[Mama Ankle-Biter] Being the closest in the Brotherhood, Nate is likely the first to find the injured Gnawer just as she is starting to crawl under the makeshift fort of bean bag chairs dragged under one of the pool tables. One booted foot attached to a brightly colored stocking-clad leg sticking out from underneath it as Mama Ankle-Biter curled up on her side. Eyes closed, but not yet asleep as she listens to whoever comes into the commons, waiting for what few Gnawers that had answered the Barking Chain to appear.
[Word on the Street] Nate was the first to arrive, springing up the stairs to the roof top as he pushed open the door to a sudden rush of cool wind. Pulling his hoodie tighter around his lithe frame as he looked around for the new arrival.
Eyes scanning the rooftop as he finally spots the makeshift fort with a pair of legs sticking out. Shaking his head with a small grin at the sight , he makes his way over.
“Hey there…you called for help. So here I am. Word on the Street at your service.”
[Word on the Street] (( Make that springing down the corridor to the Common room… and Eyes scanning the common room.. I can’t read it seems :P))
[Indira] Indira walks in the Brotherhood’s door expecting that her packmate will soon follow. She has not been back to the Brotherhood since they moved out to live in the Spitfire house (and how long ago it seems now) but she still knows her way through it, still knows all of the Garou that reside here.
It’s been warmer lately, so she’s forgone the black hoodie she generally wears in place of a coat, clad simply in cargo pants and a T-shirt and her heavy black boots, making the tattoos and old knife scars on her forearms clearly visible against dark skin.
The pool tables are within easy sight of the door, and therefore so is Nate. The Ahroun tromps over to him, her face tight with concern. “Hey man. That the one that’s hurt?”
[Marni] Nate is the first to arrive, though Indira and Marni aren’t long after. They don’t live at the Brotherhood, it’s true, but some fancy footwork and a well timed El ride (Indira insisted they ride INSIDE the car. Sigh.) and they make pretty damn good time, truth be told.
As such, Marni is leading the way as she takes the kitchen stairs two at a time to the commons room, skidding to a stop, stepping to the side so Indira doesn’t bowl her over. She braces her hands on her knees, and takes a deep breath. That ws rather more exercise than she’d planned on for tonight, ya know.
Then, with that irrepressible grin. “Hiya Nate.” and a tip of her head for the form under the pool table “…rhya?”
[Annie Taylor] After a bit, Annie gets there – she’d driven, because she was far enough away that even shifting and running likely would have taken longer. So, once Bobbi-Jo is parked, she’s out and headed upstairs to meet the one who’s called them all, curious and wary. Indira and Marni are more than welcome to have hitched a ride with the kid – the youngest of the assembled, quite possibly, but either way, she’s all jeans and letter jacket and strolling in light and easy.
For an Ahroun who’s brimming with rage that’s ill controlled at best.
“Dude,” she says, by way of letting it be known she’s here. “Ain’t gonna be much help with the healin’ part. But I’m Hard Knocks.”
Of course, the new one is tucking herself under the pool table – and while Annie easily could, she doesn’t now. It’s no good, invading a hurt wolf’s den.
[Word on the Street] He gives the new arrivals a nod and a smile in greeting as he turns to find them entering the common room. “Hey Marni….. yeah Indira that’s the one. Was just about to take a look at her injuries, I got the healing covered.”
Starting to move to the fort as he positions his body to better access the injure Garou “Rhya.. let my healing touch mend your injuries.” waiting till he has received some indication of acceptance before touching her. Letting the healing energies flow from his finger tips into her body.
[1 Gnosis – Mother’s Touch – 6d3 +WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10 (Success x 5 at target 3) [WP]
[Word on the Street] (( okay afk for a meeting.. back as soon as I can ))
[Mama Ankle-Biter] (Sorry for delay!)
She heard them coming. The sounds of footsteps up the stairs and the voices that filter through the room. They see the leg pull back under and the small girl shuffling her way out from under the pool table and the bean bags backwards. A snarl of pain peeling on her lips as the scent of blood filled the air as wounds started to seep through the bandages again with her movement.
