[Rene Vitalli]
*Ice melted off the digital face of the large electronic sculpture/fountain in the southern most end of Grant Park. A random passerby's flawed mug plastered up, stories tall, for all the park to see. Melting snow breaking and sliding down its surface at random, like fat white tears. Rene lingered a ways away, leaning on a bench. There was a valid reason why the striking black woman stood well out of sight of the security cameras here. While most ignored her, security cameras had no attention span to slip out from under, only impassive digital diligence, recording all they see. The last thing she desired was her face 20 feet tall in the middle of the park. A flame sparks to life, catching the tip of a cigarette alight as she bows her head and takes a deep drag.*
[Ashley McGowen]
It's been years since Ashley had a vacation of any kind. She still has class in the evenings, still works on her thesis, but compared to what she -has- been doing since beginning graduate school, this still seems like one. Whether it's been forced upon her or not.
Enid came over this morning to officially begin her apprenticeship, and she can, at least, channel a fair bit of energy into instructing the girl. Into explaining history, outlining the Code of Hermes and the Awakened laws. These are all important things that Enid should know right away if she's going to claim membership. The girl might make one hell of a Quaesitor some day.
Right now, though, her mind is not on any of that. She's playing with an unleashed dog in the park (the leash is thrown over her shoulder for the time being), balling up chunks of snow and then throwing them so he can chase them along their trajectory, jump up and catch them in his mouth. They explode, of course, but -he- seems to enjoy it, and she seems to be trying to take joy in it. Or at least have fun.
[Wharil Choc]
For Wharil it was back to business. He had a bit of savings left to run on, so the business he was on was of the non-taxable variety. Certainly, there were people somewhere who didn't like the idea of that.
Dark coat. Dark gloves. Dark sky. The man with dark colored but bright, expressive eyes picked his way through the park, a roundabout route toward the fountains. His step calm, then slow as he comes to a particular bench.
"Spare a cigarette?" he asks Rene, his equally dark eyed...friend? Partner? Something.
[Rene Vitalli]
*A twitch of a fine boned jaw. Almond eyes slide sideways and light on Wharil with all the warmth of a glacier and all the unstable menace of an avalanche. They're a strangely matched pair, the Euthies. Bith in dark clothing, dark eyed, dark of complexion. But where as Wharil often seemed social and pleasant, it was a stretch for Rene to accomplish "tolerably civil". The cigarette is brought to his lips with a flick of strong, thin fingers. Apparently she could spare the one she was herself smoking. A Dog barks in the distance and Rene's head snaps up in one violent motion to sight in on the thing, body coiling for a fight.*
Dog.
*She murmurs, as serious as were she making her tradition mate aware of a mark.*
[Ashley McGowen]
Zane is on his way back to her after just having snapped his jaws around a snowball, and she's currently in the process of balling up another one when he presses himself against the front of her legs in a manner that is, simultaneously, protective and seeking protection. The shepherd's back and tail bristle and it bares its teeth (sharp, white, pointy and well cared for) in Rene's direction.
Ashley is bewildered at the uncharacteristic behavior, and she is very quick to jerk the leash off of her shoulder. Unfortunately, she can't fasten it in time; the dog lunges forward, snarling and snapping, toward Rene and Wharil. The Hermetic is on its tail as soon as she can be, though, unfortunately, height, the snow and the fact that she is not a dog mean that he is going to reach Rene long before Ashley does.
[Rene Vitalli]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 9, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 8)
*That was not just a dog. That was an Alsatian. A German Shepard. A large dog, with powerful jaws an a reach advantage. But if experience (and the scars on back of her legs) had taught her anything, it was that the things weren't built for jumping. Rene moves swiftly, one foot, then the other finding the back of the bench with a surety and balance that borders on acrobatic, her hands moving inside her coat, the dull black of a gun appearing at her hip as she glances around for observers. Ashley. That was Ashley's dog.*
[Rene! Friends don't Kill Friend's Dogs! wits+awareness +2 dif - Realize this!]
[Ashley McGowen]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 3, 9 (Success x 1 at target 5)
Rene, fortunately, does not shoot the dog. After the shock of the normally very gentle, submissive animal out and out -attacking- someone wears off, Ashley recalls that she is a mage. She skids to a halt in the snow.
Show dominance. That's what matters to dogs.
"Zane, -stop,-" she snaps, and there's that feeling of hungry Will that races out to encompass the dog's mind, to force him into a state of submission, as she starts toward them with the leash in hand.
[Mind 2!]
[Wharil Choc]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 7, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 3)
Yes. he thinks. Dog. And is slowly unfurrowing his brows, taking the cigarette from his own lips and tasting the balm on both. Its funny how one memory triggers another. The taste of lip balm can remind you of the smell of grapefruit, can remind you of the feel of teeth on skin, can remind you of look of a particular scar, or set of scars. And a cigarette leads to climbing fences and dog attacks.
