~*Waiting on a Whim*~ (P)

[Chenoa]

Cold, Bitter cold wind, curse the damned wind that blew through her fur. She sat and shivered slightly. It wasn't freezing, but her bones felt colder then ever, meeting at a local park that seemed much more like neutral territory then either parties place of residence. Violet would more likely be sitting beside a fire by now, the she-wolf thought angrily, a chill and a shake running through her sinewy muscles.

Her gifts of Blur of the Milky eye and Scent of Running water had been for the moment, deactivated, knowing it would be much easier this way for the particular garou to find her if she made herself easy to find. The park was small, most of the time deserted as if no children wished to play on the rusted swing set or creaking monkey bars. Twilight had spun it's gentle net over Seattle in the time it took her to mark her scent clearly in a path to find her. It began at his home building, right outside his doorway, stepping lively through the streets and labeled on bushes along the way. The scent obviously would get stronger as her intended would get closer.

Would he understand? Would he be angry? Would he come at all? Well, that was why she was waiting so patiently. For three hours, she sat and she waited, watching squirrels and the rare rabbit skip along the grassy field that needed a trim in the worst way possible. She would wait, she had decided, all night if it took that long and hope that he would show. If not, well, then Jack would be confronted by Nova sooner or later...she just preferred sooner rather then later....

[Ikon]

With each step Jack watched as his feet tamped against the earth, the shadows luna cast off of his limbs were trampled beneath his own feet. He was lost in reverie mulling over the commands of the Margrave.

"Not yet." Jack mumbled "I'm not ready..."

As he entered the access code out of habit and went to open his door a note which had been taped to the door fell . The motion caught the disturbed Athro instinctivly he drew 'Deep-Drinker" slicing the letter in twine.

"Idiot" Jack chastised himself as he picked up the pieces.

As he entered his lab and began to tape the letter together, he went over all the ways being this deep in thought could have been bad, very bad. As he read the paper noting it's sender he realized it could have been worse than bad. Jack knew Nova probably would not try to ambush him, then again he also thought that about her teacher.

"Fuck it, I suppose I need a distraction from Yuri's decision to stick his hand up my ass and twist my life around." He thought to himself as he ran an inventory check of his equipment, and headed out to the park.

[Ikon]

A lifetime of stalking from shadows honed skills that took no thought. Instinctively 'Harbinger-of-Sorrows' made his invisible approach zeroing in on his target then stopped in his tracks as he stared at the young Garou sitting in the middle of a city park in lupus form.

Jack looked around ensuring no one would have to die because they found a wolf in the city. Not that that in itself was a breach of the litany, but it was only a step away from it. All this time Jack had assumed that Lilias had bequeathed her treachery onto her beta, when apparently it was her stupidity she had given her instead.

Pushing aside the surprise of what he had seen he took a few moments to carefully scan the area for subtle shifts and glints that would give away a sniper. After ensuring the immediate safety of the area, Jack let the fetish rest and approached her from the front giving her plenty of opportunity to see him coming. So far she had dealt him straight in this meeting, there were no snipers, nor traps.

"I'm here, now show some common sense and go into the bushes and meet me as is appropriate in the middle of the city." Jack stated calmly as he sat on a bench. He removed a thermos from his gear and began to pour two cups of hot coffee.

[Chenoa]

A twitch, a light near silent sound, inaudible to human ears was made. She'd watch, carefully, quietly, as Jack made his way towards her. Her blood began to boil and her fur slowly stood on end. It was as if there was a hidden demon, rising up and baring it's fangs as the garou came closer, step by step. Her heart raced, as if she had just run clean down Rainier, her eyes glimmered like star shine ready to fall from the heavens; even her tail flicked back and forth in anticipation.

