Kaz's eyes narrow. "I'm willin' to bet that was a Gnawer that said that, about us Gnawers. Since fuck, like I say, we don' care what all we do, really. But you talk t', say, Signe, she'll tell you, the Get, they ain't riskin' metis no-how no-way. No playin' of any type. Thass why I was askin' earlier, with that Litany thing." She shakes her head at something he says. "I don' think she wanna talk t'you right now. An' you can loosen people up without doin' shit like that."

Rotem sighs softly, sinking down in a pew. "Will ya tell her I'm sorry?" he shakes his head. "M'jus a teenager, I got hormones ya'know?" he shrugs softly. "M'sex life aint existant. Gotta break somewhere."

Kaz's jaw sets. "Yeah. I'll tell her. But if you wanna get some kinda break somewhere, go find a fuckin' human or a Kin, once you're outta here. Meanwhile, I don't /give/ a shit about your goddam hormones, you're gonna keep your brain in your /pants/. Period. An'," she adds, a little softer, "This's called a warnin'. I'm only givin' you the warnin' cause I'd started t'almost b'lieve in you.""

Rotem sighs softly, shaking his head. "I'm a'trying Kaz. Really am." he sighs softly, "I'm fucking up less, atleast."

There's a very faint, muffled noise from outside; it sounds like singing, perhaps. As the doors open, that's confirmed; Bernie slips in, singing Accentuate The Positive to herself at an audible if not truly loud volume, and, frankly, grinning like an idiot, though that tones down a lot right away as she notes the population and breaks off. "Hey," she greets those assembled, sounding cheery despite the feel of the room.

"Yo, Bern," Kaz says, not taking her eyes off him. "Yeah. I know you are. I was at the Caern with you, remember? It don't matter, though, if you take one step forward an' then two back. An' even /my/ patience gets strained eventually."

Bernie arches an eyebrow, managing to look more serious, though she can't seem to -completely- obliterate the smile at the moment. "...Now what?" she asks, with a touch of annoyance, heading toward the pair.

Rotem sighs softly, shaking his head. "Really d-didn't mean to." He lifts his head softly, looking to Bernie. "Heya Burns. I fucked up again." He sighs softly. "Didn't r-realise other tribes look at stuff diffrent like."

Kaz shrugs. "Meanin' to doesn't pay the bills. It's results that pay 'em." She glances at Bernie. "He trieda, um." She pauses. "Litany stuff. Basically"

Again, the door opens, and this time Joey enters. As opposed to Bernie, Joey is singing a different tune. Name'y 'Cowboy' by Kid Rock. he seems to be in good spirits for the moment, and walks down the aisle towards the others.

Bernie leans against the closest pew, regarding the other cub, and considers that a moment. "...which Lit'ny stuff?" she asks after a moment.

Rotem sighs softly, sitting up and looking to Bernie. "The first one." he shakes his head, wanting to curl up and dissapear about now.

Kaz, still looking at him, explains, "He trieda do stuff with Allie. I din' get huge details offa her, but I'm just makin' sure he gets the /picture/."

Joey hops up on a pew, and sees the cub in a state of dismay and remose. So, naturally, Joey's curious. "He said who to what now," he asks, only hearing half of it.

"In technicolour with full Dolby s'round sound, huh?" Bernie asks, shaking her head a bit. "Control, young jedi, you must learn control..." She drops into a seat in the nearest pew to them, and gets comfy.

Rotem shrugs softly, shaking his head. "Once you start down the dark path, there is no turning back." He sighs as he remembers that line.

Kaz grunts. "Yeah. At extreme volumes. Joey, he trieda do stuff with Allie, that's all. 'Course," she adds, thoughtfully, "Me, I can't see bein' interested in Allie, of all people, but what the fuck." After a moment, she adds, eyes narrowing, "An' that ain't true, neither, in case you start believin' what George Lucas has t'say."

Joey just gives Kaz a look. "God, Mom, the kid can do better than Allie, don't'cha think?"

Kaz mutters, "You'd think."

Rotem sighs, shaking his head. "The kid's only got his five girlfriends." He lifts his right hand. "A pumpkin with a whole in it would be a s-step upwards."

Joey just...stares at Rotem for a moment. He looks to the women. "Ok, as long as you've known me, have I ever knocked Kinfolk?" He looks at Rotem again, just wildly confused.

Kaz grits her teeth. "Then go fuckin' /buy/ one, dipshit."