Oh shit. Rene. Dog!
Wharil squares off instantly, dropping the usual pleasant look for a stern, forceful one instead. He knew a thing or two about dogs. He knew that their psychology was very basic. Hunger. Affection. Danger. Sex. Those were the things that drove a dog. Danger was at the wheel now, and a desire to protect its source of relief for hunger and affection.
And suddenly, standing between the dog and the danger, was Wharil, muttering and chanting and staring the dog in the eyes. He would, perhaps, be less sure of his attack if he were less sure of himself. Unsteady. Jittery...
[Mind 2 - Project emotion. (I think this is Coincidental on a dog? At least that's what Cesar Milan says) Base diff 5, -1 for focus. -1 For working with resonance]
[Rene Vitalli]
*Shooting another willworker's animal companion was no doubt going to cause a feud. Some people grew attached to their pets. What if it was some sort of familiar? All thoughts that manage to break through the hard shell of dispassion that encases Rene's mind. Logic gaining a grudging foothold over the chill part of her psyche that simply wanted the synapses responsible for her trigger finger to spark, the gun to buck, and the dog to slump lifeless at her feet. She remains perched on the back of the bench, gun remaining holstered by force of will alone. She instead readies herself to leap to the branches of an overhanging tree, if the canine persisted despite Wharil and Ashley's obvious efforts to curtail it.*
[Ashley McGowen]
The dog does not persist. It is only a dog, and its simple mind is being battered down by two Willworkers. And so, tucking its tail between its legs, it scoots backward into Ashley as she approaches and fastens the leash around its neck.
Then the Hermetic looks up a the two Euthanatoi. "...I'm really sorry," she says, her expression and voice both a mixture of confusion, concern, and utter embarrassment. Good dog owners who have trained their pets well don't lose control of them. "He's never done that before." He's pressed back against her legs again, but cowering now. Fearful instead of aggressive.
Though, as she eyes Rene, the tall woman who exudes that crawling feel, who seems malicious and utterly inhuman, it isn't hard for her to imagine what would have shaken the dog up that way. Wisely, she chooses not to say this.
[Ashley McGowen]
The dog does not persist. It is only a dog, and its simple mind is being battered down by two Willworkers. And so, tucking its tail between its legs, it scoots backward into Ashley as she approaches and fastens the leash around its neck.
Then the Hermetic looks up a the two Euthanatoi. "...I'm really sorry," she says, her expression and voice both a mixture of confusion, concern, and utter embarrassment. Good dog owners who have trained their pets well don't lose control of them. "He's never done that before." He's pressed back against her legs again, but cowering now. Fearful instead of aggressive.
Though, as she eyes Rene, the tall woman who exudes that crawling feel, who seems malicious and utterly inhuman, it isn't hard for her to imagine what would have shaken the dog up that way. Wisely, she chooses not to say this.
[Wharil Choc]
"Its okay." Wharil says flatly, still eyeballing the cowering shephard. The mood leaves him slowly, but surely. And he draws a cherry red breath through the cigarette, lets the smoke out of his lungs, and smiles as if it were suddenly safe to laugh about the whole thing.
"Its okay. No harm no foul, right?"
That smile gets turned to Rene, still on her perch. Wharil reaches a hand up to help her down.
[Rene Vitalli]
Not good with Animals.
*Is all the explanation Rene offers, voice too small and polite to originate from such a unsettling woman. She's regarding Zane as though at any moment she'll change her mind and commence to skinning him for a coat. Wharil smiles, assures Ashley its alright, and his fellow Euthie nods curtly from her perch. His offered hand observed for far too long. A pinch of her brow as she steps easily down, before setting her hand in his with a raise of an eyebrow.*
[Ashley McGowen]
"Right," Ashley says, looking sidelong at Wharil. She shifts her stance a little bit, both so she can see the two of them at once and so Zane can feel free to hide behind her. This is more like the behavior she expects from him.
She drops an ungloved hand down onto the dog's head to sooth him as Rene drops down out of her tree, and she observes as Rene puts her hand in Wharil's -afterward- with a touch of amusement. It's always a satisfying feeling to happen upon people with social skills worse than one's own. "I haven't seen you around much lately, Rene. How have you been?"
[Wharil Choc]
"Uhm."
That, obviously, wasn't the way that was supposed to work. But, perhaps this wasn't the right time for explaining that. Instead, Wharil huffs amused and stuffs the cigarette back between her lips. She probably needed that more than he did anyway.
And while the two of them exchanged pleasantries (this ought to be good) Wharil took the moment to look, not at Zane, but at his master. Ashley's well being was still a concern of his.
[Rene Vitalli]
*The cherry glows a moment, dangling from her lips as she rests her hand in Wharils, glancing about the park. The response to Ashley's question spoken without regarding her. Bland.*
Fine.
