"You can't, no," Nevada says, shaking his head. "Now we're sister and brother. Child of Gaia and Bone Gnawer. Princess and pauper." A soft grin moves his mouth. "Lady and the tramp." Another headshake. "And best friends." He makes a seesawing motion with a hand, wriggling his wrist. Something jangles, beneath his pimpjacket. "Forever. At least until I crash into a fuckin' tree or something presumably," he adds with a light snort, rubbing at an eye with a jacket sleeve. "God, I sound like a bad movie or something... "

With a bit of a creak, one of the huge double doors swings partially open, letting a solid beam of the outside sunlight fall across the floor of the barn. Bernie slips in through this opening, pausing, startled, as she begins to close the door behind her; she hadn't quite expected people to be in here. With a soft clearning of her throat, she greets them, "Um.. hey. 'sup? I interruptin'?"

The Galliard tree hugger opens her mouth to reply, but is saved by Bernie who heads in. Glancing over her shoulder, Alicia gives a slight smile, wiggling her fingers. "No... not at all.." She says softly, shifting a bit upon her feet. She looks worn down and sweaty, slightly frazzled by the hair.

Nevada blinks, Alicia being able to see a slight confused look on his face a moment. It vanishes masterfully the second he turns around, a big cool grin on his face. He looks like a million bucks in that 70s-ish Goodwill getup, like little Bo Pimp that lost his honeys. "Not a ting," he says to the Ragabash. "Hey -- Bernie, right?"

"'s me," Bernie replies, fairly cheerfully, as she finishes closing the door. If they say it's okay, she'll take them at their word. "So 'sup with you guys?" She's got her backpack, as usual, and wanders toward one of the stray haybales as she talks.

"Nada, jus' talking an all that. Nevadah here is a Cliath now. So, we gotta kiss his butt an call him Rhya." Alicia slips down next to Bernie after that lil bit of a retort, smiling now.

"Thasss' right," Nevada Shafts. Can you dig it? He reaches out to fluff up Bernie's hair as she passes. "Got me a halfway respectable name now. Buries-tha-Hatchet. From Matchbox Max. Shit, is dat girl a pyro." He facepalms.

Bernie laughs, running a hand over her curls to smooth them back down again -- for what -that's- worth, given their eternally unruly state. "Yeah?" she asks, taking her seat on that bale and crossing her legs, indian-style, "...well gratz, Buries-Th'-Hatchet-rhya." She grins, slipping her backpack off and setting it down on then non-Alicia side of her. "Max too, then? Cool. What'd ya do an' all?" A thought strikes her, and she winces, half-muttering, "Oh, shit. Please tell me this doesn't mean I'm gonna hafta go with Lacks-Social-Graces..."

Alicia listens to the Galliard, hoping to hear a story out of Nevada.

Nevada chuckles, in that instantly-transforming-into-your-big-brother kind of way. You know, the one that comes home at two in the morning drunk off his ass. The one that at parties is liable to dance his stuff around wearing just a lampshade. The one that wraps other people's cars around trees, whizzes his phone number in the snow in front of churches, and uses his one jail phone call to consult a psychic hotline. That kind."Well, it went a'lil like dis... "

"We went on our Rite o'Passage." A dramatic pause, all for that. He winks. "Ask me later, I'll talk all ya damn ears off, y'know me. Blah blah blah. Sistas, I got to get my ass gone. Look at the time." Nevermind his watch is broken. "An whateva Max says," he disclaims as he circles around their haybale before striding off,"Is lies! All lies. 'Cept the ones 'bout how god damn charming I am. An' the psycho ax murderin' part. See you lata, alligatas."

Alicia blinks a bit blankly at Nevada, then snorts, feeling disapointed. "Man, your a shitty Galliard Ashley. Get me all hot an bothered an take off, leaving me all unfulfilled."

Bernie arches a brow, and thbbts at Nevada. Then, of course, she grins again, and shakes her head. "A'ight, then, butcha owe us. After a while, crocadile..." With that, she leans over sideways to bonk lightly against her fellow cub, querying, "...an' 'sup with -you-?"

"But I heard dis happens to all guys," Nevada laughs in an especially whiny voice before he winks, steps out.

Alicia smirks as she watches him go, her eyes glistneing over. Finally, she lets her eyes drop down to her hand, at whatever it is he placed in it as she drifted by her.

Bernie tilts her head slightly, regarding the other cub curiously. "....whatcha got?" she queries, "...an' you okay an' all?"

The barn is pretty well soundproofed, but the sound of some sort of vehicle coming up the lane can be heard through the door.

Alicia nods her head slowly, staring down at what appears to be a tiny piano, those kind that run on batteries, made of glossy black. She touches the top and it begins to play a song. "He said he loved me, that I was his best friend.."

Bernie ahs, softly, and slips an arm about the other girl's shoulders, giving her a warm squeeze. She doesn't say anything more, just waiting to see if Alicia feels like elabourating, though the vehicular sounds from outside do draw her attention briefly.

Alicia glances up a bit at the noise, recognizing it by now. Closing her hand over the Piano, she swallows lightly. "Anyways, how is your day going?"

Bernie gives Alicia another quick hug, and shrugs, then grins. "Not too bad. Got things done last night, worked on stuff t'day..." A fleeting glance toward the direction of the just recognizable sound as she continues, "...shows ev'ry indication of jus' bein' an' overall good day, really. Though, I guess th' moon caught up with me. 'm all antsy an' stuff. Which's annoyin', y'know?"

Alicia nods her head in agreement, untying her sweaty hair. "Yah, its like walking 'round wi' PMS all day." She hugs her back, then hops to her feet, heading for her backpack.

Bernie nods, making a face. "Well... yeah an' no... I mean, I'm not so much -bitchy-, I don' think, jus'... kinda easily frustrated, an' I wanna DO things..." She shrugs again, for some reason seeming to gain a touch of pink in her cheeks. "I dunno, I hate bein' all hyper. So I d'livered that letter for ya an' all," she adds, changing the subject.

"Oh? Cool. Thanks a lot. What'd he say? He ganna get in touch or something?" The Galliard asks, chatty as ever. "An what DO you want to do?" She asks, noticing her cheeks with a slight grin.

Bernie blushes a shade harder, pushing a curl back behind her ear, and shakes her head. "Jus' things," she replies, vaguely. "...y'know. Projects. Shoppin'. Pickin' up th' litter in th' Park. ....other things... Jus'... things."

Alicia raises a brow and wets her lips a bit, then stands to her feet. "Its ok, I understand." She says, noticing the hint in her cheeks. "Maybe you should hang over here t'night an girl talk with me or something. We haven't had a brownie night in awhile."

Bernie looks distinctly torn for a moment at that suggestion. "...Maybe so," she agrees, with a quick nod, fingers sliding up and through her curls. "We could go make brownies now. That'd be a Thing."

Alicia watches her for a moment, then curls her lips back slightly with a smirk. "Its ok... I get the hint." She flips her hair back and out of her face, letting out a breath. "So, how's the Bohemiam Decadence thing going?"

Bernie blinks. "I wasn' tryin' t' make a hint," she replies, "...what'd I hint?"

Alicia smirks. "That you wanna hang out with Matt ta'night at his place. I'm not blonde, despite the dye job. Your also my best friend, ah'm supossed ta' have the best friend Jedi vulcan mind meld thing going with ya."

