"Man, you look like shit."

[renferret]

The victorious aftermath turns out to be nearly as violent as the battle.



Tenement Building - Cockroach's Breakroom(#3365R)
Here, a large studio apartment has been converted into a mutual meeting space for the tribe, one with its own kitchen and bathroom. The walls are a simple, plain white, and the floor is covered in stain-resistant beige carpet. The windows look out onto the somewhat less than scenic view of downtown St. Claire, but more often than not, white blinds prevent anyone from peeking in, or out.
Amenities are what might be expected--a well stocked refrigerator and cupboards, a microwave, a coffee maker, a toaster. There's a wooden table that seats four, five or six if people scrunch, and enough chairs to service it. There's also an old couch and armchair along the walls, angled to face a large, plasma screen television. Most of the entertainment goodies are here. An old NES system, an original Sega system, and an XBOX 360, each with assorted games. There's also a DVD/VCR combo player, and nearby a box of movies, most of them Ed Wood and Roger Corman specials. Ah, classics.
Along one wall is a row of tables and chairs, on which sit five desktop computers as well as the Walker's network server, a printer, and a scanner. (+view for more details)
Contents:
Information Board: Skindiggers Cult
Obvious exits:
Out

It's the morning after the night before back at the tenement. Someone (presumably his packies, but only the CCTV would tell for sure) has made a deposit of one badly broken glasswalker. Chris is in homid and lain out on the couch- someone having thoughtfully stuck a tarpaulin on it first, then a layer of older and stained blankets. The young ragabash looks quite literally good as dead- what skin that isn't covered in deep lacerations, burnmarks or bloodstains is pale as chalk, and he's barely twitching. His breathing comes in barely audible gasps, mixed with a faint gurgle- and the bedding is red and rather sopping.

Mouse certainly hasn't been around, or at least in public, all day. Her room has been closed and locked, and only now, probably due to her stomach's insistence on actually eating, does she venture out. Compared to Chris, she looks downright peachy, but there's an open, heavily lacerated slice across her cheek and jaw that she's roughly taped and bandaged up, and the hint of more bandages under her shirt is provided by both a bunching of white gauze around part of her neck, and her general extremely stiff means of walking. She also looks rather haggard, as if she didn't get much sleep and hasn't bothered with silly things like hygeine (though she has changed her clothes) since before the fight last night. There's also a weird tic in her cheek as she steps into the breakroom, and looks it over.

Ava strolls down tha hallway not too long after Mouse, perhaps lured out by the sound of movement. When she sees Mouse walking into the breakroom, the Walker Philodox walks briskly down the hall and follows her inside. She stands there near the door, glancing between Chris and Mouse a few times as she examines their injuries. "What happened to him?" She queries, motioning over at the pile of Ragabash hamburger on the couch. She then looks at Mouse, giving her a quick once over. "Ah, sorry. Apologies. Good afternoon, Mouse-Rhya."

"The Wyrm happened," says Kevin, entering from behind Ava. "But he happened to the Wyrm, as well. The Hive is toast." Kevin is looking weary almost unto death, but physically he's in much better shape than Chris. Or indeed Mouse. He heads towards the stretched-out body of his alpha.

Chris is neither saying nor doing very much except for bleeding from a few of the larger cuts, still. If he's even conscious, it's hard to tell.

Mouse considers Chris carefully, that muscle still working in her cheek. Neither Ava nor Kevin get a greeting when she stops, and little more than a brief glance of acknowledgment. She turns and makes her way stiffly toward the sink, where she flips on the water and proceeds to splash it into her eyes and over her face and head.

"Obviously. I was asking why he looked like a grenade went off in his face." Ava responds to Kevin, walking over to the fridge to fetch a soda. She cracks it open and takes a swig, content to stand in her little corner of the room.

"Yeah, you love seeing him like that," Kevin says hotly to Ava. "Too bad you couldn't have been there to see it happen, eh?"

Chris oozes, breathes softly. That's about it.

"Shut the fuck up." That, in fact, comes from Mouse. It's quiet, low, almost murmured, though it has a certain quality that carries, and whether she's aiming it at Kevin, Ava, or both, that's entirely unclear because she doesn't even look back at them. The Theurge straightens, grabs for a glass, fills it, drinks once, and then empties that onto her hands and over her face as well. Only once she's finished this bizarre ritual does she turn around, and she's still not paying her more conscious tribemembers much heed. Instead, she heads for the couch, lowers herself to a stiff crouch, and reaches out for the nearest part of Chris that looks somewhat less like hamburger, eyes closing.

Ava looks ready to reply to Kevin, but moments after she draws her breath and opens her mouth, she's hushed by her Elder. She turns her attention to Mouse, watching passively as the Theurge begins to heal the wounded Walker.

Kevin scowls at the back of Mouse's neck, but he shuts up.

Chris lets out a sudden gasp as Mouse touches him, jolting awake with a yell. He contorts on the couch, his left hand flailing around in front of him desperately as if warding off an attack. His right seems to be /trying/ to do the same, but instead shivers and wobbles, freezing before being fully lifted. "Aargh! They're coming!" He yells, eyes wide with terror for a few seconds before he realises where he is.

Mouse seems utterly oblivious to Chris's shouting, which is particularly bizarre for her being right next to him and touching him. Such is concentration. Her forehead knits and her jaw clenches, but that's the only change that comes from her.

"No they're not." Ava assures in a level way. "You're back at the Tenement. The Hive is dead, or at least, the Spirals are. I'm not sure of the mechanics."
Kevin's face twists a little, but he remains silent.

Chris looks around with panicked eyes and then slumps back onto the couch. "We made it?" He eventually rasps out, his voice hoarse. And then he shifts, a grimace spreading over his face. "Fuckin' /ow/. Dunno what the fuck hit me." He pats at himself with his left hand then his right. Which.. just doesn't seem to want to obey properly. "Oh c'mon.. what the fuck?"

Mouse withdraws her hand and straightens back up. She's fully standing before her eyes open again. There are a few seconds of nothing from her, and then something small and sour flickers across her features, quickly shoved away as well. She turns from Chris and moves back into the kitchen.

"Yes. You are home." Ava's eyes following the moving elder across the room, watching her out of the corner of her eyes. "From what I hear it was quite the battle, one that resulted in success."

Kevin turns a hate-filled gaze on Ava, his eyes searching her face. Yet again, not a word escapes him.

"Thank you, Mouse-rhya." Chris remembers to gasp now the immediate shock is over with. He tries to sit up and discovers further problems- a distinct list to the right-hand side. He looks to Kevin and the Elder. "Did we.. lose anyone?"

"Roscoe," Mouse replies, without much emotion either way. She refills her water glass, downs most of it, and then turns immediately to the fridge. Rummage. Her left hand visibly twitches.

"As I recall, he died a hero. His name should be remembered, and his actions held an example of a Garou giving of themselves for the good of the pack." Ava bows her head slightly, her eyes dwelling on the tab on the top of her can.

Kevin speaks again at last. "No argument there. Apart from him, I think you came the closest to being lost... but we found you again."

Chris nods woozily, still carrying out diagnostics on his body. And from his expression he doesn't much like what he finds. His entire right side looks weak, slumping a bit. Together with a visible tremor running through his right arm. "Or at least.. most of me.. Fuck. I.. don't know what happened. One second I was firing at the Dancers in the tunnel.. then I'm lying here."

Mouse finally ends up pulling out two slices of bread. She doesn't bother putting anything on them, she just out and out takes a bite. Chews, swallows. "I know this is hardly the appropriate time, but the Hive is dead, and it's very possible they never knew this place existed. I have your terms, when you're ready."

"Interesting. I'd suggest that your gun malfuctioned, but that doesn't seem right. The blast you were hit with was far too large. Were you carrying explosives?" Ava goes silent, her eyes passing from Mouse to focus in on the Ragabash on the couch. She seems to be studying him a bit, his shakes and weakness on that side drawing curious inspection.

Kevin blinks in astonishment at Mouse. And then again at Ava. "For goodness sake," he exclaims, "give the guy some space! Do you have to start pestering him with your stupid terms and... and... your CSI forensic reconstructions?"

Chris holds up a hand to Kevin- a hand which tremors and draws a wobbly figure-of-eight in the air. His eyes lock onto it in horror, but then he takes a deep breath. "Mouse-rhya agreed to give terms when the place was secure. There.. there weren't any other considerations agreed on." He states in a voice that mostly hides his rising panic. He then turns back to Mouse and tries to steady himself. "Lay them on me."