She sits on down on the carpet as Nate approached her and offered healing, she allows it. A sigh escaping her lips as he manages to heal all of the injuries she has suffered, the large chunk of flesh missing out of her flank reshaping and forming under the healing gifts of Bear.
When all was said and done, she glances up at the four Gnawers with a smile. “I glad ya come… Mama wasn’t sure how large family was in city. Thank you.”
[Indira] “There ain’t many of us,” Indira says, going into a crouch next to Nate to have a look at their new arrival. The wound is mended but she still looks concerned, her dark eyebrows knit together with worry. “‘Least, not as many as you’d think would be aroun’, anyway.”
The pink-haired Gnawer folds her hands in front of her, sitting back on her heels as she regards the Ankle-Biter. “How’d you get hurt? An’ your frien’, how’d he…?”
[Marni] She moves into the room with her packmate and settles to sit near Mama too, without crowding any of them. She unslings her backpack, and sets it in her lap, and glances at Indira as she answers the questions, grinning at her, before returning her dark eyes to Mama and listens.
[Mama Ankle-Biter] Long Frizzy bleach blond curls poke out at all angles from underneath a black knit cap, falling into her eyes. She was a small thing, not very tall and looked young. She tilts her head to the side, big blue eyes meeting Indira’s gaze, taking in the bright pink of her hair and studies her with an animal’s curiosity.
The corners of her mouth tilt down into a sad, sad expression. Eyes dropping to the floor. “Moonshine Jo. Jonas Radcliffe, Fostern, like Mama. Roadrunner and Road Warder, like Mama. Galliard born and sweetest voice this side of the Appalachian Skyline. We hailed from the Green in Big Apple City. Came down from the north…”
She shakes her head, chest lifting up as her bottom lip curls inward, “We find small town, weird things goin’ on. Deer Groves -err something. Done gone run into Spirals, they – they wishboned him to death… yelled for Mama to run and git halp. We knew of wolves here in the city, were coming this way.”
[Indira] Indira doesn’t know what ‘wishboning’ is, and she really doesn’t want to. The Ahroun’s expression is one of sympathy as she watches the elder Gnawer, taking in the sad expression and how her lip curls under. “I’m real sorry,” she says. “‘Leas’ you’re alive though. You can tell people about him an’ you can go an’…an’ wishbone ’em back, right?”
[Annie Taylor] “Only if she’s got a couple with her,” pipes up Annie. “Wishbonin’ needs at least two, dependin’ on how good they are at fightin’, an’ how tightly they’re packed.”
She’s been listening, leaned against the pool table, and now she sits too rather than towering over everyone else (despite the novelty of that feeling).
“Where’s Deer Groves?”
[Marni] She listens, and listens…. “I’m from Sept o’th’Green too. Born n raised. Marni Geller, Sticky Fingers. Raggie.”
Then, Deer Groves. “Is that north? Close to Morine Hills? The sept here is preparing now to go to war against the hive there…”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] “It might not be Deer Groves… just know the picture look like uh deer. Sure as shit wasn’t a Moose Groves, I think.” Marni garners her attentions now as she says she too came from the Green. “It sounds about the right place. Spirits weren’t friendly, ones that were talked uh banes and such.”
She extends a hand out to Sticky Fingers, “Mama Ankle-Biter to the Nation… Moonshine gave me some monkey name.” She tips her head back, staring up at the ceiling to either count cracks or remember, “Cass Elliot. We were the Mamas and the Papas, we were.”
Annie goes on to describe just how a wishbone was performed and it draws a wince out of her, “Ya have it right. Exactly what they done.”
[Indira] When Annie says that it needs at least two, Indira grimaces, beginning to guess at exactly what it means. She remembers pulling apart a turkey with her brothers on some Thanksgivings when they were kids.
“Well, if it’s up near the hive, Maelstrom’s at war with it. So you’ll get a chance ta go back up there an’ even things out,” she says, running a hand back through her hair and leaving it spiked on end.