Bernie blushes again, glancing down, hand closing around the key hanging about her neck, and sighs. "Man, I'm a crappy friend sometimes," she grumbles. A slight smile as she glances up, "...an' you're mixin' your scifi universes, as a geek I may be forced t' punish you if such behaviour c'ntinues..."

Alicia grins at her and shrugs slightly. "Star Trek, Star Wars, whatever. An yer' not a crappy friend, not at all Bernie. Your just in heat." She teases, pokes, then darts off across the other side of the barn.

Bernie squeaks, mouth dropping open. "I am -not-!" she exclaims, apparently scandalized, though there does seem to be a hint of amusement there, and stands, leaving her bag on the haybale.

Alicia bursts into another round of laughter as she whirls around, slamming a foot hard into the punching bag, sending it whirling back. She's laughing so hard, she gets hit by the impact, tumbling down to the ground.

Well, of course that sets Bernie off in peals of laughter as well, leaning back against some of the hay to remain upright. "you 'kay?" she manages eventually, through the laughter.

Alicia stops laughing, only long enough to rub her nose. "Oh yah. Ah'm ok. I meant fo' that to happen." She moves to her feet, looking to Bernie with a grin. "I'm glad yer' happy Bernie, its nice to see you smile."

Bernie manages to get the giggles mostly under control, grinning back. "Good, an' thanks," she replies, "...mostly happy, yeah. Sometimes happier than other times but, y'know, 's just life, right?" As if the earlier question had never been ignored, she continues, "th' Decadence is goin' good, you gotta come see it soon as Adam lets you out... 's nice, 's got a livin' room, an' two bedrooms, anna bathroom anna kitchenette, an' now it's got a dinin' room table an' chairs, anna sofa, anna dresser, also." She makes a tiny bounce on the balls of her feet. "'s fun, findin' stuff for it."

Alicia giggles as she watches you, slipping back onto the haybales. "Sounds like you got yer'self a regular mansion on your hands huh?" She tugs the brim of her sweat pants up a bit, to cover the bare middrift of her stomach and tummy ring. "How much is he paying a month? Pretty penny for a two bedroom."

"I dunno," Bernie replies, sitting again as well, "di'n' ask. Only he -bought- it." She looks highly impressed by this. "...so there isn't rent, but there's a mortgage, so, same deal only eventually you get to stop payin' it an' still stay there anyhow, right?"

Alicia shrugs her shoulders. "I guess, I don't know clue one about that kind of stuff... I never had a house, only stuck in one bedroom apartments where I slept in the living room. But, I'm glad you two are happy with all that. Its quite an adventure, and I'm sure he's glad to get the hell out of the farm house and pretending to be premium white trash."

Bernie blinks at Alicia, arching a brow. "Okay, bitch much?" she asks. "I know what I've read, far as 'that kind of stuff'. My fam'ly hadda house, that we rented. Three bedrooms. 'course, we also had eight people, nine once Lola had Penny. Second, it's -his- place, he jus' lets me visit. An' third," even Ragabash have Rage, and for once hers shows itself a bit, just below the surface veneer of calm as she continues, "he's not -pretending- anything."

Alicia blinks a bit at Bernie, raising a brow. "Huh? I meant pretending as in living /here/ on the farm.. Damn.. rrowwl." She hisses, arching a hand at her, pretending to have claws. "I wasn't insulting him, not at all.. shit, flip out or something." Her own voice takes upon a hard tone, feeling slightly insulted."

Yi, upon hearing voices inside the barn as she walks by, pauses before opening the door slightly. A cold wind blows into the barn as she pokes her head inside.

Bernie sighs, and glances up toward the ceiling. "Sorry for misunderstandin' what you meant, then," she replies. "Maybe 's th' moon thing, I dunno..." She trails off as the draft makes its way through the barn, and glances toward the doors.

Alicia snaps her hard gaze over towards the doors, then faulters once she notices its Yi. "Don't trip." She says again, shrugging, then slips past the Elder new moon and outside.

Arching an eyebrow as even the Rage in this place seems tangible, Yi sighs quietly before slipping into the not-much-warmer barn. "Heyla," she greets, a bit tired, a bit cold, but still friendly enough.

Bernie opens her mouth as Alicia leaves, but closes it again and shakes her head. "...whatfuckingever..." she mutters to herself, as the other cub disappears from sight. "...hi, Yi," she greets her Elder, now loud enough to be heard at the door.

Yi glances back towards the door and then to the newmoon cub. "I must've interrupted something," she says cautiously, debating whether to take 'another' walk around the forest.

Bernie shakes her head, still looking fairly pissed off.

"It's one big full moon out, to have the best of friends argue with each other," Yi observes softly while leaning gently against the wall next to the barn door. Her dark eyes gaze cooly at Bernie, as if trying to figure out what the cub is pissed about.

"I misunderstood somethin' she said. I 'pologised. She took off. What the fuck ever," Bernie explains flatly, with a shrug that would fool no one into thinking it didn't matter. "So what's up with you?"

"Well..." Yi pauses, a bit hesitant to start off on this note. "I was...wondering if you could give me a bit of advice." She draws her lips a bit tight, chewing on the inside.

Bernie's eyebrows lift in surprise, and she shakes her head once, throwing off some of the anger. "What, me? About what? I mean... I'm not Ann Landers or anythin' but I c'n try t' be advicey, I guess... 's wrong?"

"Er, well I don't know who Ann Landers is, but..." Yi runs a hand through her hair, seeming nervous to ask such things. "I know I'm from the city, and I should know what to do in things like this," her voice beats around the bush. "I'm... not sure what to do, about teaching someone about the city." Her brow furrows a bit, as if that didn't quite come out right. "What I mean, is that I'm.. supposed to take Soulcatcher into the city. He's a Wendigo, the elder of the tribe here in fact, and teach him some things about citylife, how we work, and..." She glances up at the cub. "I'm not sure where to start. I don't know if he's ever lived in a city, or, even eaten at McDonald's... or driven a car..." She gazes at the cub a bit helplessly. "I know my city, but that is far away from here. Even I haven't explored all of St. Claire, and..." Realizing she is babbling, she simply rolls her shoulders in an embarrassed shrug.

Bernie pulls her legs up indian style again, and considers. "...huh. Well, y'know... you could ask him, right? I mean, that'd settle -that- part at least... an' prolly I think 'f I were in your place, I'd jus' take 'im t', like, Harbour Park, t' start with, an' from there go on a walk through th' city an' maybe point out how it's diff'rent in diff'rent parts. Y'know?"

Yi nods slowly, getting up off the wall beside the door and proceeding forward to Bernie. She slowly lowers down, sitting with a slightly hunched posture and gazing at the dirt floor with brow furrowed in thought. "But... what sort of things does one say about the city? I think he already does not like it, but accepts that some of us have to live there." Her gaze flickers up at the advisor cub. "I might be packmates with him. What if he does not wish me to be in the pack, after he sees where I live?" She says this, much like a girl embarrassed about her living quarters. Dark eyes return to glower down at the floor. "And another comes with me too, Duane, an Uktena. He and Soulcatcher are good friends, and both are more home in the wild than in the city. On a fullmoon, I don't want to chance angering them if I do something wrong."