Mouse slams the bread onto the counter--which is a feat, given it's bread and doesn't slam very well--and turns to look at Kevin. There are hints of that ugly, sour expression from before, but overlaying it is one of sudden, utter, and possibly a surprising amount of tightly controlled fury. Even so, it's several moments before she speaks, and when she does it's in a voice that's still level and quiet, if extremely edged. "He challenged me, Speech-and-Silence. As part of that challenge he stated I was unfit to be elder and directly responsible for Summer being injured, among other things. I am very sorry if you think I am somehow /being unfair/ to him by giving him what he wanted and has a right to demand, and I am sorry if you think that Chris, somehow, was the only one who had a very unpleasant evening last night, and I am sorry if you think that following orders to protect the Tenement while we all run off into danger is somehow something to sneer at, but I would /suggest/ that if this is how you feel, you can challenge right along with him. The terms will work for both of you."

"I anxiously await to hear those terms, though I have no intention of challenging you myself, Mouse-Rhya." Ava finishes off her can of soda and lets her hands hang at her waist, her fingers coiled loosely around the cool metal.

Kevin smiles a knowing, sarcastic, superior smile back at Mouse. "Aren't you forgetting something, here?" he prompts her.

Chris remains silent- though there's a slightly wild look in his eyes as he keeps trying to force his right arm to move. He sits up straighter and lets out a sudden yelp, his right leg spasming hard. But he otherwise remains silent as he listens to Mouse.

Mouse stalks toward Kevin, stiff and pained as before, though with obvious Purpose now. It's not until she's right in front of him that she replies--quietly, leveling, extremely edged as before--"You're right, apparently I am." And then, without any further warning, she's suddenly in crinos and moving to slam the Ragabash straight into the wall.

Ava seems to have been anticipating a shift, or a fight at the very least. Ava takes one hand off her soda can to reach into her jacket pocket, as calmly as someone waiting for the bus might do so to warm up her hands. Her attention remains divided between First-Strike and Chris, unblinking, her eyes staring out across the unfolding scene.

Kevin is taken by surprise and flies backward into the wall with force, cracking his head against it nastily. He staggers, and shoots a look of venom at First-Strike. "Oh, no, no. It was me who was forgetting something. I forgot that violence is the last resort of the incompetent." With those words, he shifts into crinos as well. ~Well?~ he hisses in Mother's Tongue.

Chris joins in the crinos-party almost out of reflex, moving to stand and shift. Which results in a rather shameful display. First, even before he starts to change shape, his right leg buckles under him and spills him to the floor with a spat out curse. And then almost as soon as he reaches crinos his eyes bug out and he /screams/. ~FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!~ Smoke begins issuing from several areas of his right side and he drops back down to breedform again, curling into the fetal position on the floor.

First-Strike doesn't give him the chance to actually get up, keeping a clawed hand on his chest, though when he shifts to crinos things are certainly in her disfavor. Her crinos form looks as though someone took a chainsaw to her chest and middle, part of her face and neck. Her body language screams anger, of course, but also a shocking amount of pain. ~On the contrary, violence is what Garou understand when all the fucking words in the universe won't get through to them. If you want to force my fucking hand into acting like a motherfucking Get of Fenris, Speech-and-Silence, you go right ahead. Now, either fucking /challenge/ me, or fucking /submit/, if you have a single inkling of instinct in your entire god-damned body, because Gaia help me, I am your shitty fucking monstrous /elder/ and you /will/ give that position the respect it is god-damned due.~

Ava's head turns towards Chris the second he rises and begins to shift, drawing a taser from her pocket. She reveals it at the Ragabash and is a second from firing when he falls to the floor. She maintains the taser's aim on the Ragabash's neck, her finger still on the trigger. "Don't shift again." She warns Chris, her tone growing much less polite and much more direct.

Speech-and-Silence slowly turns his head and shows throat. ~You are forgetting that I /cannot/ challenge you at the moment. So this is all I can do, First-Strike-rhya,~ he grits, eyes downcast.

Chris just lies on the floor, trying not to scream again- some fresh bloodstains appear on the floorboards. "Do I /look/ like I'm going to shift, you crazy fucking bitch?" He manages to shriek out at Ava, rolling back and forth on the ground.

~Oh you can,~ First-Strike replies, her voice quieter now but no less intense. ~I am hereby giving you explicit permission to ignore tradition and challenge me while I have a challenge pending. Now, are you going to do that, or are you going to actually acknowledge me as your elder and superior /without/ making snide, arrogant little side comments. Because if you can actually snatch this thankless, exhausting job from me, you are /welcome/ to it.~

"You just did, while approaching our Elder from behind in the middle of a confrontation." Ava points out to Chris, sounding just a tad annoyed. "I just want you to know that if you do it again, your left side will look as bad as the right." There is no mistaking that she means what she says, though there is little in the way of active hate or aggression directed outward aside from her cold tone and a furrow of her brow.

Speech-and-Silence doesn't shift one atom, and his throat is still exposed. ~Not only you but also I have a challenge pending, Elder. You may have forgotten, but Headshot surely has not.~

"Will you shut the fuck up, you preachy sanctimonius BITCH!" Chris screams at Ava. "Just SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR ONCE." He tries to roll over, tries to stand and sprawls on the ground once again when he puts his weight on his right side. "Fuck it!" His attention is briefly drawn to Kevin. "No, I've not fucking forgotten your fucking challenge anymore than I've fucking forgotten this fucking challenge but fucking hell can you SIT THE FUCK DOWN and stop fucking shifting and pointing weapons and ALL OF YOU JUST CHILL THE FUCK OUT." He's getting just a little worked up.

First-Strike snaps, inches from Speech-and-Silence's face, ~You are not a child and I am not your mother. /Decide/. Stop giving me excuses and fucking /decide/.~ Her head lifts slightly, her eyes slide to Chris, and she states in a voice that is the epitome of an icy order, ~Stop moving and be quiet. Quid-Pro-Quo, put that thing away.~

"Stop acting like a child and I'll stop treating you like one." Ava glances over at Mouse when she receives the order, and shrugs her shoulders. She folds her arm inward and tucks the device back into her pocket without fuss, but it's clear that she's still anticipating something to happen.

~My mother? Don't you even dare mention my mother, you... you... you mule!~ snarls Speech-and-Silence in fury, all trace of submission vanishing from his posture. ~Fine! If you want a challenge, you've fucking got one. Bring it.~

Chris really isn't moving much now except perhaps rocking gently on the ground, face screwed up in a picture of pain and misery.

~Accepted,~ First-Strike says, in a tone that somehow manages to be even more icy, and suddenly very, very calm. ~Now shut the fuck up and submit before I twist your head off, because until if and when either of you wins, I am still your elder.~

"I'm not sure one of the challengers can hear your terms at the moment. He seems to be... Hm. I don't know." Ava tilts her head to the side, walking over towards Chris. She stops standing over the Ragabash, studying his injuries intently. "Did the Spirals use any poisons last night? Chemicals? Was he hit by a projectile? Did they use... Silver?"

Speech-and-Silence directs his pent-up anger against Ava now, instead. ~Yes! Yes, Sherlock Holmes, they used fucking silver! I had to dig chunks of it out of his bleeding body! Not that you'd know! Because you weren't there, were you?~

First-Strike's response is immediate. She lifts the hand not pushing against Speech-and-Silence's chest and suddenly wrenches at his lower jaw, down and to the side, as hard and as viciously as she can.

Chris just begins to try and crawl away from all the rest of the garou, leaving a gory snail-trail behind him.

Ava glances backward at Mouse and Kevin, then down at the crawling Ragabash. "Stop moving, you're injured and only making them worse. Give your hand and I'll help you to the couch, and when they're done, we can figure out a way to dig the silver fragments from your body." The Philodox leans over and offers her hand, clearly not happy, but more exasperated and annoyed than outright angry.

When First-Strike goes for Speech-and-Silence's jaw, the Ragabash responds with a bellow of pain, and a raised fist which attempts to clout his elder on the side of her head.

First-Strike digs her claws viciously into the jaw, still wrenching at it even as the fist makes stars spring in front of her eyes. ~Stop talking and submit, or /God/ help me, kid, if I don't kill you, /you will wish I had/.~

Chris just keeps moving. "Stay the fuck away from me. Watch them. Before they kill each other, me and you." He growls to Ava, trying to force his legs beneath him and starting to lever himself to his feet using the wall as a support. The whole of his right side quivers spasmodically as he does so.

Ava looks down at her hand, then down at Chris again. She lowers it as he starts to struggle to his feet, her hand tucking itself into the other pocket. She shrugs and turns to watch the fight, her side to Chris. "She'll only kill him if he doesn't submit." Ava responds, her eyes glancing between the struggle and the Ragabash.

