absent-mindedly at Zeke and then starts walking off.
Ex finishes her noise-making and looks down to the courtyard. There's nothing to read in her expression; it's the same small frown she seems to hold as default, with her eyes faintly lidded against the sun.
From the courtyard, Zeke looks up toward the roof, meeting the gaze just briefly and offering a faint wave of greeting. Then he slips inside the house.
----
Greek House: Common Area(#2409RAJ$)
This is the central hub of the house. From here, you can still see the entrance foyer to the west, as well as the stairway that heads to the second story. Towards the eastern side of the common area is a set of glass doors that lead out to a courtyard. To the north, an arched doorway leads to what apparently serves as a less formal lounge, with a couch and an armchair, and to the south, an arched doorway leads to what appears to be a kitchen and dining area.
There are several chairs here, simple, elegant, yet functional in their design and intent. The room has a comfortable feel to it, but is a bit ascetic in design. The walls are off-white, the molding dark cherry wood and decorated with acanthus-leaf ornamentation at the corners. A pair of antique spears are hung crossed against each other on one wall, and a wall-relief depicting a scene of Grecian warriors hangs on the other. Above the mantle of the fireplace is a small statue of Artemis, on either side of that, dark metal candlesticks with ivory pillar candles. The entire room is a study in the contrast of light and dark.
Contents:
Sue
Phoebe
Zeke
Wallchart
Obvious exits:
Downstairs Upstairs Courtyard Out
Phoebe glances back and forth between the basement door and Zeke. There's a touch of frustration in the ahroun. "I think maybe I should have had Wheaties for breakfast, instead, because half of what's gone down this morning has done nothing but perplex me." she tries to make the words amusing, but the ahroun does seem a little out of sorts.
Zeke looks over to Phoebe and nods, "Reggie confused me too, to be honest. We were packmates, but we disagreed on a lot. I wasn't expecting that kind of... reception. And his news was, well, like I said. He makes a terrible galliard." As the kitchen quiets again, he tidies up the last bit of breakfast mess and then leans back on the counter.
Phoebe offers a nod. "I think it was about what happened in the dream." She glances Zeke's way, frowning suddenly. "Did I tell you about that? Waking up in the caern, surrounded by wasps?"
There's a low, but resounding 'thump' from outside.
Zeke shakes his head at that, "No, not yet..." he offers hopefully. The thump gets his attention and he looks out, "Ex, if that's you, last of the omelettes are sitting in here. Get one before they get put away."
Moros comes down the stairs from the second floor.
Moros has arrived.
Phoebe glances toward the thump as well, smiling at Zeke's word.s she pulls up a chair, preparing to explain. "I'll try and make this short and concise, since I'm not a galliard either."
Ex promptly appears at the back door and pushes it open. The cub is sweaty, dirty, and actually has part of a leaf sticking out of her unwashed and unruly hair. Her eyes, always bright, are particularly so today. She stumps right toward the kitchen and stops on the threshold, peering in.
Zeke joins Phoebe at the table, grabbing a chair and turning it to rest his hands on the back as he straddles the seat. "Alright." As Ex comes in, he gives a nod. "Veggies are in the containers, eggs are in the fridge. You'll have to make the omelette yourself though, or just do a scramble with veggies and cheese."
Moros clomps down from upstairs, lumbering into the common area with his head slightly lowered and stringy, greasy hair hanging over his face.
Phoebe gives the cub, and Moros, cursory looks as a greeting, but most of her focus is on Zeke. "I fell sleep," she begins, "Here, in my room. I "woke" in some serene spot with wispy clouds. there were others there. Mouse. Lex. That pompous Get of Fenris? Even a Walker kin. Lots of us." she doesn't name them all. "Anyway, we heard a noise."
Ex considers the kitchen dubiously. She glances over at Moros, then back to the kitchen, and finally moves inside. The vegetables are utterly ignored, but she pulls the eggs out of the refrigerator, and after a moment of staring blankly at the stove, she moves to turn it on, then sets about omelet making.
Zeke holds up a hand, "Figuratively or literally on this sleeping-waking thing?" he asks. As Moros makes his way in, he nods toward the counter again, "Last of the omelette stuff if you wanna make yourself one Moros. Or have Ex make one for you," he grins a little at the offer.
Phoebe pauses at Zeke's question, half smiling. "I'll get to that, she says, holding up a finger. "Because the answer is both. Bear with me. Mouse split us up, sending the new moons to investigate while putting us ahrouns in a place to do something, should something need doing. It turned out to be an injured mother bear, and there were two park rangers trying to wrangle her. They came right up to us, knowing who and what we were. They were relieved and told us to take the cub. Southwest. to the Mountain." Here the Fury shrugs, not sure what to make of all that. "They said they would take care of the mother. That she was dying. That if the cubs stayed they'd do the same harm she did. So we each took a cub. And we ran southwest while they wrangled the mother."
Moros shakes his head mutely at Zeke as he joins the others. His dull red stare's on Phoebe, mostly.
Ex's motions are fairly automatic. She's by no means good at this, nor well practiced, but neither is there hesitation. She cracks the eggs, mixes them up, pours them onto the griddle, adds the vegetables when called for. The omelet's going to be something of a mess, that's clear right away. But it /is/ going to be an omelet.
Zeke casts a quick, curious glance toward the cooking and has nothing but a smile as he turns back toward the story. He nods to suggest he's following along and for her to continue.
Phoebe says "We grew tired and achey, and suddenly everything changed. This was definitely some kind of shared hallucination or dream. Chimera's doing, I'm guessing. Anyway, the scene shifted. We were at the mountain. And then, suddenly, I...woke up. For real. Only I wasn't /here/. I was there. In the caern. In the middle of the nest. And so was everyone else from the dream. And /that/ was very real. We had to crawl out, and we lost someone while doing it. Apparently a pure one cub. I didn't know her. Don't know her name.""
Moros leans with a shoulder against the wall, listening.
Ex also tilts an ear toward the conversation. She takes up a wooden spatula and prods the sizzling egg-vegetable heap with a little too much gusto.
Phoebe takes a deep breath. "Anyway, Mouse seems to think she knows what to do now. That we need to take the emerging new wasp queen to this..place. But we still need to know how to /touch/ the thing without...dying horrible seconds later. She wants the ragabashes scouting."
Zeke eyes the cub once more but makes no correction on her style of cooking. He instead nods to Phoebe. "So new wasp and old wasp, and we gotta get them... sorry. I'm totally lost here."
Ex slops the entire mess onto a plate--one side is significantly darker than the other--and rummages around in the drawers until she finds a fork.
Phoebe explains. "The current wasp queen is dying. I think Mouse is thinking if we take the new one far away, before she hatches, the whole nest will follow her instinctively. Just pick up and move. Thus, leaving our caern to us."
"Bell the cat," Moros mutters, almost inaudibly.
Zeke considers this and ahs, though a look to Moros follows and he grins at the Ahroun's contribution. "Anyone else coming to the same conclusion?"
Phoebe looks around before coming back to Zeke. She seems mildly confused. "Mouse pretty much seemed in charge..." she says, not sure what else to say.
A grin follows, "I meant did anyone else come up with the same idea on what it meant? Any of the others there? Or is she leading this and that's all there is to it?"
Ex eyes the table in the same way someone else might eye a hornet's nest. She approaches cautiously, but does end up sitting down, plate on the table, fork in hand--which she promptly stabs into her egg and vegetable mess. The cub eats with gusto, if nothing else.
Phoebe thinks about it. "Well, Owen...didn't really have much at all to say. And at least once he seemed to defer to Mouse. The rest of us there..." she shrugs. "I'm not sure any of us are in a position to know enough about /everything/ that's going to come to any conclusion. But...Mouse's seems...to make the most sense." She turns her attention to Ex, both mildly surprised and pleased.