A fleeting smirk, and, dryly, "....don't bring Lacks-Social-Graces." Bernie considers again, and queries, "...wellll. Two things, first of all maybe you could bring someone else along as well, an' then y' might feel better 'bout it? Second, I guess you'd just do like y'do teachin' 'bout th' forest t' city cubs, yeah? Show what you oughta look out for, what there is t' see, what might be dang'rous or helpful...?"

Yi nods at this. Makes sense enough. At mention of Rotem she bristles visibly like a porcupine fish. "I'm not /touching/ that cub ever again," she growls out under her breath, but loud enough for the newmoon cub to hear. At mention of bringing someone along, she raises her eyes. "I... don't suppose..." She pauses, wetting her lips slightly. "... you would like to accompany me?" Then her eyes flicker back down. "But I am not sure about how they would view me then...my abilities in the city. Would they think of me any less?" She glances up at Bernie as if she were some sort of tarot card reader to tell her future activities.

Bernie smiles fleetingly, flattered to be invited, "...'f y'want me to, I'll try t' go with, yeah. Only I dunno what they'd think -- I dunno 'em; I don' evenr eally know what their tribes are like. Huh, tha's somethin' I'm gonna hafta get someone t' do, tell me 'bout th' tribes. I seem t' r'call Squall said he was Wendigo... anyway, so yeah, I dunno..." A thought strikes her, and she grins, "Hey! A thought, you an' I an' maybe some other people too, we could all go wander th' city assa kinda trial run, an' see what we all think needsta be 'splained or pointed out an' all. Then you could still do it 'lone, but you'd have, like, practice first. An' they don't hafta know that, right?" She looks proud of that idea. "An' I don't blame you, but wha'd he do -now-?"

Yi looks up at the newmoon as if she were genius, which Yi is convinced Bernie is, of course... after all who else would be able to understand Matt? "That sounds like a good idea. A very good idea." Her squished brow gets relaxed a bit, but she huffs slightly in memory of Rotem's actions yesterday. "Acts-Without-Thinking... yeah. You know how it is the full moon. Well, ahrouns get even more irritable, restless, and particularly edgy on full moons. I found him yesterday, singing some strange chant trying to keep himself from going crazy.. something about beer bottles on walls." She lifts her hand to scratch a bit at her arm, a motion of agitation. "What he did? He wanted out of the basement, and I told him no. He insisted...with his fist." She growls softly, moving the scratching hand to her gut. "Nevada came back from his rite, and saw him punch me. Nevada was already angry at him, for killing his best friend. Now hurting me?" She shakes her head. Definitely an act that was not prefaced with thought, that swing. "The two of them ended up frenzying on each other. Nevada's back was clawed up again, and the cub had his guts ripped out. A punch in the gut for an evisceration. What do you think?" She looks a bit proud, one of the larger vocabulary words she knows getting used in her speech.

Bernie makes a face, "Sounds like a painful trade. God, that kid's a pain in the ass... can we recover from that kinda thing? I mean, bein' eviscerated? I mean, 'cause -ow-." She looks Yi over more carefully now, "..an' are -you- okay? I saw N'vada earlier, an' he looked pretty okay, at least."

"Both are fine," Yi reports though not without a bit of disappointment. Oh how she would've pounded the cub. "Jamethon, one of the Get of Fenris crescent moons, has the gift of healing. He called it, 'the touch.' My current state of mind, yesterday, wasn't exactly all there." She taps her temple a bit, then purses her lips thoughtfully. "We can heal from those things. I mean, just look at the cub. He's not dead yet, right? We can heal in three forms - glabro, crinos, and hispo. How that works, I don't know... I guess it is something akin to 'Mojo.'" She arches one eyebrow and squints the other eye in a sort of strange look, as if she weren't sure the slang word was used in the right context.

The two Gnawers sit at the far end of the barn, where Alicia had left Bernie earlier. They discuss some news quietly between each other.

Alicia slips back into the barn, carrying a plate full of pizza.

Bernie nods, a quick grin at the last comment. "Yet another application of th' Force, I guess," she replies. "How long d'you think th' kid's gonna avoid gettin' throated 'f he doesn't get th' clue real soon?" She trails off as the door moves, glancing toward it.

Yi looks up as well, her comment slipping out as she glances. "If not soon, /I/ might take it upon myself to do so." Alicia gets a quick nod. "I'm just trying to avoid the church basement. I'm telling you, I am a building hazard. First the doorway, the doors, and the steps... now the basement wall and bloodstains on the floor." She sighs, lowering her head slightly.

Alicia clears her throat slightly, not wanting to intrude much on the conversation. "Um... brought some pizza for you two.. if you were hungry." Her voice is soft, eyes a bit downcasted.

"It's not -you-," Bernie points out, "it's -him-. I mean, you've been here how long, an' th' church had how many injuries due t' you? Then dumbass shows up, an' boom. I think th' clues are clear." She shakes her head, and smiles slightly, rather sheepishly, at Alicia, "oooh... pizza?"

Yi glances back up a bit more lighthearted at Bernie's comment. Still, she feels a twinge of guilt somewhere down there, like the fault of the pupil is the fault of the teacher. She waves for Alicia to come over a bit closer. "I suppose a slice is alright," she smiles wanly at the galliard. "Is this Delivery, or is it DiJorno?" Evidently, someone has been watching a bit too much TV.

"Um... Domino's. Not sure if it was delivered, but there's a Get of Fenris convention going on in the kitchen. They gave me the pizza." Alicia smiles a bit. "So.. I left them to their own devices, mostly cuz' its a full moon an they are talking 'bout Get stuff, an well.. here I am." She hands the plates over. "Pepperoni."

Bernie accepts a slice. "...what's Get stuff?" she queries, before her mouth is full and it'd be rude.

"Killing things." The Galliard replies.

Yi also lifts a slice off the plate, letting the crust warm her hand abit as she chuckles to the moondancer's reply. "Tribal matters, like their goals and... killing things is probably one of them if the Get have that strong a reputation." She takes a bite, chewing slowly before swallowing. Wolfing down her food has resulted in more than one choking incident.

Bernie mrms. "Charming," she comments, between bites, with a quick smile. Leaning back against the hay, she looks to Alicia, deciding to take the high road, and ventures, "...hey, 'licia? I really am sorry for misunderstandin' what you meant."

Alicia waves it off like its nothing. "Don't worry.." She points upwards. "Blame the bitch up there. I'm sorry for just walking out like that..but my ties to Luna are a bit stronger then yours, I figured.. it'd just be best I got some fresh air and calmed down before I did or said something stupid for no reason."

Yi looks up a bit blankly, as if not understanding, then realizes Alicia's words and nods asshe takes another bite of her slice. "Mm..." she murmurs around the pizza. After swallowing, she gazes between the two. "Good to see you both back on the right path." She grins a bit, not realizing there is a bit of pizza sauce at the side of her lip that she missed.

Bernie nods, finishing off her slice, and stretches. "..mmph. Tasty. Thanks." She shifts in her seat, pulling her curls back and letting them go again, so they bounce all over. "Um, Yi," she mentions, as she notices, gesturing to the side of her own mouth, "...y' gotta little sauce there."

Yi blinks as Bernie gestures, and then realizes. She wipes the sauce away with a finger. "So... are you ever getting out of the farmhouse again? I could understand it if Adam made you stay there for being a stubborn cub, but... " she lets the rest of the sentence trail, glancing at Alicia.

The door to the barn creaks open, and a rather petite figure is briefly silhouetted against the moonlight as the Strider slips inside. She's cupping something in her hand like a talisman.