Speech-and-Silence's second blow at Mouse isn't aimed at her head, but at the nasty-looking wounds on her chest. And it's with claws out.

First-Strike's response can only be Rage-fueled, as it's so fast that it happens before the eye can really register. Kevin's claws dig viciously into her chest, causing blood to spurt everywhere, and suddenly she's fully /on top/ of him, the one hand with the claws in his jaw wrenching enough that she may be trying to rip his jaw clean off, the other moving from his chest straight for his throat, even while her jaws are snapping at his eyes.

Chris studiously ignores Ava, finally managing to reach his feet and leaning back against the wall, grey-faced as he watches the two crinos brawl.

Ava turns her side to Chris when the Ragabash moves off to the side, keeping herself between the fight and him. She watches both from the corners of her eyes, her gaze glancing back and fourth.

Belatedly and finally, Speech-and-Silence goes as limp as a strand of boiled spaghetti under First-Strike's attack, his throat once more on obvious display.

First-Strike is bristling with fury, with every inch of her fur standing out, and every muscle seemingly twitching from obvious pain. Her attack on his throat changes to a grab, but it's a rough and vicious grab, and she squeezes significantly before she eases up--though she doesn't let go of it. Her chest continues spurting and dripping blood down on the other Fostern as she leans in, staring into his eyes with a look of sheer, unbridled Rage. She doesn't say anything. Not yet.

Chris remains against the wall. Dripping lightly.

Ava maintains her position, waiting but ready for something else to go wrong.

Speech-and-Silence moves under the Alpha... but only to shift down one form, crinos to glabro. "Prrnt of rrdrr," he says, approximately. "Wzz hah huh hulludge?"

First-Strike adjusts herself, so that she's not in danger of squashing him by standing on a glabro's chest in crinos, though she's still hovering over the Ragabash. It seems to take a great deal of effort for her to actually release his throat entirely however. ~Before I get to that, I want you to be quiet. I want you to say nothing. I want you to listen to me, for once today. Ava was not at the fight because I, /I/ ordered her to stay behind and guard our home here, so that we would still /have/ somewhere to come to when we were all bleeding and broken. /I/ did not see what happened to Headshot because /I/ was buried in the middle of a Hive of the Wyrm, facing off against Akultot. I will find out what happened. I will see to it that the silver is got out of him. And before you say another word, I want you to contemplate just how many pieces you would be in for attacking your elder if I were /any/ other Garou in this Sept.~ She pushes up and away from him, though as she straightens a very visible, obvious twinge of pain wracks through her, and she nearly falls over.

Chris , you guessed it, keeps position. Which frankly seems to be taking up most of his concentration and energy.

"I'm a better guard than a fighter anyways, a limitation that I will freely admit." Ava bows her head, her eyes lidding momentarily. When Mouse stumbles, her head turns towards the Metis, but she makes no move to help her.

Kevin lifts one hand, in a very obvious request to be allowed to speak.

First-Strike catches herself, and then, a moment later, she shrinks down into homid, where her newest injury does a good job of immediately soaking the front of her shirt. It takes a few moments before she even realizes that Kevin has changed. "What?"

Chris watches, waits, bleeds.

Kevin speaks slowly and carefully, wary eyes on Mouse. "Would that be how many pieces in normal circumstances, Mouse-rhya... or how many pieces when we're in the state we're both in just this moment?"

Mouse regards him, breathing heavily. "Either way, you wouldn't be asking me this question, would you?"

Kevin examines the question warily, as if fearing a verbal trap. "Um, yes. You issued an order. I asked for clarification. Let me ask it another way, then. Is it permissible -- would you call it, in British terms, sporting and fair play -- to take advantage of another garou's temporarily weakened or wounded state in a challenge?"

"Fortunately for you, and him," Mouse says, her tone brittle, "These terms have nothing to do with physical capability. Is it sporting and fair play to not only attack your own elder the day after a major battle but attack her when she's already injured and /where/ she's already injured? Or does fairness only matter when it's in regards to people you actually like? You may want to consider, Ragabash, that as elder you are not allowed that particular luxury of judgment. Now, Chris. /Sit/. /Down/."

Chris sighs and lets his quivering form slide down to sit with his back against the wall. This leaves something of a trail of blood, but he really does look fit to faint anyway at this point.

"I'm glad that was resolved without death or scarring." Ava murmurs, glancing around the room. She moves off to stand near an unoccupied corner, watching with her back to the wall.

Kevin seems about to speak again, but wiser thoughts evidently prevail, and he holds his tongue. Glancing at Chris, sudden fear comes over his face when he sees just how wiped out his packmate appears.

Mouse moves over into the kitchen again, one hand using the table and then the back of a chair for balance. "These are the terms for both of you." She pauses and stiffens, eyes closing for a moment. "These are the terms. Convince a majority of our tribe and two other tribal elders that you would do a better job as elder than I have. You have a month at most, and whichever of you accomplishes that first, if any, wins. Now, get the first aid kit from the bathroom."

Chris starts to rise up, to go and fetch the first aid kit.. but doesn't really make it all the way. Having been leaking constantly since his brief shift his skin has taken on a distinctly waxy pallor. He opens his mouth to say something but words don't really make it out as his eyes roll back. He sways twice and then crashes to the ground from about halfway up to his feet. He sprawls and lies still, out cold.

Ava raises a brow as the Ragabash gets up, then slowly lifts her hand to put it on her brow, hiding her face as he crashes to the ground.

"Noted," Kevin says curtly. "Mouse-rhya, may I remove Chris to his bed?"

"For God's sake," Mouse mutters, exasperated. "Yes, do. Get liquids in him, leave his door unlocked. /I'll/ get the damned first aid kit."

"I'll do it." Ava murmurs, walking off briskly towards the bathroom.

Kevin, still in glabro, hoists Chris in a fireman's lift.

Mouse waits until they're all out of the room before she allows herself to nearly double-over the chair she's gripping so tightly, eyes squeezing shut and wheezing quietly.

Ava goes from the bathroom to Chris' apartment, and she opens the door if it has been left unlocked as Mouse instructed.

Kevin hauls Chris inside the apartment. "Thanks, Ava," he says gruffly, then pauses in the door. "Um...?"

Mouse remains in the breakroom. No carrying sound from her.

"Are you able to find all the silver in him?" Ava shrugs as Kevin takes the kit from her, not seeming interested in disagreeing. "I'm surprised that you didn't get hit too. I don't think I've seen silver explosives used in a gun fight before."

"Don't look at me," Kevin says. "I'm a ragabash, Jim, not a doctor. And if you've not seen silver in a fight, then lucky old you, eh, to have missed this one?" He's plainly trying to be affable. "Oh, and... I apologise for assuming the worst about your absence. See, if Mouse were a /smart/ leader, she'd have told us she ordered you to stay behind, not leave us to draw conclusions and get into confrontations over it."

"I've seen silver before, just not exploding silver. It's very unusual. If the Spirals were at the bottom of a tunnel, throwing explosives up is... Odd. Depending on what they used, Chris might have a few fragments, or he might have dozens. It'd help to know what the weapon was." Ava quirks her head slightly to the side, pausing long enough to wet her lips. "If you genuinely believe you're capable of leading this Tribe, why do you allow yourself to be led around by a Cliath? How long have you served him?"

"You want to know the truth?" Kevin gently lies Chris down on the bed. "I've served him since he beat me for alpha, back in the day. I'm not a leader. I challenged him... shit, you were there. Because he challenged Mouse in time of war, and that's not on. Mouse... She just seems to have a knack of saying the wrong thing every time she needs to say a right one. She's a great warleader. But in everyday peacetime affairs?"

"Mouse is in a great deal of pain, not only now, but usually. Mentally, physically, and this role brings her no joy. She does it because she has to, most certainly not because she wants to." Ava's head straightens out as she forms her next set of words, her eyes leveled on the Ragabash. "You admit that you yourself lack the capacity to lead a pack. I would submit to you then, that logically, you know you don't have the ability to lead this Tribe in peace or in war. If you know this, then you are challenging not because you don't think you'd be a better leader, but because you don't like her. If the good of the Tribe is your goal, you should withdraw your challenge."

Ava: Rather, you are challenge 'because you think you'd be a better leader'. Kill that not.
Ava: Kill the don't. Bah.

"I didn't want to challenge her in the first place." Kevin's attempt to be conciliatory dies an immediate death. "She fucking hit me and then insulted my mother! She goaded me into it!"