The door to the basement is nudged open and then Stands-Between can be heard approaching the kitchen before he actually gets back there. There's a glance to everyone in turn, and he doesn't actually enter the kitchen much, laying down against the doorframe and wall where he'd been before. The young metis is much less agitated than he had been when he stalked off, though Ex is regarded warily.
Zeke watches Ex take a seat at the table but it's very cursory, and he keeps his attention on Phoebe and her retelling of the tale. "Huh. Well, she's got a knack for brain things. She's smart, and clever. And yes, there's a difference between the two and she has both. I really need to catch up with her. Just to say hi." He smiles at this and then looks toward the returned metis. "Glad you've joined us again," this is offered with sincerity before he tacks on the rest. "Though you're not really /joining/ us yet given your form and position. C'mon," he offers more as invitation than command.
Ex's gloved fingers tighten around the fork. She was already holding it like a stabbing implement, but now it's all the more stark. She doesn't look at Sue.
Phoebe seems glad to have the tale finished. She watches Ex eat, and she glanced Sue's way as well. For now, the ahroun remains silent.
Stands-Between heaves a slightly lupine sigh, and pushes to his feet. He doesn't shift, but he does come into the room further, to settle again near Zeke, head tilting to look upwards.
Ex keeps her eyes glued on her plate. If anything, she eats even faster, though she's more stabbing the eggs than forking them.
Zeke watches the subtle changes in both Ex and Sue given their proximity to each other, and narrows his eyes. He stands up, twisting the chair so that he can push it back under the table properly. "I've got some things to do." He looks at the lupus formed metis and then toward Ex. "Ex- do me a favor and clean up your plate before you take off. Sue. From now on, homid in the house." A look passes to Phoebe, but he doesn't wait too long before stepping out the backdoor and taking to his own lupus form, apparently wanting a run.
Phoebe glances between cub and Sue. She noted the fostern metis's look, but it doesn't dawn on her until he's outside what it might mean. "excuse me," she says, slowly, and stands up. Like Zeke, she pushes her chair in and then slips out the back, shifting to wolf.
Ex shovels the rest of the eggs into her mouth, and, still chewing, pushes up from her chair. As requested, she takes the plate and fork to the sink. The cub flips the water on.
The younger halfmoon makes a grumbling whuffing sound, but does, dutifully, shift up to homid, glancing at Ex. "Just because I'm around is no reason to start acting like /that/," he tells her, voice quiet. That seems to be it, though, and Sue moves around the table over to get a glass of juice from the fridge.
Ex's fingers tighten on the fork even more. She puts the plate under the water. It doesn't seem as though she's going to respond, but then, abruptly, she does. "It's okay for /you/."
"No, actually," Sue responds, turning to look at Ex for a brief moment. "It's not, and I'm working on it." The words seem quite genuine, if nothing else.
"Okay," Ex says. There's no feeling, no intonation to her voice. "You're working on it." Her eyes are fixed on her plate and the water; she hasn't once looked in his direction, let alone directly at him.
Sue finishes getting himself a drink, closing the fridge and taking it to the table, then pulling out a chair and sitting down. There's another ever so brief glance towards Ex. "What've you learned lately?" he asks her, though there's no expectation that she actually answer the question.
It's a good thing, because she doesn't. Ex finishes washing off the plate and fork, then turns to leave.
----
Greek House: Common Area(#2409RAJ$)
This is the central hub of the house. From here, you can still see the entrance foyer to the west, as well as the stairway that heads to the second story. Towards the eastern side of the common area is a set of glass doors that lead out to a courtyard. To the north, an arched doorway leads to what apparently serves as a less formal lounge, with a couch and an armchair, and to the south, an arched doorway leads to what appears to be a kitchen and dining area.
There are several chairs here, simple, elegant, yet functional in their design and intent. The room has a comfortable feel to it, but is a bit ascetic in design. The walls are off-white, the molding dark cherry wood and decorated with acanthus-leaf ornamentation at the corners. A pair of antique spears are hung crossed against each other on one wall, and a wall-relief depicting a scene of Grecian warriors hangs on the other. Above the mantle of the fireplace is a small statue of Artemis, on either side of that, dark metal candlesticks with ivory pillar candles. The entire room is a study in the contrast of light and dark.
Contents:
Zeke
Wallchart
Obvious exits:
Downstairs Upstairs Courtyard Out
For once, Ex is inside, and looks to have been for at least a while. She's sprawled in-elegantly on the couch, with a sheaf of printed, badly cared for papers in both hands. Her unruly hair is damp; she likely just finished up with a shower. The cub looks, for the moment at least, like a lazy teenager, despite her age and scars.
Zeke comes up from downstairs, towel around his neck and sweatpants slung lazy on his hips. As he spies the cub he gives a grin over to her, "Morning Ex. Shower open or did someone snag it after you?"
Ex's eyes flick up from the papers. She studies Zeke for a long moment, unhurried. "It's open."
Zeke nods, "Alright. I gotta snag some food first though. You want any? Was thinking of just whipping up some pancakes."
Ex's right eye narrows a little, but she says in the same, toneless voice she usually uses, "Okay."
Zeke nods to this and heads into the kitchen. "Just some instant mix stuff, don't feel like being all domestic today. Wanna help me out though?"
Again there's a significant pause, and then exactly the same, feeling-less, "Okay." Ex appears in the kitchen doorway a few seconds later. She hesitates briefly at the threshold, then eases herself into the room.
"Feel like talking at all? 'Cause admittedly, there's something that I'm curious about." Zeke heads to the fridge to pull out butter and milk, adding very a casual request for her to reach up and snag a bowl to mix the batter with from the upper cabinet.
Maddeningly, Ex responds with exactly the same, "Okay." The request at least inspires a faint tilt of her head, before she does exactly that, pulling the bowl down with only a brief need for tiptoes. If there's a question, however, it never comes. Instead, she passes the bowl off, and takes the opportunity to openly study the Fury metis.
"I like to do a lot of watching people, and I noticed a couple things over the last few weeks. One is, you seem hesitant to come in from wherever you're at. Is that because you're worried folks don't want you coming in to join them? Or is it something else." His questions come without his looking back at her, he's busy with the food prep after all, and very casually asked.
Ex's eyes move from Zeke to his preparations, and from the preparations to the kitchen door. "I don't like this room," she says, eventually. It's with the same toneless voice she used for her 'okay's.
"So other rooms aren't so tricky as this one, alright. That's good to know. You're doing pretty well then, whatever the reason for not liking this room, for pushing through it. I won't ask how you got to disliking it, but someday if you feel like solving my curiosity for things like that, just let me know. Ears and all." He lifts up his hat to show off far larger than normal ears, "Gaia gave me big ears, so she must mean for me to do a lot of listening."
Ex blatantly studies the ears, quiet and intent. Only after she's got a good look does she say, without looking away from them, "It's too small."
The hat gets tugged back down as he sets ingredients into the bowl. "Too small. Hmm, I could see that. But it also has all the food in it. So it's got a plus for that in my books." He hands the bowl full of stuff over toward the cub. "You wanna handle the mixing and I'll get the griddle ready. "Second thing I noticed was how much Sue seems to change your posture. That one concerns me more than the other. What's the hiccup between the two of you?"
Ex accepts the bowl, gripping the whisk with a fist that's not terribly conducive to mixing; though she manages regardless. "He doesn't want me here," she says, flatly. That, it seems, is all she has to say on the matter, but a few seconds later, she breaks her own silence again. "He blames me for not having a dick." Still toneless, still flat. "Because the bitches that hurt him were women."
Zeke glances over at that, perhaps a little caught off guard by the even toned but harsh words used in the phrasing. Another thoughtful mmm passes over him. "So is it that you think less of him for that, or just that you only want to be around people who want you around?"
A small wrinkle appears between Ex's eyes. "When he comes in the room," she says, slowly, "he looks at me, and he changes, and all he wants to do is get away from me. He yells, and he snarls, and growls, he wouldn't teach me even before Life-On-the-Line told him not to, and he thinks I'm just a /problem/." For once, there's at least some emphasis on that word. "And he's friends with the Greedy Bitch."