Here was the time she was waiting for, waiting for him to show up. She had a few questions for him, and him alone, and now she finally would have them. A fanged grin spread across her muzzle, and upon her paws she rose. Her steps took her to the nearby bench he had sat down upon, her clothes waiting, neatly folded beneath them. A crow's call rang out into the nightly air, the street lamps flickering in the distance while darkness fell across the park. Casually, smoothly, she shifted reaching out for her jeans and undergarments first and slipping them on on the grassy knoll. She knew the place well, and had patrolled it often on her evenings out of her home; she knew already that people didn't venture to this park often during the day, and even rarely during the evening hours, so she wasn't too afraid of being sighted.

"I'm glad you came Jack. I almost thought you wouldn't." She said softly, her words an icy coolness as the fae zipped up her jeans and reached for her shirt. Honestly, she had come here so often as of late that she rarely came in homid form since there were very few people around. It nearly felt odd for her to be sitting there, straightening her long sleeved violet shirt before standing up and re-seating herself beside the Athro on the bench. A thought struck her, and her eyes of blue stared at the ground, realizing how cold it was without her fur coat to warm her. A light shiver ran down her throat, her heart racing though her face remained stern.

"Riah...I have asked you here this evening, because I feel there is an injustice between us." Her voice was lightly held back, as if she was trying to hold her tongue from saying something it oughtn't. Her sharp blond hair with it's crimson edging lightly fell into her face, only to be pushed aside again, a flurry of courage surging through her insides. This was her chance. This was her opportunity. She doubted she would get another after this, she had to continue.

"Jack..." She purposefully left out the title of Riah. She wanted a casual conversation, not a subordinate whimpering beneath a superior wolf. "I watch you often, you must have noticed by now, and I have observed your hatred of me. You hold scorn in your eyes, anger in your heart, it's as clear as words in a book. I would implore you not to deny it, for even tonight you took your time in getting here and I'm sure it was because you were surveying the area for scouts of a menacing employment." She stopped for a moment, her nostrils flaring at the scent of the hot smooth coffee he poured, her ears listening to the flutter of passing wings as the crows continued on in their nightly hunt for food.

"I must know...Why it is you hate me so much. Do you disdain me for being the Beta of Lilias? Do you hate me for being Lupus born and you wish you were the same? Do you hate me for I am the opposite sex!? I have tried for days to try and come up with an answer for what I have done to make you dislike me so, and yet no answer has come to me. I have come to the conclusion each time that you hate me, because I was in league with Lilias. But if that is the case, then you would be more ignorant and moronic than that aroun Trash Talk...Yes I have put the murder of Lilias behind me, but that doesn't mean I have to like the brute....And yet, I do not feel you could have risen to such the rank you are, if you were such a pig headed buffoon. So I come to the ultimately distasteful end to my swirling thoughts, with a question unanswered. I am a Ragabash, and an unanswered question..I can not have."

Her head turned to stare straight at him instead of her Mary Jane shoes. Her eyes nearly glowed with determination, with the desire for the answer, that they seemed nearly ferocious within the young garou. She would sit and wait, a fire building in her inward hearth, waiting for whatever words he might say to rebuttal her vocabulary enhanced statements...

[Ikon]

Jack shook his head. Unbelievable he thought. She obviously felt comfortable enough at this park with the evening just past, to shift her forms and slowly dress her naked ass.

"Firstly do not confuse hate with a lack of trust. Secondly next time I see you disobey an Athro's caution regarding the veil I will beat your ass so bad you'll be able to swap gossip with Lilias. Somtimes I think you have all the balls of Raven's-Wall, but none of his wisdom."

He knew she was so young she would have to bristle at that and wag her little balls, and that was fine, as long as she could tell the difference between him boasting, and him genuinely being concerned for her actions. He focused on his scent as he scolded her making sure it spoke of authority, and not arrogance. He knew that the homid gift of persuasion would help him carry his point across.

"Those are a lot of good questions, here are your answers Ragabash. No I couldn't care less that you are female, nor that you are lupus. No I don't Hate you for being her beta, I am however wary of what influence she had on your perceptions."

Jack paused as he sipped his Kona gold, letting the flavors cascade along his tongue, filling him with warmth.

