Shadow Eyes is half-sleeping on the floor.

The door opens, a touch slowly, and Bernie bounces in. Well, limps in, really, but she seems remarkably cheerful about it. Closing the door behind her, she pauses to let her eyes adjust to the light, and grins as she spot and recognizes Shadow Eyes. "Hey!" she exclaims, "jus' th' Big Dog I was lookin' t' find..."

Shadow Eyes flicks his ears as the cub comes in. I have heard of your rite, from Ears. Tell me about it.

Bernie nods, and moves to the pew nearest the lupine, dropping down into the seat with a hint of a sigh as she takes the weight off her wounded leg. "Sure thing," she replies, getting comfortable, "...startin' from th' beginnin'... well, first off, after y'gave me that gum, everythin' went all burry, an' dark, an' then I was a rat, in a barrel with a lotta other rats, on this ship. An' then, I wassa rat still, only I was in this nest in th' President's desk, pretty sure, White House an' all. An' then, I was =still= a rat, an' I was with a whole buncha other leavin' th' sewers somewhere in Eurpor durin' th' Bubonic Plague, an' =then=, I was me again, an' I was wakin' up all bruisy an' shit..."

Shadow Eyes lolls his tongue. And?

"...an' so it was dark, an' I started tryin' t' see where I was an' all," the cub continues, "an' I was in this bed, an' this lady came in with a candleabra, an' I could see I was in a cave or somethin'. She was all takin' carea me, an' I got a lotta what was up from her... I was in this, like, underground refuge for people who gotta leave th' outside world for some reason, an' they'd found me all beat up an' brought me back t' take carea me. She said her name was Katriona; later I found out it useta be Juanita, so I knew I was in th' right place an' all... so, I talked t' her an' shit, an' found out they had this leader guy they called Father, an' he'd been in this mysterious coma for a long time, an' nonea 'em could find out why, an' they were all medically trained an' stuff, too. So while he was out, Father's right-hand-man," she suddenly pauses at that phrase, and snickers, for some reason, "...this guy Gideon, he was in chargea things. An' people were unhappy, 'cause he was gettin' all paranoid 'bout security, an' makin' things all regimental insteada so communal, but they were all loyal, so they weren't bitchin' 'bout it. So, I learn all this stuff, an' then she goes off t' do stuff, an' says someone'll come bring me soup or somethin' soon." She pauses for breath.

Shadow Eyes nods.

Bernie shifts, resetting her leg. "So I'm thinkin', mayeb this Gideon guy, he's poisonin' Father or somethin'? An' I figure I'm not gonna do much good sittin' in th' bed, so I go all Nancy Drew an' check out th' room, an' then I take th' candles an' go takin' a li'l self-guided tour. 'cause I figure, I kina wanna find a bathroom anyhow, an' I c'n always jus' say tha's what I'm doin', or that I got lost doin' that, 'f anyone goes halt-who-goes-there at me. 'cause, they're all secretive, with people who aren't gonna join 'em forever. So I go walkabout, an' I do act'ly find th' bathroom, an' I also find this way big room, with notes onna desk an' all, so I look through those, an' they're all, like, see about more clothes, an' shit like that, an' then there's this cubbyhole that doesn' wanna open, so I tell it it wants to, an' I find this crumpled note, an' jus' then I hear someone comin'. So, I close th' thing an' duck out inta th' bathroom with th' note, an' look at it while th' guy goes by, an' inta th' room I was in. An' th' note's all cried an' bled on an' torn an' major shaky handwritin', an' I c'n barely make anya it out, but it's all "Father" an' "can't not" an' "sick" an' stuff. So after a minute I go back t' my room, an' then I've jus' got comfy an' th' guy comes out again and comes over t' my room t' say hi. AN' he =is= Gideon, an' so we chat a li'l, an' he's all actin' like he wantsta talk, only he also doesn't. So I try t' persuade him inta it, an' he goes all half-catatonic, an' his artifical arm starts slowly liftin' up, lookin' like it's moving all by itself."

Shadow Eyes's eyes widen a bit.

