![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
renferretThings get heated when Jacinta comes for an apology from Charlene.
Edgewood House: Meadow(#1390RJh)
A long, hard-packed dirt road winds almost a mile through the forest off Sunrise Road, eventually opening out into a small front yard, and coming to a stop in front of a large house, which may be the very definition of ramshackle. The house is not visible from the road, nor can one hear anything but perhaps a gunshot. Its foundation and general structure are solid, but its once crisp grey-and-white paint needs updating, and some of the trim is having trouble staying attached. A fixer upper, one might say. Off to the left, there's a former garage, long since converted into something of an in-law apartment. A connecting flyover attaches it to the second floor of the house.
There are no fences surrounding either the front or back yards. In the rear of the property, the yard (larger than in the front) eventually comes up against a well built garden, with the very beginnings of sprouts. Shaded and obscured by surrounding trees, there is a small (but deep) natural pond, with a chuckling brook leading out of it, into the woods. There's a rope swing hanging from one of the trees. The yard to the southeast of the property stretches on for a time, and then is eaten by woods, into which there may or may not be a path; it apparently fades away quickly. There's a certain looming feel to these woods.
Contents:
Petra
Emma
Salem
Song-of-Vengeance
Grapples with Fire
Tent(#1921A)
Obvious exits:
Narrow Path Sunrise Road Front Door Barn/Garage
The Warder is found when she and the Fury happen upon the Edgewood meadow at the same time. The Wendigo wears her lupus form, as she has more often, of late, slipping through the brush at the edge of the trees on what seems to be a routine patrol.
One can almost see the relief in the Fury's form when Jacinta meanders into view. Shaking herself, Song-of-Vengeance barks to draw attention to herself, rising up so she's more easily seen. Grapples-with-Fire-rhya. I would like to speak with you.
Two people exit the house amidst lighthearted conversation; Emma and the new Fury cub Petra. "The best way to get better at that is to work on it. And while it seems a little counterintuitive, the trick is to push to the edge of that boundary so you both know it, and learn to expand it. Melodie will be good for that. But, if you're looking for some supervised gallavanting around just for the sake of having a safety net, I could use a bit of run. We can stick to lupus." She holdsup briefly at the call to attention from Song of Vengeance though, and her gaze follows the sound.
Grapples with Fire's ears pull forward as she shifts her focus to the Fury. Her tail flags and she walks with a dominant, stiff-legged gait, muzzle high. From her posture, she obviously has an awareness of the others present, but she doesn't so much as look in their direction as she approaches Song of Fury.
Vengeance. >.>
"Appreciate it," says Petra with a light grin as she follows Emma. "I'll not say no to any help." She stops short as Emma does, glancing over toward the wolves with a surprised lift of her brows. There's a pause, then she leans on to murmur, "Who is it, do you know?"
The voices from the porch do register, but something a bit more important requires Song's attention. Stopping right where she is, the Fury stands and waits for Grapples-with-Fire to draw closer before she speaks. Grapples-with-Fire-rhya, you have a greivance with me. You say I question your honor and call your treatment of cubs inappropriate. I am here to speak to you directly to find out why you think these things.
Emma keeps herself and the cub where they are, still close to the door they exited out of. She nods. "Song of Vengeance you should know, that is Charlene. The other is Jacinta, Athro Ahroun of the Wendigo and our Sept's Warder." Her voice is low as she relays this to the Fury beside her. "We'll stay put for now."
The scarred wolf rises up onto two legs, arms folding over her chest. "My sister tells me so," she says. There's little difference between her homid posture and that she held in lupus, save for the lack of tail; her chin remains lifted, cold, blue eyes focused sharply on the galliard. "Word came to her, and she brought word to me."
X exits from the garage, in the midst of rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her hair is in a rather impressive disarray, and she could certainly stand a shower, but she seems far, far calmer than she was last night. She pauses at the voices, faintly narrowed eyes sweeping over the scene.
"Right, Song of Vengeange," repeats Petra, also trying to keep her voice low to not interrupt. She draws in a breath at those last words, her eyes widening as she watches Jacinta change. "The Warder of the Old Ways..."
Charlene rises to her feet as well, shifting through the forms seamlessly until the blonde-haired, blue-eyed fury stands in her usual fare. "Then your sister must have misheard. I have never questioned your honor and have no knowledge of your treatment of cubs /to/ question." Charlene pauses for a moment. "I do not know of what you speak. What have I said to anger you enough to bring it forth at Moot?"
Riley has arrived.
Emma draws in the faintest of breaths through suddenly tight lips as the exchange goes on. She looks toward Petra though at her comment. "Warder of the Old Ways?"