*Rene was a pleasure to look at, in much the same way a brilliantly patterned sea snake was a pleasure to look at. Her movement sinuous and graceful, her outer packaging beautiful. And yet no one in their right mind wants one within arms reach for any amount of time. She turns to regard Ashley and Zane with mild irritation. The source of which becoming clear when she shakes her hand sharply away from Wharil's and spits him with a look. She wasn't certain quite what he wanted, but tying up one of her hands seemed like a good way to give an enemy an advantage.*
Any word on the Maurader?
[Wharil Choc]
"Ashley isn't--" He begins to say but thinks better of it. And now that both their hands were free, he folds his arms in front of him, letting the Hermetic speak for herself.
[Ashley McGowen]
Ashley's skin is still sallow, paler than usual and with the sort of unhealthy darkening beneath her eye sockets that indicates days of sleeplessness. Outwardly, not much appears to have changed in the past day. But there's a little difference in how she's carrying herself, and perhaps the fact that she was out in the park playing with the dog at all showed -some- signs of improvement.
Rene's hand continues to dangle in Wharil's and she eventually jerks it away with a look of irritation, like she has better things to be doing, and it draws a smirk from Ashley. It's not as good as a smile and the usual smug attitude is probably not what Wharil had in mind when he suggested she go out and do things that made her feel alive again, but at least she's making an attempt at normal huamn interaction.
Rene asks about the Marauder then, and the smile fades. "Not since he disappeared, if you heard about that," she says. "I'm not sure where he's going to pop up."
[Wharil Choc]
"That's the crux of it, I guess. Figuring out where he'll pop up. Until then we're...sorta stuck. I should be meeting with Kage today to get some of the things h e left there, including some clothes with blood on it. Gonna have it checked to figure out if its his or...someone elses."
Wharil looked sidelong at Rene for a moment, as if he had more to add here. Instead, his lips just come snap shut.
[Rene Vitalli]
Perhaps a lure. Something he might hold dear? I met another, Gregor. He's interested.
*Rene looks to Wharil for an opinion, apparently no longer sharing the cigarette as she takes another drag. Smoke coils in the air around her head, a hazy toxic halo. She checks her watch.*
I have an appointment.
[Ashley McGowen]
"I doubt there's much that's dear to him at this point. I could track him down and you guys could go and take care of what you need to take care of," she says, with a glance sidelong at Wharil. It's quick, but it's something approaching a white flag - I don't have to kill him but I still insist on helping.
What Rene could possibly even have an appointment for, Ashley doesn't want to imagine. That's so vague. It could be something as simple as visiting the dentist (the poor dentist - she imagines the spiders crawling all over the small office and shudders a little) or something more along the lines of shooting a mark, chopping his body into pieces and dumping them in the river.
"...All right, Rene. I'll see you around."
[Wharil Choc]
Wharil doesn't quite respond to either of that, except for the similar look of surrendering to her persistence that she's seen on him just once before.
"We'll catch up some other time, Rene. There's still some things we have to talk about, but they'll wait for now."
[Rene Vitalli]
Yes.
*Rene and her cigarette are in motion suddenly. Cigarette stubbed out on the bench and slipped into the trash as she stalks away through the park, carefully avoiding the fountain's cheeky security cameras. She moves quickly, indistinct with a flare of arcane, suddenly less menacingly present than before.*
[Ashley McGowen]
"...You know, I don't confess to being intimidated by many people, but..." Ashley watches Rene go until the woman is somehow lost among other people in the park. In ways, Rene is like the spiders she attracts. You should be able to see them, but you can't, they lurk somewhere in your house and then crawl down your throat when you're asleep.
Zane relaxes once she's left, unwinding himself from around Ashley's legs.
[Wharil Choc]
"She's..." Horrifying. Deadly. She even sets me on edge sometimes. Most times. "Not so bad, once you get to know her."
And she certainly was a vision. Graceful, if nothing else. Which might explain why Wharil seemed so wrapt in watching her go, until she's gone. Then, he turns to Ashley.
"Good to see you out and about, Ashley. How are you feeling?"
[Ashley McGowen]
Ashley, too, seems to have some fascination, though it's likely that some of it can be attributed to the taint that hangs around her: Rene is a killer, moreso than Ashley has become, and it lends itself to a certain curiosity. An interest in studying.
"Better, I think," she says, looking up at Wharil after she has brushed some snow from her jacket. Her dash over here after Zane seems to have thrown it everywhere. "I've been trying to get out and do some of what you said. I got a hold of Enid and got her started in her instruction." She's less hostile now than she was yesterday when he gave her the advice, now that she's had some time to think about it and see the sense. Her words don't carry a tone of apology - she seems to think that merely giving in and accepting his advice in the first place is enough.
"You've had to work through this before, haven't you."
[Wharil Choc]
Wharil smiles at the last comment, and his eyes float away from hers, moving up and finally wafting down to around his feet. An embarrassed 'you caught me' sort of smile.