There's the sound of movement from the breakroom. Slight, quiet, still focused in the kitchen. The refrigerator door opens.

"Insults do not warrant a challenge of leadership, but one of honor, or pride." Ava glances over her shoulder down the hallway, then looks towards Kevin again. "I want to keep talking, so please don't close the door on me when I ask this. Do you think, in your heart of hearts, that Chris would be a better leader for this Tribe? Or that you would? And why?"

"I reckon Chris might well," Kevin says frankly. "And, ahh heck, I know who's making that noise. That'll be our packmate stressing about the silver situation..."

"But why? Why would Chris be a better leader for the Tribe than her, and if he would be a better leader for the Tribe, then why did you challenge him for challenging Mouse?" Ava reaches out towards Kevin, putting a hand on her shoulder if she isn't stopped. She leans forward a little, looking into the Ragabash's eyes in a way that doesn't confer a dominance challenge. "My problem with Chris isn't that he shot me, and it isn't anything else. I had no problems with Summer or him before then. My problem is that I sincerely believe he lacks humility and balance. I don't want him dead. I want him better."

"Hang on, I have to answer the door," Kevin says. "But ask this. Can you look into your heart and believe that Mouse knows humility and balance?" And with that question, he's scampering toward the stairs.

"If I did not, I would challenge her myself." Ava murmurs as Kevin departs, pulling the door to Chris' apartment shut in his wake. She turns to follow him, then stops in the breakroom doorway, glancing inside.

"Nikiya will do a better job of fixing the silver burns than anyone," Kevin calls out to Ava as he vanishes downstairs.

Ava lingers in the doorway to the breakroom, awaiting the return of Kevin and his packmate.

The door opens, and Kevin and Nikiya both step in. Nikiya is dressed in more sensible clothing today, covering up the bandages upon her body. It doesn't stop her face from looking a little bad, pock marks lining the right side of her features from apparent shrapnel wounds. She carries a pair of...pliers. Long ones. And she has an extremely determined look on her face.

Kevin is puffing a little from his recent exertions as he follows Nikiya inside. "He's out of it," he manages to pant. "Let's hope he stays that way."

"You could always sedate him." Ava suggests, studying the Fury's battlescars as she walks in. The Philodox trails behind them, taking her time with no particular hurry in her steps.

There's a rattle from the kitchen, the sound of the sink being turned on and off, and then Mouse emerges from the breakroom. She's standing straight and clearly trying to hide her general stiffness (no hiding the giant growing blood splotch on her chest of course), though her pallor has gone strangely greyish.

Nikiya nods quietly to Kevin as she makes her way towards Chris's room, that determined look still on her face. She does pause to glare at Ava, but she says nothing.

Kevin gives Ava and Mouse a grim but polite nod, leading Nikiya straight into Chris's apartment where the wounded ragabash is flaked out on the bed, unconscious.

Ava follows in after the Ragabashes, seemingly not all that bothered by Nikiya's ire.

Mouse narrows her eyes, either at the glare, or simply at the prospect of more movement--it /is/ rather hard to tell--but she also follows along behind the group.

The moment her eyes reach Chris, Nikiya sweeps in, pulling from her purse a satchel containing glass vials. "Kevin. Water and towel, please?" She sets about examining her pack alpha's wounds,.

Kevin scurries to get the requested items, nearly bumping into Ava and Mouse as they also enter.

The fury quickly sets to work; first, a milky white fluid is poured carefully into Chris's mouth, the Fury carefully lifting his head to ensure no choking occurs. Then, she carefully rests his head back down on the couch, patting his forehead gently. "That make sure he sleep while I find silver and retrieve, stich him up little bit." She frowns at the state of the unconcious Walker's wounds.

Ava looks around the apartment in every direction once she's inside, taking it all in without actively opening or disrupting anything. She waits in the middle of the living room, waiting and listening.

"You're, uh, sure you can get it out without making things any worse?" Kevin says, hovering anxiously at the periphery of Nikiya's vision.

Mouse stops further back, in the doorway itself, and her eyes narrow a bit further. She is, however, leaning heavily against the doorway by this point. "If we can get the silver out, shifting should be just fine. I healed what I could."

Nikiya nods. "I positive." She pulls out a small bottle of a purplish liquid, pouring a measured amount into the water; she then dips the towel in, using it to clean Chris's wounds. "He not feel a thing. Wake up in stitches." She cracks a grin at her remark, apparently intensely amused by her joke. Then, she grows serious. "I not doctor, but know how to get silver and shrapnel out of wounds. Doing this blind, but Kris nerves dulled right now. He not feel."

Kevin looks rather queasy as Nikiya gets to work. "Um,... it's rather crowded in here," he points out, which is not untrue. "I'll be in my room along the hallway if you need me..." He squeezes past Ava and Mouse carefully toward the door.

"Mmm... " Ava runs her foot along the bottom of one of the couches, the tip of her shoe tracing just beneath it. She comes to a stop immediately after, making it look like a slow step. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Mouse points out, perhaps a little crankily, "the stitches will pop just as soon as he shifts." She's /in/ the doorway, so she has to shuffle ungainly to get out of Kevin's way, which she does.

Kaz pages: Ring.

Nikiya shrugs quietly, pulling out the forceps. She nudges at a particularly deep wound with her finger, near Chris's kidneys; she doesn't look up to the other two, quite focused on her work. "They will pop when he shifts. But they will bleed less while he is in homid. I will remove stitches when he wakes up. Will watch him, until he wakes." Carefully, she nudges the long forceps into the wound, ever-so-carefully moving it around to ensure no damage is done to the already sensitive tissue. "He say it around his kidney..."

Mouse starts to say something else, but her pocket buzzes, and she slips out her cellphone, glances at the number and brings it to her ear. "Yeah?" In spite of her self, she sounds rather breathless.

"Kevin could watch him after you're done." Ava replies, her attention swinging back to Nikiya. Mouse gets a quick glance, but most of her attention is on the Fury and her work.

From afar, Kaz says cheerfully, "Hey, can I come up and bug you people?"

Mouse says to the phone. "Oh. Yeah. Uh...one sec." And she turns and moves stiffly out into the hall to open a door.

"No. I stay." The response is simple. "I not bother any other glass walkers. Stay in here. Leave after Chris wakes up, after take out stiches." She motions towards her oversized purse. "Have everything need in there. Not leave this room but to leave building."

"Yo, hey," reports Kaz's voice out in the hall. There's a short pause, and then she says, clearly to Mouse, "Man, you look like shit."

"The stitches will remove themselves when he shifts. If you get permission from Mouse to stay, you can, but otherwise you will be asked you leave. This is a special place for us." Ava glances over her shoulder when she hears Kaz's voice.

Mouse's response is probably crankier than she intends it to sound. "I work really hard at it. People are in Chris's room because apparently something exploded and he's got silver shrapnel. Oh and Kevin's challenged me too. How was your day?"

Nikiya rolls her eyes. "I in Chris's apartment. Not rest of fifth floor. Just apartment. I sure Kris and Kevin not mind minya staying. I ask Mouse-rhya, though." She continues to work into the wound; her expression lights up as she apparently finds something, the forceps opening briefly, before closing. Carefully, the Fury wiggles out the shard of silver. This is held out to Ava. "Either throw away, or bring minya something to throw it away." The towel is held to the wound, which is freshly bleeding.

Mouse, at least, is privy to seeing Kaz grimace at the silver. But she doesn't comment on it. "My day," she says cheerily, apparently unable to ratchet down her mood, and following Mouse, "Was rockin'. Why the fuck was Kevin challenging you, though?"

And Kaz can certainly see Mouse visibly twitch at some things or other. Her mood only seems to add to the Theurge's sarcasm, though. "Because I was being so /inconsiderate/ as to give Chris the terms he wanted as soon as this crisis finished. And possibly being a mule has something to do with it, I don't even fucking know. Anyway, this way." And she appears again in the doorway, though this time she doesn't stay in, so as to allow Kaz entry.

Ava approaches Nikiya and reaches out her hand, taking the bloodstained shard of silver with two fingers. She glances at it, then deposits it into her palm. "How'd this happen anyways? Kevin said that the Spirals threw some sort of bomb out of the tunnel at you. How big was it?"

"I not entirely sure. All happen very fast." She points at her wounded face. "Something made silver explode. Looked like arrows...think three of them. Flew up in air, aimed at Kris. Boom, explosion." She pulls out a curved needle and what appears to be a very thin sinew thread, a small scowl upon her face, suddenly, though the ire is certainly not directed at any in the room. Quietly, she begins to work at closing up the deep wound.