Jacinta draws in a sharp breath, and her eyes narrow. "My sister was told that you spoke ill of my treatment of cubs, that you said to others that I place my commitment to Grandmother's Ways above all else, and questioned my honor, thereby. Do you deny this?"
X's already narrowed eyes narrow more sharply, and she stands up a little straighter.
Hard sleeper though she may be, there's only so much din outside of the house that Riley can sleep through before being stirred. At least this time she has the forethought to dress before stomping downstairs to see what all the fuss is about. Hair's still a mess, though. The ragabash takes stock of the scene in brief before edging over to stand near to X.
"One of the names from the Stories," whispers Petra back. She seems reluctant to explain further just now, her frown deepening as she witnesses the exchange.
There's a few moments while Charlene thinks, obviously running through any time she talked about cubs to others recently, or treatment of them. "I deny questioning your honor." Charlene begins. "And I deny saying that you place your commitment to the old ways above anything else and will gladly ask a Philodox to use the Truth of Gaia to prove that." The Fury isn't standing up to Jacinta, but she's not backing down either. "The only time in my memory that I questioned any treatment of cubs was during the Galliard Moon a week ago. My tribe's cub, newly arrived, was being told that she would be beaten or killed if she did not know an answer that she could not know. I told her that this was false. The cub that was there spoke and said he had been threatened by another Garou for not knowing his auspice - something he did not and could not know since the rite of Inheritance has not been undertaken." She looks to Jacinta. "It was not my place to judge, since I am not a Philodox, but the moon weighed heavily on my shoulders and I found myself speaking out of turn. Is this what you speak of, Jacinta-rhya?"
X barely glances toward Riley as she joins her, so intent is she on (very obviously) eavesdropping on the conversation between the Warder and her tribemate. There's visible tension, if far less than there was last night, creeping up her spine, and abruptly she starts talking loudly, using an exaggerated version of Charlene's accent. "Who, might I ask, got mad when you didn't say your name right or didn't know something? Probably one of the more native tribes? Jacinta-rhya, maybe? Silvertip-rhya? Certainly not any of the urrah tribes. Hell, I'm guessing it's either the Wendigo or Uktena." Her teeth flash, followed by an exaggerated throwing up of her hands. "For fucks sake, I still walk on tiptoe around some folk because they're so ensconced in their beliefs and their honor that if you say the wrong thing, you'll get yelled at. That shit ain't right. It's not."
Emma tips her head a little as things develop further, offering a look down toward Petra as she is mentioned. "That true?" she asks of the cub. "And is that what you mean by the stories you've heard?"
Riley sends a baffled look to X, brows lifting, but doesn't interject.
Salem limps out of the woods surrounding the meadow, brushing bits of twig and leaf off his jacket. He eyeballs the gathering with a frown, then heads over to join.
That narrow-eyed gaze sharpens further as Charlene begins to speak, and for those familiar with her, it is a look of skepticism. By the end, though, her jaw tenses, and her lips pull tight across her teeth. She seems about to speak, but the ragabash does first, and her attention, so focused on the galliard, shifts. She gives a single nod at what she hears and returns her attention to Charlene. "This is what you said? It may be that you do not consider those words to question my honor. I do. You assume that I would threaten the life of a cub, and a cub not of my tribe. You assume that my tribe would do so. You state this to your own cub, teaching her that my tribe is lacking in honor, and to a cub of another tribe not even your own? Deny these words were yours, or apologize for the insult you give to Elder Brother and Younger Brother's tribes. Apologize to me."
Petra was frowning at Charlene's words, her lips thinning, and then her eyes widen in shock as X repeats that. Word for word. She blinks and glances over at X before frowning up at Emma. "Yes. That's what was said. And no, my mother told very different stories. Mostly." She glances toward Salem as he arrives, but there's no questions about the older man. Yet.
Emma is intent on the exchange between Wendigo and Fury for the most part, but also shares her attention with Petra. "Honor's a serious thing for garou, and you're getting to see a bit of that now." There's a pause, just brief. "And for that matter, there aren't many whose honor is as polished as Jacinta's. Even if she can stare a hole through your soul." The last is said with a grinning smirk that might be hard to decipher between jest and all seriousness.