Bernie blinks, and turns red. "O-kay. Sharing violation. We c'n stop RIGHT there." She shakes her head, shuddering a little. "I -so- did not need that image...."

Elan walks in through the front doors, whistling to himself. A half-empty bottle of Guinness is in one hand.

Rotem shakes his head softly, sighing, as he notices Elan he crouches down. "Now he has to show up, cant show up when I'm behaving eh?" he mutters to himself.

Kaz shakes her head. "Anyways. Like I said. A not-so-friendly warnin'." Turning away, she sees Elan, and actually manages a smile. "Yo boss."

Elan smiles to the assembled people. "It's a gift, Greenstreak. Cub giving you trouble, Kazamataz?"

Rotem shakes his head, looking to Elan. "Morning Big Dog. Sorry. It wont happen again. I didn't know. Honest."

Joey looks over as Elan comes in, then flicks his gaze over to Bernie. To the other Raggie, he opens his hand, curling his fingers as he counts down silently. 5...4...3...

Elan looks to Kaz for an explanation.

Kaz shrugs, hands still stuffed in her pockets. "Well. More like givin' Allie trouble. He kinda did stuff with her last night. Not actual sex, but." She shrugs again. "I ain't kackin' him for it this time 'cause I figure, give a guy a warnin', an' he /is/ gettin' bolshoya better with the attitude, but..." She shrugs yet again. "Wanted to impress the point on him that with Gnawers an' Coggies, that shit's ok, but anyone else? Hell no."

Bernie glances back to Elan, her earlier grin shading most of the way back into place. "Hey," she greets him rather cheerfully, and then looks sidelong to Joey and his counting, with a tiny nod.

Rotem shakes his head. "Didn't go t-trying to do her. Just wanted to have some fun, ya'see?"

Kaz grits her teeth. Her hands clench into fists inside her pockets. "The /details/ don't /matter/. Have you not gotten that part yet?"

Rotem shakes his head softly, sighing. "M'sorry. Just didn't /mean/ to get in trouble t-this time."

Bernie laughs, startled by the comment. "What, you mean us'ly you're -tryin'- t' getcher ass handed t'ya?"

Rotem shakes his head, he just can't seem to say the right thing tonight. "N.. no. Ussually it's m'attitude that begs for it."

Joey, oddly enough, says nothing.

Elan nods as he takes in all this. "You do remember the First Law, right?"

Rotem nods softly. "I w-wont make excuses. But's I didn't try to do her. Just have some fun."

Elan says "And what kind of fun did you want to have?"

Rotem shrugs softly, blushing. "You know, there's other things to do then intercourse."

Kaz kicks a pew and starts pacing.

Bernie pulls her knees up gently to her chest, and looks up toward the rafters, checking out the nifty way they're put together and letting the Elder types handle all of this for the moment.

Joey pulls his feet under himself, balancing himself, crouched, on the balls of his feet on the pew. "And ya asked for what now?"

Elan snorts a bit. "All of that counts, Rotem. All of it. Especially you don't go fooling around with people of other tribes."

Rotem sighs, shaking his head. "M'sorry Big dog, Gimme 'nother chance."

Elan says "You have it, 'cause Kaz thinks you need it. And I do to. You gotta keep the Laws, kid."

"But why did they decide to kill the guy? He only wanted to join their gang...become one of those 'Goodfellas'," comes the quiet voice of Yi, talking to Nevada about those classic mafia movies. "He seemed pretty smart anyway."

Rotem bows his head softly. "Thank you." he looks to Kaz, "Thank you." He repeats, then sits back slightly.

Kaz shrugs. "Last one you get, though. Just so you know."

Rotem sighs and nods softly. "I w-won't fuck up."

Doors close with a smart click behind a rotund, fur-clad, man, who regards the interior of the church, squinting as his eyes adjust slowly to the change in light. A plume of smoke trails to the ceiling from his cigarette.

Kaz says, dubiously, "Whatever." It's clear that whatever faith she had gained in the cub is gone.

"'cause that's the shit what they do, Mulan," Nevada's voice is saying from outside, melting into a yawn. "But don't ask me. I fell asleep halfway in. You talk in your sleep, I think, keepin' me up dammit.. " He doesn't sound too vindictive. There's a scuffling noise, that sounds suspiciously like some noogying going on. Then, quieter mumbling.