"And now I have a question for you Nova, When was the last time you smiled at me? When was the last time you tested your perceptions of me with anything but a mirror of what you saw? "

Jack looked at her calm as an open sky. Patiently he waited, hoping the best for this angry young Ragabash, hoping against odds that all the pieces would click. Hoping that she would finally understand he had never hated her, he only gave her a simple test to see if it would be Lilias' influence or her own sharp mind that would shine through. A Ragabash's test to see if she would believe others or seek her own answers.

[Chenoa]

A huff of air flew out of her nose in disbelief, yet acceptance. He'd find, she didn't much care for authority. Respected it, yes. Obeyed it, most of the time. Currently? Well...not so much. Her mind worked over the words he mentioned, and she merely relaxed further on the bench, crossing her legs softly with her right overlapping her left.

"Why should I smile at someone who glares at me first?" She asked, a brow quirked in his direction. "If you worry on her influence, then I wouldn't get your tail in a knot. I barely knew Lilias before she was murdered, though at the same time I saw her as perhaps the beginnings of a friend. If you worry that I think like she does, then you are a fool. I have my own thoughts and opinions on anyone who fucks with me, and I don't need to base those on what Lilias may have said previously. Lilias in my opinion had faults of her own, faults that probably lead to her death, though out of respect for the dead I won't mention them here.." She growled softly, not in a way to show aggression, but almost a calmed sense of realization.

"And how is it I have lost your trust? I didn't realize I had been given the chance to earn it in the first place. Secondly, " her words turned almost to mock his own, a cocky grin on her young face, loving the fact of talking circles around a fellow garou. Her mind briefly went to a memory of Thorfin, and how frustrated he quickly became with the circles and webs she spun with but mere words. Oh how delightful that image was, and it nearly beamed out upon her face thinking back on it. " Though I appreciate your cautioning words, Riah, this place is far more safe to shift in then even my own apartment. It would probably look more suspicious had I moved off into the brush and returned in homid fully clothed. Shifting out in the open and dressing like this, merely gave whatever stoned up drug addict that may be dosing in the vicinity a caution to change their 'medications' soon for fear of them being spoiled.."

A soft giggle, a girlish laughing thing, seeped out of her grinning lips. It had been a while since she had smiled, her face muscles nearly seemed to have forgotten how it felt. The grin faded as soon as it came, and serious returned to the conversation, her brow still quirked in silent waiting for his reply.

[Ikon]

There are many types of pain in the world, 'Harvester-of-Sorrows' knew most of them. He either felt them or inflicted them on someone at some point in his life. An example of that was the time he spent in Erebus, he might have only spent a month in that flaming lake of silver, but it did great things for his patience.

Jack's eyes never wavered from her, his breathing maintained as he spoke, she clearly did not get a rise out of him.

"You have me confused with someone else little girl. I am not a prey animal. If you want to pretend your the bigger wolf with word games, go find someone your own rank."

Jack finished his coffee then rinsed out the cup.

"You can reason why it's ok to disobey my cautions all you want it doesn't change whether or not I'm going to follow through on my warning. I'm sure even 'Raven's-Wall' would back me up on that."

His love of her totem got the better of him as he continued.
"Do you know who's pack you have inherited? And for someone who likes word games you should listen better. I never said you lost my trust I said I had a lack of trust in you, you have to earn it Fostern." He stood and began to gather his things.

"And yes you should smile at someone who glares at you for many, many reason. Test them, frustrate them, see how they react to a smile. If you weren't so busy rebelling from the world you might see some of that."



(P.S. I am not sure of Nova's rank OOC, I put Fostern but if it is otherwise please insert difference)

[Chenoa]

She sat in silence. Her eyes merely watched, watched as he put his things together and stood up. Not like she was surprised by it, but her mouth had been outwitted. She had been outplayed by another.She knew she had much to learn, and him slapping it back into her face just proved the point further. A couple of times, opened her mouth as if to rebuttal his argument further, but a few moments after it opened, she would close it again, no words escaping the unbridled thing this time.