Charlene turns to listen to X spout pretty much exactly what she said. Turning back to Jacinta, Charlene nods in the affirmitive. "She did leave out the part where I went to the umbra and back in frustration, and when the cub that was threatened attacked in a frenzy, but yes, other than the horrible accent, that was what was said. I do not deny those words." She straightens, putting her hands behind her back, clasped. "However, I do not see that as questioning your honor. I see it as an attempt to refute a cub's belief that you, or any of our tribes, would consider such a thing. You are a honorable Garou, Jacinta-rhya. You have fought and bled for this sept a hundred times over, carrying more scars and tales than most of the full moons of this sept. I know you would not kill a cub for such a thing." She turns to X for a moment. "The cliath there has left out what was said before. If she wishes to tell the story, let her tell the whole story and not the parts which suit her." Charlene gestures to X, motioning her over. "Why do you not tell what the cub Duke said? Or what you said, of being threatened with beatings and death for ignorance?" Not even waiting for an answer, Charlene turns back to Jacinta. "It is of no concern. I do not wish to cause injury to your honor or strain the ties that your tribe and mine have. I apologize for my words, said beneath my moon, in front of others. They were foolish and borne on the wings of emotion that was bubbling too close below the surface. I freely admit that you and your tribe are honorable and pray to Gaia that no ill will is held between us." She lifts a hand to remove her hat, kneeling in front of the Athro, her head tilting back, eyes on the moon. "I am sorry."
Salem regards the scene with a rather dispassionate eye as he heads over to join Emma and her young friend; he jerks his head in a nod of greeting at the Get as he fishes around in his jacket pockets.
X shows teeth again as she's addressed, and for a moment, the only response she has is clenched fists and a very tight jaw. When she speaks, she's back to her usual monotone, albeit it sounds...somewhat more sour than usual. "You said a lot of fucking things, I don't have to repeat all of it, just the part where you talked about them. The Garou that did that to me weren't Wendigo or Uktena, it was a /fucking/ Get of Fenris greedy bitch, and Sue wanted it, and Riley said some too, but she's fine now."
Riley clearly doesn't follow that last sentence, a brow arching and her head sharply tilting.
Petra frowns as Charlene gives that apology, her gaze moving from one tribemate to the other before she crosses her arms. "Tries too hard to be liked," she comments. "Sometime's honey's only good for catching flies."
Emma nods to Salem as he acknowledges her, "Hey. Been one of /those/ moons this time around." She glances to Petra, "Petra, Salem. Salem, Petra." A huh follows at the cub's comment but she says nothing more.
Salem rakes a scrutinizing eye over Petra, sizing her up as he gets out his cigarettes and, with the unthinking skill of a decades-long habit, taps one out and sets it in his mouth. "Witty." He keeps his voice low enough not to interfere with the confrontation between Fury and Wendigo. "One of yours?" he asks Emma.
At about the time Charlene denies that her words question Jacinta's honor, the Wendigo freezes. Her eyes flash with fire and her body shivers and then halts. It could almost be that her body has turned to ice in that moment. She doesn't breathe. She doesn't blink. She's simply still. The breathing resumes a beat later, a slow, deep intake of air, just as slowly released. Another careful breath follows and by the time Charlene is on her knees, the Warder looks down on her with bared teeth. "You asked the cub if it were I who threatened his life, yes? You told him that you expected it was?" She turns to Petra and waves her closer. The tension remains within her, heard in her voice, seen in her posture. "You, Cub. I expect your Tribe would do horrible things to you. You should fear them and no longer respect them." Then she turns back to Charlene. The anger flares again and her scarred hands bite into her parka as she folds her arms again over her chest. "Would this be a sound thing to say? Should I now tell all the cubs that this is true? Or would you find my words insulting to you and to your tribe?"
"No. You should not say such things. It would be an insult." Charlene remains on her knees, throat exposed. "I am sorry for saying such things. I was wrong."
X inhales slowly through her teeth. She's silent this time though. There's a glance thrown at Riley, and another at the small Walker/Fury/Get gathering nearer the house, but her hands remain clenched.
Petra was about to answer Salem herself when Jacinta looks her way. She snaps her mouth closed, straightening, and just sort of stands still until Jacinta's attention is elsewhere, and then she lets out a relieved breath. "Fury cub," she admits, glancing up at Salem with a half-smile. "Ragabash. Emma-rhya helped rescue us."
Emma looks to Salem and shakes her head, "Get don't start with wit." A nod to concur with the cub's explanation. "Just before full moon. KL'd like her..." She does a fair job of splitting her attention between the quietly spoken conversation here, and the would be apology between the Warder and the galliard.
"Words have power," Jacinta says after a moment, and gives a sharp nod. "You owe my sister an apology, also. I would not make it with such equivocation. She is not so patient as I am." With that, she turns away, taking a few steps toward the trees.
Charlene rises to her feet, replaces her hat, and dusts herself off. "Of course." Yay for apologizing in front of a group of people.
Salem gives a nod at Petra and Emma's explanations, lighting the foul-smelling cigarette as he does so; the old bastard does seem to prefer the cheap shit for some reason. "Welcome to the family," he says to the cub as he puts his lighter away. His tone is desert-dry. He eyes Charlene.