Kaz looks really baffled now. "Well, ok then." And then she leans against the doorframe into Chris's apartment. "Hey, y'all."

Mouse mutters toward Kaz, "Trust me, it's not going to make sense. Your head might hurt though." She frowns suddenly, puts a hand to her shirt, and then seems to realize it's dripping. "Oh God /dammit/."

"Arrows?" Ava queries, her voice dropping off a few levels in volume. She lifts up the shard in her hand and studies it, holding it before the light in the room. "Silver exploding?" She turns the shard of metal around in her hand, glancing back at Mouse and Kaz. She turns her head back around to look at Chris' injuries, then at Nikiya's with thought in her eyes. "The Spirals have been known to use a Talen that makes silver bullets explode. How many did Chris bring to the fight?"

Nikiya doesn't look up or wave, but she does greet Kaz. "Privyet, Kaz-rhya. Good to see you alive and well after last night. Good feeling, having defeated our enemies. Da?" She smiles softly, quickly closing off the wound, before setting about prodding around at the unconcious Chris's wounds, chewing on her lower lip. "Two." That is the only answer she gives as she focuses on finding any more shrapnel or silver shards.

Kaz beams at Nikiya. "Man, wasn't /that/ a tussle. Fuckin' fun fight." Her gaze to Mouse is a bit worried, but then she's interrupted by Nikiya. "Yeah," Kaz says, "About that. I kinda told him it was OK, in Dancer fights, but where'd he /get/ it, d'you know?"

Mouse mutters, while trying to mop at her front, "I fucking warned him about those." Mopping with her hand is, no shock, not in the slightest bit effective, so after a moment she gives a substantial, almost full bodied twitch, and turns for wherever Ava set the first aid kit.

"That's a good question. Where did he get it?" Ava asks, her eyes on the sparkling sliver of metal.

Nikiya pauses in hunting for more shrapnel to offer a small grin to Kaz. "Da, very much so. Glad you live. First Bone Gnawer minya has met that minya likes." She sounds rather gravely serious, but the amused smile in her eyes betrays her jovial attitude. Reaching down, Nikiya tosses another towel to the Walker Alpha, before wordlessly turning back to tend to Chris.

"I not know where he get silver, at all." She shrugs.

"I'm glad /you're/ alive, too. Y'abitch, but you're /our/ bitch." Kaz grins, just a touch, and then nods at her answer. "Cool beans. I'll ask him later. Ain't no big thing."

Mouse scowls at the towel, likely for existing, and shoves it against her chest as she begins picking a half used roll of bandages out of the first aid kit. She gives another full bodied twitch when she straightens back up, and sucks in a sharp breath.

"Mmmm... Did anyone else in Vendetta use silver weapons? If they did, where did they get them?" Ava queries in a quiet voice, thumbing over the silver shard in her palm as she speaks.

Nikiya can't help but offer another grin to Kaz. "I am total bitch. But glad to assist new home. Already doing well here." She nods. "He be knocked out for while." A rather irritated glance is spared to Ava. "Da. I did. Darts with colloidal silver." She's speaking in a bleak monotone to the Philodox. "Had vial with when came to Sept. Still have vial. Want to take from me?" She offers Ava a rather flat look, before turning back to Chris and focusing on him.

Kaz looks baffled at some of the interaction between the two women. But all she says is, "No kiddin'." And then she kicks her heel against the doorframe. "So Mouse, like, I hadda question. Should I wait til y'done, Ava, or no?"

Mouse starts to look toward Nikiya, but the sharp motion has her wincing and bending over the first aid kit again. "...Yeah?" she asks, a little more breathlessly.

"If you would give it to Chris if he asked, then yes, I would like that." Ava turns her head to glance at Kaz, blinking owlishly. "Don't wait for me to do whatever it is you wish to do. I'm not likely to interfere."

Nikiya rolls her eyes. "It is your business what I do with my Silver? Shouldn't that be discussed with Melodie, the Fury Philodox? My answer is this. If Kaz-rhya and Kris came to me asking for my colloidal silver darts, with Kaz-rhya giving Kris express permission, then I would. Otherwise, no. It MOY liquid silver, and doubt Kris has much use for colloidal silver anyhow. It only good used in needles and darts...and last I check, he not use blowgun, either." She sneers quietly, easing the forceps into another wound to retrieve another shard of silver.

Kaz looks completely baffled. "You know what, now I really /do/ have to ask, why are you acting like Ava wants to eat your unborn children? She's a fuckin' Philodox, she's acting on my behalf, what is your issue?"

Mouse grimaces. She closes her eyes for a moment, sets her jaw, and then proceeds to ungracefully stuff the towel under her shirt.

"Then that answers my question, doesn't it? Chris wouldn't use it, I don't want it. He's not meant to have silver, I am trying to determine why he does, and his sources. You possess silver. If I had reason to believe you might give it to him, then it is a Glass Walker matter." She turns her head to look back at Kaz over her shoulder. "She's very protective of her Alpha, an admirable trait, but one that blinds her to his wrongdoing."

Nikiya snorts; for a moment, she is only silent, easing the forceps into the wound and carefully pulling out a piece of shrapnel. Shucks, not the silver. Ava is cast a death-glare. "This Philodox breaks litany, blatantly. She speaks carelessly about Garou terms in public places, and responds with snide remarks when rebuked. Then, she disrespects those below her station. Told me herself that pregnant kin who was frenzied on was completely at fault for being frenzied on. Implied that Garou who frenzied on pregnant kin was NOT at fault, and would not be judged for nearly killing a woman and her unborn child." She grits her teeth. "Just like child who has to wear turtlenecks in summertime to hide bruises from father is completely at fault because he disobeyed his father. And woman who is raped is at fault because she wore low-cut top." Then, suddenly, she closes her eyes, taking several deep breaths. Meditation, perhaps?

Nikiya adds, "How am I supposed to take a Philodox seriously when she can't even follow the most simple parts of our Litany, The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted, and Respect Those Beneath You in Station."

Kaz glances at Ava. "Way I understood that part of shit was Solsiva frenzied 'cause of something Summer said, right? And Summer was bein' herself? I ain't heard about this Veil part, though." She contemplates. "'Course, me, I was /talkin'/ about /Chris/. Who's the one under actual punishment. Currently."

Mouse stands up so fast that it can only result in bad things, and it does. She jerks, she nearly trips over, and then suddenly she is in crinos, facing Nikiya, and /snarling/. ~You call yourself a /Fury/ and you compare someone bearing partial responsibility for provoking a frenzy to a fucking /rape/?! Get the fuck out of of my safehouse. Leave the pliers and /get the fuck out/!~

First-Strike: Oh hm. I should've described crinos Mouse's condition. Let's just say it looks like she had a dance with a chainsaw and the chainsaw won.

Nikiya shakes her head. "I not give a shit about whatever Kris and Kevin have against Ava. Not my business, I not care. I DO care about a pregnant kin not recieving repayment for her suffering at the hands of a Garou who should have walked out of the room, or told the kin to be silent. I heard that she was acting on the request of Mouse-rhya." As the Walker elder snaps into Crinos, Nikiya...hardly seems phased, peering calmly up at the wounded Crinos. "I not saying she completely innocent. I saying that Ava accused her of being completely at fault. Implied that frenzied Garou was completely innocent after attacking woman with child. Woman could have miscarried. Woman could have died, and Garou would have had the blood of two on her hands. If I have facts wrong, please, correct them for minya." She frowns, carefully setting the forceps next to Chris and slowly, carefully rising to her feet and beginning to calmly gather her things.

"Shut. Up." Ava responds, drawing her taser from her pocket sometime during Nikiya's speech. She points it levelly at the back of the Black Fury's head and fires from a few inches away, squeezing the trigger like it was a squeeze bottle of happiness hooked directly to her soul.

Reason is not on First-Strike's to-do list at the moment, that's clear. The moment Nikiya starts talking to her, she starts moving. It's not as fast as it could be. She's hurting. She's spent. But it's still a crinos, she still has a fairly short distance to travel, and she /lunges/ at the Black Fury.

Kaz, predictably, being Kaz, is too slow, but she /is/ diving for Mouse, falling into Crinos as she does so. She manages mostly to whonk her head very hard on the table, though.

It only takes Ava's words for Nikiya's form to suddenly explode into Crinos, doing her damnedest to stand over Chris, while swinging her massive arms towards both the wounded Metis and the angry Ava; her claws are clenched into fists, to avoid striking the others with them; she's mostly aiming to knock them away from her. She lets out a loud roar as she does so, fighting the effects of the tazer with sheer willpower right now.