"Yeah. I have." He admits meekly. "Once or twice. In a way I'm sort of still fighting through it. And there may come a time when...Well. That time's not now."
[Ashley McGowen]
It wasn't hard for her to put it together. When Wharil told her what she had to do to move past it, he did not speak as though he were regurgitating instruction, he did not retreat to clinical language or bullet point what she should be trying to do. He spoke as a person who had been there. He did not ask questions about what it was like or what she needed because he already knew.
Her eyes are still watching him, intent. "There may come a time when what? It's past you? Or does that not happen?"
[Wharil Choc]
His lips tighten together, as if huddling for warmth. Comfort. As if those lips have done wrong and fear the punishment that comes. he shouldn't have said that. He's had nearly a life time of shouldn't-have-said-that's
"In a perfect world..." He starts, still hesitant. "Before what happened to the Marauder happens to me...Rene will be there. Or Ashton. Or another Chacravanti from another city who's name I don't know. Its sort of a fact of life for us." The smile that comes is uneasy, yet entirely genuine. A smile one makes when they're sharing something, but not sure if the thing their sharing is welcome.
"We watch out for each other."
Because that, obviously, meant different things to different people.
[Ashley McGowen]
Up until she arrived in Chicago, Ashley has had little experience with other Traditions outside of the Order of Hermes. But Bran and Justine were both from House Flambeau, and they used to (probably still do) say things like that. They watch out for each other, when one inevitably goes out in a burst of fire (or just with a silenced bullet) they'll be there to avenge the death. Watching out for each other can mean a lot of different things.
"I suppose if it's not one thing that gets you, it's another," Ashley says, watching him. No return smile, no direct invitation to share more, but she hasn't brushed him off. Is asking questions, in fact. "You really don't think you'll overcome it before that's necessary?"
Whether she's asking for his sake or her own is uncertain. It might be both.
[Wharil Choc]
"I hope I do. I mean, I have ambition. And we all seek...we all seek the same thing right? But the Chodona tells us that resisting death when its our proper time only leads to more and more suffering. And its a hard road to walk. We're told to distance ourselves. Separate ourselves emotionally and mentally. But then...we end up like Rene. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to get too attached...I mean, think of what you saw through Dylan. Think of the fear and guilt that fuels that kind of a break from reality. Dying's a mercy compared to that."
[Ashley McGowen]
"The Order of Hermes does that," Ashley says, after listening to what he has to say about distancing himself, about the consequences of doing it too much or too little. "Because it doesn't do you any good to have to rely on the strength of someone else and because you can't help but be held back by the wants and needs of other people."
There's a silence for a moment as she thinks on Dylan, on what she knows of Dylan. When she does speak again, it's with some of the same hesitation Wharil had earlier: not because she's unsure of whether the sharing is welcome (she doesn't worry about that) but because she's not sure if she wants to share it. Or should. But in the end, there it is.
"I don't really think Dylan was a case of getting too attached. From what Jacques told me it sounded like he was looking for something he couldn't find and didn't have any support. So maybe that's just builds the case more in the opposite direction."
[Wharil Choc]
He smiles, but this time it doesn't make it all the way to his eyes. They're too distant. Too far away. Lost in thought. Trapped in the shattering of the spell that Ashley just brought about. It wasn't as if he'd forgotten. It was just that...he'd gone a full day with the differentiation fixed solidly in his mind. In all their minds. Rene asked about The Marauder. Kage wanted to talk about the Nameless Crow. Gregor offered his ideas on the Destructive One.
Ashley had opinions about what happened to Dylan.
"And...what about Jacques? What about his dad. If this had happened a month later. If we'd become...something like friends. I don't know if I'd have the strength to follow this to where it needs to go. So: score one for the other side."
[Ashley McGowen]
"I would," she says. And really, that discussion about Dylan is a safe place to move back to: there aren't boundaries when discussing Dylan. Dealing with him is far more clear cut than what she should share or shouldn't share, when asking for things becomes relying on other people and when it doesn't. "On the other hand I sort of figure that maybe it should bother you, it's just that no one wants it to because it would really be hell to feel loss every time you had to kill someone."
Which she hadn't ever done until the other night, and that killing didn't bother her.
"It'd make you stronger if you learned to deal with it, though, outside from just shutting it out. Like if being alive is the point of working through death taint, then..." She stops, unsure of how exactly to voice the thought; it's clear that it's a new one, that she's working out what she thinks about it as she goes. "I mean I'm not normally one of those sentimental 'know what you're taking away' sorts of people, but maybe it applies in this case."
[Wharil Choc]
"Huh." He says. A breathy realization or epiphany. And all of it focused on Ashley. He hadn't been around many outside of the Euthanatos either. At least, he'd never gotten to know them quite this much.
"I gotta say, Ashley. Knowing you has been pretty...educational so far."
An appreciative nod follows, and he pulls his collars up, guarding against the frigid wind.
"I'll keep you informed if anything comes up. See you around."