X huffs through her nostrils, then turns her attention toward Emma's group, though she doesn't actually make any attempt to join them.
Riley drowsily rubs at her eyes - once the potential of violence has apparently come to an end, the Walker Ragabash turns and heads back into the building, puffing a small breath of relief along the way and muttering under her breath.
Riley goes through the front door and enters the house.
Riley has left.
Petra watches as Jacinta leaves, then lets out another breath before she glances at Salem again, her gaze curious. "Thanks? It's been an adventure. ...Although not quite the way my mom told it." She gives his face another odd look before glancing at Emma. "You still wanna run?"
Jacinta continues on her way, slipping down into lupus as she hits the treeline.
Charlene turns to X, growls at her, and then turns to the others. "Lesson to be learned here, I guess...just say you're sorry and move on. First time I ever had to do that, and I get an audience." Her gaze flicks to X. "And you. Might want to stay out of my way for a little while. I'm tired of tryin' to be a friend to you and gettin' shit on for the effort."
Emma nods toward the cub. "Yeah. We should. Lupus then?" she verbally nudges the cub. She looks to Salem then, "Gonna go in and clean out that toy-store so we can start scratching things off the to-do list. I'll catch up with you later and see if there's anything I should have a heads up on with it before go head in." That offered, the Get shifts through her forms and into lupus, teeth nipping lightly at the Fury cub. Let's go, let's go.
"So don't fucking lie," X says, showing more teeth than she needs to. "Nice how you threaten me /now/."
Salem raises a hand in farewell to Emma and the cub before turning narrow-eyed attention at the other two Furies.
It takes just about everything Charlene has to keep from back handing the cliath. "I never had a reason to threaten you b'fore an' I don't like doin' it. Just because I don't break you in half for the smallest infraction don't mean I can't do it." Her eyes lock on X's ice blue ones. "You don't want me to lie? Fine. I won't. Don't do that again. /ever/"
X almost literally rises to the occasion, as she straightens up to her full height with a low, inhuman snarl. Her voice remains at a low volume. "I told the truth."
Salem's expression turns hard at Charlene's words. Slowly, the old Walker limps over toward the pair and positions himself on X's right. He doesn't say a damn thing, just smokes his cigarette and stares at Charlene with an expression almost as disapproving as the one he was giving the cannibal Gnawer last night.
"You told half of the truth." Charlene counters, glaring daggers at X, the bulkier, taller woman looking down at the younger. "You gave the end of the story, without context. You neglected to mention about fifteen other details in passing. I said some stupid things on a Galliard moon and I just apologized for it. I don't lie, kid, and I don't appreciate you doing that to me." The fury actually steps back a little. "I wouldn't have done it to you."
X outright snarls at this, bulking straight up to glabro, and almost, /almost/, continuing right on to crinos. She stops herself, but for a brief moment she's clearly hairier, her bared teeth longer than they should be. She keeps eye contact even when Charlene steps back, which proves to be her ultimate undoing, because a few moments later she's goes back down to homid and drops to a crouch, head turned aside, still glowering, but no longer looking at the other Fury.
"I'm goin' to my forge." Charlene says to anyone who's left around - mostly to X. "You want to come beat metal, fine. I'll be up for a while." She turns and starts down the road, looking up at the moon, stopping wen she sees the disapproving glance from Salem. "Sorry Salem-rhya, f'r bein' a disappointment t'night."
Salem tenses as X shifts, nostrils flaring... and then shifts his weight, settling back on his heels when the cliath concedes. He then eyeballs Charlene again. "Remember that you're a Fostern, next time. Remember that the Furies are supposed to be a tribe with honor, not a crowd of trash-talking harpies who then lash out when they get caught."
X's shoulders twitch, but her head stays down and to the side, and there's neither more nor less tension in her face at the words from Charlene.
Charlene's eyes are wide when Salem says that, her hands pushed deep into her pockets. "We all make mistakes, now and again." She replies through gritted teeth, starting down the road, the moon pressing down like a warm blanket around her shoulders. She needs to get to her forge and work out some of this rage...pronto.
Salem, with an air of very deliberate calm, takes the cigarette from his mouth and flicks ash off the end of it. "Go do that, then."
X remains mostly immobile, but she does lift her eyes just enough to look at the other two.
Charlene goes and does that, then, without another word.
Salem watches her go, then lets out a breath and tilts a look over at X. "You all right?"
"Yeah." X stands up again, and chances a sidelong glance at Salem. "The Greedy Bitch was scarier."
Salem simply nods at this and heads for the house.