Bernie leans in a bit, "...so I'm kina like, whoa, that ain't right, so I take holda th' wrista th' arm, an' I figure, okay, maybe it's... possessed or somethin'. So what's th' worst that'll happen 'f I make it fall off -- it'll be normal, an' I'll be all embarrassed? 'cause I'm holdin' it, so it's not like it'd seem t' fall off all by itself. So I tell it t' fall off, an' it half does... but only half, 'cause inside it, there's these green things, like two, three inches 'round, an' th' other enda 'em is in th' stumpa his arm. An' I'm thinkin' they're tentacles, only no, they start wrigglin' outta th' arm an' him, an' lookin' like they're out t' get =me=, an' they're these =worms=. An' he goes out cold. So first thing I do, I stomp on 'em when they get t' th' floor, an' I get threa 'em, SQUISH, right un'er my boot, an' same time, I dunno yet how hard's gonna be t' kill 'em, so I shifted, y'know? 'cause claws, sometimes handy. An' there wasn' anyone 'round t' see. So there's three left, an' twoa 'em find my leg, an' start borin' inta it, an' it hurts like a =mother=, but I don' wanna scream an' have pepole comin' an' seein' me shifted, so I jus' squeak a li'l an' stomp my foot, which hurts like hell, but does get th' one worm that didn' find me yet. An' EW, ew, ew, those things ain't nice t' squish barefoot. But, y'know, it works, so I put my weight on th' leg they're eatin', an' stomp on th' bits of 'em still on th' floor with th' other foot, an' damn near fall over. So that =does= kill 'em all off, but not 'fore they try t' escape by goin' clear =through= my calf. So then I yank th' last bitsa 'em out, an' then I shift back an' pretty much collapse on th' bed there, 'cause fuckin' OW. An' 'bout then, Gideon starts comin' 'round. An' I'm all, you a'ight? An' he throws th' arm 'way from him hard as he can, an' curls up in this li'l sobbin' ball. So I limp over there an' try t' comfort him some, an' there's this commotion outside, an' then this old guy comes in, an' it's Father, an' he's all talkin' t' Gideon, an' he says, basic'ly, 'I know y'didn' do it on purpose, I could feel it too, an' I forgive you 'cause I know you'll never forgive yourself,' an' then they hugged, an' then.... it was dark. An' then I woke up, an' Shadowclaws was there, an' I was back here." She pauses, feeling that needs some sort of finish. "...th' end."

Shadow Eyes nods quietly at this. Welcome back, cliath.

Bernie beams, sitting up a little straighter. "Thank you." She pauses, considering, and run a hand through her curls, still grinning, "...so what d'I do now?"

Shadow Eyes sits up and scratches himself for a bit. Seek out Smokes-The-Weed and inform him of this. He may know where you will fit best, with the others of your moon. Ears To The Ground is forming a pack; she may well need you as a member.

Bernie nods, cheerfully. "A'ight. Kaz's invited me t' join already, 'f th' pack I wanna form doesn' end up workin' out. An' 'f it doesn', I will. But I wanna try first. Y'know?"

Shadow Eyes gapes his jaws. Good! More packs are always good. Either way, we all win. Go and be well, Wears-The-Rat.

"Thank you," the new Cliath replies, and pushes up from the pew, most of her weight on the healthy leg. "I'll see ya 'round soon then, yeah?" With that, she starts toward the doors.

[Bohemian Decadence]

The bolts click back, the door swings wide, and behold! A grinning Bernie there stands. She steps in, shutting the door behind her, and throws the bolts, setting down her back as she turns and surveys the apartment.

Matt sits on the couch with a legal pad and ball-point pen. He's writing something, possibly more lists. One foot, propped up on the coffee table, is set down as the locks click. It might be easier to sneak into the house if he would by a radio or TV.

Bernie doesn't mind, today; she had all the sneaking she wanted the other day. "Honey, I'm home!" she exclaims happily, in her own voice, today, "an' I got that promotion at work, too." She grins broadly, and limps over toward the couch. "'sup?"

Matt smiles. "All official loike? La, Books. Bloody great. Oi'd celebrate, but Oi promised the pitch Oi'd try ta make up the time Oi missed last monf. Still an' all, we could get some, ah...ice cream?" He blushes a little, halting his rush to hug her at the last moment, worried he'll hurt her again accidentally.

Bernie nods, beaming. "All official like," she confirms, completing the hugging herself. Forget leg wounds. There must be hugs. She giggles a little at the suggestion, and nods. "...we could do that. Shadowclaws said I should go 'tie one on'," she remarks, laughing.

"Bottle of Laphroaig in the cupboard," Matt notes receiving the hug warmly. "'s a bit peaty, but ye woan't notice after the first couple. Not my absolute favorite, but the best Oi 'ave."