Alicia glances over to Yi and offers a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know.. Adam says I can only stay in the farmhouse or Caern.. No where else. But, its up to him if he wants ta' let me hang or not." She sighs for a moment, brushing away her bangs, gaze caught by the opening of the door.

Sepdet pushes her hair back from her face. "Heya, 'm I disturbing?" As usual, her English is just a little off, defined by an accent that's a cross between Arabic and Klingon. "Joseph's gotten called to help a pack with a spirit and I don't know when they'll be finished."

Yi glances over towards the barn doors as it opens, squinting a bit to see who came in. "I don't think that's a fair deal," she mutters to the gibbous moon. "How is a cub supposed to gain experience if she's not allowed to go anywhere?" Her recognition of the voice causes eyebrows to raise as she stands up, pizza still in hands. "Sepdet-rhya, good to see you again... and off the island too. An improvement, wouldn't you say?" As the news of Joseph reaches her she purses her lips slightly. "So... I guess we'll just have to wait then, na..." Her eyes travel does to the Strider's cupped hand. "What's that?"

Bernie, making a face as she listens to Alicia's answer, glances over at the newest arrival, and grins, "I dunno, you don't seem partic'larly disturbin'..." She lifts a hand, and waves.

Sepdet ambles over and opens her hand, revealing a small rock marked with charcoal; if it's writing, it's illegible or else a very foreign script indeed. "It's you," she says cryptically, then licks the stone clean and slips it back into the beltpouch at her side. Bernie's comment elicits a rather intent stare. "Really?" she asks in a low voice with a hint of a smile.

Yi arches an eyebrow, first at the Strider's coded answer and then at the theurge as she licks the stone. "I suppose that's one way of getting minerals," she notes softly.

Sepdet circles around Bernie and Alicia like a wolf getting the scent of a stranger. "So what's up? Cub lessons?" Her eyes flick to Alicia. "I know you, don't I?"

Bernie giggles, watching. "Well, y'weren't until y'licked th' Yi, anyway..." She looks curiously at Sepdet, "So I'm gonna be nosy, how's that her?"

Alicia nods her head slowly with a smile. "Yah.. we met in the woods.. Um.. I was Night-Flash's student. Alicia Jackson."

Sepdet returns the nod as she studies Alicia. "Thought so. The eyes and all." There's only a faint tensing of her jaw at the mention of Nightflash. To Bernie, she explains lightly, "The right signs on a stone, in the right hands, can work better than a compass. It helps my people find each other in our travels."

Yi clears her throat softly, still a bit confused on this possible in-joke that she just doesn't have a clue about. "Er, well... lessons. Not really. Just chatter. I..." her voice trails, again the newmoon glancing at the licked stone. She's just boggled about things today... until Sepdet explains. "Oh. Questing Stone, I suppose?"

Bernie considers that a moment, and then blinks, making the same connection as Yi, "Oh! Th' ritual Joey was tellin' me about? Yeah, th' Questing Stone thing...?"

Sepdet dips her eyes in an affirmative. "Exactly." She straightens and pulls herself up to what little height she cam muster, introducing herself with a rhythmic singsong. "Sepdet Swims-through-Silver, Strider Seer. Elder."

"She's the one I am going to try and pack with," Yi nods towards the elder, smiling a bit as Bernie immediately recognizes the name of the rite. She sure has been studying, as opposed to Lacks-Social-Graces. "So, we were hoping, Sepdet-rhya, that when Soulcatcher-rhya decides to take a trip to the city, that Bernie could help out. I'm sure she explains better than I can about the nuances of the urban life." Ooh, big words. Yi's been studying too.

Alicia clears her throat. "Oh, Sepdet Rhya.. NightFlash has left the Sept for another. He's aiding the tribe else where.." She says, hoping that will put the Strider in a better mood.

Sepdet says "Sounds good to me, Yi." She gives Alicia a quiet sad look. "Thanks.""

Bernie grins, with a quick, pleased nod as she files that information away. "Bernie Rosenberg, Reads-In-Darkness, Ragabash Bone Gnawer cub, niceta meetcha," she addresses the Strider.

Yi finishes off her pizza as she watches the other three exchange vital information. Then, after clearing up any pizza sauce left about her, she adds to the fray, "Weren't you saying something earlier about knowing things about other tribes, Bernie?" She glances over to the newmoon cub.

Sepdet nods politely to Bernie. "Well met."

Bernie smiles, and nods to Yi, "You mean about -not- knowin' things about 'em? Yeah..."

Sepdet exhales exaggeratedly. "That's a relief. If cubs started knowing things about tribes, we'd never get them through their rites. That's why they get banished to remote corners of the woods and such."

Yi motions to the Strider elder. "Here is the perfect Garou to ask..." she glances oddly at Sepdet. "Shouldn't the cub /know/ about the tribes? How else would they interact with them?" The Canto-Gnawer looks a bit puzzled.

Sepdet finds a haybale and hops up onto it, curling her toes under herself neatly. "A touch of coyote, Yi, don't mind me. I mean, cubs need to learn about their own tribes first lest they be confused by hearing the customs of the others. We all have different roads. Back when the caern was called a Wheel, I'd say we were different spokes. Talons to guard the wild and fight humans, Walkers to guard the city and the Weaver, Fangs to rule and Lords to keep their heads from getting too swollen, and so on. Each in its place. But you've gotta learn your own place first."

"On the other hand," Bernie suggests, "places are gen'rally relative, so learning th' places of th' other tribes can really only serve t' reinforce th' proper structure... right?"

Sepdet taps a knee with a fingertip. "Ah. But the trouble comes when cubs start thinking the going might be easier on another road. I've seen it. I've been blamed for being a bad 'influence' on other tribes' cubs, once or twice, and I don't mean to do it again." She winks. .

"True..." utters the Gnawer cliath with a quiet musing air. "But what would be the proper structure?" She glances between the two. "The Walkers and Shadow Lords battled over our heads in Hong Kong. We Gnawers would simply pick up their pieces and sell it back to them." She chuckles a bit, memories and such. "But that is likewise the place of the Gnawers. To pick up what the tribes above us drop, and point out that they dropped it. We don't have to give it back sometimes, but it's best to let them know. You know?" She lowers back down to sit on the dirt floor, not really worried about her jeans. Her eyes catch the wink, and a smirk from her follows it. "Sepdet-rhya, if you are a bad influence, I wonder what hazards a good influence could be."

Sepdet growls softly. "Nightflash," she says, now that Alicia's out of earshot.
Sepdet grimaces at herself. "That was unkind. He was a good elder to most of his cubs, although one who thought differently eventually left the sept as a cliath, to all our loss. I've seen some elders who thought breaking cubs was the only way to teach them, that other tribes were all weak or fools for various reasons, and alas trained the cubs that survived to think the same way."

"Th' worst I've picked up from other tribe's influences so far," Bernie points out, "is decent taste in beer..." She grins, and shrugs, "...anyway, 'f Yi says y' c'n tell me stuff, I would'n' think anyone'd get pissed." SHe falls silent, then, listening to the elder-types chat.

Yi shrugs at the two of them, her head dipping slightly between her shoulders with the shrug. "The only elders that I venture who do that, would be the Get."

Sepdet sighs. "You'd be surprised, Yi. But the ones I fear are gone now."
Sepdet amends, "Except perhaps for Roger, but I think he's been taken in hand."