[Marni] She takes Mama’s hand in her own, her fingers strong, yet slender and quite a bit grubby. “Indira here and I are packmates – Spitfire. The Broho is nice enough, but if you need a place to stay, we’ve got a place Max…”
and here, she falters, slightly, a shadow crossing her eyes. “We recently lost our alpha. So we have room at the house, if you’d be more comfortable there than under the table.” Though she knows as well as any of them that a box in an alley can be plenty comfortable most times.
But she nods at Indira, her shoulder nudging her packmate fondly. “We’re gonna quite fightin defensively and take it right to their doorstep – we can use all hands on deck, if your of a mind to stick around a bit.”
[Annie Taylor] “I got Bobbi-Jo too, if you don’t mind crashin’ with a Glass Walker an’ me in it too. An’ can talk ta my Alpha, see if we got room for another.” There are a lot of things she doesn’t mention about the latter, but that’s neither here nor there – with her own space, she’s the image of generosity.
“Regardless, I know someone’ll help ya out. An’ if ya do wanna go back to . . . wait, isn’t it Elk Grove?” That side rails her for a second, and then, “Anyway, if you wanna go back, let me know when.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] Mama can feel the grubbiness on Marni’s hand as they shake. She pulls hers back, lifts it up to touch it against her nose, sniffing at it just before her tongue sticks out to lick at her palm. She smacks her lips together, head falling back to turn her eyes up to the ceiling once again.
A glance to Marni, a wide grin spreading on her lips, “Jelly donut? No no no. Not sugary enuff, ain’t tater chips, not salty enuff. Two day ol’ burger with rotten lettuce and mustard?”
She can see the shadow that crosses over Marni’s eyes, the little Gnawer shifts up onto her knees, reaching out to place a hand on Marni’s shoulder. “S’alright, baby, I know we share that loss. Moonshine was Mama’s Alpha to.”
A look to the faces of the other girls, she smiles sweetly at all the offers as it makes her chest swell up a little with emotion and pride. “Y’alls a good group, so halpful and sweet to offer me such things. Mama’ll pay’em consideration, need to find me ways around here Mama plans to stay for a bit, seeing as ya’ll need the halp.”
She regards them, even the quiet Nate. “Is there any amongst us that carries the voice of the tribe?”
[Word on the Street] Nate sits, watching and listening as if remembering every word that Mama says and the questions asked by the others. Frowning as she describes banes and unfriendly spirits.
A smile on his face as he watches the others pitch in and offer her places to stay and such, mentioning their own packs and the chance to run with them “There are also a few spare beds around the Brotherhood here. I just moved out of room 7… so I know of at least a spare bed there.”
And then a quieter look comes over Nate’s face “You weave a sad tale Mama, I’d like to listen too more of it sometime. ” and then Mama asks about the voice of the tribe “Yeah that would be me, Nate Cross known as Word on the Street. Been the Voice for a month or so now.”
[Indira] Marni mentions their lost alpha, and the grief is still quite fresh, judging by the way Indira looks down at the ground. A packmate gone, another friend lost: Maelstrom is indeed a caern of sacrifice. Marni offers up their house for shelter and the Ahroun nods a few times with as friendly a grin as she can muster just after Max was brought up.
“Glad you’re gonna stay, Mama. We’re a good lot here an’ it’s always nice ta have more a us here in town.”
[Marni] Marni dimples into a grin as she nods “Right on the nose – that was lunch. But if your hungry I got some more stuff in my bag – a Shadow Lord had a party last night and holy hell the eats were GOOD… I stuffed my bag fulla left overs.”
And she touches Mama’s hand on her shoulder, and then concentrates on her bag as she unzips her backpack and pulls out a bag filled wiht mini quiches and other such frou frou party fare and spreads it on the floor in the center of all of them. It is, after all, a Gnawer Meet n greet. There should be food.