Bernie nuzzles against the Fianna's neck a moment, and sighs happily. "'s a thought... doesn't mean we couldn' have ice cream too, does it?" She leans against him, then transfers her weight to the couch, plopping down upon it. "Elan gave me a name, too, I think. Dunno if I hafta use it, but. Called me, Wears-Th'-Rat." She considers this.

Matt moves to the kitchen and gets the aforementioned bottle, as well as two glasses. "Wears-th'-Rat?" he asks. "'e barmy? What for?" He brings the bottle and glasses back to the coffee table, to meet Bernie.

Bernie runs a hand through her hair, "Well, see, for th' first bita my Rite, 'fore I got t' th' bit where I hadda act'ly =do= stuff? I was in th' bodya a rat, first in a barrel in th' holda a ship, an' then in th' President's desk, an' then in Europe durin' th' Plague..." She regards the bottle with some interest as it arrives. "Also he said I oughta talk t' Smokes 'bout what t' do now. I was thinkin', back when I was first thinkin' of makin' a Park pack, he was int'rested, said he'd tried t' do it once, y'know? So whatcha think, should we invite him?"

Matt shakes his head rather than answer the question. "Shadow Claws says so, ye should get bloody elephant's. An' Oi'm gonna join ye, sure an' you were a bloody rat." He pours a finger of whiskey into each glass, neat. "To graduation," he offers, holding up his glass and offering hers to her.

"Spirits on ordera th' spirits, huh?" Bernie replies, grinning, and accepts the glass. "A'ight, then. 'long as y'join me. To graduation. Go us," she declares proudly, lifting her own glass a bit.

Matt drinks about half the glass, rolling it on his tongue a bit before swallowing with only a little grimace. He remains silent on the pack question, simply emptying his glass and pouring another finger.

Bernie follows suit, to begin with, though a bit tentatively. She blinks, and grimaces rather more than Matt did, ducking her head a bit as she swallows it. "...whoa," she remarks after a moment, "..that's...New An' Diff'rent." She shakes her head a little and regards what remains in her glass almost suspiciously. After a moment's consideration, she finishes it, though.

Matt pours another for Bernie as well, and noses the glass a little this time before drinking. "'s got a bit of heather. Reminds me o' Manchester and th' norf. Hm." He takes another drink, both hands wrapping the glass. Nervous.

Bernie sets the glass down to remove her boots and jacket; not going anywhere, just now. That done, she reclaims it, and curls herself gingerly up on the cushions, careful not to squish the injured calf. Settling in, she leans against Matt a bit, and regards her drink, giving it a hesitant sniff before sipping it. "Wanna go there, someday," she remarks, idly.

Matt nods, absently, tilting his head to rest it on hers. Again he gulps about half the glass in one go, emptying it. Another finger, and he offers to top off Bernie's glass. On the coffee table, the note pad is scribbled with notes like: "Chiaroscuro, no set territory. Megan--too many phil.? Joey. Finding things. Judge necessary? Park. Books +++."

Bernie holds the glass out to be topped, and takes another drink once it is, starting to get more used to the flavour. "....'s kina good, act'ly," she decides, studying the liquid again, as it quivers slightly in the glass. "Thanks..." She rests her head on his shoulder a bit more, and gestures toward the pad. "Still figurin' everythin' out? Max says, they'd wantcha too, 'f y'wanna add that..."

Matt grunts, reaching out for the note pad, adding "Trouble-city." to the middle bottom.

Bernie grins a little, and lowers the level in her glass to about a third. "Sucks t' be popular, huh?" she asks slightly dryly, "...'s easy for me." She reaches up to send a curl on a forced migration behind her ear. As usual, it moves back to its old haunts the moment she stops paying attention.

Matt shakes his head, gesturing a little with his glass. "'snot that, Books. 'alf these packs are joost wantin' fer warm bodies. Oi mean, Megan's asked me ta pack wif 'er, but whot exactly would Oi bring ta that pack that she doesn't already provide? Anovver pair of claws? If they need fighters, mebbe they should talk to Rotem." The dam appears to have burst; he's ready to go on about all of this. First, more scotch.

Bernie looks as though she has a comment about that, but decides against it, finishing off her glass instead, and resting it, empty, on her knee, one hand still about it.

