[Derek Anderson] It was mid evening on a fairly cold day. The sky was overcast and there is still the threat of rain so most people reamained inside. Most people but not he.
The tall, muscular young blond man was dressed in jeans, running shoes, t-shirt and heavy leather jacket. Hisday had bene ok, except for the going to work for a few hours part. He had seen Kristen earlier, then work and now he was alone, walking in the almost deserted park, wondering if he should head home for food, or og somewhere. Maybe grab a drink too. Might do some good.
Hell he could even call Izzy, see if she was up for something bad. She probabbly was. He grinned at the thought, looking around, not making a decision yet.
[Rory] She’d been to the junk yard today, and worked on the generator, and almost broken a finger with a stubborn bolt – so decided to take a break. So, we have a redheaded Full Moon, under the press of Luna’s pregnant weight, sitting on top a picnic table. No one would come close enough to sit, anyway, as she fairly burns with Gaia’s blessings. In fact, there’s quite the wide circle around her that no one will breach.
She doesn’t seem to mind, though. Her legs are crossed on the table, and she has Ruarc’s guitar in her lap. An earbud in with the other dangling by the cord that goes to the MP3 player giving her lessons, and she strums along.. carefully, cautiously…. She doesn’t seem to be paying attention to her surroundings..
but she doesn’t seem to be a lot of things, does she?
[Derek Anderson] No one would breach the circle, especially with an Ahroun possessing such high rage, during her moon…no one except..him. Hell some kinfolk might not dare it from the intense feeling alone. He wasn’t most kinfolk, beside he know her and knew she didn’t mind his presence usually.
He stepped closer, judging the wind and placing himself so his scent will reach her a long time before he does. He wait near, silent, until she look at him. He offer her awarm smile
“Good evening beautiful, ow are you doing?”Yes he know she’ll blush, he knows he’s teasing her but it was fun, didn’t harm anyone and seem to make her happy. He liked seeing her smile.
[Rory] She does look up, eventually, the notes falling into a lingering silence, a she tips her head slightly. He calls her beautiful, and she blushes, and hides behind her curls, reaching up to scratch at the back of her neck idly.
“Hi.”
He’s teasing, and knows it. she knows it too, but it doesn’t stop the blush, or the shy little grin. “Good. You?”
[Derek Anderson] He was still smiling and moved to sit beside her “I’m doing pretty good, how about you? Learning to play the guitar?”
He looked into her eyes when he spoke, hs body close to hers. It felt strange t him thatshewaswarmer than him, but he didn’t mind. Her rage washed over him and what would make someone edgy, seem to simply relax him.
He lean against the bench “Any plans tonight?’
[Rory] He breaches the circle around her, and comes to sit at her side, close enough to feel the heat of her, born of supernatural means. If her outer skin is this warm, making one think to touch her is to burn – it makes one wonder what the core of her is like how close to the core of Rage it would be to share intimacy, to be that much closer….
She nods, slightly. “Ruarc tas weaching me. Adara helps now.” She pats the MP3 player too, before pulling the earbud from her ear and turning it off. “This too.”
As for plans, she shrugs a shoulder, absently. “Rot neally.”
[Derek Anderson] He nodded “Adara? I think hse’s my girl’s roomate. I heard she was an ok girl. Never met her now. Anyway, sounds liek you’re getting pretty good at it. I’d love to hear you play.”
He tilt his head “No plans huh? Well..how about we grab something to eat at a drive through, or just for me if you’re ont hungry then we can head to my place and we can eat, have a few drinks and you play…or we can find something close and come back here so you can play…if oyu’re in the mood for it that is.
If not, we can do whatever you desire”
[Rory] She tips her head, slightly. “gour yirl? Congrats.” It’s offered with sincerity, though it is something she will never get to have, something she is completely forbidden. It is one thing of many, but certainly the one she is reminded off most often – she cannot have a mate she cannot love, she is forbidden.
So they move on to plans, instead, and she blushes, and nods. “Ok. I’m not gery vood…” Which isn’t strictly true, as she practices hard, and is determined to return Ruarc’s guitar to him someday, having learned all he meant for her too and more besides.