First-Strike seems absolutely undeterred by the larger, more capable crinos. She takes a crunching blow from the arms, but she's tenacious, and she doesn't seem at all opposed to using her claws or her teeth. She snaps and claws at the Fury, trying to grapple onto her despite the odds and despite her already severely wounded state. She's probably getting blood all over Chris's floor. If she's not frenzying, and it's hard to tell just now, she certainly is close to it.

Ava is still gripping the taser in her hand as she goes flying backwards and across the floor, hitting the side of the right wall. The Philodox grits her teeth and removes a pistol from beneath her jacket, racking the slide with her teeth to eject a shell before leveling it at Nikiya. The second that the laser shows up on the Fury's fur, Ava fires high at the side of her torso.

Kaz, meanwhile, is moving with positively unnatural speed to try and knock Mouse out; she seems very practiced at this maneuever, as she tries very hard to /wham/ on the back of her head.

Nikiya snarls as First-Strike goes for claws and teeth; she keeps her own fists closed, doing her best to fend off the attacks. ~GET OFF OF ME! All I wish to do is gather my things and GO, you crazy motherfuckers! There's an injured homid Garou behind me who will die if he is harmed! Please, stop this!~ Using her foot (still careful not to go for claws), she attempts to kick First-Strike away, back towards Ears. As the shot rings out and hits her, the lets out a loud snarl, turning a hate-filled glare to Ava; for a moment, it looks as though she's about to go after the Philodox, her claws flexing...but instead, she simply stands protectively over Chris's unconcious form, letting Ava know by way of snarls and roars that being shot really fucking hurt. But she's not attacking anyone.

First-Strike's response is an enraged SNARL, and as she's kicked, the change is obvious--she goes from angry to mindless as she snaps forward again, heedless of all injuries, looking only to rend and tear. Kaz hits her at about that point. Whump. She's down in a single blow, just before she reaches the Fury.

"Take your shit and don't come back." Ava responds with a sneer as her Elder goes down, tilting the pistol up to direct the laser into the Fury's eye. "Say one damn thing, just one, and I'll shoot your mouth off *for* you. I'm tired of dealing with your idiotic pack of Ragabashes."

~/Right/,~ snarls Kaz, as she straightens from looking down at Mouse regretfully. And then she glares at Ava. ~You,~ she tells the Philodox, ~Shut up before you make her lose control. You--~ and she turns that glare on the Fury. ~I love you, or anyway, you're cute for an asshole, and you're defending packmates and all that, and welcome to Raccoon's world, by the way, but get the fuck out. This ain't your turf. It's Walker turf. This floor. So. Git. Take y'stuff, y'can bug Headshot later. OK?~

Nikiya's claws flex as Mouse flies at her, but she relaxes, simply growling lowly; as Ava speaks, she tenses once more, her teeth bared at the philo with intense hatred; but again, she relaxes, letting out a low growl. After a long moment, the Fury shifts down into her homid form, taking hold of the forceps. With hardly a flinch, she jams the instrument into the gunshot wound inflicted by the Philo, glaring daggers the entire time. Then, she yanks the bullet out, dropping it into the bucket of water. Without another word, she then turns, gathering her things with a scowl upon her face.

Kaz mutters, ~Glory hosanna, someone who don't add shit on.~

Ava doesn't move from her spot on the floor or respond to Kaz, nor does she lower her weapon as Nikiya shifts down. She keeps the laser trained on the Fury, watching her, tracking her departure.

First-Strike groans. She doesn't quite wake up, just yet, though she does roll over onto her side, curling into a fetal position.

Sporting new claw wounds upon her arms and a fresh, bleeding hole in her chest, Nikiya slings her bag over her shoulder. A single glare is cast towards Ava, before the Fury heads towards the door, sure to give First-Strike a VERY wide berth. A respectful nod is offered to Kaz, then, and the Fury is out the door without a single word.

Kaz pinches the bridge of her nose. Yes, with her claws. ~Jeeeeesu Christe.~

First-Strike groans again, and her eyelids flutter open. A moment later she's shifting back down to homid, though she's pretty messy at this point, and that...tail...of hers seems to have slid out during the transition. She wraps an arm around her chest and breathes heavily, noisily into the floor.

"Are there Ragabashes in this Sept that aren't insane, or are the crazy ones just... Conveniently located in one pack?" Ava asks once Nikiya is out of the room. Ava sets her gun down on her stomach and ejects the magazine, picking a bullet up off the floor to press back into the magazine.

Eventually, Kaz forces herself down into homid. "I like Kevin. I like Chris. I like that lil' bitch. I /even/ like Jason. But the bunch of them together? Kinda expands to fit the space available." She sighs. "Mouse? You OK there? Can we help any?"

"No," Mouse says, in a very quiet, tight voice, without specifying which question she's answering. Possibly both.

"You *like* Chris? What's to like?" Ava questions derisively, racking the slide of her pistol to reload the bullet she'd ejected. She points it at the floor and hits the safety, then shoves it back down into it's holster. She grabs the loose round and stands up, muttering and dusting herself off.

"Let me know if I can, at some point," Kaz says, and looks around vaguely. "He fights for his Sept, he's an earnest fucker who tries hard, and he's a former packmate of mine. Yeah, he don't got good control, but seriously. Don't let the fuckin' annoying parts blind you to the less annoying parts. Please."

"I need," Mouse announces, in a wheezy sort of way, "to breathe." That said, she does suck in a deep breath. "What was the question you were going to ask?" She hasn't made any move to pick herself up off the floor. She doesn't look as though she's going to do that soon either.

"Good control is an important part of being a Garou, and I would expect a Ragabash to have more of it than most of the Ahrouns I've met." Ava adjusts her jacket, muttering as she begins to tweak and tune her suit until all the little wrinkles and fine marks disappear. "He also either lied when he said he gave up all his silver, or blew it off and got more, and drives my Elder up a wall on a daily basis. The sum of his bad parts is greater than the sum of his good parts, and in a less forgiving Tribe he'd be dead by now."

"The silver part does kinda worry me, though only the part about where he /got/ it. The rest of it. Well. Like I said, he was a packmate." She sighs, and looks over to Mouse. "Huh? Oh. Uh. Why were you /stabbing/ yourself /repeatedly/ last night?"

Mouse sucks in another breath, quite wheezy and raspy. "Pain talen."

"It doesn't bother you that he either lied in his contrition or just got more silver anyways? It doesn't bother you that he doesn't understand the basics of Garou nature, pretends like he's infallable and generally creates more problems than he solves? That he's fired over a dozen silver bullets in the past month, and half of those have been into Glass Walkers?" Ava shakes her head, looking disgusted as she gestures to the Ragabash on the bed. "Well it bothers me."

Kaz tilts her head. "Could you be a weeee bit more descriptive than that?" This is, clearly, to Mouse. And then she shrugs at Ava. "It bugs me. That's why I'm gonna /ask/ him about it. What the fuck do you think I was askin' Nikiya about it for? But I ain't gonna /harp/ on it. I am gonna deal with it, and /move on/. And I'm /also/ going to appreciate what he and his pack /did/ last night. So step the fuck off of telling me what I should and should not hate."

Mouse closes her eyes. After a moment, however, something pricks at the corner of her mouth, something that's akin to a very faint, twisted sort of smile. "I made a bargain with a spirit to bring all the pain, /all/ of it, every bit of pain that Akultot and Laura had ever brought on others, onto themselves. All at once."

Ava lifts her hand up and starts to count off on her fingers. "So far, Chris has shot one Glass Walker cub, one Glass Walker Philodox, and two Glass Walker Fosterns with silver. He has shot an entire pack's worth of Glass Walkers with silver." Ava counters grimly, her lips twisting in a grimace. "And killed one."

Kaz simply stares at Mouse. "Dude," she says, a wealth of respect in her voice. "No wonder the dude went down so quick." It takes a moment, but then she realizes, "That... musta had a weighty price tag?"

Mouse looks vaguely pleased about the whole 'no wonder he went down so quick' part, though that does melt away at the next question. "Yeah." She coughs. "Yeah it did."

Ava doesn't say anything else just yet, even if it looks like she wants to, judging by her tense posture and the vague narrowing of her eyes.

Kaz gestures with a hand, circling with it. "Whiiich is...?"

Mouse looks very hesitant. She's in far too much pain, and is far too tired, to make it anything but obvious. "If it's all the same to you, I'd really...prefer not to..."