Matt swallows his drink. "Trouble wants me ta join, whot, because Oi'm 'cool?' And you," he smiles at her, "Oi fink oi 'ave an idea why you'd loike me. But yer both =here=, in th' city. Oi'm not a Gnawer, Books. Oi doan't know 'ow long it'd be before Oi get th' wanderlust on me." He seems frustrated. "Oi doan't want ta pack wif someone just ta pack!"

Bernie shrugs slightly. "I di'n' ask why, so you'd hafta. Though I know all they've got's raggies an' galliards so far, so. An' I know you're not a Gnawer, but we're not th' only ones in th' city, y'know? An' we're not all always in th' city, either; Yi's in Sepdet's pack, y'know." She regards the empty glass a moment. "But anyway. I wantcha for lotsa reasons. 'cause you're you, an' 'cause," she pauses, brow furrowing slightly as she tries to figure out the right words, "...I dunno. 'cause otherwise it'll just be... wrong. An' 'cause you care 'bout the park ideas, an' you're smart an' y'got sense an' y'still got enough of a sensea humor an' adventure an' stuff." She sighs a little. "Not gonna try an' force ya or anythin', though."

"True enough," Matt nods, taking another sip of whiskey. "Books, Oi want ta pack wif you 'cause we're a good team. But I doan't know what that pack'll be. We may 'ave ta get used ta the idea that protectin' the park'll be a free time fing until we can get enough people. We may 'ave ta pack wif someone else for a while. As long as Oi'm wif you and not being wasted, Oi'll be 'appy."

Bernie nods a bit, slowly. "We are," she agrees, "...an' me too. Wanna be with you. Def'nitely. 's onea th' reasons I figured I'd go with Trouble 'f Park pack didn' work, 'cause, 'cause I know Kaz cares 'bout it, an' they'd prolly go for addin' it. Park, I mean." She shakes her head slightly. "...that did make sense, right?" she asks, glancing at the empty glass again, though this time almost accusingly.

Matt wonders. "Did Kaz find a totem? 'S important to me. Oi fink we may be better off in a larger pack that includes the park, than a tiny one whot doesn't. A'n yer making fine sense, Books, fer someone 'oo's joost 'ad four fingers o' scotch." He smiles, finishing his own glass and corking the bottle.

Bernie giggles a little, and leans over to set her empty glass on the table, rather than her knee. She gets slightly dizzy for a moment, and blinks. "...whoa," she remarks, easing back into the less vertigo-inducing, more cuddlesome position she had before. "I dunno, f'r sure. 'll ask 'er... I know they were thinkin'a maybe Magpie, or Weasel, or... uh..." She trails off, brow furrowing again as she tries to recall what other spirits were mentioned. "..or.... Rat... or Raccoon? Or was that one she was suggestin' t' me? ...I dunno. Figger, I'll hafta ask, yeah? ...what spirits'd you be 'kay with, anyhow? So's I know..."

Matt shrugs. "Not sure, really. Joost...s'gotta be appro..approprot.. s'gotta be /right/. Anyway, we'd all 'ave ta quest for th' spirit anyway, so Oi guess we get some say." He stands up, slowly, and offers Bernie a hand. "Meanwise, it's past time fer me ta get some Bo Peep. Ready?"

Bernie nods. "Yeah, 'less they got it ah'edy..." She looks at the hand a moment, and then accepts it, trying -- and failing -- to stand up. She makes it about halfway, and suddenly finds herself sitting again. Huh.

Matt tugs, pulling the newly elevated cliath to her feet, leaning against him. "This way, Books," he guides softly. The nest of blankets are a long way down, but very comfortable. Matt disappears into the bathroom for a moment, grabbing a wastebasket as he locks up and turns out the lights. The wastebasket goes within Bernie's reach. "Ye may need it, between now an' tomorrow," he explains.

Bernie wriggles comfortably into the blankets, grinning. "A'ight," she replies agreeably, and watches him move about. "...you're tall, y'know that? I'm prolly gonna be really unhappy in th' mornin', huh? Ooh, I almost forgot I was gonna paint th' ceiling..." Various thoughts head straight from brain to mouth without passing Go or collecting 200 dollars.

Matt chuckles, shaking his head as he too beds down. "Yah, ye'll probably regret it, but 's good practice fer the actual party, neh?" He curls around her and strokes her hair, until they both fade into sleep.

Future regrets don't bother the Gnawer much at the present moment, and she just smiles and curls back against him, snuggling in comfortably and happily until the sound of their breathing lulls her to sleep.