Yi nods slowly, taking the Striders words in. "I'm not one to talk... the only tribes I truly would know are my own, the Walkers and the Shadow Lords. But even then, there are some differences between the way the tribes at home act, and here." She glances up at the Strider on the haybale. "Roger... is sort of... strange."

Dun dah dah DAH! And in comes Lucca, rubbing her back and looking modestly cranky, before she hears the last words of Yi. Bernie had gotten a nod and a 'hey hawaya?' in passing, but no real conversation. Anyway, she says in a sort of goodnatured way, "Roger's a fucking dipshit. I made some pasta, the other day, when Daisy was here and he showed up?" Judging by the size of her grin, something happened.

Sepdet kicks her feet. "Indeed. But perhaps I am not one to talk either, on that count." She leans back on her perch and nearly falls backwards at Lucca's flambuoyant arrival. "Yeees?" she asks suspiciously, hastily making a grab for her dignity.

Yi stifles her chuckle and glances at the arrived Walker. "And...?" She arches an eyebrow with curiosity, as if expecting something following.

Lucca folds her hands behind her back and looks modest. "Well," she says, visibly enjoying the prospect of stretching this little moment of antic... ... .... pation out further.

Sepdet growls. "Spit it out."

Yi shifts her gaze between the two, confused further by Sepdet's sudden irritation only to blame it on the possible full moon. "Well....?"

Lucca smiles beatifically. "Well, I dished out the pasta for me, for Daisy, for Roger... poured on the sauce for me and for Daisy... and hocked a big loogie into Roger's before pourin' on -his- sauce." A faintly nervous glance at Sepdet; don't break her!

Sepdet raises a finger. "Loogie?" she queries patiently.

Yi seconds the motion. "Did it taste good?" Living up to her name again, Ruins-the-Mood.

Lucca translates into plainer terms; "I spit in his food." She shrugs at Yi. "He ate it up like a son of a bitch, I know that much."

Sepdet, having been fed regurgitated food up to the age of three, perhaps misses the full significance of this, but figures it out from context and grins. "Well, it's good to see a mule accepting his place in the world."

Yi makes a face, tongue held out in a 'yuuuuuck' motion. "As much as I like you Lucca, I don't think I could trust your pasta...if you do that often. Granted, some of the more disgruntled chefs at Tin-Yen would do that in the manager's tea, but..." She somewhat ignores that little fact innocently.

The door opens and allows in a cool breeze from outside. Along with the breeze comes a short woman aged in her late teens. Cindy offers the gathered group a wry smile and a bow of her head, "Hey kids..."

Sepdet states baldly, "Now, where I come from, it's a sign of generosity to spit. Sharing, you know."

Lucca explains further for Sepdet: "He didn't know that I did. And besides, it ain't that he's a mule, it's that he's a -fuckheaded- one." An uneasy-ish smile; she isn't, you know, calling Sepdet names. But she used the term, so she feels like she's not TOO unwarranted in using it herself.

Yi glances towards the barn doors again as they open. "Heyla Cindy. Come join the chat," she smiles from her spot on the floor next to the hay. "Lucca was just...er... sharing."

Sepdet tells Lucca mildly, "Some mules deserve the names they're called. Others manage to overcome their progenitors' stupidity." She glances towards the door then and holds up a hand in a silent wave while she scans over the crowd.

Tecmessa comes in on Cindy's heels, evidently looking for someone. "Sepdet? You have a moment?"

Sepdet growls good-naturedly. "Yes, since a certain packmate of mine had his head in the umbra. What's up?"

The newly-arrived half-moon's gaze takes in the others. Sepdet is the last to receive Cindy's attention, and she also receives a polite nod. Cindy remains quiet as Tecmessa appears behind her.

Lucca says, pleasantly, as she swivels her head around, "Tec! Cindy! Hey." She steps aside and out of the way, so that they can get in properly, and then does the blur-flow thing as she assumes the form she came in to have fun with.

Yi simply waves to Tecmessa as well, as the Fury appears behind Cindy. "Quite a popular place this is becoming," she murmurs quietly to herself.

Tecmessa explains, as she comes slightly closer, "Got a message from a Unicorn just an hour or so ago. Thought you might like to hear it."

Sepdet sits up straighter. "Rather, yes."

Cindy's gaze moves from Sepdet to the Fury. "Unicorn..." Her voice trails off in a murmur and she tilts her head curiously. Her curiousity is peaked, though what would a Glasswalker want to know about a unicorn?

Yi glances at Sepdet, this talk about Unicorn should perhaps include the potential packmate. Or, at least, the Gnawer makes note to ask Sepdet later if the Fury wished to discuss in private.

"I'm told," the Fury says, a suppressed energy re-arising in her body, "That Moon Laughs Quiet is no longer in Erebus, and that she will be back to this place when she is able."

Dyes-Hair-Often lets out a bark, a happy one; she doesn't know this person, but anyone who returns from Erebus - from what she's heard of the place - will be a badass stomper of faces, and good to have present.

Sepdet's whole face cracks into a smile like sun through cloud, probably the first joy anyone in this crowd has ever seen on her. "Truly? Gaia, that's ... that's rain after dust."

Tecmessa says, her own smile rising, "Truly. And I know no more than that. Lucca -- I should go do useful things. I will see you tomorrow?"

Sepdet nods fervently. "Yes. I need to ask you more about Gaia's Tears soon, but... not now. Not with good news for once from the sky. Thank you.~

Cindy grins dispite her ignorance for the moment. If they're pleased then she's pleased too, it's simple! The Philodox returns her attention to the others.

Yi offers the typical smile and nod, but her question is uttered. "Erebus?"

Dyes-Hair-Often trots over to Cindy and woofs again, bending down and lifting her butt up in the air, slightly-curled-over tail wagging. A brief glance to Tec to acknowledge her, then she resumes with the Cindyteasing.

Tecmessa offers the group in general a smile, and then heads out the door.

Sepdet clenches her hands over her heart. "The Silver River. I've only come to the edge of it. A terrible place... molten silver everywhere. Sears you to the bone. Moon-Laughs-Quiet, our eldest theurge, went there with her pack on an errand I... well, I can't say, but it was urgent, or they would not have gone. Joseph and I had talked of going after them, but I hadn't the faintest idea how to find them."

Yi would almost wince, a river of pure silver. "I guess that is maybe how you got the name Swims-Through-Silver?" She pauses a bit, pondering who Moon-Laughs-Quiet would be.

Cindy hardly looks down as she reaches with her hand. She takes a firm grip of the wagging tail and gives it a quick yank. "Stop that..." She lets go of the tail and turns her attention back to the conversation. "That's the place... stories tell of how it cleanses some Garou. Purifies their body and soul. My aunt in the east mentioned it while we spoke under our moon."

Dyes-Hair-Often lets out a startled yelp as her tail is yanked on, and gives Cindy quite the evil look. Didn't have to be -that- forceful about it. She trots over a little ways, just so that her huffiness at the tail-yank is properly expressed, and then sits on her haunches to listen to the lore of Erebus, Sepdet style.

"Erebus..." Yi repeats softly, committing the name to memory. Perhaps like a sort of purgatory, as she knows it... a testing chamber. "I think Grandmother may have spoken of such a place before. Or Sifu..." She comes out of her reverie as Dyes yelps.