The gack followed by some chuckling, and then pausing as Yi looks up before replying to Nevada. "Didn't see his face. Should go check it out?" She combs some of her wayward bangs back into place as the two Gnawers proceed up to the steps and open up the doors.

Bernie turns her attention from the rafters to the door as it opens, and regards the latest arrival. There seems to be a bit of recognition there. "Hey," she greets him, though there's a hint of wariness in the friendly tone, "...your mom like that earring?"

Elan looks back and nods to Reggie. "Rags! Dude. Need to talk to you. About packing."

Joey lets the new arrivals get his attention now, which he does watch with no small amount of interest.

Kaz smiles, just slightly, at that, and flops into a pew.

Reggie reminds solidly in front of the doors, blocking easy entrance, though he registers the movements of Yi and Nevada. Bernie earns an odd look from him and a snort, then she's dismissed in favor of Elan, for which Reggie puts on a slightly surprised look and a "What? Well, hey, I'm right here."

Nevada, opening the door for Yi, just blinks once he catches sight of the congregation therein. "Holy shit," he grunts,"We got some church service goin' on or what?"

Bernie grins, and shrugs, shifting to a more comfortable seat in her pew, and then waves to Yi and Nevada as they enter. "Heya Yi, Chia!" she calls at them cheerfully, her smile starting to approach the levels it was at when she arrived. "Yeah, too bad y'just missed th' wine..."

Kaz seems to have fallen asleep. Or stopped registering people.

Yi is also surprised to see that many Gnawers..and one non.. as well. Reggie gets a brief eye and an all too feral sniff before Yi recognizes him. She glances over to Bernie and nods, before spotting Elan. "Afternoon, Reverend." She smiles from around Reggie before tapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Excuse me..."

Elan puts hands in his pockets. "I got this pack: Ring of Fire, under Rat. We need theurges and Umbral sorts to deal with all the umbral nastiness in the city. Interested?"

Kaz calls up, from beneath her hat, "Power plant an' around there, that's the territory."

Reggie puts his finely honed skills as door blocker into use as he turns around with more show of labor than needed to glower down at Yi, before deciding she can pass, lightens his glance, and backs up only one step to allow the minimum room. Nevada gets a longer look, and he looks back at Elan with a questioning eyebrow raised and a thumb hooked back at Nevada.

Elan quirks his eyebrow. "He's cool. So, whatya say?'

Kaz adds, from under her hat, "That's Nevada. M'packie, he is." There's an odd mixture of glee and regret in her tone.

Joey, the one not in a pack, leans against the back of the pew. He watches more, face going to a quiet, stony silence as he hears the proceedings.

It's with a grunt that Reggie drops his interest in blocking Nevada's access, and asks Elan quizzically, "What you asking? Sure, I got a line on a Theurge, but I think he's got his heart set on an idyll country setting, frolicking in the woods for a sense of peace, and with no electricity, that sort of thing. Still, you could try talking him around."

Elan says "I was more asking you than asking if you knew anyone."

"You ganna let me in by the haira' your chinny chin chin or what, dude?" Nevada's eyeing Reggie, before he squeezes his way in. "So I missed the wine, but not the crackers appar'nly," he says to Bernie, flashing her a brief grin. "Hell's up around here?" He scratches at Yi's head as he passes, heading for Kaz.

Yi gahs again quietly at the hair scratching, shooting Nevada a playfully 'Next time, Gadget' look. She rounds around Reggie and slips towards Bernie, settling in a pew behind her before shifting around to have a better view of the rest of the church.

Reggie considers Elan as his jaw twists from left to right, twisting his cigarette and sending a twirl of smoke. "Last time I looked in the mirror, I not only didn't see a real handsome, suave dude, but I also didn't see a Theurge or an Umbral expert. Maybe I need my eyesight checking, or maybe it's you, but just in case I'm becoming the idol of millions, I wouldn't say no to seeing where this road goes."

Kaz levers upwards, and explains, to Nevada, "Elan's recruitin', an' Rotem's a moron. Welcome to my world." She flops back down again, hat over her face.

Bernie flashes a bright smile back to Nevada, then aims it at Yi, and then just settles in quietly grinning to herself in her pew. Of course, she hasn't got a pack either, but she doesn't seem particularly upset about it, at least not right now. She's only a cub anyway.

Elan chuckles. "You're a fighter and I've seen you fight in the Shadow; you can take anything they dish out, and more. And you're Watersnake's Child, so that means you got a leg up on all the Umbral shit, anyways."