"Hmm, fair enough. So something about you scares him into acting like he does, right? Would it be fair to say, it's not too different from how /you/ change when you force yourself to come into the kitchen?"
Ex says, with careful emphasis, "I don't have a /dick/." The question, however, inspires a rolling shrug. "I don't yell at the kitchen."
"You said neither does he," he counters with a little grin. "A while ago we talked about being adult, and I'm holding you to the assurance you gave me that you are one. So, hear me out. No, you don't yell at the kitchen- but it remains truth that you're facing something that unsettles you every time you step in here. I can't tell you for sure what happened to Sue to make him the way he is. But he /wants/ to change and he's trying. The males of our tribe, they aren't always treated so fairly as they are here, elsewhere. Some borders on abuse. Some is outright abuse. It changes people. Sometimes so much they can't ever get past it. I'm not telling you this to give him an excuse for his behavior. But I believe there is a big difference for someone having an excuse for their behaviour, and someone having a /reason/ for it. I'm here, because there's more than just Sue who needs to figure out which of those two things they are clinging to."
"But I don't care!" This, an actual exclamation. From anyone but Ex, it would sound understated. Coming from her, it might very well be startling. "/You're/ a guy, and Fezzik, and Kavi. He's doing the same thing. He's treating me like the Other Bitch treats /him/. And he's friends with the fucking Greedy Bitch. If she killed me, he'd be happy. But everyone says he's supposed to be family."
That brings his attention around, and there is just a shift of temperment from him from casual conversation to calm authority. "If you don't care- then how can you expect to be cared about -or wanted- in return?" He pauses just a moment then, tone softening a touch. "/I/ have worked /years/ to undo wrongs done to me. For that matter, so has Kavi. I should know, because I was the one who ran the rite for him. A rite that is sacred to the Black Furies, and that I had to endure much pain to learn." He shakes his head, "I didn't even get the chance to fix myself, until coming here. It's like this place calls to the broken and the abused like a beacon of hope. The trouble is, too often, we bring our brokeness with us and can't figure out how to let go of it. Fezzik... Moros? He /reacts/ differently than Sue, yes. But do not doubt for a minute that he is any less broken than the other. If you drop two bottles, what happens? They both break. It's how they break that's important. One crumples into a pile of broken glass. The other shatters into jagged edged weapons. But neither of them function the way they are meant to while remaining broken."
Ex shakes her head roughly. "No," she says. "I don't care that he's male. Or that /you're/ male, or Fezzik or Kavi or any of them."
"Do you care that they suffered abuse? Take the male out of it. Do you care that they were treated poorly. Hurt. Made to suffer. Given an unfair chance at a decent life? Do you care about that?" asks Zeke.
Ex regards Zeke for a long moment. Her voice might have been showing some signs of life, but her expression hasn't really changed. "...I told Life-On-the-Line we should kill those bitches. Phil's Furies, and Fezzik's too, maybe."
"So you do care." A nod is given to that. "Listen Ex. Justice and revenge /never/ do anything to fix the damage that's already been caused. We seek justice because it's the right thing to do to prevent calamities from happening going forward. All we can do with the aftermath of such horrors, is work to build each other up, fix what we can, and cut some slack for the parts we can't. It's the very thing, with exception of Sue, and I'll give you that, that we're doing for you. You've been treated far more gently than most cubs would be. We've given you time, space, more leeway than most... in hopes you can learn that we truly do want you to find your place here. Among people who will count you as family, and friend."
Ex's lips thin a little as they press together, and she drops her eyes to the pancake batter that she's still mixing with stiff, rote motions. She says nothing.
Zeke seems content to let it go at that, not pressing the topic any further. "Do you ever work out downstairs? On the equipment we have? Or go running with the others in the morning?"
"I punch the bag," Ex says. She's back to complete tonelessness. "I run."
"Just on your own?" he asks. "How about after pancakes, we do some partner stuff?" The griddle is set and he takes the bowl and slathers some mix onto the grill in round dollops.
Ex confirms, "On my own." And then, to the suggestion. "Okay."
Zeke grins at that, "Good. If you're up for it, we'll use the bench. I'll show you some of the exercises you can do on there. First though, let's get these badboys cooking and eaten, right?"
The basement door has been, shall we say, decorated. It's a rough drawing as far as the culprit goes, but it's still a creepy, long limbed figure with no eyes, face apparently wrapped in bandages.
It looks to have been done with a charcoal pencil.
Zeke is following after the Ahroun and has grabbed two small wash towels to throw over his shoulder. As they move toward the basement, which is also where he's been sleeping, he pauses. "I'd have preferred Piper Perabo or, Morena Baccarin..."
Phoebe stops short, staring at the door. She issues a quiet sigh and looks around for X. Zeke's comment doesn't earn a smile, this time. She simply says, "I don't want to discourage her, but I think I'm going to have to impress upon her where it's appropriate, and where it's not."
There's no sign of the cub on the ground floor, but the drawing must be recent.
"She got her own space for anything like that? I know it's not typical to give cubs a /room/ but maybe someplace that she can claim a corner, a section... something for her own?" He looks around then, trying to gauge where she might have hidden herself.
"Ex!" Phoe calls, her voice lacking any real anger. To Zeke, she explains, "She has---/had/--a sketch pad. But Dagny took it, and even though it's been given back, Ex feels...violated. Dagny put her eyes on it and it's tainted now." The ahroun shakes her head, irritation flickering in her eyes. "But no. Not a room. I don't think she likes the basement. None of them do. Not Moros, certainly not Sue, and not Ex."
The door to the courtyard slides open, and Ex appears around it, peering narrowly into the house.
"Well that's all the better for me, the non-basement thing." He admits rather sincerely. Still, he seems to defer to the Ahroun right now given the situation at hand. "We might need an expansion on the house soon."
Kavi has arrived.
Phoebe and Zeke are staring at the basement door, which right now is sporting a lovely new drawing by the artist currently known as X. It's a creepy, elongated figure with no eyes, whose face is apparently wrapped in bandages. The ahroun has just called the cub, who is peering in through the sliding door to the courtyard. Phoe asks, "Is it a present?"
Ex's eyebrows lift, and one eye squints. "Huh?"
Phoebe points at the door.
Zeke steps back and watches, interested but silent.
The approach of the motorcycle can be heard from the front of the house before it pulls to a stop on the gravel.
Ex looks from Phoebe to the door. Nothing about her expression changes, but all Phoebe gets is a terribly unhelpful shrug. The sound of the motorcycle brings instant tension to her shoulders, and she looks toward the door.
Phoebe gestures for the cub to come inside, but knowing she probably won't makes the ahroun continue to speak at a distance anyway. "How come you didn't draw it in your sketchbook?"
Zeke glances back to the sound of the motorcycle, and very quietly offers to Phoebe, "I'll see who's here."
Shortly after the engine dies, there's a knock at the door, a series of three raps, not terribly loud, but enough to be heard.
Ex comes in at least far enough to stand in the doorway, though no farther. "I hid it."
Phoebe nods, first to Zeke and then to Ex. "Yeah, I can understand that, after what happened. But, we can't have you drawing on the walls...and ceiling. It's not where drawings belong. They belong in a sketchbook. If I get you a new one, will you promise to put them there, and not on the walls, furniture, ceilings and floors?"
Ex gives a long suffering sigh. "Okay. You won't tell the Greedy Bitch? You'll beat her up if she comes here?"
Zeke is at the door, and having peeked out, grins a bit, "Phoe, it's Kavi. You up for guests or you want me to keep the conversation outside?" He waits for the answer trusting it will come quick and then opens the door to at least begin the greeting.
Kavi lifts a hand in greeting as Zeke opens the door. "Hey," he offers, though there's a twitch at his brow before he continues. "Are you... Do you have time?"