She lifts a shoulder into a light shrug, and reaches behind her to put the guitar into the case. “We gan co.” His place is safe, after all, since he has a girl.
[Derek Anderson] He nodded “All right…and no need to congratulate me. We’re dating..she hasn’t claimed me yet. Not sure I want to be claimed either, not now. But i’t might not be something I have control over.”
He shrugh. He knew she would understand that sometimes, you have your place and there’s nothing to be done about it
He got up and offered a hand to her “So until then, I enjoy my life, see what fate brings me” He help her up and start walking toward his car.
[Rory] He offers a hand, and she slips her fingers – pale and so very fragile looking, though not without a certain grace – into his and lets him help her down. She nods her understanding at his feelings about being claimed… then, with a slight shrug. “You have a choice. More than some.” A beat. “More man the.”
She has none. She is forbidden.
She shrugs it off though, and follows him toward his car, slinging the guitar over her back, so that the strap is across her torso, diagonally. She carries it easily, just as she would her backpack if it were with her. It’s not. She has finally started to venture from the packhouse without carrying everything she owns on her back – its a step. A good one.
[Derek Anderson] He nodded “I do have a choice. Right now, I”m unsure of my path. And you know, you do have a choice too you know. It’s trickier but still…I”m sure there are ways for you to get what you want.”
He wasn’t quick to release her fingers but let then go gently. He looked at her as they walk, at a comfortable pace. He was in no hurries. “It all depends on what you desire”
He was leading her toward the exit of the park, his car was parked there.
[Rory] “I have no choice.” There is no chance to get what she might want, there is no chance for her. The laws of the nation are unchanging unrelenting, unforgiving. She is metis, she is mule, there will be no mate for her. Never.
There is no arguing the point. So few understand.
He holds her fingers a little longer than strictly necessary, and she blushes again, heat sliding under her skin, though the effect is somewhat covered by the night sky. He thinks she might be able to get what she desires, if she is tricky. She just shrugs. She knows better.
[Derek Anderson] He frown slightly at her words. “I think it’s what they want you to belive. I mgiht be mistaken. Yet I”m pretty sure we could find various ways for you to get whatever you want. It mgiht never be pefect, but then again, it never is”
He grinned at her “Still, I”m not going to push the subject. Just know that if you want to talk about possibilities, I”m here. Maybe we’ll come up with nothing but at least, we’ll have tried”
He open the car door for her, letting her in then went ot his side, starting hte engine and driving away “What kind of food are you in the mood for?”
[Rory] “You don’t understand.” He doesn’t. She shakes her head, and points to herself. “I challenged ror fank. They hate me mo such, they gave me an unfair challenge – and milled ke. And it’s just for daring cho tallenge for what I earned. I am forbidden a mate. It will not change. Ever.”
He drops it, though. There are no possibilities, and she says nothing else. She simply follows him, and slips into the car when he opens the door and waits for him to drive off. Safer subjects, then – and she offers a shy smile. “Chinese?”
[Derek Anderson] He nodded at her. Heactually understood pretty well that thye would be unfair to her and put all sorts of restriction on her ofr being what she is. She’s forbidden a mate…but her vision is black and white. There is much grey she could work with.
He won’t talk about it tonight, but she might notice in his eyes that he had ideas.
“Chinese sound good”He says, allowing the conversation to move on. He found a good chineese restaurant aand parked “What do you want, I’ll get our order”
Once he has it, he went inside and came back under 10 minutes later with it.
[Rory] There is no gray. A Mate is someone chosen to be with forever. It is more than marriage, it is more than anything most think of. A wolf mates for life. And they mate to procreate, for survival of the species, as well as for love. There is no gray. There will never be a Mate.
No matter his ideas…
He pulls into the parking lot, though, and she thinks a minute and then asks for “Noodles and cheseme sicken…” her favorites. Then she simply waits, patiently, for his return.
[Derek Anderson] He came back with the food, handing it to her. He didn’t have the same view on mating as she did. He wasn’t one of them. He say things liek mating in a very human way, despite knowing it’s more than that. Still he never has been mated, never felt the desire or more precisely the certitude that someone is the one, that it’s forever.
