[Mama Ankle-Biter] Down, down in ol’B-ville, under a passing freeway, she sits. Small in stature, long and lean in the legs, stretch out to their fullest length as the little Gnawer settles down in a pile of mattresses, newspaper and stolen blankets stashed into a makeshift castle out of refrigerator boxes, for the night. There was a box of pizza beside her and a half-filled 2-liter of stale cheap soda that she picked from the local ethnic store down the corner.
Her mouth opens in a wide yawn, muttering under her breath as she rubs her hands together to begin dining on the pizza, flipping the box open eagerly and chuckling under her breath.
[Marni] Marni’s been walking. Marni’s fucking PISSED, and walking is all that keeps her from going right back to the Brotherhood and kicking the ass of that fostern fucktard who thinks he’s all fucking that…
…well, that and the fact that she’s all fuckin knocked up. So far, the past couple months have SUCKED.
Eventually her path takes her through bronzeville and toward the underpass of the Freeway. Her own box is elsewhere, her own set up ready for her to curl up for the night, whenever she’s walked off enough mad to actually get some sleep. Hands shoved deep into her pockets, her pack on her back, her boots shlump-shlumping across the cement….
[Mama Ankle-Biter] She can smell the other Gnawer, feel the tension of the rage simmering in her as her head pokes out. Frizzy blond curls bouncing across her shoulders. She raises an eyebrow, clearing her throat and whistling loud and sharp at the other Gnawer that makes her way into the underpass.
There was a slice of pizza in her hand, it was rolled up and nearly larger than Mama’s head. She bites off large chunks of it and chews quietly as she watched Marni.
[Marni] The whistle pierces the air, and Marni’s head whips around, curls sliding over her shoulders, bouncing back into place as she… relaxes, seeing that it’s Mama. She takes a breath, and then turns, her direction shifting to carry her closer to the Fostern.
She runs her fingers through her curls, trying to tame them and failing miserably of course, before she sinks to a crouch next to Mama. “Hey, Mama.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] The little Gnawer pulls back into the large condo of cardboard, settling down into her nest of refuge. She motions for Marni to come inside, nudging the box of pizza with the toe of her boot. “Hungry, baby?”
Her head tilts to the side, big blue soulful eyes reading into Marni’s body language, she frowns softly, “Something got ya gut all in a twist, what’s happened?”
[Marni] “Starvin.” That first, as she joins Mama in her castle, and settles in. She slips from her pack, and sets it off to the side, as she tucks her legs under her and grabs a piece of pizza…
..and almost chokes as she laughs suddenly at the last. “You don’t know how true that is…” Her gut being in a twist, that is. She takes a couple bites first, and chews, and then – with her mouth full. “Ray knocked me up.” Which sounds more like “ay ocked ee uh” of course.
[Mama Ankle-Biter] She turns away from Marni, digging through the folds of the blankets to produce a warm 2-liter of some purple concoction that passes for soda pop and passes it along to Marni. An eyebrow raising up as she tries to decipher what she just said with a mouth full of food.
“Ya ock’d yar mother up?”
[Marni] Marni snorts, amused, and then swallows with the help of a swig of soda, and then tries again.
“Ray knocked me up.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] “He did what!”
The Gnawer chokes on the huge slice of rolled up pizza she stuffed into her mouth. She coughs, crumbs flying out of her mouth as she chokes again. She waits to speak, slapping a fist into her chest, swallowing chunks of mushed pizza and just staring at Marni.
“Ya’re with pups?”
[Marni] She wrinkles her nose at the reaction, but at least it was better than Lukas’ – So far. She nods, slightly. “Yeah. Confirmed by a chick at the Hill House yesterday morning.”
A beat, and another bite, and another – not quite looking Mama in the eyes. “Was an accident. I was mourning, and forget to be careful. Ain’t meant to.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] The little Gnawer throws her hands up in the air, the crust of her pizza flying off to get lost in some direction, landing in a pile of refuge that she won’t be able to find it in and likely be snatched up by one of the local rats sniffing around the cardboard condo. She grins excitedly, clucking her tongue and shaking her head at Marni. She scoots forward, throwing her arms around the no moon and hugs her.
Obviously, she’s the happy one to hear the news. “That’s great, baby! There ain’t no thing as an accident… it’s Gaia’s way!”
[Marni] She’s suddenly near bowled over by a very excited Mama, and she blinks, at first, and then laughs as she tucks her head against Mama’s shoulder and hugs her back, hanging on tighter, maybe, than the news deserves – though at least it’s with a little smile, a little hope. Mama’s happy. Maybe it can be ok… but Marni’s not just pissed – she’s a little scared too. This… this is big. And more unknown than any fight with the wyrm, and she’s gonna get FAT…
…and Ray.
She sighs, softly, and nods. “…Lukas is furious.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] Perhaps, she can sense these things, read these emotions in the human-born Marni. Mama is no stranger to having pups. She’s done her duty to throw out a litter or two in her time. The lupus’ maternal instincts kick in immediately, and Marni can see that this Fostern wasn’t going to allow her to do this alone.
“Don’t worry, baby, ya’ll make a fine mama, we all do it once. Even Mama herself’s had a litter or two. Nothing to be scared about when ya go me around.” She croons softly, hugging Marni a little tighter, patting her on the back. She pulls back at Marni’s sigh, arching an eyebrow at the mention of Lukas.
She huffs, snorts, and wrinkles up her nose. “Tell Mama what happened with Lukas.”