Phoebe looks from Ex to Zeke, and before she answers the cub, she tells him, "Company's fine. I'm sure Ex would love to see Kavi." Then--and quickly--she tells the cub, "If she comes here and gives you any trouble, you're damn straight I'll beat her up."
Ex's tension seems to ease a little, first at the mention of Kavi, and then, much more, when Phoebe answers her question. The Fury Ahroun gets a very slight nod. "Okay. I'll promise then."
Zeke nods the way in, "Yeah, got time. Everything alright? Just me, Phoe and Ex here right now. Come on in and join us."
Kavi steps inside, nodding in answer to the philodox's question. He hesitates for a fraction of a second when Zeke mentions the cub's presence, but smiles as he takes the next steps and looks across to where she stands. "Hey," he calls again, a bit louder, to include Phoebe and Ex.
Phoebe leads the way into the common room with Ex. She smiles in return. "Evening, Kavi," she says.
Ex looks up, regarding Kavi with an intent, if otherwise blank, expression.
Zeke moves to the couch then, apparently intent on relaxing amidst family and friends. "I think the workout is doomed tonight Phoe. How about first thing in the morning?" he jokes.
Kavi moves toward the seating, but doesn't yet sit. Instead, he watches Ex for a second or two, the smile fading a little as he studies her. He finds it again, but it comes with a questioning furrow to his brow. "How are you?"
Phoebes amusement is brief as she looks to Zeke. "I have pack training first thing in the morning. Of course, I could wake you before the sun, work out with you, and /then/ go to training. If you want to get up at 5?" She seems serious.
"I'm okay," Ex says. "I'm learning. Life on the Line and Fezzik are teaching me. I killed a big ugly dog. Phil's an asshole. This place is nice."
Zeke nods to Phoebe, "Uh yeah um. Can I decide once I figure out what time I fall asleep tonight?" He grins a bit, offering a sheepish grin until the conversation from Ex crosses his attention. He watches Kavi's interaction with the cub with new curiosity.
Phoebe's dark eyes remain amused, but she too is looking at Ex after that.
Kavi studies Ex, considering her response, for a moment longer than it takes the cub to give it, and then he nods, the smile more firmly in place again. "Good," he says. "I'm glad you're doing well. Rina was asking about you. About how you are? And if there's anything you need." He glances to Zeke, then, and the smile fades.
Moros comes down the stairs from the second floor.
Moros has arrived.
Ex shakes her head from side to side, before a thought occurs to her. "You could beat up the Greedy Bitch."
Phoebe silently pinches the bridge of her nose, but it's a momentary thing that soon passes.
Moros clomps down from the upstairs in his big heavy boots and his big heavy steps.
Ex glances toward Phoebe, and then adds, "With Life-On-the-Line."
Zeke looks to Kavi, "How is /she/ doing?" asks the halfmoon to the Walker. "Did you talk to her more about what you asked of me?"
Kavi's focus is pulled back to Ex, and his brows rise. "Has she--" He look to Phoebe, and then to Moros when he appears. "Has she done something more?" There's something in his posture that suggests he would not turn down Ex's request if the answer were yes. "I. I asked Jack to... It was a philodox's job to address the litany." Only at the end does he look again to Zeke and he catches his lower lip between his teeth. "That's why I came," he says, his voice dropping lower, and though he looks back to the others, he moves closer to the philodox.
Phoebe turns towards the stairs as Moros joins them. She offers the large metis a simple nod of greeting before turning back and answering Kavi. "No, she hasn't done anything new. Not that I'm aware of, anywya." A look to Ex and she adds, "But there doesn't need to be anything new, since the old is still there."
There's another shake of the head from Ex, before her attention shifts to Moros. He doesn't get any kind of greeting either, but she does give him the same intent look that she gave Kavi. The basement door is still sporting a rather creepy drawing of a figure with elongated arms, no eyes, and a bandage wrapped face.
Moros lets his red-eyed stare pass over the group, lingering unsmilingly on each face and ending at last on Ex's drawing on the basement door. He stares at this, head tilted.
Zeke nods to Kavi and leans in to converse with him in softer, more private tones. A glance passes over Moros as he enters, and he does a moderate job of splitting his attention for that brief moment.
Kavi gives another glance to Phoebe, and then to Ex, nodding once in understanding or agreement, and then he turns to Zeke and settles onto a nearby seat. His voice is soft, but not so quiet that it would be impossible to hear. "She. She's worried. Mostly about... About if I would be okay. She asked for a little time. To... To think about it, and not to think about it. But I think she'll be ready, soon."
Phoebe lets Kavi and Zeke speak, turning to give them more privacy. she looks to Ex and asks, "Would it be a problem if we washed the door?"
Ex turns and considers the door for a long moment. Then she shrugs again. "No."
Moros wrinkles his nose briefly, then hunkers down into a sit on some of the bottommost stairs. His face is full of distant thunder, a hint of possible bad weather on the horizon.
Zeke nods to Kavi, "No rush, at least not yet. I don't think I'm meant to leave for a while yet. So, perhaps the visit will be a bit more of a season, and not just a vacation. Just keep me in the loop Kavi, anything I can do to help." He turns back to catch Ex's response, but again remains out of the interaction.
Phoebe begins to walk back toward the kitchen and the basement door. "Ok, good. Thank you, Ex. I promise to pick up a new sketchbook tomorrow." She eyes Moros as she passes the stairs, noting the brooding, dark look without commenting on it.
Ex heaves a little bit of a sigh, but she doesn't seem to have much else to contribute. The cub eases back toward the door, and glances outside.
Kavi nods to the philodox, but again catches his lip between his teeth. "Zeke? There's... Jack mentioned, and. And I wondered if. He said he thought he remembered that your tribe has a rite. To... to help women who were..." He swallows, and his voice drops to a whisper.
Moros's attention slowly wanders over toward Kavi and Zeke and stays there, more or less. Apart from that feeling of anger on low ebb (but ready to burst forth at a moment's notice), his face is rather disturbingly blank.
Phoebe gets a small bucket and fills it cleaner, soap, and water. She finds a couple of rags and sets it all down in front of the basement door. "We may have to repaint, too. But, that could be fun. Right?" she asks of Ex before setting in to see if the drawing will clean up.
Zeke looks to Kavi, all seriousness in his expression. When the words reach him, there's a decidely disappointed look to the halfmoon. A shake of his head follows, and a low voiced return. "I know of it, I know exactly which one you're speaking of. But I have not been taught it. I'm sorry Kavi."
It's messy, as charcoal tends to be, but water and a little scrubbing gets it off well enough. The question to Ex, however, catches her just as she starts slipping back out the door. She glances back, and a wrinkle appears between her eyebrows.
Kavi swallows again, and he looks hard at Zeke. "But. It's real? It... It's..." The words don't come, though his jaw works as though to speak, and after a moment he simply swallows again.
Phoebe catches Ex as she's leaving, and it makes the ahroun frown. "I don't suppose you'd want to, would you? Help me paint?"
Moros's gaze slowly wanders back over toward Phoebe, then shifts to Ex.
Ex stares at Phoebe for a moment, that wrinkle growing, then looks at the basement door. "Okay," she says, though this time without the shrug. She hovers in the doorway, neither fully inside nor out.
Zeke nods to Kavi, "I wouldn't joke about something like that Kavi. I've seen it first hand." He lingers on this thought for a moment and then offers a smile, "One thing at a time though I imagine. But maybe if all goes well we can appeal to my mother's sept for some counsel on it."
Kavi watches the philodox for a moment more before he nods. "Okay," he says aloud, his voice just barely more than a whisper, still. "Okay. And. And thank you."
Phoebe continues washing the door, every once in a while looking to the cub. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it might be fun. We could practice our words. Have you been practicing?"
"Yes." And this time, Ex is a lot more firm in her answer. "Mother's Tongue, archery, punching, climbing, running. And some more research, a week ago before the moon got too large."