He could picture ways to make things again, but it would probably lies for a Garou. He doesn’t know that, maybe one day he’ll learn. For now, he liked his independance, in thesense that no Garou was tellnig him what to do, nor waswatching over his shoulder.
He drove them to his appartment, asking her if the elevator was fine with her, taking it if it was, the stairs if it wasn’t. He let her in “Want to eat in the living room or the dinner table?”He ask her, taking off his jacket, the bag of food he retook, switching hands for him to do so.
[Rory] She holds the food, and offers him a shy smile. “Thanks.” And then rides in silence to his apartment. He asks if the elevator is fine, and she nods with a little grin – her fears are so much more than simple things like elevators – more social than physical. There is very little she cannot beat in a physical sense – including elevators.
She looks around his place curiously when they arrive, and pulls her guitar off her shoulder as she does so. She doesn’t have a coat on, not needing it now that the weather is warmer. And with his question, she rolls that shoulder into a slight shrug. “Where ever.”
If she is uncomfortable it will have nothing to do with where they sit…
[Derek Anderson] He motion her over “All right, let’s sit at the dinner table, we can use the living room later when you play the guitar”
He smiled warmly to her and pulled her a chair and went to the fridge, letting her split the food “Want something to drink? Water? Soda? Milk? Beer?”
He came back with what she wanted and he sat down, after handing her a drin. “When did youstart learning the guitar?” He ask, looknig at her, while eating some of his food.
[Rory] She’s Fianna – that’s a silly question. “Beer.” Even if she did only try it after she arrived in Chicago, and had never had whiskey until just a few months ago when Imogen gave her some, and taught her how to drink it, and the difference between the good and the bad whiskeys. But still, no brainer. Beer it is.
She nods, and kicks off her shoes, so that she can pull her feet up under her at the table, picking up her carton of food and digging in. She swallows so that she can answer the question. “When Ruarc was here. He made the MP3 mor fe, so I can listen and learn. It’s gis huitar.” Not hers, never hers, despite Ruarc said it was when he left. Then, a clearer timeline, perhaps. “A mew fonths maybe.”
[Derek Anderson] He nodded to her, eating for a carton, leaning back in his chair
“I never met him. But it was nice of him to make the mp3 and leaving his guitar. And I really think you’re really good ofr someone who’s be praticing for such a short period of time. I’m impressed” He said with a od, picking his bottle of beer up and drinking from it.
“So it your friend coming back for his guitar or was it a parting gift?”
[Rory] “I’m stubborn.” Which is true. She promised she would impress Ruarc when he came back, and she intends to do so, no matter how many nights she has to practice until her fingers bleed wait for them to heal and practice some more. There are advantages to being a mule, after all.
Is he coming back? She lifts a shoulder into a slight shrug. “Maybe. If de housn’t, I’m to pass it on when I’m wone dith it.” So a parting gift, meant to be shared, sort of. But to her, it will always remain Ruarcs guitar.
[Derek Anderson] He grinned at her words “Somehow, I odn’t think it’s a bad thing that oyu’re stubborn. Might make me careful nto to argue with you or we’ll butt heads until we both fall alseep, but in that case, it makes you determined”
He ate some more “Hmmm i think it’s nice, the pass it on request. Maybe he beleives it will bring something to you and when you pass it on, it’ll bring something else to another one and so on. Kind of a pay it forward thing. ”
He tilted his head “What’s your favorite song to play?”
[Rory] She wrinkles her nose, slightly, but it falls into that same shy little grin as he admits she’s determined and they’d reach a stopping point where neither wins. She disagrees though, with a peek up at him through her curls. “I win. Unless I don’t tant woo.”
Or thinks she can’t. Or shouldn’t. Otherwise, for her, in her life? It’s win or die.
She nods again, scooping up some of her chicken before washing it down with a swallow of beer. Her favorite song? She doesn’t really know. “I played Banny Doy for H…howard’s wake.” Her voice breaks. Howard was someone special to her, and she practiced long and hard before that day, through her tears and rage and fears she wouldn’t be allowed to participate. They let her, and she played – and played well.