For a while, she merely just watched him, as if he was readying himself to part from the park. She had been given a lot to think about, and yet her mind yearned for more information. She felt she wasn't quite finished with Jack, and he didn't have her permission to leave, yet there was little words flowing sweetly from her mouth to force him to stay. Her thoughts swirled in that head of hers, conflicting, mixing, overtaking, subduing to her own opinions of the garou before her. Most, remained a constant theme and Nova sighed gently upon it's realization of that theme.

"I'm sorry..." Nova's ice blue eyes held the air of utmost sincerity. She wasn't going to play word games any more with him, he obviously could see through them better then she had expected he could. Instead she would try a different approach. She wanted real answers, not just a cautioning bark from Jack. "Next time I promise to take your word more seriously...and I do appreciate your concern...I surely would not like to be beaten just for dressing in an inappropriate place...I can't imagine who would.."

Her words were slow, calm, submissive yet yearning for the chance to feel dominant again. You could almost see the wolf's ears flicking gently with each word he said. "I Know what pack I've inherited Jack...Clashing Boom Boom has taught me a lot about firearms, something I doubt I would have a mastery in if I were in any other pack...I am grateful...almost honored to be leading it..." She stopped, noting the foul taste in her mouth. She hated the responsibility being the Alpha of a pack meant, and yet the position was beginning to grow on her these past few weeks after Lilias's death. Slowly, she stood up as well, brushing off her jeans as if they were filthy after sitting for a time on that bench.

"I think you are right Jack..." The Riah was left out, not out of disrespect, and this time, unlike the last it could be heard in her gentle words. Nova did have a soft side it seemed, if only rare that it showed.."I suppose, I should attempt to earn your trust...Tell me what I must do to do so, and I will try my hardest to succeed. I believe we got off on a completely wrong foot, and have been traveling down a path of darkness between us, so the purpose of this meeting tonight was to rebel against our mistaken choices of one another and try to start anew. I may not seem to care much about the world and the garou in it, but I do care if those garou trust my word or not...I am not like Lilias, that much has been proven already; would she have brought you here just to talk? Without some kind of reinforcements waiting in the wings? Would she have humbled herself to apologize to you, no matter what the crime? In my heart, I doubt she would have attempted it...And yet, this is what I have done. I..." her words faltered softly, and her heat turned away from him, her gaze focusing on a blade of grass swaying within the masses of it's breather in. A deep breath was taken in, her eyes closing softly for a small moment before she continued.

"I don't count myself blessed to have many that I may consider as friends, and slowly those who would wish harm on me and my small pile of acquaintances seems to grow...I would prefer, that group not to include another.." With that she looked back up at him, not with scorn, not with hatred, not with anger, not with smite. She looked up at him, with an almost pleading look. Another enemy she could not handle; she wished, she hoped, that perhaps Jack would slowly become one of her limited number of friends...

[Ikon]

Nova looked at the Athro awaiting a response. Jack looked her way as he rinsed out her untouched coffee. It took him a moment to respond and he knew she would notice, but he let it sit for a moment, for a couple of reasons.

He needed to make sure she wasn't lying to him as Lilias did so many times, and second he was doing a little dance in his head. Jack had had so many people in his life who gave up on him at first try. He was overjoyed that his hope had won out, she was learning. Hopefully she would learn quicker than he did. He might just have to make sure she had help.

"Apology accepted, now let me clarify some things. Everyone of my closest friends, brother and sisters all started on the wrong foot with me. I'm Likely to think that might make the best friends."

Jack finished packing his gear and continued. As the night finally set. The cold ocean wind managed to reach them as if to great them with the breath of Gaia.

"And yes Lilias would have brought me here without reinforcements, and she would have also told me very agreeable things. She was never direct in her treachery. She led me to believe we were close, Until I Handed her My pack to care for, then she disappeared."

Jack looked at her closely, careful to let his Nearly Black eyes convey every ounce of seriousness that he felt about the this topic. As if to foreshadow that the essence of the conflict came down to this one thing.

"Yes Nova you lead My pack, the very first Totem to accept me was the very Clashing Boom Boom that you follow. That is why I have tested you from the beginning. My legacy is in your hands"

Jacks face showed acceptance as he smiled at her. Trust would take a while, but she was on the right path.