Zeke nods, "Alright. It's either workout now, or bed now and workout tomorrow. Either way, I need to excuse myself from the party here guys. Phoe, see you in the morning." He clasps a hand briefly on Kavi, "I heard Mouse was back, so I'd like to come down to your neck of the woods this week. I'll see you soon ok?" A final nod to the remaining occupants, "Moros, Ex, g'night you two." Then he heads into that very door they were working on, into ... the basement.
Moros's eyes track Zeke as the other metis vanishes into the basement, and his mouth scrunches briefly into a scowl. Abruptly he stands up and wanders into the room proper.
Kavi's flinch is small but noticeable to anyone looking when Zeke reaches out to him. He doesn't pull away, though, and nods at the philodox's words. Once Zeke leaves, he turns his focus to the cub, and watches her in silence for a moment.
Phoebe asks, overly curious, "Research on what?" The ahroun scoots out of the way to let Zeke through the door, and she nods to him in answer, just before he disappears.
"Feminism," Ex replies. "Humanism. Rape culture." One finger scratches at the scar running along her cheek. "That kind've stuff."
Moros stalks the common room, passing by each chair and running a hand lightly across the back, and eventually ends up over by the antique crossed swords on the wall. He regards this with tilted head, looking distantly thoughtful.
Phoebe's expression grows at least mildly disconcerted. She looks to Moros, but that doesn't help, so she looks to Kavi. Eventually she just goes back to the door. "Heavy subjects."
Kavi's gaze follows Moros as the giant walks through the room, but then his gaze shifts back to Ex and Phoebe. Something in Ex's words increases the tension in his shoulders, but he takes a breath and it settles again. After glancing again to the metis, he crosses closer to the others.
Ex shrugs at this. "They're Fury things, right? Feminism is. The other ones relate to it. So they're important." She glances briefly toward Kavi, and her eyebrows tick a little higher. "I can't go to the library right now though."
"They are," Phoe agrees. The door is clean, now, and the fostern ahroun takes the rags and bucket back to the kitchen to dump and rinse out. Ex's comment reminds her of something, and she turns to the Walker in particular. "Kavi, if I wanted to gte a car, could you help me with that? I...I had a permit, when I came here, and my dad had taught me a little. But I haven't driven since I changed. but now I think I might want to..." she glances at Ex, then back to Kavi. "Might like to go to the city on occasion."
Moros lowers his head as he turns it, not quite looking over at the other three.
Kavi may have been intending to speak, to say something about the previous topic, but when Phoebe addresses him, he looks to her, mild surprise in his expression. "I--" He, too, glances to Ex, and then returns to the fostern. "I can. We can... if you want a real license? We can help you with that, too."
Ex seems to take this change in topic away from her as permission, because she slips all the way out through the door, and closes it behind her. She walks out of view, toward where the archery supplies are stored.
Phoebe thinks about it some more as she puts the bucket away under the sink. "I might need lessons, as well," she comments to no one in particular. Then, another thought. "Maybe a scooter?"
Kavi's gaze turns again to Ex, watching as she leaves, and his teeth catch at his lower lip. "We can... We can help." He swallows, finally turning from Ex long after she stepped out of view. "How is she doing?"
Moros is very clearly listening, though he hardly moves but for the slight curling twitch of thick fingers.
Phoebe only seems to realize Ex has slipped out the door when Kavi points it out. There's a small, huffed exhale of air before she answers. "Some good, some bad. I see progress, but honestly Kavi, I don't feel like we're getting through to her on any meaningful level, and it worries me."
Kavi draws in a breath, gaze ticking briefly to the door before returning to Phoebe. "What... what are you thinking? What are you... expecting?"
Moros shifts his weight, turning so that he can stare at the two homids.
Phoebe shakes her heads, the lift of her shoulder proving she's uncertain. "I don't know. Some idea that she understands what it all means, maybe, beyond satisfying any current, immediate need of hers." She glances through the door to where the girl is, down by the archery butts. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's all there and I'm just not that good at seeing it in her."
Kavi catches the corner of his lip, and turns to Moros. "What do you see?" he asks, only in speaking releasing that hold.
Moros, surprised to actually be addressed directly, tips his head to the side. Slowly, he says, "She's smart. She learns. She _seeks_ learning." A beat. "She's fierce. She pushes. She fights." He grins a little, unpleasantly. "She reminds me of me. Not... and _easy_ cub."
Phoebe listens to Moros's assessment, and while she doesn't disagree with it, she clearly thinks there's more to it. "Not easy, no," is what she chooses to say in answer. Then, looking back to Kavi, she adds, "I think she needs better teachers. I can teach her basics, but she needs...she needs someone with more experience to teach her deeper things."
Kavi listens, watching Moros and then Phoebe as they speak. He nods, at the end, and looks back through the door with a furrowed brow. "After the vampire is gone... I'll have more time. I." He looks back to the giant, the furrow still there. "She's not easy, because she's had to survive too much, had to learn ways to survive. She's hard to teach, because the others... they want to make her give up what she needed to survive. She needs to learn the deeper things without... Without being told to give up what she has. But she can do it."
Moros tips his head, squinting a little as he considers Kavi's words. He doesn't say anything, though he doesn't seem to find fault there, either.
Phoebe seems to agree with the adren, as well. "Maybe it's just patience I lack. This moon has been...exceptionally trying, at time, too. We'll just have to take it one day at a time, I guess."
Kavi brings a hand up to rake back through his hair. "I... I need to go. But. Tell her I'll be back. And if you want help. With the car? I. It might have to wait until after the vampire, but after that? Just. Just call. Or come to the tenement."
Phoebe nods her understanding. "Sure. Thank you, Kavi-rhya." The Fury walks him to the front door.
Moros turns away, heading for the glass doors to the courtyard.
----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 From: Harper At: Wed Sep 5 10:11:14 2012
Fldr : 0 Status: Unread
To : *Black_Furies, Twitch, Ex
Subject: Harper's Departure
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The meeting took place late in the evening on the fourth of September. A fully decked out GMC Envoy pulled up to the Fury house and deposted four people onto the steps of Greek House. A closed door discussion took place for more than a few hours between the elders of the Furies and the visitors who had come, though Harper was among them. In the end, the cub who had come to be seen as one struggling with her fate left with them. For those who might have caught a glimpse of these visitors, it would be easily seen they were all quite well bred; a man in his mid thirties, and three women. It may as well have been Fury royalty showing up on those steps given their appearance and posture. They left as quietly as they came, and only those who were privvy to the discussion know for certain who they were.
OOC: Harper's gone with them. Phoebe and Melodie would be the Fury's on hand who know the story.
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Greek House: Common Area(#2409RAJ$)
This is the central hub of the house. From here, you can still see the entrance foyer to the west, as well as the stairway that heads to the second story. Towards the eastern side of the common area is a set of glass doors that lead out to a courtyard. To the north, an arched doorway leads to what apparently serves as a less formal lounge, with a couch and an armchair, and to the south, an arched doorway leads to what appears to be a kitchen and dining area.
There are several chairs here, simple, elegant, yet functional in their design and intent. The room has a comfortable feel to it, but is a bit ascetic in design. The walls are off-white, the molding dark cherry wood and decorated with acanthus-leaf ornamentation at the corners. A pair of antique spears are hung crossed against each other on one wall, and a wall-relief depicting a scene of Grecian warriors hangs on the other. Above the mantle of the fireplace is a small statue of Artemis, on either side of that, dark metal candlesticks with ivory pillar candles. The entire room is a study in the contrast of light and dark.
Contents:
Sue
Wallchart
Obvious exits:
Downstairs Upstairs Courtyard Out
Greek House: Roof(#439RJ)
Up on top of the Fury House, on what is a pitched roof with gable ends, there's a stunning view out over the forests to the east of the house. To the west, the driveway runs up to Sunrise Road, visibly cutting through the trees. To the north, Nicholson Hall is viewable, and it's just possible to make out the I-90 beyond, on a clear day.