[Derek Anderson] He chuckled “Rory…we definatly never should argue…ever” He winked at her. Well chances are he’d lose, getting knocked out or something but it would be a pretty epic fight of wills.
He ate but stopped when she talked about playing at awake “Oh…ok. I’m sorry for your loss by the way. I was asking because I was gonig to suggest youplay it, but..I don’t want to ask oyu to play a song you’re attached to that much. So play whatever you feel like later”
He odwned most of his beer and finished his meal, still looking at her.
[Rory] She shrugs, slightly. “It’s ok. Its be thest one I play.” She’ll play it, and then play others. She takes another couple of bites, and then.. “Ruarc jiked ligs… a lot of them on the player. I can say plome of them too.”
She takes a deep breath, and then another drink of her beer, before she scoops up the last bit of her noodles and peeks up at him, shy all over again.
[Derek Anderson] Hesmiled at her “All right, Danny Boy and jigs it’ll be. Sounds like a nice evening coming up”
He got up and walked to the fridge, getting them another beer each. He passed very close to her, hips hip rushing against her shoulder when he gave her the beer. He went to sit down in front of her, still smiling.
“What di you do today?” He ask, wanting to know about her. She was fun to be around and he liked her. He felt like getting to know, at leas they could be friends. He had an impression she didn’t have that many
[Rory] He brushes past her and hands her a beer, and she smiles shyly, ducking her head, peeking up at him through her curls, as a blush slips across her skin. He sits down in front of her, and there is no where to hide again, and she rolls a freckled shoulder into a slight shrug.
“Went to the yunk jard, for generator parts. Trying to fix it before it gets ho tot, so we can have a real fridge.” We…. they… the Last Watch, the pack. “Should be tone domorrow..”
[Derek Anderson] He nodded. He remembered her working on the music box. “That’s really good. I definatly know who to call if osmething breaks down here. That is you you’d be nice enough to help me if it happens”
He grinned at her, drinking from his bottle. “Should we head to the living room for some music?” He ask, getting up, waiting for her to do soand gently led her back to the living room, his hand gntly resting on her lower back to guide her then leaving it as he move to the ouch, letting her get her guitar and sit on the couch, comfy chair or on the floor.
[Rory] She shrugs, with a little grin. “I thix fings.” It doesn’t matter who asks, she would do so willingly. It is a talent born from the dark and lonly childhood, something that makes others happy that helps her stay centered helps her remember what she came from. She would come and help.
He bids her to follow him to the living room, and she stands, and grabs her guitar case, and follows his lead. He touches her back, and it sends a little shiver through her that he can likely feel, but she doesn’t pull away from it. She sits on the couch, settling in and opening the guitar case to pull it free. She’s nervous, that much is clear as she doesn’t often play for anyone but herself…
But play she does – shyly and softly at first, but gaining confidence as her fingers thrum through the familiar chords, humming along. She doesn’t sing though – as she doesn’t know the words, only the tune, and she would mess it up anyway…
[Derek Anderson] Hesay, not moving closer or anything when she did. He gave her space, so she could focus on her playing. She doesn’t sing, it didn’t matter. His attention was on her, mostly on her face but also on her fingers moving over the strings.
When she was done, he put his bottle down on the floor and clapped his hands “Wow..that was really good. Keep it up, you’ll be a great player” He seemed honest. He had liked the performance. There had been emotions behind it, making it more poignant.
“Now..are you good enough to make people jug?”He said with a teasing grin, gently budging her thigh with the tip of his foot.
[Rory] She finishes, the music trailing off, and she remains quiet until he applauds and then she does the predictable – she blushes. Deeply and brightly, and she ducks her head to hide it, shyly.
He wants to know if she can make people jig, and she wrinkles her nose, and shrugs. “Tan cry…” And she thinks a minute, then starts to play another of the songs she has learned – fast, and lively, her fingers moving quickly over the strings, working hard to keep the timing right, the notes correct, the feeling under the music lively and free… Her brow is lined with concentration, and while her hold on the guitar is light and easy, it’s clear she’s working hard to get it just right….
[Derek Anderson] He had smiled at her blushing. Then she start to play a jig and pretty well. He doesn’t get up and dance because he can’t jig to save his life but his foot move with the tempo. He watches her again, tghe concetration on her features. She wanted so much.