Nevada turns a look over his shoulder, his gray gaze roving across the sanctuary. He sends Elan a respectful nod, before his attention drifts back to Kaz. Dropped to a crouch, he plucks her hat up off her face for a moment. "A moron? What'd he do now? I'm not ganna find no dead hamburger on the basement floor am I, yo?"

Kaz adds, from under her hat, "Ring of Fire's about whuppin' butt, it ain't necessarily about bein' a spirit talker." Once her hat is gone, she grins up at Nevada briefly, but loses it after a moment. "He ain't dead yet. He just trieda do stuff, y'know, oral stuff, with some Strider. Next time he does /anything/, he's hamburger, though. Dead hamburger."

Yi's normally small, calm smile fades a bit at mention of Rotem and another mistake. She looks at Bernie, with a 'Do I want to know?' look.

Reggie nods with several uh-uh sounds, encouraging Elan to keep on talking. Apparently he's enjoying the rare moment of receiving compliments rather than putdowns.

"Huh?" Nevada's brain seems to have stopped somewhere at 'oral'. He still has that hat in his hand.

Kaz's grin is just gone. "He prolly didn't get that far, but that's what he was tryin' for."

Elan heh's again. "You make talens, too; we need people with that rite, and Uktena's wisdom and gifts. You got a blazing spirit, so... come on board."

Bernie shrugs at Yi, expression going wry for a moment before resetting to the current default of happy. This is apparently not enough to kill her good mood, at present.

Joey stands up, all of a sudden. A look crosses his face, going completly unreadable, and crosses across the Church. Once there, he sits on the pew closest to Elan, just looking between him and Reggie, waiting.

Reggie applies the back of his hand to his brow, and, in a faux soprano, wavers, "Oh, Elan, I never knew you felt that way!", then he holds out his hand in a gesture, "My hand is yours", then with a battening of his eyelashes, and faux concern, "But however can we tell my father? No, no. We'll elope. Tonight?"

Bernie snickers. "Can I be th' flower girl?"

Yi, at Reggie's sudden change in pitch, gets a look from her that could only be described in text as, o.O

Elan just laughs, and falls back on a pew. "Lord... I don't think I could carry you over a threshold... so whatdaya say, man? Can you bond to Mama Rat?"

Joey just stares. "Ok, another image that is gonna linger for the next ten years that I didn't need." He looks to Elan. "I take it he says yes?"

Kaz says, thoughtfully, "He ain't Elan's type anyway."

Nevada's face goes blank. There's a sudden and horrible anger flashing in his eyes for just the briefest of seconds, completely derailed by the large, rotund fur-clad man swooning over Big Dog. The Galliard blinks, nods his head a little, and gives Kaz back her hat. "Uh, I see," he says.

Kaz takes it back, watching him carefully. "You wantin' to do it this time, mebbe?"

Yi tilts her head towards Bernie, then catches Nevada's brief flash of rage before thoughtfully taking mental shots at what Rotem must've done this time.

"Sure", Reggie replies, "But we got a bigger problem." His brow wrinkles. "Which side of the aisle will she be on? Christ, joining a family's hard work. I gotta make nice with everyone in it". He squints at the assorted people decorating the church, then hints to Elan. "Which of these?"

Elan grins. "Mama ain't gonna care, I promise."

"Uh.. " Nevada says with all his eloquence. Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Reggie, resplendent in white lace, blushes maidenly as he fwings a bright bouquet over his stocky shoulders to a mad and scrambling dash of the excited Crinos bachelorettes of the Hidden Walk. "Think I gonna talk to him," the Galliard says, shaking his head to dispel the pictures in his mind. Angry. Focus. He's supposed to be angry.

Kaz says, quietly, watching this struggle for focus, "We already did. Is more talkin' gonna help?"

Reggie shakes off the virtual lingerings of the blushing would-be bride from his shoulders, as he suggests to Elan, "Hey, this is a time to celebrate. I'll foot a round of beer at the strip club down the road."

Bernie tilts her head down, resting it atop her knees, and smiles, just letting all the room's noise wash over her. She unwraps one arm to push a stray curl out of her face and behind her ear, then puts it back where it belongs.

Joey looks up, towards the Elder. "Question. When you're done."

Elan hops up from the pew. "I'm so there, dude. Hey guys! Reggie's buying!" he calls out to the rest of the Church.