*Ice melted off the digital face of the large electronic sculpture/fountain in the southern most end of Grant Park. A random passerby's flawed mug plastered up, stories tall, for all the park to see. Melting snow breaking and sliding down its surface at random, like fat white tears. Rene lingered a ways away, leaning on a bench. There was a valid reason why the striking black woman stood well out of sight of the security cameras here. While most ignored her, security cameras had no attention span to slip out from under, only impassive digital diligence, recording all they see. The last thing she desired was her face 20 feet tall in the middle of the park. A flame sparks to life, catching the tip of a cigarette alight as she bows her head and takes a deep drag.*
[Ashley McGowen]
It's been years since Ashley had a vacation of any kind. She still has class in the evenings, still works on her thesis, but compared to what she -has- been doing since beginning graduate school, this still seems like one. Whether it's been forced upon her or not.
Enid came over this morning to officially begin her apprenticeship, and she can, at least, channel a fair bit of energy into instructing the girl. Into explaining history, outlining the Code of Hermes and the Awakened laws. These are all important things that Enid should know right away if she's going to claim membership. The girl might make one hell of a Quaesitor some day.
Right now, though, her mind is not on any of that. She's playing with an unleashed dog in the park (the leash is thrown over her shoulder for the time being), balling up chunks of snow and then throwing them so he can chase them along their trajectory, jump up and catch them in his mouth. They explode, of course, but -he- seems to enjoy it, and she seems to be trying to take joy in it. Or at least have fun.
[Wharil Choc]
For Wharil it was back to business. He had a bit of savings left to run on, so the business he was on was of the non-taxable variety. Certainly, there were people somewhere who didn't like the idea of that.
Dark coat. Dark gloves. Dark sky. The man with dark colored but bright, expressive eyes picked his way through the park, a roundabout route toward the fountains. His step calm, then slow as he comes to a particular bench.
"Spare a cigarette?" he asks Rene, his equally dark eyed...friend? Partner? Something.
[Rene Vitalli]
*A twitch of a fine boned jaw. Almond eyes slide sideways and light on Wharil with all the warmth of a glacier and all the unstable menace of an avalanche. They're a strangely matched pair, the Euthies. Bith in dark clothing, dark eyed, dark of complexion. But where as Wharil often seemed social and pleasant, it was a stretch for Rene to accomplish "tolerably civil". The cigarette is brought to his lips with a flick of strong, thin fingers. Apparently she could spare the one she was herself smoking. A Dog barks in the distance and Rene's head snaps up in one violent motion to sight in on the thing, body coiling for a fight.*
Dog.
*She murmurs, as serious as were she making her tradition mate aware of a mark.*
[Ashley McGowen]
Zane is on his way back to her after just having snapped his jaws around a snowball, and she's currently in the process of balling up another one when he presses himself against the front of her legs in a manner that is, simultaneously, protective and seeking protection. The shepherd's back and tail bristle and it bares its teeth (sharp, white, pointy and well cared for) in Rene's direction.
Ashley is bewildered at the uncharacteristic behavior, and she is very quick to jerk the leash off of her shoulder. Unfortunately, she can't fasten it in time; the dog lunges forward, snarling and snapping, toward Rene and Wharil. The Hermetic is on its tail as soon as she can be, though, unfortunately, height, the snow and the fact that she is not a dog mean that he is going to reach Rene long before Ashley does.
[Rene Vitalli]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 9, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 8)
*That was not just a dog. That was an Alsatian. A German Shepard. A large dog, with powerful jaws an a reach advantage. But if experience (and the scars on back of her legs) had taught her anything, it was that the things weren't built for jumping. Rene moves swiftly, one foot, then the other finding the back of the bench with a surety and balance that borders on acrobatic, her hands moving inside her coat, the dull black of a gun appearing at her hip as she glances around for observers. Ashley. That was Ashley's dog.*
[Rene! Friends don't Kill Friend's Dogs! wits+awareness +2 dif - Realize this!]
[Ashley McGowen]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 3, 9 (Success x 1 at target 5)
Rene, fortunately, does not shoot the dog. After the shock of the normally very gentle, submissive animal out and out -attacking- someone wears off, Ashley recalls that she is a mage. She skids to a halt in the snow.
Show dominance. That's what matters to dogs.
"Zane, -stop,-" she snaps, and there's that feeling of hungry Will that races out to encompass the dog's mind, to force him into a state of submission, as she starts toward them with the leash in hand.
[Mind 2!]
[Wharil Choc]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 7, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 3)
Yes. he thinks. Dog. And is slowly unfurrowing his brows, taking the cigarette from his own lips and tasting the balm on both. Its funny how one memory triggers another. The taste of lip balm can remind you of the smell of grapefruit, can remind you of the feel of teeth on skin, can remind you of look of a particular scar, or set of scars. And a cigarette leads to climbing fences and dog attacks.
Oh shit. Rene. Dog!