"Now if you would care to learn I can teach you a rite, so that you wouldn't have to change your cloths every time you change your skin." He said as his hand reached reached out to her.

[Chenoa]

((Sorry it's so late. I hope I can reach or exceed some expectations since I've kept you in suspence so flippin' long. lol ))

She awaited in silence, hoping, praying. Perhaps she wasn't worthy of acceptance? Perhaps she would be cursed from now until the end of time to make more enemies then friends. Perhaps Jack would merely laugh in her face at her heartfelt apology, thinking it another one of Nova's silly games.

But ridicule never came. Laughter never followed. Instead, was a gentle notion of acceptance of her mistake. Those eyes of purest blue sparkled with shock. How could one forgive so easily? How did one learn this particular trait? For all he knew, she could have been lying to him, pulling his leg and twisting tales of deceit, and yet...he still forgave. Even she held hatred for her lost Fiance's killers, and that had been two years ago. And they were long since slaughtered.

A noticable chill ran down her spine, but she remained quiet, listening to every word, ignoring the chill in the air, and the rush of salt in the breeze. Clashing Boom Boom had been Jack's? Why had Lilias not mentioned this before? Her mind swam in a race only she could run. It twisted and it turned, yet instead of the black sea of hatred and mistrust that had been there previously, the stream of thoughts were crystaline if not murky in some unexplained areas. His Legacy? Lilias had to have known how much the pack meant to Jack, she had to have. It would have taken an ignoramous not to notice. And yet, she let herself die...Let Nova assume the leadership of such a special pack. Did Jack taste resentment for the fact that Nova had claimed his cherished totem as her own? If he did, he was a master at masking it.

"I...I had no idea Jack...Lilias, had never said anything like that to me before...Though I don't think you would lie about something that seemed so important." She said softly, her voice a gentle cue of a dove in comparisson to it's normal sarcastic and brash tones. Her locks of gold and crimson fell into her face and back out again as the gentle wafts of the sea air continued to spill over the park. A grin spread across her face lightly, to the point that one could almost see that tail wagging behind her in an invisible veil.

"So..if you have tested me from the beginning, then perhaps I have passed then? " She commented, looking up with a gentle grin. Yet her attention did not dwell on her joking statement for too long. He wished to teach her a rite? Now? All at once excitement bubbled up within her and before she knew it, her limbs had bounded skyward in an extatic bound. She almost resembled a hyperactive puppy, just told they were about to recieve one of their favorite rare treats.

"Yes! I would love to learn a rite like that! It would save time from having to run back and forth to the bushes each time I needed a change. What must I do...Riah." Her eyes sparkled in excitement, her stance waiting for instruction. Learning something new, after having the same thing over and over again was too boring. A new experience, a new talent; now that was something Nova definitly liked to endure through...

[Ikon]

Jack smiled.

A relief washed over him. It was a genuine pleasure when he saw that someone else could change for the better. It reaffirmed him.

"Well, I can tell you this Nova. You seem to be the kind of person that can learn from her mistakes. This is exactly why I think you will be the right choice to lead my first pack.' He said as he placed a gentle and reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Make me proud, Nova." Jack said with a strong fire in his eyes, and a confidence in his stare. "Now let's go teach you that rite, and I will help you learn anything you might need to be the best Alpha you can be."

As they walked away he laughed as he imagined her running into the bushes, like a phone booth changing into her superhero outfit so she could go out and save the world.

[Chenoa]

((I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to stop this thread right here. Kind of a 'fade to black/they walk off into the sunset" type schpeil. We can discuss on Saturday if she actually was able to learn the rite, or if you want to, we can say "yeah she's learned it" or whatever. Either way, I'd like this thread to close, so I can open a new one. To, catch our characters upa bit. Lol it's fun to play in the past, until you see your parents screwing and coincidentally erase yourself from the future. ))

[Ikon]

(Lmao, Yeah totally cool, it had to end somehow.)