Obvious exits:
Down To Lawn Down To Courtyard
From the courtyard, "As long as I can remember," rumbles the big fullmoon. His eyes narrow, gaze going distant. "A rat got into my basement once, back when I was... young. Before I Firsted. It would eat my food if I left any, if I tried to save any for later. It took me a long time to catch it, but eventually I did." His head tips to one side as he recalls the incident. "I bit off its ears first. Then its tail, in pieces. Held it and listened to it scream, let it bite me for a while. Then I started slicing into its skin with my claws." He pauses, then stares down at Zeke. "I was going to skin it alive, but my claw went to deep and I killed it instead."
From the courtyard, Zeke considers this a moment, and he looks up to meet the monsters face, eyes cool. "That's pretty dark brother. What made you do it? What made you want to do it?"
From the courtyard, Moros shrugs broad shoulders. "I don't know. I just... wanted to. I hated it for stealing my food, and I was bored. I enjoyed watching it in pain. I liked that it fought me, that it didn't just curl up and die." He frowns. "I don't torture rats any more... but I still want to. And not simply rats."
From the courtyard, Zeke gives a nod. "Well it's good that you don't, it'd be better if you didn't want to. Have you ever talked to anyone about this before?"
From the courtyard, Moros squints. "No."
From the courtyard, "Do you think that desire emulates Gaia's heart?" Zeke reaches into the water then, watching the fish scatter from the commotion.
From the courtyard, Moros grimaces. "Is that supposed to be a trick question?" He takes a step back from Zeke, no longer looming right in the halfmoon's personal space. Though he's still standing and the other sitting.
From the courtyard, "No, no trick. Just open discussion. You've never talked about this with anyone, so it's not going to be easy I imagine. But I told you it wouldn't change anything on my end, and I will not go against my word. I like learning Moros, and I like gaining knowledge. Discussion is a foundation to both of those things. I don't know your story, nor do you know mine. Maybe you like being the person you are right at this moment. Maybe not. But you came here seeking a fresh start; wanting others to give you that clean slate and a chance to be something you couldn't be elsewhere. I found that those chances only come, when you ditch the slate you've carried in for yourself."
From the courtyard, Moros listens, frowning, then shakes his head slightly. "And... what? Be someone else?" The twist of his mouth says how little he thinks of _that_ idea.
There's a light scratch of shoe on shingles.
From the courtyard, Zeke shrugs a little. "People can be a lot of things. Sometimes, they become one thing because they have to. Sometimes because they lack for something and they have to fend for themselves. Different for everyone. But you have to figure out who you are. Under all the bullshit, the hurt, the bad experiences, the good ones, the successes and failures. Find out who you /really/ are."
From the courtyard, Moros is silent for a short while before saying, "I'll have to think about it."
Ex appears on the roof's peak, with her hands cupped to her mouth. She lets out a loud, wordless shout skywards. Not really a howl of any kind, but perhaps a distant cousin.
From the courtyard, Zeke nods to this, and stands up with a slight grin, "It is something worth thinking about." A pause then, " And I'll offer my opinion. And keep in mind, it's just that- an opinion. But I don't believe Gaia makes monsters. We can make them, and humanity can make them- because we fail Her more than we should. On the flip side of that, I believe she can unmake them too." The halfmoon looks to the roof then, thoughtful, before stretching slightly. "If you're to teach her, help her find what was was left behind, rather than show her a path that will lead her further from it."
From the courtyard, Moros looks toward the roof, his expression mixed. He's troubled and thoughtful, yes, but there's anger there, too, and something uglier. He nods absent-mindedly at Zeke and then starts walking off.
Ex finishes her noise-making and looks down to the courtyard. There's nothing to read in her expression; it's the same small frown she seems to hold as default, with her eyes faintly lidded against the sun.
From the courtyard, Zeke looks up toward the roof, meeting the gaze just briefly and offering a faint wave of greeting. Then he slips inside the house.
----
Greek House: Common Area(#2409RAJ$)
This is the central hub of the house. From here, you can still see the entrance foyer to the west, as well as the stairway that heads to the second story. Towards the eastern side of the common area is a set of glass doors that lead out to a courtyard. To the north, an arched doorway leads to what apparently serves as a less formal lounge, with a couch and an armchair, and to the south, an arched doorway leads to what appears to be a kitchen and dining area.
There are several chairs here, simple, elegant, yet functional in their design and intent. The room has a comfortable feel to it, but is a bit ascetic in design. The walls are off-white, the molding dark cherry wood and decorated with acanthus-leaf ornamentation at the corners. A pair of antique spears are hung crossed against each other on one wall, and a wall-relief depicting a scene of Grecian warriors hangs on the other. Above the mantle of the fireplace is a small statue of Artemis, on either side of that, dark metal candlesticks with ivory pillar candles. The entire room is a study in the contrast of light and dark.
Contents:
Sue
Phoebe
Zeke
Wallchart
Obvious exits:
Downstairs Upstairs Courtyard Out
Phoebe glances back and forth between the basement door and Zeke. There's a touch of frustration in the ahroun. "I think maybe I should have had Wheaties for breakfast, instead, because half of what's gone down this morning has done nothing but perplex me." she tries to make the words amusing, but the ahroun does seem a little out of sorts.
Zeke looks over to Phoebe and nods, "Reggie confused me too, to be honest. We were packmates, but we disagreed on a lot. I wasn't expecting that kind of... reception. And his news was, well, like I said. He makes a terrible galliard." As the kitchen quiets again, he tidies up the last bit of breakfast mess and then leans back on the counter.
Phoebe offers a nod. "I think it was about what happened in the dream." She glances Zeke's way, frowning suddenly. "Did I tell you about that? Waking up in the caern, surrounded by wasps?"
There's a low, but resounding 'thump' from outside.
Zeke shakes his head at that, "No, not yet..." he offers hopefully. The thump gets his attention and he looks out, "Ex, if that's you, last of the omelettes are sitting in here. Get one before they get put away."
Moros comes down the stairs from the second floor.
Moros has arrived.
Phoebe glances toward the thump as well, smiling at Zeke's word.s she pulls up a chair, preparing to explain. "I'll try and make this short and concise, since I'm not a galliard either."
Ex promptly appears at the back door and pushes it open. The cub is sweaty, dirty, and actually has part of a leaf sticking out of her unwashed and unruly hair. Her eyes, always bright, are particularly so today. She stumps right toward the kitchen and stops on the threshold, peering in.
Zeke joins Phoebe at the table, grabbing a chair and turning it to rest his hands on the back as he straddles the seat. "Alright." As Ex comes in, he gives a nod. "Veggies are in the containers, eggs are in the fridge. You'll have to make the omelette yourself though, or just do a scramble with veggies and cheese."
Moros clomps down from upstairs, lumbering into the common area with his head slightly lowered and stringy, greasy hair hanging over his face.
Phoebe gives the cub, and Moros, cursory looks as a greeting, but most of her focus is on Zeke. "I fell sleep," she begins, "Here, in my room. I "woke" in some serene spot with wispy clouds. there were others there. Mouse. Lex. That pompous Get of Fenris? Even a Walker kin. Lots of us." she doesn't name them all. "Anyway, we heard a noise."
Ex considers the kitchen dubiously. She glances over at Moros, then back to the kitchen, and finally moves inside. The vegetables are utterly ignored, but she pulls the eggs out of the refrigerator, and after a moment of staring blankly at the stove, she moves to turn it on, then sets about omelet making.
Zeke holds up a hand, "Figuratively or literally on this sleeping-waking thing?" he asks. As Moros makes his way in, he nods toward the counter again, "Last of the omelette stuff if you wanna make yourself one Moros. Or have Ex make one for you," he grins a little at the offer.