"No.. pro'lly not," Nevada says, his eyes swimming around and finally finding Kaz. "Shit. Just when he seems to be doin' all right, shit go like this."

"Just when I get faith in him," Kaz says, very quietly. "I started /believin'/ in him." She sounds a little fierce, in her distress. After a moment, she shrugs, a little roughly. "I'm goinna go take a walk."

Yi looks up at the elder's call, blinking a bit. Multiple conversations and such seem to be going over her head at the moment. "Buying what?"

Reggie catches Kaz's last few words, and offers, "Beer's good for consoling, and a club good for getting rid of worries." With that, the Uktena looks about the place, then turns to leave the church and beat down the trail to the club.

Nevada nods his head, the other Galliard expressing his thoughts. "Talk t'ya later, Kaz," he says.

Kaz shakes her head at Reggie, though she's starting to her feet herself. "Not just now. But thanks, Reggie." Her smile to Nevada has very little humor, if any. She holds his gaze for a moment, and then heads out.

Joey smiles quietly. "Nah, I'm a bit young, and heaven forbid I might be corrupted and all. Not even my birthday."

Bernie watches the others, particularly Kaz as the metis heads out, and her smile dims a bit. "...somehow I don't think they'd be inta lettin' me in, either...," she remarks after Joey's comment.

Yi rolls her shoulders in a shrug, having not much clue what they were talking about, but the mention of beer gets a momentary shake of a no thanks. She glances again at Bernie, glad that she's in a happy mood and curious. "Take it that something went well lately?"

Joey waits for Elan to come back after discussing particulars with Reggie, and turns to watch Bernie's answer to Yi's question.

Bernie looks startled. "Hmm? Oh. Y'know, havin' a good couplea days an' all. Int'restin' things goin' on, gettin' somea th' stuff I'm workin' on sorted out, an' all." Slight pause, "Oh, an' Matt's fin'ly back from Portland, got th' whole citizenship thing handled an' all."

Nothing like strippers and booze to get the attention of the Galliard, and though he's disappeared off in the direction of the door, quiet creaking stairs reveal he's gone up to the balcony instead.

Yi raises a brow. "He came back? That's great," Yi grins with a nod to affirm her better mood at the good news. "And he's a citizen here now, na..." That put a slight damper on it. Nothing like something to remind you about possible deportation to cap the lid on bubbling joy.

Bernie doesn't quite make the connection there, since Yi being here illegally is just not something that stays in the top levels of her memory, and she's distracted, anyway. "Mmhmm!" she replies, happily. "So, y'know, that's all good an' stuff. Was startin' t' get worried, an' all."

Elan comes back in from the night.

Joey is still in the same place, waiting patiently and watching Bernie and Yi converse. He drums his fingers along the back of the pew in a steady stacatto rhythm.

Elan comes up and pokes Joey in the back. "Yo, wassup, man? Whatcha need?"

Yi nods again, offering a smile back to the nomoon cub. "It's good he's back, yes," she says, glancing up towards the balcony and then the rafters. Elan's return doesn't go unnoticed or unacknowledged.

Joey pulls up his legs, looking at at the standing Elder. "Okay...some stuff you hear around lately, and I don't know what's what and who's who. What's a Moon-Laughs-Quiet?"

Elan's eyes flick down, then up. "She was Ritemistress of the sept for.. a long damn time. Then she went off into the Deep Umbra with her pack to thrart an ancient evil and now she burns in the silver rivers of Erebus." He looks away, then back. "She taught me most of what I know. She was a good friend."

"Is," Joey says. He takes a breath. "I keep hearing there's some Fury that wants to go out looking for her. I'm gonna track the Fury down, and chat. That's the kind of thing I wanna do with myself."

Yi glances towards the mention of Quiet, the name and Erebus familiar from past mention. "One of the Furies told Sepdet-rhya that she was returning from the silver rivers," Yi offers by way of information. "Tecmessa, I think..."

Elan blinks, then blinks again. "I need to go talk with some Furies, then. That must be the Adren that showed up a few months ago."

Joey is about to say more, then looks over as Yi speaks. "Uh. Well...guess that kills that idea, if'n she's already coming back."

Bernie listens, interested, but not knowing much of what they're talking about. "Where's Erebus?" she asks Yi, softly, "...woulda thought they'd mention silver rivers in geography, if it was, y'know, in normal space, so... Umbra? Or somewhere else? Or issit just a metaphor or somethin'?"