“Eat up – there’s tons…”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] “I may just take ya’ll up on the offers to stay. Never been one to rest in one place for too long.” She glances around the common rooms, wrinkling up her nose. The smile she wears comes so easy to her features, it is nearly infectious. She is friendly and good-nature, something that just pours out with a drawl of her voice.
Marni starts to share the party food, and Mama searches through it, making sure to pick up the best portions and to pass them around to Annie, Indira and Nate before she takes anything for herself.
To Nate – “Then ya can fill me in on what’s happenin’ so Mama knows what’s goin’ down, yeh?”
[Word on the Street] Nate nods “Yeah I’m sure I can… unfortunately I wasn’t privy to the war party the Ahroun Elder held after the last Moot, I’m sure that’s where all the good goss was about the upcoming battle,. Though I think some of the others here were ” a quick questioning look to Annie and Indira.
“Other than that I’ve got a pretty good ear to the ground. I like to keep out and about, listening for new things.”
[Indira] Indira nods as Nate brings up the war party, and there’s something a little guilty in her expression as she tries to remember exactly what the meeting was about. She’d done a lot of spacing out – Max had been there after all, and it was Max who had been at the stone table.
“Umm, yeah, I was at the war party. An’…from what I remember, they’re gonna be sendin’ out three groups ta start the war on the hive an’ shit. A scouting group, an’ that’s gonna be led by Truth-in-Frenzy, an’ then…somethin’ else an’ a big assault. An’ they divided all the packs up inta groups for who’s good at what. So I guess things are gonna be real busy aroun’ here once we’re officially at war an’ stuff.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] They speak of war and of scouting parties. She grunts softly, a loud snorting sound that passes out through flaring nostrils in a hot rush of air and leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. A Mama’s place was not on the front lines, nor lurking in the dusky shadows to sniff out secrets. It was at home, tending to sick, raising moral, nurturing the helpless.
She sits back on her ass, legs crossing under her thighs as she considers their words with heavy thoughts and frowns marring her soft face. It is hard to imagine her angry – to even carry a mean bone in her body at all.
“Mama can see that.” She says absently, “Will deal with it Mama reckon.”
[Marni] She hadn’t gone to the war party either, and Max hadn’t shared much with her, so she is at something of a loss too. “Maelstrom is run by a council of elders, and Lukas, hes the Ahroun elder and is leading the assault.”
She reaches for another handful of goodies and munches contemplatively. “Kemp came back from his first mission, and said it was really bad. There’s a church that’s a natural safe haven, and we want to set up base there – it’s being attacked pretty heavily I guess.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] Her head bobs in a quick nod, sending a flurry of bleach blond curls bouncing over her shoulders. She looks over at Nate first, and then to Marni and Indira.
“What’s the operations of yar packs? What has the Full Moon Elda asked of yar packs to do?”
[Indira] “Well, every pack’s gotta sen’ somebody ta defen’ the caern. One a us per pack at all times an’ stuff. An’ Spitfire’s s’posed ta be a skirmisher pack, so they can put us together if we gotta make a quick hit at somewhere or if they need us ta be somewhere in a hurry. Light fighting, I guess is a good way to put it.”
Indira frowns. Alphaless now, it’s just her and Marni – and that makes any contribution to the war effort a little hard for them.
[Word on the Street] “The Sentinels are a major war pack, built for sustained conflict. Patient but fierce when called for ” Nate states simply “We’ll be there even when the chips are down.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] “What totem’s banner do Marni and Indira fly under?” Head tilting now, curious as she listens. She regards Nate with a nod of her head, hands fiddling with some piece of food she’s plucked up from the stolen goods, stuffing it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.
[Marni] She grins and lifts her chin. “Volcano. We’re called the Spitfire.” And with the spark in Marni’s gaze, it’s not shocking she chose to follow such a totem, is it? Itjust seems to fit her.
Even Alphaless.
[Indira] Indira, who had been about to answer with her mouth full, just nods and gives Mama a grin with her cheek puffed out as Marni answers for both of them. Both Gnawer girls are lively, and Indira at least always seems to move with more energy than she can contain properly: the name at least is fitting.