Wharil squares off instantly, dropping the usual pleasant look for a stern, forceful one instead. He knew a thing or two about dogs. He knew that their psychology was very basic. Hunger. Affection. Danger. Sex. Those were the things that drove a dog. Danger was at the wheel now, and a desire to protect its source of relief for hunger and affection.
And suddenly, standing between the dog and the danger, was Wharil, muttering and chanting and staring the dog in the eyes. He would, perhaps, be less sure of his attack if he were less sure of himself. Unsteady. Jittery...
[Mind 2 - Project emotion. (I think this is Coincidental on a dog? At least that's what Cesar Milan says) Base diff 5, -1 for focus. -1 For working with resonance]
[Rene Vitalli]
*Shooting another willworker's animal companion was no doubt going to cause a feud. Some people grew attached to their pets. What if it was some sort of familiar? All thoughts that manage to break through the hard shell of dispassion that encases Rene's mind. Logic gaining a grudging foothold over the chill part of her psyche that simply wanted the synapses responsible for her trigger finger to spark, the gun to buck, and the dog to slump lifeless at her feet. She remains perched on the back of the bench, gun remaining holstered by force of will alone. She instead readies herself to leap to the branches of an overhanging tree, if the canine persisted despite Wharil and Ashley's obvious efforts to curtail it.*
[Ashley McGowen]
The dog does not persist. It is only a dog, and its simple mind is being battered down by two Willworkers. And so, tucking its tail between its legs, it scoots backward into Ashley as she approaches and fastens the leash around its neck.
Then the Hermetic looks up a the two Euthanatoi. "...I'm really sorry," she says, her expression and voice both a mixture of confusion, concern, and utter embarrassment. Good dog owners who have trained their pets well don't lose control of them. "He's never done that before." He's pressed back against her legs again, but cowering now. Fearful instead of aggressive.
Though, as she eyes Rene, the tall woman who exudes that crawling feel, who seems malicious and utterly inhuman, it isn't hard for her to imagine what would have shaken the dog up that way. Wisely, she chooses not to say this.
[Ashley McGowen]
The dog does not persist. It is only a dog, and its simple mind is being battered down by two Willworkers. And so, tucking its tail between its legs, it scoots backward into Ashley as she approaches and fastens the leash around its neck.
Then the Hermetic looks up a the two Euthanatoi. "...I'm really sorry," she says, her expression and voice both a mixture of confusion, concern, and utter embarrassment. Good dog owners who have trained their pets well don't lose control of them. "He's never done that before." He's pressed back against her legs again, but cowering now. Fearful instead of aggressive.
Though, as she eyes Rene, the tall woman who exudes that crawling feel, who seems malicious and utterly inhuman, it isn't hard for her to imagine what would have shaken the dog up that way. Wisely, she chooses not to say this.
[Wharil Choc]
"Its okay." Wharil says flatly, still eyeballing the cowering shephard. The mood leaves him slowly, but surely. And he draws a cherry red breath through the cigarette, lets the smoke out of his lungs, and smiles as if it were suddenly safe to laugh about the whole thing.
"Its okay. No harm no foul, right?"
That smile gets turned to Rene, still on her perch. Wharil reaches a hand up to help her down.
[Rene Vitalli]
Not good with Animals.
*Is all the explanation Rene offers, voice too small and polite to originate from such a unsettling woman. She's regarding Zane as though at any moment she'll change her mind and commence to skinning him for a coat. Wharil smiles, assures Ashley its alright, and his fellow Euthie nods curtly from her perch. His offered hand observed for far too long. A pinch of her brow as she steps easily down, before setting her hand in his with a raise of an eyebrow.*
[Ashley McGowen]
"Right," Ashley says, looking sidelong at Wharil. She shifts her stance a little bit, both so she can see the two of them at once and so Zane can feel free to hide behind her. This is more like the behavior she expects from him.
She drops an ungloved hand down onto the dog's head to sooth him as Rene drops down out of her tree, and she observes as Rene puts her hand in Wharil's -afterward- with a touch of amusement. It's always a satisfying feeling to happen upon people with social skills worse than one's own. "I haven't seen you around much lately, Rene. How have you been?"
[Wharil Choc]
"Uhm."
That, obviously, wasn't the way that was supposed to work. But, perhaps this wasn't the right time for explaining that. Instead, Wharil huffs amused and stuffs the cigarette back between her lips. She probably needed that more than he did anyway.
And while the two of them exchanged pleasantries (this ought to be good) Wharil took the moment to look, not at Zane, but at his master. Ashley's well being was still a concern of his.
[Rene Vitalli]
*The cherry glows a moment, dangling from her lips as she rests her hand in Wharils, glancing about the park. The response to Ashley's question spoken without regarding her. Bland.*
Fine.