Elan seems badly distracted. "Well.... the best way to say it is that Erebus is Garou Hell. That's pretty much it. Hell."

Yi shrugs slightly. "She has not returned yet. And I think it might help if there was a few Garou to go search anyway, and show her the way back. This Erebus place, sounds much like one of the places Grandmother used to speak of. Legendary... and it supposedly changes the Garou who enter. If so, Quiet might not be Quiet, anymore." She glances to Bernie, and shrugs again with a roll of her shoulders. "I've not seen it myself... but it is in the Umbra, from what I can gather."

Joey stands up. "Then I need to go talk to an Adren," he declares. He looks towards the doors. "Camp out at the fucking Caern if I have to, but this is /so/ what I wanted to do."

Elan looks at Joey, eyes half-closed. "Can you tell me why you want to do it?"

"Why?" Joey asks. "Why?" The look he gives Elan is an odd one, a bit of shock, and not a small smidgen of hurt to boot. "Because...one, because I can. This...finding missing things, missing folks like this, that's what I've been wanting to do for months. Asked, nicely, and even went to the big Moot and said a speech about wanting to make a pack like that, and no one said nothing. Then, along comes this Fury wanting to find this Moon-Laughs-Quiet person, and I think, finally, I could be goddam relevant."

Elan nods at this, as he listens to Joey. "You can be, Joey, really. You found your folks, didn't you?"

Joey crosses his arms, looking all the bit of fifteen years old he really is. "I did. But then things stopped there. So I ain't some kid who likes the Woods, or pulls a lot of small pranks, or kills Fianna fiancees. Don't mean I don't fucking exist, and that's what after the Moot felt like."

Yi glances towards Joey, brow furrowed slightly.

Elan says "Go out and find other no-moons? Make them want to follow you?"

Joey thinks on that. "Not the bad idea, but most of the Raggies I know are already taken." He shoots Elan another look. "Why the questions?"

Evidently, Kaz's walk included a restaurant, as she's got a large bag full of what looks to be Chinese food with her, as she pushes back into the church.

Elan just returns the look. "Because the main person in my pack is leaving and I think it's going to be like last time." He sighs. "I wondered what you were going to do because obviously what I'm doing is not right."

Joey blinks, taken by surprise. "Ok, back up a bit. Elan-ryha, what the hell are you talking about? I know Kaz left, but what's the other stuff?"

Yi sniffs, the air filling with the all too familiar smell of her kind of food. "Yo, Kaz," she says with a wave.

Bernie lifts a hand, wriggling her fingers at Kaz. She'd smile at her, too, but she's already doing that.

Kaz says, not quite looking at Elan, "Mostly, I got chicken fingers and I got pork thingies an', well, if there's an appetizer that ain't here, I'd be surprised." Plunking the bag down near Bernie, she says a general "Yo," and flops onto a pew.

Elan shrugs to Joey. "Just that this is the third pack in as many years. I thought the first one would last forever..."

Yi doesn't quite go diving into the appetizers, as she cooks them enough as is. She lets the others have at the food, still glancing up towards the balcony occasionally.

Joey's shoulders straighten, his own temper rising. "What pack? Yours? You still got one, or you wouldn't have asked the guy wearing furs who walked in just now. I know you said you had another pack, and that it broke up. Yeah, it sucked. But I'm told it happens all the time. Cherish the memories, but live yer life, fer Crissake." His eyes flash darkly. "I case you ain't seen, I'm not in a pack, never have been. I don't have everyone knocking at this raggie's door beggin' for him, so I gotta make do." He takes a breath. "I ain't a War pack person, period, so I find something that I am, for once, good at. Possibly the only thing."

Elan looks at Joey carefully. "We ain't all War. DO need scouts, too. I didn't ask you because I thought you'd want to form your own pack. I'd a snapped you up in a heartbeat."

"An' I know that," Joey says, back. "I always did. And it ain't personal. But, if I went, all I'd be is 'that kid in Elan's pack,' and you know it. Like how Junior is 'Pete's kid' or when they used to call J.D. 'Signe, Junior.' We call him Junior, even in the Gnawers, and that proves my point. Folks need to make names for themselves."

Joey says "S'why I wanted to do this in the first place."

Bernie leans over and rummages in Kaz's bag o' treats, coming out with an eggroll, which she starts in on. Joey side of the conversation gains a rather sympathetic look from her, but aside from that, she just keeps smiling. If she weren't a generally cheerful person, it'd almost be creepy.