"Mouse," Kaz says, possibly a little more urgently than might be expected, "The story of this battle /fucking rests/ on that /fucking/ talen, because that asshole woulda wiped the /floor/ with me. And I." She suddenly sounds awkward. "I want to tell your story right."

Mouse flushes to her eartips, which at least has the added benefit of giving her face some color again. "Well," and in saying this, she seems to realize she's still laying on the floor, and object to it, because she puts off answering until she puts out a hand and starts shoving herself up into a sitting position, though the other arm remains wrapped around her bloody chest. "Well, some power, every month at the same time I asked. And..." She looks sheepish. "It was a pain spirit. I was asking a big favor. I...offered to let it have some fun with me, for a while."

Kaz's eyebrows go up in an obvious mixture of worry and clear admiration. (More of the latter.) And they stay up. "How long," she asks carefully, "Is 'awhile.'"

Ava doesn't say anything, but her face drains of some of it's tension when she hears Mouse's admission.

Mouse attempts to say with all the possible casualness she can muster, "Six months."

There's a pause. "Dude," Kaz bursts out, "All /I/ gotta do is make nice to Grandfather Thunder at a /Moot/. Well," she amends, "And do a favor. And all that. But /still/." She shakes her head. "Wellup, I ain't leavin' this to /Charlene/. That's goin' in the meat of the damn thing."

Mouse flushes even more. She doesn't look as though she has any idea how to respond to that, so rather than try, she pretends to just notice that her tail is sitting next to her, and studies it instead.

Kaz just grins. "C'mon," she says, and offers the Walker a hand up.

Ava continues to just stand and watch, her hands hanging loosely at her sides.

Mouse takes the hand with the arm not holding her chest, and then probably ends up needing Kaz's assistance more than she'd like, but she does get to her feet and stay there.

Kaz is, as per usual, a solid support, and doesn't look at all like she's worried. Or concerned about getting blood on herself. "So anyways," she tells Ava, "If you, as someone who got shot, want to take the dude to a Philodox, please do. Meantime, I'm enforcing my part of the bargain, with my own capacities. OK?"

Once she's up, Mouse lets go of Kaz in order to unceremoniously snatch at her tail, and shove it back down her pants. Very sophisticated, that. She clears her throat a bit, obviously fighting down embarrassment, and nods slightly to what Kaz says.

"That depends. If I bring it to a Philodox, will he face facts for all he's done with silver, or merely what he's done to me?" Ava asks, respectfully not paying any attention to Mouse tucking her tail away.

Tail? What tail. "Well, that'd depend on the Philodox. I'd suggest talkin' a Camille, or to Desh. Or Rianna. Ain't none of them involved, and they're all sane folks, so far as I know." Kaz shrugs. "But I ain't a half moon, so."

"Just as a note," Mouse says, trying hard not to sound wheezy (she fails), "I punished him for what happened to Riley ages ago. That should be taken into account if you're going to go official. Me, I'm so damned sick of this infighting I don't think I can present a stance that isn't just a variation of 'shut the fuck up'."

Kaz suggests, "Fuck the shut up."

Mouse agrees, "Like that."

"I'll choose the one that I feel is most experienced. Your advice?" Ava queries, patiently responding to Kaz. She draws a slow breath and walks over towards the other two women, trying not to look too concerned for Mouse. "I guessed that he had been punished for that, but I will mention it, because as a Philodox myself, I would take that as significant."

The Galliard doesn't even pause. "Camille's been around five thousand and three blocks, has shut down a whole /buttload/ of people who broke the damn Veil, and frankly, I was scared outta my pants when I realized she'd come here," Kaz says. "Rianna's just this chick. Go Gnawer. Choose Gnawer."

Mouse seems content to settle into the background for this part of the conversation, probably in part because she's still trying to catch her breath. After a few moments she does turn back to go and retrieve the bloody towel, and the bandages.

"I yield to your choice. If Chris has a problem with this, let him know that I chose the course of action and Philodox that his former packmate chose." Ava offers her hand to Kaz, regarding her levelly. "I'm sure that Nikiya will go to the same to tell her of my 'breaking the veil' and my other 'numerous violations' which she was so kind to list. I also wouldn't be surprised if there is more fighting in recent days, but... I don't intend to start it."

Mouse mutters something about 'damn well better not' and 'bullets' as she stuffs that bloody towel up her shirt again.

Kaz takes it, regarding her levelly, and with respect. Her shake is solid. "Sounds like a plan. But speakin' of, just because I'm curious what the fuck she /meant/, what /is/ up with this Veil thing?"

"We were discussing Summer, in a conversation I did not start-" Ava glances at Mouse, then looks back at Kaz. "In a sparsely populated coffee shop on a rainy day. While keeping my eye on everybody in the shop, I used some terms that Nikiya didn't agree with. Then she threatened to take me back to the Tenement and beat me in my own territory for it, and made that ridiculous rape analogy." Ava rolls her eyes, lifting a hand to her temple. "If merely discussing business in a 'public' place was a Veil violation, mostly every 'Urrah' I've ever met would be guilty. A violation only occurs if it's heard, seen, or ridiculously careless."

"The next person to make that comparison," Mouse continues to mutter (to herself really), "/Bullets/. In the knees."

Kaz nods once. "Yeah. And I ain't into that rape thing. The thing is, obviously, the person fuckin' frenzyin' has responsibility. So does the person who was being a pushy lil'... pushy person. It ain't a major crime unless someone /dies/, and even then, it ain't a Litany thing. It obviously ain't /right/, to frenzy on someone, and I ain't gonna trust 'em for awhile, as much, and it ain't /the best option/, no shit, but our Rage is part of the fabric of our being, and frenzy is part of our lives. So yeah. It ain't like blamin' no rape victim, and it sure ain't right to say the person frenzied on don't got no responsibility f'their mouth, neither." Kaz shrugs. "But yeah, OK, words words words more words. Fits the rest of all this." She sighs. "Anyway. Thanks f'stayin' behind, last night, yeah?"

"There was another Kin there who warned her to shut up well before she got ripped. My sympathy for her is low, especially since she's made at least one other Garou frenzy. Solsiva showed warning signs that she ignored, and pressed on anyways. Most of the weight of that folly rests on Summer. I disagreed, especially because she was bad-mouthing my Tribemate in front of another Garou." Ava sighs and nods. "I do as I'm told, most of the time. I need no thanks for doing my duty, but I appreciate it." She turns to her Elder after she speaks, managing a small smile. "I wasn't close enough to do that, your legs were in the way. I had to shoot high."

"You know," Mouse says, louder, as she straightens up. "I actually watched the tape. May I please present the fact that the only reason she is /alive/ right now is because Ava intervened. Because everyone seems to be ignoring that. Also," she grimaces. "I need a new shirt."

"I didn't!" Kaz says cheerfully. And then rummages in her coat pocket. She comes up with a thinnish t-shirt, and offers it dubiously to Mouse. "Anyways," she tells Ava, "I was talkin' in the general, not the specific, because I don't /know/ about this specific situation, not havin' been there."

Ava starts to shrug out of her jacket when Kaz pulls out the t-shirt, her eyes going to the Alpha's coat. "Should I call you Pockets-Rhya?" Ava muses dryly, re-situating herself in her jacket. "Yes, well. If I was out to get Chris, I would have let Summer be killed, and shot Chris with the silver bullet I had in my gun at the time when he shifted and came up behind me as I was pinning Solsiva. And Mouse-" Ava glances at her Alpha. "Probably would have deemed that I had enough reason to fear Chris enough to use it. But I'm not out for blood, only balance."

Ava: Alpha, Elder. Meh.

Mouse accepts the shirt and pulls it over her own, then does a bit of finagling before pulling the bloody, ruined shirt out through the collar. Ta da. "I'm just going to warn you, Ava. Garou aren't generally nearly as balanced as you are. In some ways, you'll probably need to accept that to an extent."
Kaz beams. "Ain't it fun?" She slaps the coat, adding, "Good ol' Rite." Listening, she says, "Yah, I ain't a fan of this lettin' people be kilt thing. So good on you." This seems to be a somewhat empty comment, as she drifts towards the door.

"Neither am I." Ava shakes her head and reaches out to offer her Elder an arm for support, offering to fill the position that the load bearing Metis left open. "I am not balanced, and you know that, and you know why. I don't expect Garou to act like me, because if they did, we'd all likely fall in unison to the Weaver. But I do expect restraint, and willpower."

Probably absolutely unsurprisingly, Mouse does not take the offer. "Which is not unreasonable," she agrees, to Ava. As Kaz drifts out, however, she looks a little torn, chews her lip briefly, and then moves stiffly and uncertainly toward her. "Uh, Kaz?"