He clapped again with a grin “All irght, you could mak someone jig..if that person knew how to. You make it look so easy” It was a little lie, it seemed a little hard for her, but it was alie made to make her smile and feel good bout what she was doing.
He doubted she need his motivation to continue but he felt like encouraging her would be something she deserved.
[Rory] She blushes again, deeper, and shakes her head. “You lie.” But it was with a smile that appreciates it for what it was. It is hard for her, and she struggles, but she is determined as well. But she’ll keep going keep learning, because she enjoys it, and likes that it makes other people happy.
She doesn’t get much of a chance to do that, really. she gets the chance to fight, the chance to work, but rarely the chance to have friends, to make the day better for them.
She rubs the side of her nose with her hand, absently, before playing a simple tune, beautiful and slow, easy yet heart felt, celtic in origin…
[Derek Anderson] He grinned when she caught hi lying. He doesn’t apologize. It wasn’t a lie about something important. It was jsut something to make her smile and she knew it. He doubt he woudl ever lie to her about something important. It was much too risky.
She plays something celtic, and he smiled, listening to her then nodding and light clap as he was holding his bottle “Wow. I could listen to you play for hours.”
He watched her for a moment “So tell me, what would you like to do now? If you could do anything, allowed or not. Fly to Hawaii? Rip and Elder’s face off? Sleep in satin’s sheet? Anything…I”m curious”
[Rory] She wrinkles her nose, as he asks his question. She was not raised to dream, because it was a foregone conclusion that she would not survive. She was raised to be a weapon, a killing machine, a mindless wind-up toy that does an elder’s bidding. She has stepped beyond that in the past two years but it is still difficult for her to want, to dream, to think of more than the next battle, to think in terms of herself and her wants and needs.
But he asks a question, and she gives it honest thought, because honest questions deserve such. She chews on her lower lip, absently. Some would think she would seek revenge for those that hurt her so much during her life, and more recently her challenge. Some would think it would be battle – what she was raised for… The things he mentions, she doesn’t understand – because it’s not, really, something she would think of…
So, she answers honestly. “…I knon’t dow.”
[Derek Anderson] He nodded to her “Hmmm, ok. I couldask you whatdo you feel liek doing..what your instinctswant to do. Maybe it’s a better way to phrase it. Is the answer the same?”
Hefinish his beer, watching her “And we can just stay like this, you playing, talking in between songs. I’m trying to get to know you better and mmake you have a good time. I want you to enjoy yourself you know”
He gets up, one hand on her knee and walked toward the kitchen “Í need a bathroom break and will bring us more beer when I get back”
Hedisapears for a few minutes before coming back with beers.
[Rory] She tips her head, slightly, and nods. Her instincts are the same. There is nothing here to fight, which is what she understands. so, in the end, she nods again – and redirects the question his way when he comes back…
“What do you want do to?”
[Derek Anderson] He hand her the beer and smiled when she sent the question his way,
“Many things, some I shouldn’t do or even think about. Others could be ok, a few are acceptables” He smiled “As you know what one’s want is not the same as what one can or should do”
He drank from his bottle. “So..maybe we should stay in the acceptable?” He say with a brow raised. She was temptation as beautiful and dangerous women tends to be. He wouldn’t admit that to her, not with Kristen in his life. Buut that said, it wasn’t stopping him to spend a few nights with Izzy.
And he wouldn’t lie to Rory if she ask.
[Rory] She tips her head, slightly, curious, as he says that he wants to do some things that he shouldn’t think about. She watches him, openly for a few moments, as if she could really read his mind – but in the end, she comes up mostly blank. His words could mean a wold of things, and she isn’t one to assume anything at all.
In the end, she says… “….ok.” And leaves it at that, though there is the curiousity written under it. He’ll answer if he wishes, and she’ll accept it either way. As is her place, her duty, her life.
So for now, they do this – they talk about nonsense things, she plays a bit here and there, and they drink beer. After a while, she looks at the moon outside the window, and judges it time for patrols… and so she begs leave, and bids him goodnight. All in all, a very chaste, and honorable visit…
This time.