Indira stuffs another mini-quiche into her mouth, chews, and says around it, “Other than that I dunno much ’bout what’s goin’ on in the city. I don’ pay a lotta attention to purebred politics.”
[Annie Taylor] “Bogeymen are infiltrators and information gatherers,” Annie says, finally.
[Annie Taylor] “And we’re under Fox,” she adds, helpful.
[Word on the Street] Nate adds after the others have spoken “The Sentinels pack run under the totem of Bear”. He doesn’t seem to mind the fact being know, even though being under such a totem would be seen as dishonorable by some.
[Mama Ankle-Biter] “Alright…” She says after swallowing a few mouthfuls of food. She sets her hands down on the carpet, unfolding her legs and pushes herself up onto her feet. The spring back in her step as she was fully healed thanks to Nate.
Her arms stretch over her head, twisting and turning, left to right, back and forth, until everything popped and cracked and made some kind of mysterious noise. “This gives Mama things to think over. Will be in touch that’s for sure.”
She rubs at her chin, “Does ya girls know if yar alpha coming back?”
[Indira] Indira exchanges a glance with Marni, and then looks over at Mama with a sigh. “We dunno. He jus’…disappeared. Like we couldn’ feel him through Volcano no more, an’ it wasn’t like he -died,- but we’ve been out ta look for him an’ we ain’t been able ta find him.”
She reaches up, tugging at the ring that pierces her lower lip. “I ain’t really good for an alpha, an’…I dunno what we’re gonna do. But we’ll figure somethin’ out,” she says, with another look at Marni. A hopeful grin.
[Marni] At the question, there’s that look of sadness again as she shakes her head. “Can’t feel him anymore… the last we felt he was alive – and we didn’t…”
She won’t say it. Won’t say that he might be dead, because to put words to it would make it so. “It’s… like he’s lost. And nothing we can do can find him… I tried… over and over again…”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] The girls speak almost in unison. It raises the blond eyebrows of Mama Ankle-Biter as she stares at them. “Ya really are connected.”
She offers them a lopsided grin, “Maybe Mama can help ya with yar situation or something, but right now… Mama’s tired and since there’s a warm bed with my name on it. Mama’s gonna seek it out.”
[Word on the Street] “Okay Mama.. sleep well. Hope you feel better…. and I’ll make sure I catch up with you to let you know what else is going on about Chicago.”
Nate offering her a smile and a nod
[Marni] She looks at Indira, and just laughs, nodding. “We are.”
Her smile is contagious, Marni’s and it’s hard not to smile back at her, truth be told. She nods as Mama says she wants to sleep, and she bundles up the rest of the food and offers it to her. “We got more at home. You need us – send word. We’ll come runnin.”
[Indira] Indira laughs and looks over at Marni, clapping a hand on the other girl’s shoulder, before looking back at the Theurge. “It was nice meetin’ you, Mama. We’ll keep an eye out for you, jus’ let us know if you need somethin’.”
[Annie Taylor] “Same for me,” Annie offers, almost shy. “An’ sweet dreams. Later, Nate,” she says, pausing to ruffle his hair once she’s standing – they’d been roomies for a while, after all.
[Word on the Street] Nate looks up and smiles at Annie “We should catch up sometime… lotta stuff has been happenin. I can tell you about my recent trip to the Red Talon homelands.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] Mama Ankle-Biter nods her head, giving the Gnawer Girls and Nate a waggle of five clean fingers and begins to walk backwards from the pool table before she spins around and starts to shuffle off to look for that room seven that Nate had told her about.
“Night, ya’ll!” she calls back over a shoulder, thoughts tumbling through her head about what to do next.
[Mama Ankle-Biter] (Thank you for the scene, girls!)
[Indira] ((Thank you! Yay Gnawers.))
[Marni] (thank you!)
[Word on the Street] (( and guy.. even though I wasn’t around much :P… but Yay Gnawers!!))