Elan finally smiles at Joey. "And you pass another test, dude." He gets up and stretches. "I gotta run a patrol, guys."

Kaz is suddenly dragged from her attention on Joey to stare at Bernie. "You're glowing," she accuses her, quietly.

Joey just looks like a stunned ox, albeit a really small one. "Ooo-kay. Have a fun patrol or something?"

Elan whistles the theme from 'The Night Stalker' as he walks off into the night.

Joey whips around to the others. "Ok, anyone who just made any fucking sense of that, raise yer hand."

Bernie glances over at Kaz, finishing her bite of eggroll before softly protesting, "Am not either. I gave up playin' with radioactive shit for Lent." She looks over at Joey's question, and shakes her head. "Nope! No clue. Oh, but I got somethin' for ya!" She picks up her backpack from beside her, opens it, and rummages a moment.

Joey's eyebrows lift. "Huhwhat?" he asks, walking forward.

"Radioactive shit?" mutters Kaz, eyebrow raised.

Yi chuckles softly, the elder's words and the effect they have on Joey reminding her of some past memories. Bernie's cheerfulness, as almost creepy as is, doesn't bother Yi. To Joey's question, she replies quietly, "Suppose it proves that you would be fit to lead on into some further glory, Joey, instead of being content to run on the sidelines. Even if you don't fight outright, you have your own ways of fighting." Bernie gets another glance.

Bernie grins at Kaz as she pulls it out, "...nah, it only -looks- like it..." And it does. It looks like... a fluorescent orange spray-painted rock. With a little ring on a string hanging out of a tiny hole in it. "Ta da." She offers it to Joey, grinning wider.

Joey looks over to Yi again. "An' I gotta start somewhere, and so I talk to a Fury." Bernie's present gets a wide grin. "How cool! Is it musical?"

Kaz mutters, "Well, it ain't /shit/, at least..."

Bernie beams at Joey. "Pull the cord," she says, simply.

Joey winces. "I thought this didn't exist," he says, chuckling as he does as instructed.

Yi sits up some more, curious as to what it is.

A little electronic sounding tune begins to play. The song seems to be "It's a Small World". Also, the rock's a bit lighter than one would expect, though not by -too- much -- it seems as though it was made from one of those key-hiding rocks. Indeed, the cord protrudes through a hole in the little door of the key-hiding hole.

Kaz claps her hands over her ears. "I am SO never going to get that out of my head," she complains.

Joey listens, and laughs, very loud. "Kee-rist," he says. "I don't know whether to kiss ya, Bern, or just be completely freaked out by this." He looks over to the cub. "Settle for a mix of both?"

Yi blinks. Just, blinks for a moment. Musical rocks? What the hell? The question comes out in Cantonese, rather, before she comes back over the other side of the ocean. For a few more moments, the newmoon is boggled, but the English comes out. "Where'd that come from?"

Bernie grins at Joey. "Works f'r me." She glances to Yi, replying, "...Goodwill, Salvation Army, an' Joe's Hardware..." She stretches, looking pleased with herself, now, as well as the world, and snags another eggroll.

Kaz grabs a rangoon and looks to be humming... Anything but /that/, to herself.

Joey chuckles very quietly. "It came from me telling Bernie I'm about as subtle as a fluorescent musical rock. This," he says, holding up the new bit of Stuff, "proves it." He leans in to kiss Bernie on the forehead. Anything else would be construed as a Litany violation. "Thanks for making this. I really mean that, and I am a little creeped out."

Bernie giggles. "I was bored?" she offers. "I dunno, I d'cided it was intriguin' an' t' see 'f I could make it work...anyway you're welcome. Enjoy. Sorry 'bout th' tune, but there's not too much options in th' songboxes you c'n rip outta plush animals an' all, sadly." Munch, goes the eggroll.

It's not that Yi's unfamiliar with the song, but rather the fact it is, coming out of a bright, orange rock. Her eyes go to Bernie, and she arches an eyebrow. "You have, very interesting Stuff." She reaches over to save an eggroll, before eyeing that rock some more.

The metis, still looking to be humming to herself mentally, mutters, "She got a very interesting self, f'that matter."

Bernie polishes off the second eggroll, happily. "Thanks," she says, to either or both comments. "....there any cashew chicken in there, Kaz?"

"Nope," mutters Kaz. "Just the appetizers."

Joey looks to the door again. "I...gotta go and do this now," he says. "Before I lose my nerve."