Phoebe pauses at Zeke's question, half smiling. "I'll get to that, she says, holding up a finger. "Because the answer is both. Bear with me. Mouse split us up, sending the new moons to investigate while putting us ahrouns in a place to do something, should something need doing. It turned out to be an injured mother bear, and there were two park rangers trying to wrangle her. They came right up to us, knowing who and what we were. They were relieved and told us to take the cub. Southwest. to the Mountain." Here the Fury shrugs, not sure what to make of all that. "They said they would take care of the mother. That she was dying. That if the cubs stayed they'd do the same harm she did. So we each took a cub. And we ran southwest while they wrangled the mother."
Moros shakes his head mutely at Zeke as he joins the others. His dull red stare's on Phoebe, mostly.
Ex's motions are fairly automatic. She's by no means good at this, nor well practiced, but neither is there hesitation. She cracks the eggs, mixes them up, pours them onto the griddle, adds the vegetables when called for. The omelet's going to be something of a mess, that's clear right away. But it /is/ going to be an omelet.
Zeke casts a quick, curious glance toward the cooking and has nothing but a smile as he turns back toward the story. He nods to suggest he's following along and for her to continue.
Phoebe says "We grew tired and achey, and suddenly everything changed. This was definitely some kind of shared hallucination or dream. Chimera's doing, I'm guessing. Anyway, the scene shifted. We were at the mountain. And then, suddenly, I...woke up. For real. Only I wasn't /here/. I was there. In the caern. In the middle of the nest. And so was everyone else from the dream. And /that/ was very real. We had to crawl out, and we lost someone while doing it. Apparently a pure one cub. I didn't know her. Don't know her name.""
Moros leans with a shoulder against the wall, listening.
Ex also tilts an ear toward the conversation. She takes up a wooden spatula and prods the sizzling egg-vegetable heap with a little too much gusto.
Phoebe takes a deep breath. "Anyway, Mouse seems to think she knows what to do now. That we need to take the emerging new wasp queen to this..place. But we still need to know how to /touch/ the thing without...dying horrible seconds later. She wants the ragabashes scouting."
Zeke eyes the cub once more but makes no correction on her style of cooking. He instead nods to Phoebe. "So new wasp and old wasp, and we gotta get them... sorry. I'm totally lost here."
Ex slops the entire mess onto a plate--one side is significantly darker than the other--and rummages around in the drawers until she finds a fork.
Phoebe explains. "The current wasp queen is dying. I think Mouse is thinking if we take the new one far away, before she hatches, the whole nest will follow her instinctively. Just pick up and move. Thus, leaving our caern to us."
"Bell the cat," Moros mutters, almost inaudibly.
Zeke considers this and ahs, though a look to Moros follows and he grins at the Ahroun's contribution. "Anyone else coming to the same conclusion?"
Phoebe looks around before coming back to Zeke. She seems mildly confused. "Mouse pretty much seemed in charge..." she says, not sure what else to say.
A grin follows, "I meant did anyone else come up with the same idea on what it meant? Any of the others there? Or is she leading this and that's all there is to it?"
Ex eyes the table in the same way someone else might eye a hornet's nest. She approaches cautiously, but does end up sitting down, plate on the table, fork in hand--which she promptly stabs into her egg and vegetable mess. The cub eats with gusto, if nothing else.
Phoebe thinks about it. "Well, Owen...didn't really have much at all to say. And at least once he seemed to defer to Mouse. The rest of us there..." she shrugs. "I'm not sure any of us are in a position to know enough about /everything/ that's going to come to any conclusion. But...Mouse's seems...to make the most sense." She turns her attention to Ex, both mildly surprised and pleased.
The door to the basement is nudged open and then Stands-Between can be heard approaching the kitchen before he actually gets back there. There's a glance to everyone in turn, and he doesn't actually enter the kitchen much, laying down against the doorframe and wall where he'd been before. The young metis is much less agitated than he had been when he stalked off, though Ex is regarded warily.
Zeke watches Ex take a seat at the table but it's very cursory, and he keeps his attention on Phoebe and her retelling of the tale. "Huh. Well, she's got a knack for brain things. She's smart, and clever. And yes, there's a difference between the two and she has both. I really need to catch up with her. Just to say hi." He smiles at this and then looks toward the returned metis. "Glad you've joined us again," this is offered with sincerity before he tacks on the rest. "Though you're not really /joining/ us yet given your form and position. C'mon," he offers more as invitation than command.
Ex's gloved fingers tighten around the fork. She was already holding it like a stabbing implement, but now it's all the more stark. She doesn't look at Sue.
Phoebe seems glad to have the tale finished. She watches Ex eat, and she glanced Sue's way as well. For now, the ahroun remains silent.
Stands-Between heaves a slightly lupine sigh, and pushes to his feet. He doesn't shift, but he does come into the room further, to settle again near Zeke, head tilting to look upwards.
Ex keeps her eyes glued on her plate. If anything, she eats even faster, though she's more stabbing the eggs than forking them.
Zeke watches the subtle changes in both Ex and Sue given their proximity to each other, and narrows his eyes. He stands up, twisting the chair so that he can push it back under the table properly. "I've got some things to do." He looks at the lupus formed metis and then toward Ex. "Ex- do me a favor and clean up your plate before you take off. Sue. From now on, homid in the house." A look passes to Phoebe, but he doesn't wait too long before stepping out the backdoor and taking to his own lupus form, apparently wanting a run.
Phoebe glances between cub and Sue. She noted the fostern metis's look, but it doesn't dawn on her until he's outside what it might mean. "excuse me," she says, slowly, and stands up. Like Zeke, she pushes her chair in and then slips out the back, shifting to wolf.
Ex shovels the rest of the eggs into her mouth, and, still chewing, pushes up from her chair. As requested, she takes the plate and fork to the sink. The cub flips the water on.
The younger halfmoon makes a grumbling whuffing sound, but does, dutifully, shift up to homid, glancing at Ex. "Just because I'm around is no reason to start acting like /that/," he tells her, voice quiet. That seems to be it, though, and Sue moves around the table over to get a glass of juice from the fridge.
Ex's fingers tighten on the fork even more. She puts the plate under the water. It doesn't seem as though she's going to respond, but then, abruptly, she does. "It's okay for /you/."
"No, actually," Sue responds, turning to look at Ex for a brief moment. "It's not, and I'm working on it." The words seem quite genuine, if nothing else.
"Okay," Ex says. There's no feeling, no intonation to her voice. "You're working on it." Her eyes are fixed on her plate and the water; she hasn't once looked in his direction, let alone directly at him.
Sue finishes getting himself a drink, closing the fridge and taking it to the table, then pulling out a chair and sitting down. There's another ever so brief glance towards Ex. "What've you learned lately?" he asks her, though there's no expectation that she actually answer the question.
It's a good thing, because she doesn't. Ex finishes washing off the plate and fork, then turns to leave.
----
Greek House: Common Area(#2409RAJ$)
This is the central hub of the house. From here, you can still see the entrance foyer to the west, as well as the stairway that heads to the second story. Towards the eastern side of the common area is a set of glass doors that lead out to a courtyard. To the north, an arched doorway leads to what apparently serves as a less formal lounge, with a couch and an armchair, and to the south, an arched doorway leads to what appears to be a kitchen and dining area.
There are several chairs here, simple, elegant, yet functional in their design and intent. The room has a comfortable feel to it, but is a bit ascetic in design. The walls are off-white, the molding dark cherry wood and decorated with acanthus-leaf ornamentation at the corners. A pair of antique spears are hung crossed against each other on one wall, and a wall-relief depicting a scene of Grecian warriors hangs on the other. Above the mantle of the fireplace is a small statue of Artemis, on either side of that, dark metal candlesticks with ivory pillar candles. The entire room is a study in the contrast of light and dark.
Contents:
Zeke
Wallchart
Obvious exits:
Downstairs Upstairs Courtyard Out
For once, Ex is inside, and looks to have been for at least a while. She's sprawled in-elegantly on the couch, with a sheaf of printed, badly cared for papers in both hands. Her unruly hair is damp; she likely just finished up with a shower. The cub looks, for the moment at least, like a lazy teenager, despite her age and scars.