[Marni] She curls up and lets Mama.. well, mother her. She misses her NYC family sometimes, the Mama’s there that did the same, that would be thrilled with the news as well, and how they just seem to make it a little more ok.
And then there’s the Ahroun Elder. “I knew he’d consider it trespassing, so I went to him first. Ain’t even told Ray yet. So I went straight to him, and challenged for Ray. Told him I needed to be sure my Family was taken care of if somethin happened – and by Family i meant the kid. He fuckin went nuts – threatened to gut me and take what was his, called me dishonorable, and a trespasser, and so on. Forbid me to see Ray again, said he wouldn’t honor a challenge that was so dishonorably made, and then… THEN…”
She pulls back – and HERE is her ire… “He had the fuckin nerve after telling me that I was worthless an’ tossin me and the kid aside like fuckin garbage, that if we couldn’t afford to raise the kid on our own to bring it to him before offering it to another tribe. No way in fuckin’ HELL is that asshole touchin my kid. Ever.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] She huffs and snorts again. The sounds that erupt in the back of her throat sound like little growls and snarls of disgust. She doesn’t recoil from Marni, just draws back from her to watch the other Gnawer’s reactions as she listens intently. Phlegm rises up in her mouth, she turns her head and spits.
“That full moon Wyrmbreaker goes and says this shit… Dishonorable Mama’s ass. He can’t keep a fucking reign on his own kinfolk’s dick that’s his damn fault.” She crosses two fingers over her chest and forehead, “No offense, baby, but Ray’s a bit of a slut.”
She sucks in a deep breath, “That Shadow Lord ain’t got no right saying that shit, not when he’s got a fucking theurge in his own tribe that’s so close to dancing a jig down the seven levels of the Wyrm that he allows that Damned Ezra Turk run amock on the streets terrorizing kinfolk like he does.”
“Mama’ll have words with Wyrmbreaker.”
[Marni] Her smile is fond, and amused. “I know what Ray is. It ain’t love – we just have a real good time together. Ain’t ever intended to tie him down or nothing, and I tried to do the right thing an’ go to Lukas right away. But…” she sighs, and then she’s reaching for her pizza again. She’s fucking STARVING… more than usual.
“He said I was lucky we need warriors more than he wanted vengeance. HE’S lucky I’m more protective over this kid than I’d be of me. I never wanted to hurt someone so bad since In…”
…dira died. She can’t say it. she just shakes her head again, and shrugs. “He’s an ass.”
[Mama Ankle-Biter] She picks up the box of pizza, shoving it at Marni now. She turns away, scampering off to her hidden food stash and begins to rummage through it, pulling out a bag of chips and donuts to pass it along to Marni, if she eats all the pizza.
“Vengeance.” Mama snorts again, her cherub face twisted in anger, “We don’t need no Shadow Lord like Wyrmbreaker to take care of our own. Not when Mama’s here… and if’n we has to when ya foster the pup, Marni, we can send it back to the Green…”
[Marni] She catches the box of pizza, and then the chips too, and sputters her dismay “Yer gonna make me FAT, Mama!” But it doesn’t stop her from chowing down, either. Like anything ever would – in fact, it’s highly unlikely she’ll get ‘morning sick’ but instead will ‘eat everything in sight’ instead.
She nods, slightly, at the thought of sending the pup to the Green if they need too. “Yeah. I got family there, too. I jus…” She lifts a shoulder in a shrug. “Kinda hoped Ray would, ya know, be excited an’ then the kid could be close n’shit too.” Even warriors have dreams, and all.
[Mama Ankle-Biter] “Ya let me handle… the Ray situation.”
She grins at Marni, waggling her eyebrows at the other Gnawer. “Damn straight I’ll fatten ya up. Gotta make sure ya healthy enough to support that pup in ya belly. It’ll grow fast and suck up all ya energy like a good little leech.” She shakes her head, sighing…”Gonna be a long gestation.” She wrinkles her forehead, “But we’ll get’cha through it. Ya gonna stay with me, ya here? So Mama can keep an eye on ya’s.”
She runs her hands over her chin, appearing thoughtful, “And, Mama’ll speak to Ray… maybe he can trust fund the baby…. or find us a suitable den so we ain’t on the street. Just don’t go gettin’ killed.”
[Marni] “I…” She wrinkles her nose, slightly, and sighs. “I wanna be the one that tells Ray. I should get to be the one… an’ I ain’t gonna let Lukas fuckin’ stop me. I can sneak in – do it all the time, he’s got a fuckin’ pool, ya know! – an at least.. let him know I ain’t dead, an’ why I’m not around until it’s all cleared up and stuff…”
She doesn’t argue that she has her own alleyways, her own cardboard palaces – she just nods. She’s been alone too much since Indira’s death, and she knows it. “Ain’t plannin on getting killed.” She looks at the rapidly disappearing pizza “… just, apparently, gettin fat. Maaaaaaaan, this is gonna kill my love life!”
Ah, there’s Marni.
[Mama Ankle-Biter] Mama can’t help but chuckle as she looks on at Marni. “Fine. Ya can tell Ray… Mama’ll see what she can do about Mr. Fancy-pants, Ahroun-elder.”
She shakes her head, picking up the bag of chips to dangle it at Marni. “Gonna eat me outta food and cardboard…” and with that, she starts cackling.
[Marni] (aaaaaaaaand fade! Thanks for playing!)