*Rene was a pleasure to look at, in much the same way a brilliantly patterned sea snake was a pleasure to look at. Her movement sinuous and graceful, her outer packaging beautiful. And yet no one in their right mind wants one within arms reach for any amount of time. She turns to regard Ashley and Zane with mild irritation. The source of which becoming clear when she shakes her hand sharply away from Wharil's and spits him with a look. She wasn't certain quite what he wanted, but tying up one of her hands seemed like a good way to give an enemy an advantage.*
Any word on the Maurader?
[Wharil Choc]
"Ashley isn't--" He begins to say but thinks better of it. And now that both their hands were free, he folds his arms in front of him, letting the Hermetic speak for herself.
[Ashley McGowen]
Ashley's skin is still sallow, paler than usual and with the sort of unhealthy darkening beneath her eye sockets that indicates days of sleeplessness. Outwardly, not much appears to have changed in the past day. But there's a little difference in how she's carrying herself, and perhaps the fact that she was out in the park playing with the dog at all showed -some- signs of improvement.
Rene's hand continues to dangle in Wharil's and she eventually jerks it away with a look of irritation, like she has better things to be doing, and it draws a smirk from Ashley. It's not as good as a smile and the usual smug attitude is probably not what Wharil had in mind when he suggested she go out and do things that made her feel alive again, but at least she's making an attempt at normal huamn interaction.
Rene asks about the Marauder then, and the smile fades. "Not since he disappeared, if you heard about that," she says. "I'm not sure where he's going to pop up."
[Wharil Choc]
"That's the crux of it, I guess. Figuring out where he'll pop up. Until then we're...sorta stuck. I should be meeting with Kage today to get some of the things h e left there, including some clothes with blood on it. Gonna have it checked to figure out if its his or...someone elses."
Wharil looked sidelong at Rene for a moment, as if he had more to add here. Instead, his lips just come snap shut.
[Rene Vitalli]
Perhaps a lure. Something he might hold dear? I met another, Gregor. He's interested.
*Rene looks to Wharil for an opinion, apparently no longer sharing the cigarette as she takes another drag. Smoke coils in the air around her head, a hazy toxic halo. She checks her watch.*
I have an appointment.
[Ashley McGowen]
"I doubt there's much that's dear to him at this point. I could track him down and you guys could go and take care of what you need to take care of," she says, with a glance sidelong at Wharil. It's quick, but it's something approaching a white flag - I don't have to kill him but I still insist on helping.
What Rene could possibly even have an appointment for, Ashley doesn't want to imagine. That's so vague. It could be something as simple as visiting the dentist (the poor dentist - she imagines the spiders crawling all over the small office and shudders a little) or something more along the lines of shooting a mark, chopping his body into pieces and dumping them in the river.
"...All right, Rene. I'll see you around."
[Wharil Choc]
Wharil doesn't quite respond to either of that, except for the similar look of surrendering to her persistence that she's seen on him just once before.
"We'll catch up some other time, Rene. There's still some things we have to talk about, but they'll wait for now."
[Rene Vitalli]
Yes.
*Rene and her cigarette are in motion suddenly. Cigarette stubbed out on the bench and slipped into the trash as she stalks away through the park, carefully avoiding the fountain's cheeky security cameras. She moves quickly, indistinct with a flare of arcane, suddenly less menacingly present than before.*
[Ashley McGowen]
"...You know, I don't confess to being intimidated by many people, but..." Ashley watches Rene go until the woman is somehow lost among other people in the park. In ways, Rene is like the spiders she attracts. You should be able to see them, but you can't, they lurk somewhere in your house and then crawl down your throat when you're asleep.
Zane relaxes once she's left, unwinding himself from around Ashley's legs.
[Wharil Choc]
"She's..." Horrifying. Deadly. She even sets me on edge sometimes. Most times. "Not so bad, once you get to know her."
And she certainly was a vision. Graceful, if nothing else. Which might explain why Wharil seemed so wrapt in watching her go, until she's gone. Then, he turns to Ashley.
"Good to see you out and about, Ashley. How are you feeling?"
[Ashley McGowen]
Ashley, too, seems to have some fascination, though it's likely that some of it can be attributed to the taint that hangs around her: Rene is a killer, moreso than Ashley has become, and it lends itself to a certain curiosity. An interest in studying.
"Better, I think," she says, looking up at Wharil after she has brushed some snow from her jacket. Her dash over here after Zane seems to have thrown it everywhere. "I've been trying to get out and do some of what you said. I got a hold of Enid and got her started in her instruction." She's less hostile now than she was yesterday when he gave her the advice, now that she's had some time to think about it and see the sense. Her words don't carry a tone of apology - she seems to think that merely giving in and accepting his advice in the first place is enough.
"You've had to work through this before, haven't you."
[Wharil Choc]
Wharil smiles at the last comment, and his eyes float away from hers, moving up and finally wafting down to around his feet. An embarrassed 'you caught me' sort of smile.
"Yeah. I have." He admits meekly. "Once or twice. In a way I'm sort of still fighting through it. And there may come a time when...Well. That time's not now."