Zeke comes up from downstairs, towel around his neck and sweatpants slung lazy on his hips. As he spies the cub he gives a grin over to her, "Morning Ex. Shower open or did someone snag it after you?"
Ex's eyes flick up from the papers. She studies Zeke for a long moment, unhurried. "It's open."
Zeke nods, "Alright. I gotta snag some food first though. You want any? Was thinking of just whipping up some pancakes."
Ex's right eye narrows a little, but she says in the same, toneless voice she usually uses, "Okay."
Zeke nods to this and heads into the kitchen. "Just some instant mix stuff, don't feel like being all domestic today. Wanna help me out though?"
Again there's a significant pause, and then exactly the same, feeling-less, "Okay." Ex appears in the kitchen doorway a few seconds later. She hesitates briefly at the threshold, then eases herself into the room.
"Feel like talking at all? 'Cause admittedly, there's something that I'm curious about." Zeke heads to the fridge to pull out butter and milk, adding very a casual request for her to reach up and snag a bowl to mix the batter with from the upper cabinet.
Maddeningly, Ex responds with exactly the same, "Okay." The request at least inspires a faint tilt of her head, before she does exactly that, pulling the bowl down with only a brief need for tiptoes. If there's a question, however, it never comes. Instead, she passes the bowl off, and takes the opportunity to openly study the Fury metis.
"I like to do a lot of watching people, and I noticed a couple things over the last few weeks. One is, you seem hesitant to come in from wherever you're at. Is that because you're worried folks don't want you coming in to join them? Or is it something else." His questions come without his looking back at her, he's busy with the food prep after all, and very casually asked.
Ex's eyes move from Zeke to his preparations, and from the preparations to the kitchen door. "I don't like this room," she says, eventually. It's with the same toneless voice she used for her 'okay's.
"So other rooms aren't so tricky as this one, alright. That's good to know. You're doing pretty well then, whatever the reason for not liking this room, for pushing through it. I won't ask how you got to disliking it, but someday if you feel like solving my curiosity for things like that, just let me know. Ears and all." He lifts up his hat to show off far larger than normal ears, "Gaia gave me big ears, so she must mean for me to do a lot of listening."
Ex blatantly studies the ears, quiet and intent. Only after she's got a good look does she say, without looking away from them, "It's too small."
The hat gets tugged back down as he sets ingredients into the bowl. "Too small. Hmm, I could see that. But it also has all the food in it. So it's got a plus for that in my books." He hands the bowl full of stuff over toward the cub. "You wanna handle the mixing and I'll get the griddle ready. "Second thing I noticed was how much Sue seems to change your posture. That one concerns me more than the other. What's the hiccup between the two of you?"
Ex accepts the bowl, gripping the whisk with a fist that's not terribly conducive to mixing; though she manages regardless. "He doesn't want me here," she says, flatly. That, it seems, is all she has to say on the matter, but a few seconds later, she breaks her own silence again. "He blames me for not having a dick." Still toneless, still flat. "Because the bitches that hurt him were women."
Zeke glances over at that, perhaps a little caught off guard by the even toned but harsh words used in the phrasing. Another thoughtful mmm passes over him. "So is it that you think less of him for that, or just that you only want to be around people who want you around?"
A small wrinkle appears between Ex's eyes. "When he comes in the room," she says, slowly, "he looks at me, and he changes, and all he wants to do is get away from me. He yells, and he snarls, and growls, he wouldn't teach me even before Life-On-the-Line told him not to, and he thinks I'm just a /problem/." For once, there's at least some emphasis on that word. "And he's friends with the Greedy Bitch."
"Hmm, fair enough. So something about you scares him into acting like he does, right? Would it be fair to say, it's not too different from how /you/ change when you force yourself to come into the kitchen?"
Ex says, with careful emphasis, "I don't have a /dick/." The question, however, inspires a rolling shrug. "I don't yell at the kitchen."
"You said neither does he," he counters with a little grin. "A while ago we talked about being adult, and I'm holding you to the assurance you gave me that you are one. So, hear me out. No, you don't yell at the kitchen- but it remains truth that you're facing something that unsettles you every time you step in here. I can't tell you for sure what happened to Sue to make him the way he is. But he /wants/ to change and he's trying. The males of our tribe, they aren't always treated so fairly as they are here, elsewhere. Some borders on abuse. Some is outright abuse. It changes people. Sometimes so much they can't ever get past it. I'm not telling you this to give him an excuse for his behavior. But I believe there is a big difference for someone having an excuse for their behaviour, and someone having a /reason/ for it. I'm here, because there's more than just Sue who needs to figure out which of those two things they are clinging to."
"But I don't care!" This, an actual exclamation. From anyone but Ex, it would sound understated. Coming from her, it might very well be startling. "/You're/ a guy, and Fezzik, and Kavi. He's doing the same thing. He's treating me like the Other Bitch treats /him/. And he's friends with the fucking Greedy Bitch. If she killed me, he'd be happy. But everyone says he's supposed to be family."
That brings his attention around, and there is just a shift of temperment from him from casual conversation to calm authority. "If you don't care- then how can you expect to be cared about -or wanted- in return?" He pauses just a moment then, tone softening a touch. "/I/ have worked /years/ to undo wrongs done to me. For that matter, so has Kavi. I should know, because I was the one who ran the rite for him. A rite that is sacred to the Black Furies, and that I had to endure much pain to learn." He shakes his head, "I didn't even get the chance to fix myself, until coming here. It's like this place calls to the broken and the abused like a beacon of hope. The trouble is, too often, we bring our brokeness with us and can't figure out how to let go of it. Fezzik... Moros? He /reacts/ differently than Sue, yes. But do not doubt for a minute that he is any less broken than the other. If you drop two bottles, what happens? They both break. It's how they break that's important. One crumples into a pile of broken glass. The other shatters into jagged edged weapons. But neither of them function the way they are meant to while remaining broken."
Ex shakes her head roughly. "No," she says. "I don't care that he's male. Or that /you're/ male, or Fezzik or Kavi or any of them."
"Do you care that they suffered abuse? Take the male out of it. Do you care that they were treated poorly. Hurt. Made to suffer. Given an unfair chance at a decent life? Do you care about that?" asks Zeke.
Ex regards Zeke for a long moment. Her voice might have been showing some signs of life, but her expression hasn't really changed. "...I told Life-On-the-Line we should kill those bitches. Phil's Furies, and Fezzik's too, maybe."
"So you do care." A nod is given to that. "Listen Ex. Justice and revenge /never/ do anything to fix the damage that's already been caused. We seek justice because it's the right thing to do to prevent calamities from happening going forward. All we can do with the aftermath of such horrors, is work to build each other up, fix what we can, and cut some slack for the parts we can't. It's the very thing, with exception of Sue, and I'll give you that, that we're doing for you. You've been treated far more gently than most cubs would be. We've given you time, space, more leeway than most... in hopes you can learn that we truly do want you to find your place here. Among people who will count you as family, and friend."
Ex's lips thin a little as they press together, and she drops her eyes to the pancake batter that she's still mixing with stiff, rote motions. She says nothing.
Zeke seems content to let it go at that, not pressing the topic any further. "Do you ever work out downstairs? On the equipment we have? Or go running with the others in the morning?"
"I punch the bag," Ex says. She's back to complete tonelessness. "I run."
"Just on your own?" he asks. "How about after pancakes, we do some partner stuff?" The griddle is set and he takes the bowl and slathers some mix onto the grill in round dollops.
Ex confirms, "On my own." And then, to the suggestion. "Okay."
Zeke grins at that, "Good. If you're up for it, we'll use the bench. I'll show you some of the exercises you can do on there. First though, let's get these badboys cooking and eaten, right?"