X remains outside for some time after this, looking slightly up at the house.
Edgewood House: Meadow(#1390RJh)
A long, hard-packed dirt road winds almost a mile through the forest off Sunrise Road, eventually opening out into a small front yard, and coming to a stop in front of a large house, which may be the very definition of ramshackle. The house is not visible from the road, nor can one hear anything but perhaps a gunshot. Its foundation and general structure are solid, but its once crisp grey-and-white paint needs updating, and some of the trim is having trouble staying attached. A fixer upper, one might say. Off to the left, there's a former garage, long since converted into something of an in-law apartment. A connecting flyover attaches it to the second floor of the house.
There are no fences surrounding either the front or back yards. In the rear of the property, the yard (larger than in the front) eventually comes up against a well built garden, with the very beginnings of sprouts. Shaded and obscured by surrounding trees, there is a small (but deep) natural pond, with a chuckling brook leading out of it, into the woods. There's a rope swing hanging from one of the trees. The yard to the southeast of the property stretches on for a time, and then is eaten by woods, into which there may or may not be a path; it apparently fades away quickly. There's a certain looming feel to these woods.
Contents:
Petra
Emma
Salem
Song-of-Vengeance
Grapples with Fire
Tent(#1921A)
Obvious exits:
Narrow Path Sunrise Road Front Door Barn/Garage
The Warder is found when she and the Fury happen upon the Edgewood meadow at the same time. The Wendigo wears her lupus form, as she has more often, of late, slipping through the brush at the edge of the trees on what seems to be a routine patrol.
One can almost see the relief in the Fury's form when Jacinta meanders into view. Shaking herself, Song-of-Vengeance barks to draw attention to herself, rising up so she's more easily seen. Grapples-with-Fire-rhya. I would like to speak with you.
Two people exit the house amidst lighthearted conversation; Emma and the new Fury cub Petra. "The best way to get better at that is to work on it. And while it seems a little counterintuitive, the trick is to push to the edge of that boundary so you both know it, and learn to expand it. Melodie will be good for that. But, if you're looking for some supervised gallavanting around just for the sake of having a safety net, I could use a bit of run. We can stick to lupus." She holdsup briefly at the call to attention from Song of Vengeance though, and her gaze follows the sound.
Grapples with Fire's ears pull forward as she shifts her focus to the Fury. Her tail flags and she walks with a dominant, stiff-legged gait, muzzle high. From her posture, she obviously has an awareness of the others present, but she doesn't so much as look in their direction as she approaches Song of Fury.
Vengeance. >.>
"Appreciate it," says Petra with a light grin as she follows Emma. "I'll not say no to any help." She stops short as Emma does, glancing over toward the wolves with a surprised lift of her brows. There's a pause, then she leans on to murmur, "Who is it, do you know?"
The voices from the porch do register, but something a bit more important requires Song's attention. Stopping right where she is, the Fury stands and waits for Grapples-with-Fire to draw closer before she speaks. Grapples-with-Fire-rhya, you have a greivance with me. You say I question your honor and call your treatment of cubs inappropriate. I am here to speak to you directly to find out why you think these things.
Emma keeps herself and the cub where they are, still close to the door they exited out of. She nods. "Song of Vengeance you should know, that is Charlene. The other is Jacinta, Athro Ahroun of the Wendigo and our Sept's Warder." Her voice is low as she relays this to the Fury beside her. "We'll stay put for now."
The scarred wolf rises up onto two legs, arms folding over her chest. "My sister tells me so," she says. There's little difference between her homid posture and that she held in lupus, save for the lack of tail; her chin remains lifted, cold, blue eyes focused sharply on the galliard. "Word came to her, and she brought word to me."
X exits from the garage, in the midst of rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her hair is in a rather impressive disarray, and she could certainly stand a shower, but she seems far, far calmer than she was last night. She pauses at the voices, faintly narrowed eyes sweeping over the scene.
"Right, Song of Vengeange," repeats Petra, also trying to keep her voice low to not interrupt. She draws in a breath at those last words, her eyes widening as she watches Jacinta change. "The Warder of the Old Ways..."
Charlene rises to her feet as well, shifting through the forms seamlessly until the blonde-haired, blue-eyed fury stands in her usual fare. "Then your sister must have misheard. I have never questioned your honor and have no knowledge of your treatment of cubs /to/ question." Charlene pauses for a moment. "I do not know of what you speak. What have I said to anger you enough to bring it forth at Moot?"
Riley has arrived.
Emma draws in the faintest of breaths through suddenly tight lips as the exchange goes on. She looks toward Petra though at her comment. "Warder of the Old Ways?"