Sepdet nods to Cindy grimly. "Yes. I've seen two others return from it in my lifetime,freed of taint, but that's a very rare thing. I threw myself into it and led my last pack across while we were questing for a totem spirit; it proved our strength of will. Not a place I would wish on anyone."

"Your friend, Moon-Laughs-Quiet... why did she go?" Cindy asks curiously as she kneels down. She reaches out to offer her tribemate a quick furscritching.

Yi's eyes narrow thoughtfully, this 'Erebus' place an interest to her in some strange way. Perhaps the idea of being pure, a Nirvana of sort, appeals to the young Gnawer. She gazes up silently to listen to the Strider speak, letting the Walkers question.

Sepdet shakes her head at Cindy. "She did not announce it publicly to the sept, so I will leave that for her to announce when she returns. All I can tell you is that it was for an honorable cause."

Dyes-Hair-Often makes a sort of rumbly whiny noise in her throat as she's scritched... which turns into a yawn. Then she starts to pant softly in the cool darkness of the barn, her grievance well-resolved.

Sepdet adds quietly, "Yi, there is something else. Quiet was of Crossing first and later formed her own pack, Ourobouros, when Crossing ended: both packs protected Lake Arthur. t was after she was gone that the Dancers came and ruined the waters. That's part of why I was so angry, so determined to have it cleansed. If Quiet returns and wishes to take back her island, it is not our place to claim it."

Yi gazes up to the Strider, a bit detached but the last bit gets through. "Then... would we still have our pack?" She refocuses, perhaps a fleeting look of worry.

The half-moon lets her fingernails dig into the scruff behind Dyes-Hair-Often's ears. She smiles towards Sepdet and nods her head again. "I wish my path would be as honorable as your friends." Cindy casts a glance towards her tribemate and she scratches harder. "I am Shows-The-Path. Half-moon Cliath of the Glasswalker Tribe."

Steven enters the barn. His left shoulder is torn open with two precise, but bloody gashes.

Sepdet reaches out and scratches Yi reassuringly. "We will. My heart is on Lake Arthur, but there are other precious places out here that need protecting, and there will always be Wyrm in the city to fight." To Cindy, she answers cordially. "Sepdet Swims-through-Silver, Strider Seer." The assurance behind her words suffices to announce her rank--or if it does not, that's Sepdet's problem.

Dyes-Hair-Often, ironically enough, smells the blood before Steven walks properly into the barn, head turning and snuffling a bit at the air. Sepdet's alliteration gets punctuated at the end by a concerned bark.

Sepdet looks over towards the figure silhouetted against the moonlight and straightens ever so slightly, features taking on a decidedly more neutral cast. You can see the portcullis coming down behind her eyes.

Yi nods, though looks up as the barn doors open for the umpteenth time tonight. Her eyes take a moment to recognize him, but Steven gets a curt nod as she bristles just barely in the dimlit darkness.

"Well, well," the Fianna says. "I see that the mule traitor still skulks these woods." His one good eye sweeps the barn. "That's a damn shame."

Sepdet raises her voice, affecting distant affability. "Steven-yuf. If you insult me I will have to burn your pants off for old time's sake. Good evening."

Cindy rises from her couch and her eyes drift to Steven, then to his wounds. She remains quiet for the moment.

Steven frowns deeply. Snorts with distant vicious humor. "Let's get one thing straight here, traitor. You might be a fostern, and you might have beaten me in a fight once, but we're not even close to being equals. One of us protected a Wyrmlover, the other fought to destroy a willing ally of darkness. We know who is whom, even if these others are ignorant."

Sepdet eyes the Fianna coolly. "I killed the scrag, and you killed the alpha's mate. I find myself wondering yet again why on earth I dissuaded Brian from killing you that night."

Probably thanks to Daisy's influence plus deep respect for Sepdet, the lupus-form Walker bristles and bares her teeth in a snarl, although she does -not- quite burst into a furious round of barking. Cindy, however, would probably be able to feel and hear her inner workin's gearing up for such.

Steven levels a finger at Sepdet. "Look you little cunt, what's between me and Brian is between me and Brian. If you want some gratitude or a thank you, you can feel invited officially pucker up and kiss my ass."

Yi bristles at the rising tension, and if she were in lupus her fur would really be on end. "To my knowledge, Chloe was the one who wanted to heal your packmates... but instead you ripped her throat out." This of course, is said through gritted teeth and in a low enough voice to be just barely audible.

Sepdet says quietly, "If you insist, Steven." Her eyes fix upon him, and specifically, on his posterior.

"There are times when a cliath, let alone a 'city' cliath should keep her trap shut. Unfortunately I wasn't born as a city wolf, so I'll just overstep my boundaries and speak anyway..." Cindy begins in a calm tone. "...is it truly necessary to bring insult each time you come to this farm? I have heard more stories about this woman then I have about you."

There's an understated >foomph< as a bright ball of fire suddenly materializes behind Steven's ass in midair.

Dyes-Hair-Often punctuates Cindy with a loud but short volley of barks; Did you come here only to curse and insult?! Have you nothing better to do during Luna's fullness, or have you been frightened by the little cuts you have recieved?! Then, her (brief) fury abates at the sight of the fireball. Buh?

Bernie remains quietly seated on her hay-bale, watching the elder-types interact from her position of relative unobtrusiveness.

"I don't really give a flying fuck what you think about this traitor mule." Steven'd say more, of course, but his ass is currently on fire. This causes him some discomfort. He vocalizes his displeasure. The smell of burning cotton and flesh waft through the barn.

Cindy would also reply, but all she can manage is an uncomfortable laugh as the show unfolds in front of her eyes.

Yi blinks as the ball of fire suddenly appears out of thin air, and sends Steven ahowling. Her clenched teeth just clench harder, but this time in an effort to stifle the rising laughter as she watches the Fianna on fire.

Sepdet lets it flare for only a few seconds, long enough to make the point but not long enough to kindle anything else in the rather flammable area. Then the flames blink out as abruptly as they flared to life. The Strider doesn't say anything else.

Dyes-Hair-Often inhales to start ordering folks to help put the fire out and such, but then stops with a wheeze of released breath. Yet another way in which Sepdet is more 'l33t than Roger.

Bernie tries very, very hard not to laugh out loud, one hand rising to cover her lips, firmly pressed together themselves as their part in the war. Her shoulders shake slightly despite the intense effort.

With his ass of fire and all, Steven's having a difficult time moving to advanced vocalizations or explanations. He's still making plenty of good noise, but he doesn't loose his presence of mind totally. Instead, the Galliard decides that now might be a good time to stop, drop, and roll.

"My bunyuns are burning..." Cindy quips in the familiar voice of that redhatted cowboy from Looney-Toons. Unlike ole 'Sam, Cindy does like to help out too. "Hold still! It'll go out if you roll slowly." The cliath dashes forward and attempts to help by patting, brushing or even assisting in rolling.

Perhaps it's the sound of Steven rolling on the ground. Perhaps it's the smell of burning fabric and flesh. But whatever it is, it draws Brian from the barnyard -- the alpha slips inside quietly, though his brows rise right away and he demands, "What in the -hell- is this?"

Dyes-Hair-Often pauses to figure out what, exactly, she can do... Except that Brian appears, and he sounds unhappy, so she decides now is a good time to go hide in the little hay-bale fortress. She'll be over ---> there now.