Yi nods, absently munching on the eggroll before lifting her hand to wave at Joey departing.

Bernie lifts a hand, waving at the younger (if higher ranked) Ragabash. "G'luck!" she wishes him, then looks through the bag for other choice morsels. Oooh, a rangoon.

Kaz munches her rangoon glumly. Occasionally she mutters something about worlds.

Swallowing a bite of her own rangoon and looking nothing close to glum, Bernie looks to Kaz and, apropos of very little, announces, "Oh, so, Matt's back, Kaz... he got his citizenship stuff all handled, so, whee. Driver's license, too... I gotta get onea those, y'know?"

Kaz stops in the middle of a bite, and just swivels to stare at Bernie. "Well," she eventually manages, grin rising until it threatens to engulf her face, "I guess the only reason I thought you was glowin' is 'cause you /are/, you fuckin' /tease/. When the fuck did this happen?!"

Yi finishes the eggroll, and also looks to Bernie, curious. "Not too long ago, it would seem?"

"I am not either a tease!" Bernie protests, sounding completely unoffended, "That's 'lish's department an' she hasn't taught me how yet." She continues a little more seriously, "But, yesterday."

Kaz leans back against the bench of the pew, and just grins. "That's fuckin' fabulous, Bern. He ok an' all?"

Yi lets Kaz go with the questioning, settling into the pews for a little more time and listening quietly.

Bernie nods, grinning back. "Yeah, he's peachy, 'cept sicka bureaucracy, 'course, after dealin' with th' INS an' DMV allat time." She giggles, adding, "He's all," she slips into her best imitation of his accent, which really isn't bad at this point, "You'd fink Oi was going ta -steal- the damn country." Normal again (well, normal for her, anyway), she goes on, "I mostly caught him up with all th' stuff's been goin' on lately, but I'm pretty sure I forgot some... can't figure out what, though."

The metis just shakes her head. "Rockin'. I am /so/ glad th' guy's back." After a moment, she adds, "I mean. Mostly 'cause otherwise you'd get so glum you fell through t'earth, somehow."

Yi smiles quietly, then stands up to stretch some before she looks about the church again. "I think I'm going to head out. Have some more thinking to do before Tuesday," she says to the two Gnawers. "Unless, you two would want to come with me to the park." Her tone is quiet, inviting.

Bernie blushes a bit, looking somewhat sheepish. "I wasn't -that- bad," she protests weakly. "My gravitational pull was unaffected, I swear." She focuses on rummaging through the chinese food again for a moment or two. A ha! Another eggroll. Triumph! She looks over to Yi, "...whatcha thinkin' 'bout?"

"Lots of things," Yi replies with a thoughtful muse in her voice. "The pack I'm in... the sewers scouting..." Her voice trails a little, and she adds, "Home."

Kaz snorts softly. "You were a miserable little pile of depression, but that's ok, I been there." She glances to Yi, eyebrow raised, under her hair. "Mmm?"

Bernie gives Kaz another somewhat sheepish look, and nibbles her eggroll. "Sorry 'bout that," she says quietly, after a few seconds, and then nods to Yi. "'s a good place t' think, th' Park..."

Yi nods slowly, one side of her lips quirking up in a half-smile. "Got to think about what I'm doing in Avalon," she says, moving to the center aisle. "And the Park is where we start Tuesday, too." She glances at Kaz. "If you see anyone who volunteered to go, tell them we should meet again tomorrow night, yeah?"

Hopping off her pew, Kaz ambles over to the cub. Giving her a brief squeeze, she shakes her head. "No apologies. Actual emotion, it don't need none." She looks over at Yi. "Sure thing. I'll tell Max'n Tim. Well, an' anyone else I run into."

Bernie hugs Kaz back, and looks briefly grateful. Then she finishes her eggroll. WOuldn't want to waste it.

"Thanks," Yi says gratefully to the galliard. With a dip of her head to both, she walks down the center aisle and slips out of the church to ponder taking over the sewers.

Eventually, Kaz slides a look over to Bernie, and shrugs. "I have been there. Anyways. I should get outta here too. Grab you later?"

Bernie looks slightly disappointed at being abandoned, but hey, the world's good anyway. She nods, "Yeah, please do... have fun, an' stuff, 'kay? An' thanks."

Kaz says, fairly quietly, "Y'welcome," and then heads out, whistling "It's a small world" and not even realizing it.