Jacinta draws in a sharp breath, and her eyes narrow. "My sister was told that you spoke ill of my treatment of cubs, that you said to others that I place my commitment to Grandmother's Ways above all else, and questioned my honor, thereby. Do you deny this?"
X's already narrowed eyes narrow more sharply, and she stands up a little straighter.
Hard sleeper though she may be, there's only so much din outside of the house that Riley can sleep through before being stirred. At least this time she has the forethought to dress before stomping downstairs to see what all the fuss is about. Hair's still a mess, though. The ragabash takes stock of the scene in brief before edging over to stand near to X.
"One of the names from the Stories," whispers Petra back. She seems reluctant to explain further just now, her frown deepening as she witnesses the exchange.
There's a few moments while Charlene thinks, obviously running through any time she talked about cubs to others recently, or treatment of them. "I deny questioning your honor." Charlene begins. "And I deny saying that you place your commitment to the old ways above anything else and will gladly ask a Philodox to use the Truth of Gaia to prove that." The Fury isn't standing up to Jacinta, but she's not backing down either. "The only time in my memory that I questioned any treatment of cubs was during the Galliard Moon a week ago. My tribe's cub, newly arrived, was being told that she would be beaten or killed if she did not know an answer that she could not know. I told her that this was false. The cub that was there spoke and said he had been threatened by another Garou for not knowing his auspice - something he did not and could not know since the rite of Inheritance has not been undertaken." She looks to Jacinta. "It was not my place to judge, since I am not a Philodox, but the moon weighed heavily on my shoulders and I found myself speaking out of turn. Is this what you speak of, Jacinta-rhya?"
X barely glances toward Riley as she joins her, so intent is she on (very obviously) eavesdropping on the conversation between the Warder and her tribemate. There's visible tension, if far less than there was last night, creeping up her spine, and abruptly she starts talking loudly, using an exaggerated version of Charlene's accent. "Who, might I ask, got mad when you didn't say your name right or didn't know something? Probably one of the more native tribes? Jacinta-rhya, maybe? Silvertip-rhya? Certainly not any of the urrah tribes. Hell, I'm guessing it's either the Wendigo or Uktena." Her teeth flash, followed by an exaggerated throwing up of her hands. "For fucks sake, I still walk on tiptoe around some folk because they're so ensconced in their beliefs and their honor that if you say the wrong thing, you'll get yelled at. That shit ain't right. It's not."
Emma tips her head a little as things develop further, offering a look down toward Petra as she is mentioned. "That true?" she asks of the cub. "And is that what you mean by the stories you've heard?"
Riley sends a baffled look to X, brows lifting, but doesn't interject.
Salem limps out of the woods surrounding the meadow, brushing bits of twig and leaf off his jacket. He eyeballs the gathering with a frown, then heads over to join.
That narrow-eyed gaze sharpens further as Charlene begins to speak, and for those familiar with her, it is a look of skepticism. By the end, though, her jaw tenses, and her lips pull tight across her teeth. She seems about to speak, but the ragabash does first, and her attention, so focused on the galliard, shifts. She gives a single nod at what she hears and returns her attention to Charlene. "This is what you said? It may be that you do not consider those words to question my honor. I do. You assume that I would threaten the life of a cub, and a cub not of my tribe. You assume that my tribe would do so. You state this to your own cub, teaching her that my tribe is lacking in honor, and to a cub of another tribe not even your own? Deny these words were yours, or apologize for the insult you give to Elder Brother and Younger Brother's tribes. Apologize to me."
Petra was frowning at Charlene's words, her lips thinning, and then her eyes widen in shock as X repeats that. Word for word. She blinks and glances over at X before frowning up at Emma. "Yes. That's what was said. And no, my mother told very different stories. Mostly." She glances toward Salem as he arrives, but there's no questions about the older man. Yet.
Emma is intent on the exchange between Wendigo and Fury for the most part, but also shares her attention with Petra. "Honor's a serious thing for garou, and you're getting to see a bit of that now." There's a pause, just brief. "And for that matter, there aren't many whose honor is as polished as Jacinta's. Even if she can stare a hole through your soul." The last is said with a grinning smirk that might be hard to decipher between jest and all seriousness.