Sepdet observes Steven's reaction with a sort of clinical detatchment, ready to drop water onto the situation if it looks like anything other than her victim is in danger of catching fire. "He told me to kiss his ass, Brian-rhya," she says calmly. "I did."

Yi cuts off whatever giggles she had, except she's already /in/ that hay bale fortress, hoping Steven won't roll over their way. She murmurs something, but it's in her own native tongue. Not without some connotations of 'high-on-his-horse'.

Steven may not be the brightest bulb in the bin, but he knows how to put out a fire, especially if it's on him. He angrily waves off any help from any quarter, and just lays on the floor of the barn, seething. "Fuck right off, mule."

Bernie also manages to win the giggle battle -- for now -- and turns her attention from the unfortunate Steven to the newest arrival, regarding him with some interest, since he's evidentally her... greatgrandrhya. She remains quietly seated on her haybale.

Cindy holds her arms up in surrender and she backs away from Steven. "Suit yourself, Steven-rhya. I just smelt something burning..." The Glasswalker hides her grin as she notices Brian, though. Of all the people who she hasn't introduced herself to yet... Cindy begins to drift towards that popular little fortress of hay in hopes that she won't get noticed in this ruckus.

Brian's gaze goes to Steven; on any other night he might find this situation hilarious, but so close to the full moon he's not precisely the epitome of rationality. "You'd think I'd just walked in on a bunch of cubs, not two of the sept's leaders," he growls.

Dyes-Hair-Often starts to hide in the drift of loose hay near and around the bales, digging energetically with her mighty paws - and realizing, abstractly speaking, that this is sort of fun. Probably warm, too, and clean.

Sepdet gives Brian a grim look but doesn't waste air with excuses. The set to her jaw suggests that she, too, feels the moon, and there may be a reason why she's holding herself so still.

Steven slowly gathers himself to stand. Painfully. "Righ," he replies, face edged with a thick frown and murderous stare for Sepdet. Whatever else the gibbous moon had to say has been held down. "Nightflash's gone," he adds, after a moment, through a clenched jaw. "If you didn't know yet. The rest of First Strike finished our Totem Quest tonight." He points at his shoulder. "We're under Cougar now."

Brian's gaze goes to the wound on Steven's shoulder, and then his own shoulders lift and fall in a shrug. "Good to know," he mutters, and then turns back towards the door. "Don't burn the place down."

Sepdet slips in softly, "Promise. Brian, Quiet's coming back."

Yi almost looks to protest the Alpha's leaving, a bit nervous now about Steven's state of thought towards Sepdet and the haybale fortress vicinity.

Cindy offers a sigh of relief and she casts a curious glance to Yi and her own tribemate. The half-moon offers in a soft whisper, "Is he who I think he is?"

"I know," Brian answers; clearly he understands Quiet's return in the abstract.

Dyes-Hair-Often whuffs in assent to Cindy, and then lifts up her head to tug at either Yi or Cindy. Come shift and hide down here while they talk. This hay is dangerous and needs Garou.

Yi nods curtly to Cindy's question, then blinks as part of her fleece is tugged. Her gaze flickers between what is going on beyond the walls of hay, and the Walker in lupus' speech.

Cindy's fingers find her tribemate and she offers another scratch. "Maybe after you teach me the Rite of Talisman Dedication... Bowen forgot to show me before he..." She trails off and watches Steven and Sepdet.

Steven's arms cross. He's waiting, but hardly could be called patient. "You know me, Righ. I prefer stand up fights to those throw sand in your enemies eyes kind."His good eye narrows, but he doesn't say anything further.

Dyes-Hair-Often makes a pleading little whine. She's seen the psychodrama here before on all sortsa shows, and it's just being reenacted here with Garou touches.

There's a little less strain in the Strider's face, but she doesn't press the point, lest she jinx it. "Goodnight, alpha. Let me know if you still need that Blight cleared."

Brian gives one last nod -- though whether in answer to Steven or Sepdet is open to discussion -- and then is gone.

Yi motions towards Bernie in hand signals. If this gets ugly, you high tail it outta here. Her eyes gaze out at Steven, warily.

Bernie gives Yi rather an 'aw, -mom-!' look, but nods, quietly pulling her backpack form beside her into her lap.

Cindy slips out of the fortess of hay, dispite her tribemate's protests. "A good evening to you all... congratulations on your achievement, Steven-rhya..." Cindy keeps her gaze low as she speaks, and her path seems to take her to the door.

"Let's finish this, Sepdet. Right now." Steven levels his finger at her again, although he throws a slight look toward Cindy. "You fucking tell me why you can't get past this... goddamn obsession with Chloe. It's been /months/ for fuck's sake. And whether you want to admit it or not, Chloe hasn't been the shining example of virtue you make her out to be."

Dyes-Hair-Often huffs as Cindy departs, giving Bernie and Yi a pleading look now, with her big puppy eyes. Sure, there's grave seriousness going on over there, but it's A. the full moon and B. relatively polite for the moment, or at least non-fatal.

Sepdet stares coldly at Steven. "No. She made mistakes. Some damned stupid ones. But she served Gaia, and she saved Garou lives, and she did -not- deserve to die at the claws of those she was offering to help!"

Steven shakes his head, incredulously. "So fucking what? What does deserve got to do with anything dying? Is it only okay to die if it's morally right with the universe? Get down off your fucking holier than thou high horse. Get down here in the mud with the rest of us mud sucking worms."

In a last moment of thought Cindy decides to stay. The glasswalker finds a space in the doorway to stand as she listens to the two elders.

Yi finally backs up a few steps into the hayhole Lucca dug, still crouched and watching fervently. For once, she is probably hearing the other side of the argument about this whole Chloe deal.

Sepdet's hands clench. "If it's holier than thou to protect a friend who never knew how to keep herself out of trouble, than so be it. You won anyway, Steven. You got past me. She's dead. Leave her in peace."

Cindy folds her arms across her chest and she raises her chin. "Now's not the time for such discussions, the moon is strong for us all." Her tone is a confident one, though Cindy doesn't make eye contact with either of the other Garou.

Dyes-Hair-Often admires her chutzpah, but thinks she may be foolish, eh? The Walker then lifts her muzzle up to nose Yi's cheek, before shifting closer. Warm! Furry!

Bernie remains still and quiet, just watching.

Steven snorts softly, shaking his head. "You act like you're the only Garou here who's had someone die before. You know what? Fuck you, and fuck her. We both know that Chloe isn't a martyr, and I'm really sick and tired of you saying she is. All that nasty bad evil stuff she did -- that's suddenly gone now because she's dead and you can't fucking handle it." He shakes his fist toward her. "And you know what else? You owe me a pair of pants. Goddamn it. At very least you owe me a pair of pants."

Sepdet exhales, a trace of humor finding its way back into the corners of her mouth. "Probably. But that's the sort of bitch I am, right?"

Yi leans closer to Dyes, blinking as she quietly, albeit a bit nervously, scritches the Walkerwolf. Eyes flicker from Strider to Fianna, to the rest of the crowd but still gravitate to both tribe elders.

"Next time you do something like that to me," Steven assures the small theurge, "I'm going to decorate the trees with your intestines. Take that to the bank. Now. This Chloe shit -- I'm finished with it. She's dead. You're not. Get on with your fucking life."

Dyes-Hair-Often rests her head in the Yi-lap, looking contented. The problem is, ultimately, not of her concern, after all. It's easier to think like this in this form, oh yes.