[Ashley McGowen]
It wasn't hard for her to put it together. When Wharil told her what she had to do to move past it, he did not speak as though he were regurgitating instruction, he did not retreat to clinical language or bullet point what she should be trying to do. He spoke as a person who had been there. He did not ask questions about what it was like or what she needed because he already knew.
Her eyes are still watching him, intent. "There may come a time when what? It's past you? Or does that not happen?"
[Wharil Choc]
His lips tighten together, as if huddling for warmth. Comfort. As if those lips have done wrong and fear the punishment that comes. he shouldn't have said that. He's had nearly a life time of shouldn't-have-said-that's
"In a perfect world..." He starts, still hesitant. "Before what happened to the Marauder happens to me...Rene will be there. Or Ashton. Or another Chacravanti from another city who's name I don't know. Its sort of a fact of life for us." The smile that comes is uneasy, yet entirely genuine. A smile one makes when they're sharing something, but not sure if the thing their sharing is welcome.
"We watch out for each other."
Because that, obviously, meant different things to different people.
[Ashley McGowen]
Up until she arrived in Chicago, Ashley has had little experience with other Traditions outside of the Order of Hermes. But Bran and Justine were both from House Flambeau, and they used to (probably still do) say things like that. They watch out for each other, when one inevitably goes out in a burst of fire (or just with a silenced bullet) they'll be there to avenge the death. Watching out for each other can mean a lot of different things.
"I suppose if it's not one thing that gets you, it's another," Ashley says, watching him. No return smile, no direct invitation to share more, but she hasn't brushed him off. Is asking questions, in fact. "You really don't think you'll overcome it before that's necessary?"
Whether she's asking for his sake or her own is uncertain. It might be both.
[Wharil Choc]
"I hope I do. I mean, I have ambition. And we all seek...we all seek the same thing right? But the Chodona tells us that resisting death when its our proper time only leads to more and more suffering. And its a hard road to walk. We're told to distance ourselves. Separate ourselves emotionally and mentally. But then...we end up like Rene. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to get too attached...I mean, think of what you saw through Dylan. Think of the fear and guilt that fuels that kind of a break from reality. Dying's a mercy compared to that."
[Ashley McGowen]
"The Order of Hermes does that," Ashley says, after listening to what he has to say about distancing himself, about the consequences of doing it too much or too little. "Because it doesn't do you any good to have to rely on the strength of someone else and because you can't help but be held back by the wants and needs of other people."
There's a silence for a moment as she thinks on Dylan, on what she knows of Dylan. When she does speak again, it's with some of the same hesitation Wharil had earlier: not because she's unsure of whether the sharing is welcome (she doesn't worry about that) but because she's not sure if she wants to share it. Or should. But in the end, there it is.
"I don't really think Dylan was a case of getting too attached. From what Jacques told me it sounded like he was looking for something he couldn't find and didn't have any support. So maybe that's just builds the case more in the opposite direction."
[Wharil Choc]
He smiles, but this time it doesn't make it all the way to his eyes. They're too distant. Too far away. Lost in thought. Trapped in the shattering of the spell that Ashley just brought about. It wasn't as if he'd forgotten. It was just that...he'd gone a full day with the differentiation fixed solidly in his mind. In all their minds. Rene asked about The Marauder. Kage wanted to talk about the Nameless Crow. Gregor offered his ideas on the Destructive One.
Ashley had opinions about what happened to Dylan.
"And...what about Jacques? What about his dad. If this had happened a month later. If we'd become...something like friends. I don't know if I'd have the strength to follow this to where it needs to go. So: score one for the other side."
[Ashley McGowen]
"I would," she says. And really, that discussion about Dylan is a safe place to move back to: there aren't boundaries when discussing Dylan. Dealing with him is far more clear cut than what she should share or shouldn't share, when asking for things becomes relying on other people and when it doesn't. "On the other hand I sort of figure that maybe it should bother you, it's just that no one wants it to because it would really be hell to feel loss every time you had to kill someone."
Which she hadn't ever done until the other night, and that killing didn't bother her.
"It'd make you stronger if you learned to deal with it, though, outside from just shutting it out. Like if being alive is the point of working through death taint, then..." She stops, unsure of how exactly to voice the thought; it's clear that it's a new one, that she's working out what she thinks about it as she goes. "I mean I'm not normally one of those sentimental 'know what you're taking away' sorts of people, but maybe it applies in this case."
[Wharil Choc]
"Huh." He says. A breathy realization or epiphany. And all of it focused on Ashley. He hadn't been around many outside of the Euthanatos either. At least, he'd never gotten to know them quite this much.
"I gotta say, Ashley. Knowing you has been pretty...educational so far."
An appreciative nod follows, and he pulls his collars up, guarding against the frigid wind.
"I'll keep you informed if anything comes up. See you around."
0 comments:
Post a Comment