Charlene turns to listen to X spout pretty much exactly what she said. Turning back to Jacinta, Charlene nods in the affirmitive. "She did leave out the part where I went to the umbra and back in frustration, and when the cub that was threatened attacked in a frenzy, but yes, other than the horrible accent, that was what was said. I do not deny those words." She straightens, putting her hands behind her back, clasped. "However, I do not see that as questioning your honor. I see it as an attempt to refute a cub's belief that you, or any of our tribes, would consider such a thing. You are a honorable Garou, Jacinta-rhya. You have fought and bled for this sept a hundred times over, carrying more scars and tales than most of the full moons of this sept. I know you would not kill a cub for such a thing." She turns to X for a moment. "The cliath there has left out what was said before. If she wishes to tell the story, let her tell the whole story and not the parts which suit her." Charlene gestures to X, motioning her over. "Why do you not tell what the cub Duke said? Or what you said, of being threatened with beatings and death for ignorance?" Not even waiting for an answer, Charlene turns back to Jacinta. "It is of no concern. I do not wish to cause injury to your honor or strain the ties that your tribe and mine have. I apologize for my words, said beneath my moon, in front of others. They were foolish and borne on the wings of emotion that was bubbling too close below the surface. I freely admit that you and your tribe are honorable and pray to Gaia that no ill will is held between us." She lifts a hand to remove her hat, kneeling in front of the Athro, her head tilting back, eyes on the moon. "I am sorry."
Salem regards the scene with a rather dispassionate eye as he heads over to join Emma and her young friend; he jerks his head in a nod of greeting at the Get as he fishes around in his jacket pockets.
X shows teeth again as she's addressed, and for a moment, the only response she has is clenched fists and a very tight jaw. When she speaks, she's back to her usual monotone, albeit it sounds...somewhat more sour than usual. "You said a lot of fucking things, I don't have to repeat all of it, just the part where you talked about them. The Garou that did that to me weren't Wendigo or Uktena, it was a /fucking/ Get of Fenris greedy bitch, and Sue wanted it, and Riley said some too, but she's fine now."
Riley clearly doesn't follow that last sentence, a brow arching and her head sharply tilting.
Petra frowns as Charlene gives that apology, her gaze moving from one tribemate to the other before she crosses her arms. "Tries too hard to be liked," she comments. "Sometime's honey's only good for catching flies."
Emma nods to Salem as he acknowledges her, "Hey. Been one of /those/ moons this time around." She glances to Petra, "Petra, Salem. Salem, Petra." A huh follows at the cub's comment but she says nothing more.
Salem rakes a scrutinizing eye over Petra, sizing her up as he gets out his cigarettes and, with the unthinking skill of a decades-long habit, taps one out and sets it in his mouth. "Witty." He keeps his voice low enough not to interfere with the confrontation between Fury and Wendigo. "One of yours?" he asks Emma.
At about the time Charlene denies that her words question Jacinta's honor, the Wendigo freezes. Her eyes flash with fire and her body shivers and then halts. It could almost be that her body has turned to ice in that moment. She doesn't breathe. She doesn't blink. She's simply still. The breathing resumes a beat later, a slow, deep intake of air, just as slowly released. Another careful breath follows and by the time Charlene is on her knees, the Warder looks down on her with bared teeth. "You asked the cub if it were I who threatened his life, yes? You told him that you expected it was?" She turns to Petra and waves her closer. The tension remains within her, heard in her voice, seen in her posture. "You, Cub. I expect your Tribe would do horrible things to you. You should fear them and no longer respect them." Then she turns back to Charlene. The anger flares again and her scarred hands bite into her parka as she folds her arms again over her chest. "Would this be a sound thing to say? Should I now tell all the cubs that this is true? Or would you find my words insulting to you and to your tribe?"
"No. You should not say such things. It would be an insult." Charlene remains on her knees, throat exposed. "I am sorry for saying such things. I was wrong."
X inhales slowly through her teeth. She's silent this time though. There's a glance thrown at Riley, and another at the small Walker/Fury/Get gathering nearer the house, but her hands remain clenched.
Petra was about to answer Salem herself when Jacinta looks her way. She snaps her mouth closed, straightening, and just sort of stands still until Jacinta's attention is elsewhere, and then she lets out a relieved breath. "Fury cub," she admits, glancing up at Salem with a half-smile. "Ragabash. Emma-rhya helped rescue us."
Emma looks to Salem and shakes her head, "Get don't start with wit." A nod to concur with the cub's explanation. "Just before full moon. KL'd like her..." She does a fair job of splitting her attention between the quietly spoken conversation here, and the would be apology between the Warder and the galliard.
"Words have power," Jacinta says after a moment, and gives a sharp nod. "You owe my sister an apology, also. I would not make it with such equivocation. She is not so patient as I am." With that, she turns away, taking a few steps toward the trees.
Charlene rises to her feet, replaces her hat, and dusts herself off. "Of course." Yay for apologizing in front of a group of people.
Salem gives a nod at Petra and Emma's explanations, lighting the foul-smelling cigarette as he does so; the old bastard does seem to prefer the cheap shit for some reason. "Welcome to the family," he says to the cub as he puts his lighter away. His tone is desert-dry. He eyes Charlene.