Cindy puckers her lips in thought and she quickly slips out without anymore word.

Sepdet growls. "Kindly advice, eh? I am. Nowhere near you, for the most part, and I think we'll both be happier that way."

Steven lifts his shoulders. "I still want my pants."

Sepdet snorts. "Oh fine. If it makes you happy." She rises to her feet and heads for the door.

Dyes-Hair-Often nuzzles Yi absently, and folds her ears back, the picture of contentment.

Yi coughs a little, some dust getting to the back of her throat as she scruffs Dyes' multi-colored headfur. "Be seein' you, Sepdet-rhya," she calls softly.

Bernie lifts a hand in a silent farewell wave, and leans sideways against the other bale beside her.

"Christ," Steven mutters. "She didn't even snicker."

After a few seconds, a wadded-up and rather petite pair of black jeans is tossed back through the door. "Enjoy," Sepdet calls, and then slams it hurriedly. Maybe Striders don't -like- letting people hear them snicker.

Yi simply blinks as the pair of pants gets tossed into the barn, and watches with just incredulous eyes. Her gaze slooooowly wanders up to Steven's face.

Bernie blinks once, and tries hard to stifle the traitorous grin that wants to break out, pressing her lips tight together as her hand moves as casually as she can manage to cover her mouth. Major effort continues to go into averting a fit of laughter.

Steven picks up the trousers, flips off the door, and ties them around his burnt ass."Pretty funny joke. Just not when it happens to me." He clears his voice. "For the record, kids, Chloe -- this mage that Sepdet's so obsessed with -- is not an angel of sweetness and light. On multiple occasions she consorted with creatures which served the Wyrm -- willingly and complicitly. Her relationship with Brian really doesn't change the fact that me and the rest of my pack didn't trust her any further than a baby could throw her. I know you all think Sepdet's the best thing since sliced bread -- and that I'm some asshole foul mouthed prick -- but those are the facts and I will stand by what happened until I go to Gaia's arms."

"There's the yin and yang in all of us," Yi murmurs softly while scratching Dyes' head still. "Er, they might be having a sale at the K-Mart, if you... you know.." Yi pipes up, but trails off quickly before glancing at Bernie.

Dyes-Hair-Often lifts up her head and looks at Steven, before woofing softly, You're both honorable Garou. It is sad that your honor makes you so angry with each other. -- How diplomatic!

Bernie catches Yi's glance, and looks away quickly before her resolve dissolves and takes what's passing as her composure with it. She fights off the giggles, and clears her throat slightly before quietly adding, "...or there might be something in the Attic that would fit you. I could take a look, if you like."

Yi is a bit better at keeping her stoicism about the whole ordeal, but an amused glint is evident in her eyes as she bites her lower lip.

Steven throws his thumb toward the front of the farmhouse where his old beater car is parked . "Got an extra pair in the back of my car." He shrugs, then, tightens the knot in the pant legs. "Anyway. Sepdet's whole thing -- her fighting her pack, lying about Chloe -- just one more rest to distrust metis. Yin and yang -- that's just trivializing it -- crazy Stargazer talk. I'm not sad Chloe's dead -- frankly I think it's a relief not having to worry she's running into the arms of yet another foe of Gaia -- but I'm not pleased her death has caused my Righ so much sadness."

"I don't know much about Chloe, but I would still pack with Sepdet-rhya, if it means keeping the island pure from Dancers. And as crazy as it sounds, the yin and yang are true." Yi relaxes a bit, her breath coming back to her as she figures Steven has calmed down quite a bit. "Your loyalty to the Alpha is unquestioned, Steven-rhya." Her head dips to the Fianna elder in respect.

Steven narrows his eye, flipping a look toward Bernie. "Thanks," he replies. "Pack with a mule, if you want, but you'll probably regret it." Then he's turned for the door.

"With no more regret than being a Gnawer," Yi replies in a low murmur before she taps the lupus Lucca on her wolfy head.

Dyes-Hair-Often wurfs and looks mildly embarrased at the tappage.

"Yeah," Steven answers. "I forgot what horrible judgment you Urrah scum have."

Yi snorts quietly as the Fianna elder leaves, and gently maneuvers Luccalupe's head off her lap as she stands a bit stiffly to stretch. "What a night, na?" she asks both cub and lupe a bit rhetorically.

"Oh, curse my horrible judgement!" Bernie exclaims melodramatically, though a bit quieter than she usually would -- Big And Scary isn't -that- far away yet -- and falls back against the haybale, back of her hand to her forehead. "Alas!" Finally, she releases some of that pent up laughter, falling into giggles.

Yi lets go some of her own gigglefits, snickering with no real effort to hold back the laughter this time. "I'm really surprised he didn't frenzy," she manages between chuckles. "And when Sepdet threw her pants in..." She whoops a bit, as the sounds of a car revving up float through the air.

Bernie nods, laughing harder. "Oh, my god," she gasps through it, "that was -too- funny... and his face when she did th' fire thing..." She collapses in laughter again, letting it free now.

Yi simply falls onto the hay beside the cub, body shaking in a fit of laughter, unable to comment.

Bernie laughs harder, giggles being about as contagious as yawning, especially when all involved saw the inciting incident. "Oh god," she gasps, holding her stomach, "ow!"

"If I was a moondancer and had a deathwish, /that/ would be one helluva story to tell at the moot," Yi manages between spasms of uncontrolled giggles.

Bernie nods, laughing even harder for a bit, which makes her wince. "Oh, god. We gotta tell 'licia an' Matt 'bout this... ow, ow... you -sure- she isn't a raggie?"

Yi turns her head and gazes over at Bernie, wiping the hint of a tear away from her eye. "Sepdet?" she gasps out, "Oh I'm sure..." her giggles eventually find their way out, leaving her breathless as she stares up at the barn ceiling. Then, she realizes... it's time to literally, hit the hay. "You tired?" Yi sure is, after being tensed up and finally given some release.

Bernie giggles, wincing again, and wraps her arms across her aching abdomen. "...mm.. 's gettin' late, huh?" She settles down a bit, and seems to be debating something.

Yi gazes up to the darkened second floor, blinking slowly. "Yeah," she says softly in regards to the time. "You heading back to the city? I'm content to stay here a night, unless you'd like a walking companion."

Bernie considers, running a hand through her curls. "....'riginally, I was plannin' t' go back," she replies, "...only I didn't 'zactly 'spect it t' be so late..." She waffles a few moments, considering the options.

Yi rolls up to her feet, picking off bits of hay from her fleece (now cleaned of blood, thank Gaia) and offers a hand to the cub. "Well, it's not /that/ late. We can still make it back before moonset."

Bernie accepts, and sits up with another light wince. "I so should not laugh that hard..." She brushes hay off her clothing and hair, giggling again, and slips her backpack back onto her shoulder.

Yi smiles, and picks off one last haystraw off Bernie's shoulder, but sticks this strand in her mouth and scrunches her face something similar to one of those Eastwood movies she watched on AMC. "Let's go, na?"

Bernie laughs again, and nods. "Lead on, pardner," she relies in a bad 'western' accent.

Yi does a little hop-skip-'n-jump moves from a Chaplin skit, and walks to the door while humming softly to the tune of Pinky and the Brain. It's catchy, she can't help it.

Bernie hums along as she follows, hands sliding into her jacket pockets.