Kaz pauses. "Yah?"

Mouse looks even more uncertain. And awkward. And so, rather than saying anything, which would be sane, she instead sort've...touches Kaz's elbow a little, for a moment, and then steps back as if nothing happened.

"That is... Admittedly, a strange, but touching show of affection." Ava quietly observes, somehow maintaining a straight face.

Kaz leans into her, just briefly, when Mouse touches her. After a moment of not-quite-looking-at-Mouse, she says, "Me too." Not, of course, that Mouse said anything. Then she shakes her head, says, "I'll catch y'all later," and heads out the door.

"Later," Mouse says. Casual and all. Her ears redden at Ava's remark, but she studiously pretends as though she didn't hear it.

"Goodbye." Ava calls after Kaz, walking over to stand beside the Metis with a significantly more relaxed posture than she had minutes ago.

Kaz trundles off and downstairs.

Mouse stands there for a bit, and then, with a glance at Ava, she tucks the bloody shirt under one arm and steps out, heading for her own apartment.

Ava follows along with her, at least in the hallway. "May I make a suggestion to you, Mouse-Rhya?"

Mouse is walking slow enough, so time enough for questions. "Yeah?"

"You shouldn't stand so far away from everyone else." Ava responds bluntly, but quietly, her tone hushed and just a tad softer than usual.

Mouse's step falters for a moment, and she gives Ava a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Back there, with Kaz." Ava turns her head to look in the direction of the apartment's threshold. "It felt like you wanted to say, or do more... But you held back, and that little touch was the first affectionate thing I've seen you do. You're very restrained, and give very much of yourself, but you're also very withdrawn."

"Comes with the territory," Mouse replies, though it's obvious she's not being terribly truthful. "When you're elder, you have to devote your energies to solving everyone else's problems. That's what they expect from you. It's one of the main reasons I don't believe either of those two are ready for the responsibility."

"That's not entirely true. The Alpha leads, and the Alpha makes the tough choices, but the group as a whole is what makes us strong. You being alone weakens you in a way, as my own problems weaken me, and Chris' weaken him... But sharing a weakness dissipates the forces outward, sharing the burden among many supports, much like this building." Ava pauses, then adds in a lower tone. "And I would have gladly taken some of the burden in bartering with that pain spirit, if you had just let me know."

Mouse gives a slight, rough sort of laugh that results in a minor wince. "I didn't want to let anyone know. It's just a thing, Ava. And if you ask me, well worth the price. If you had seen the /look/ on his face..." She shrugs slightly. "You're right, we're strong as a group. Right now this tribe is ridiculously weak. I don't know if that's my poor leadership or not. But I can't lean on them."

"Because you didn't trust them, or because of something else?" Ava murmurs back, remaining at the Metis' side as they amble towards her apartment. "If that pain spirit did that to him in a few moments, what will it do to you in a few months?" The faint grimace in the corner of her lips grows wider at the passing thought. "The only questions I have seen of your leadership are those from Chris and Kevin, and Kevin admitted you were a perfectly fit war time leader. He challenged Chris over alphaship of Vendetta because he challenged you. I don't think Kevin's attempt is sincere, but it was motivated by things you said, and Chris. You are a fine leader, and if I did not think it so, I would challenge you myself. You have short comings, but so does Kaz, or any leader."

Mouse grunts. "Have you listened to them? There isn't any going to them with my problems. And that's fine. It is what it is. I'm the elder. It's not a matter of...trust. It's just a matter of responsibility." The remarks about what the pain spirit will do, well, those she doesn't respond to.

"How many times in the last year have you gone to anyone else, inside the Tribe or not, because of a problem?" Ava asks, probing without trying to sound as though she's poking the Metis with a verbal stick. "Do you trust anyone in the Tribe right now? Not just in a battle 'do you have my back?' sense, either."

"Depends on what I'm trusting them for," is Mouse's response. "Oh hell, Ava, I don't know. Does it matter? I trust them to do what they need to do, except in stupid circumstances like the present where they get their egos all tied up and wouldn't know perspective if it bit them in the eye."

"It matters. Leadership is very much like a pyramid, and at the moment, our's is upside down and you are but one point supporting a great mass. You know as well as I do, that you can't do that forever. The chaos of that pyramid crashing down to earth in your absence would be far greater than any shakeups that might occur from you turning the thing right side up." Ava's lips purse, and the Philodox follows up with. "I think you should be in a pack. I think it would help."

Mouse's lips twist. "Noo, no no. It would definitely not help the tribe. Hell, the last time I packed, I got hell for it because I was supposedly devoting too much time to it--and 'too much time' was apparently no time at all. Asshole. And me? I'm not really the packing sort, these days. Doesn't work out well."

"Maybe when things are calmer, but at least get some friends. Someone you can confide in, someone you can delegate to, or just... I don't know. Whatever it is you do to unwind. Invite Kaz over one night and play Yahtzee for a few hours." Ava gives Mouse the gentliest of taps with her side, careful not to brush any area she thinks is wounded. "And try a break now and then. Take time for yourself. Vent. Cloud watch. Jump on your couch and draw on the walls."

Mouse waves a hand. "It's not like I don't do things for myself now and then. I'd hardly be sane if I didn't. You really don't need to worry about me, Ava."

"For all the great displays of anger and admittedly required shows of dominance that I've seen you do, that slight tap you gave Kaz, and the blush afterwards, was the first show of affection I've ever seen you do. I just wish that I saw you be less... Stressed, now and then." Ava murmurs, her eyes drifting away from Mouse. "For what it's worth, when I talked to Kevin, he voiced concerns that you weren't very relateable and that you weren't political. I do not know enough of you to weigh in on those concerns either way, but that was his stated reason for challenge. And your comments about his mother. Seems a sensitive thing."

Mouse looks dryly amused, and exasperated. "You were there. I didn't say a word about his mother. I said I was /not/ his mother, because he seems to think he can still act like a child and get nothing more than a stern talking to out of it. And no. I'm not political. I don't play political bullshit games like a Shadow Lord. Doesn't mean I don't deal with intertribe relations on a regular basis. The thing is--and frankly, I wish I could get them to /realize/ it--this isn't a position where you bark orders and then go back to doing whatever you want to. It's /work/. It's a lot of work, and you don't get credit for it, and if you make mistakes everyone pays. I wish they realized how much ends up being /done/ that they /never/ see. If Chris can't deal with you, someone in his own tribe that he disagrees with, how the hell does he think he's going to be able to deal with the other tribes without causing an intertribal war? Those are the kinds of questions I wish they'd consider."

"I am merely saying what he told me. It doesn't have to be logical to be perceived." Ava smiles dimly and lowers her head, her eyes drifting to Mouse's wounds, then the floor. "I talked with Kevin. I asked him why he didn't lead Vendetta, and let himself be led around by a Cliath. Then when he admitted he wasn't a leader, I asked him if he didn't think he could command a pack, if he thought he could command a Tribe. He seemed thoughtful." Ava sighs. "And then he asked whether I thought you were the best choice, and went to get Nikiya... And, on a related note, I wonder idly if someone might try to kill me for tonight. But." Ava walks over towards Mouse's apartment door and stops next to it, leaning back against the wall. "I agree with what you say. Chris' problem is that he has never served."

Mouse jiggles her keys into her door's lock. "I've known Chris since shortly before he became Cliath. He has his very good points. He's just so very, very good at broadcasting the bad, and you haven't caught us at our best. But," her lips twitch as she pushes her door open. "He is absolutely not ready for eldership. He doesn't know how to handle that kind of stress...it would eat him alive. And, as a very typical teenage boy, he doesn't know how to set aside his own problems to help others, /especially/ people he doesn't care for. S'not a condemnation. I used to be very much a selfish teenager once. You grow, hopefully."

"And now you are a very giving Fostern, whom hopefully is selfless enough to give more as we need it, and selfish enough to keep somethings for herself." Ava takes a step towards the door, then waves Mouse inside. "Next time you make a deal that involves a heavy burden, please, ask me if I would like to lift some of it."

Mouse's mouth twists into that mockery of a smile again as she steps into her apartment. "No, I'm the same as when I arrived: a Fostern that's in way over her head. Though one that does need to rest. Night, Ava."

"Goodnight Mouse-Rhya." Ava responds with a dim smile of her own, turning on her heel to walk back towards her apartment at a brisk pace. "And thank you for all that you have done."

Ava pages: In the morning, Mouse will mysteriously find a plastic bag from some store on her doorknob. It will have a snorkel in it.