X huffs through her nostrils, then turns her attention toward Emma's group, though she doesn't actually make any attempt to join them.
Riley drowsily rubs at her eyes - once the potential of violence has apparently come to an end, the Walker Ragabash turns and heads back into the building, puffing a small breath of relief along the way and muttering under her breath.
Riley goes through the front door and enters the house.
Riley has left.
Petra watches as Jacinta leaves, then lets out another breath before she glances at Salem again, her gaze curious. "Thanks? It's been an adventure. ...Although not quite the way my mom told it." She gives his face another odd look before glancing at Emma. "You still wanna run?"
Jacinta continues on her way, slipping down into lupus as she hits the treeline.
Charlene turns to X, growls at her, and then turns to the others. "Lesson to be learned here, I guess...just say you're sorry and move on. First time I ever had to do that, and I get an audience." Her gaze flicks to X. "And you. Might want to stay out of my way for a little while. I'm tired of tryin' to be a friend to you and gettin' shit on for the effort."
Emma nods toward the cub. "Yeah. We should. Lupus then?" she verbally nudges the cub. She looks to Salem then, "Gonna go in and clean out that toy-store so we can start scratching things off the to-do list. I'll catch up with you later and see if there's anything I should have a heads up on with it before go head in." That offered, the Get shifts through her forms and into lupus, teeth nipping lightly at the Fury cub. Let's go, let's go.
"So don't fucking lie," X says, showing more teeth than she needs to. "Nice how you threaten me /now/."
Salem raises a hand in farewell to Emma and the cub before turning narrow-eyed attention at the other two Furies.
It takes just about everything Charlene has to keep from back handing the cliath. "I never had a reason to threaten you b'fore an' I don't like doin' it. Just because I don't break you in half for the smallest infraction don't mean I can't do it." Her eyes lock on X's ice blue ones. "You don't want me to lie? Fine. I won't. Don't do that again. /ever/"
X almost literally rises to the occasion, as she straightens up to her full height with a low, inhuman snarl. Her voice remains at a low volume. "I told the truth."
Salem's expression turns hard at Charlene's words. Slowly, the old Walker limps over toward the pair and positions himself on X's right. He doesn't say a damn thing, just smokes his cigarette and stares at Charlene with an expression almost as disapproving as the one he was giving the cannibal Gnawer last night.
"You told half of the truth." Charlene counters, glaring daggers at X, the bulkier, taller woman looking down at the younger. "You gave the end of the story, without context. You neglected to mention about fifteen other details in passing. I said some stupid things on a Galliard moon and I just apologized for it. I don't lie, kid, and I don't appreciate you doing that to me." The fury actually steps back a little. "I wouldn't have done it to you."
X outright snarls at this, bulking straight up to glabro, and almost, /almost/, continuing right on to crinos. She stops herself, but for a brief moment she's clearly hairier, her bared teeth longer than they should be. She keeps eye contact even when Charlene steps back, which proves to be her ultimate undoing, because a few moments later she's goes back down to homid and drops to a crouch, head turned aside, still glowering, but no longer looking at the other Fury.
"I'm goin' to my forge." Charlene says to anyone who's left around - mostly to X. "You want to come beat metal, fine. I'll be up for a while." She turns and starts down the road, looking up at the moon, stopping wen she sees the disapproving glance from Salem. "Sorry Salem-rhya, f'r bein' a disappointment t'night."
Salem tenses as X shifts, nostrils flaring... and then shifts his weight, settling back on his heels when the cliath concedes. He then eyeballs Charlene again. "Remember that you're a Fostern, next time. Remember that the Furies are supposed to be a tribe with honor, not a crowd of trash-talking harpies who then lash out when they get caught."
X's shoulders twitch, but her head stays down and to the side, and there's neither more nor less tension in her face at the words from Charlene.
Charlene's eyes are wide when Salem says that, her hands pushed deep into her pockets. "We all make mistakes, now and again." She replies through gritted teeth, starting down the road, the moon pressing down like a warm blanket around her shoulders. She needs to get to her forge and work out some of this rage...pronto.
Salem, with an air of very deliberate calm, takes the cigarette from his mouth and flicks ash off the end of it. "Go do that, then."
X remains mostly immobile, but she does lift her eyes just enough to look at the other two.
Charlene goes and does that, then, without another word.
Salem watches her go, then lets out a breath and tilts a look over at X. "You all right?"
"Yeah." X stands up again, and chances a sidelong glance at Salem. "The Greedy Bitch was scarier."
Salem simply nods at this and heads for the house.
X remains outside for some time after this, looking slightly up at the house.
