Yi walks a bit stiffly through the double doors to Robinson's-May, alongside her fellow nomoon. They first come upon the men's clothing section, rich scents of leather and poloshirts wafting in the delicate if a bit nippy air conditioning system. Even though it's only a Wednesday afternoon, there are still a few people bustling about, cashiers chatting with each other idly, a mother and her baby picking out a tie from a colorful assorted rack. The escalators whirr quietly in their never ending rotation, carrying people and their bags up and down the various floors.

"So you wanted a big bed?" Yi queries, glancing about. A hand comes up to run through her hair thoughtfully.

"Biggish," Bernie replies, thoughtfully, "Queen, I think. They're on th' third floor, right?" She heads toward the escalator, brushing her curls back behind her shoulders.

Yi shrugs slowly and follows along. "I've not really been in here. It's your country after all." Smiling, she boards the escalator and the two of them are whisked (ok, maybe just whirred) up to the third floor. Beds, bathroom, and oddly, carpets.

Bernie eyes the carpets thoughtfully as the pair walk past them, even reaches out to pet a couple of them. "...I oughta hunt rugs or carpets or somethin' down..." she remarks, as they leave that area and are confronted with several rows of beds, each with a different set of mattresses and bedframes one might want to buy. There is one person working the section, a young man in his early twenties and the suit that marks him as one of the higher ranks of salespeople.

Yi peruses over some of the catalogs that are set out with the rugs before heading over to the beds section. She sits down at the foot of one, glancing over the sheets and blankets set over them to add the quaint touch. The young man doesn't look over at them yet, probably thinking they're just there to mess around really. Yi glances back to Bernie. "What kind of bed? Soft? Hard? Lumpy?" She blinks. "Sounds like that Dr. Seuss book.. about hats."

Bernie considers. "Bouncy!" she exclaims, then blushes as she realises how that could sound. "I mean, so you could jump on it. An' prolly t' th' harder side, but not, like, floor-hard..." She leans over and pushes at the nearest mattress, adding, "...not that I really know what th' choices are. But not lumpy. Def'nitely."

Yi presses against one of the other beds, colorfully flowered with tiny blue flowers. She lays down on it, and looks over towards Bernie. "Firm, right?" Her eyes catch over at movement as the salesman meanders over, putting on a smile that seems a little too wide to be genuine. "Hello ladies," he greets in a professional manner. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Bernie nods to Yi. "...right," she replies, and then looks to the salesman -- 'Roy', his tag says -- flashing him a bright smile. "Hi, and yes, please," she replies, switching suddenly into the more formal style of speech she usually uses on, say, Steven, though it's quite friendly, "...we're looking for a bed. Or at least, a mattress and box-spring."

"Mmhm," the salesman nods curtly, motioning over towards the wider selection of the area, plotted with care to display the beds in an appealing manner, set alongside other pieces of furniture like loveseats and couches. "What sort of mattress would you prefer?" Yi answers the man while testing another bed with a short poking of hands. "Firm, but not too hard. Good support for the back." She looks over at Bernie. "A big bed.. uhm.. queen size?" The salesman nods, heading over to one of the wider beds and rounds to the side in a showman's manner. "This one is a favorite. Royal-Pedic mattresses have good support, cotton top, quilted. Have a look around here, and let me know if you like anything."

Bernie nods, and eyes the indicated bed a moment. Well, only one reasonable way to check it out, she guesses... she sits on the edge, and turns to lie down on it a bit, looking up ceilingward and giving a slight bounce. She seems to be giving it intense consideration.

Yi meanwhile, checks price tags. Her eyebrows arch a bit, as she tries to convert some things in her head to determine actual value while the salesman smoothes out some of the sheets nearby while he waits. She whispers quietly to Bernie. "Is it worth this much?" She points out a tag, nearly 1300 in price, but for seemingly for the whole bed, without the sheets. The Canto-Gnawer inclines her head queryingly.

Bernie glances at the tag, and tries not to wince visibly. She shakes her head. "...let's look at that one, over there..." She gestures to another, and checks it out. It turns out to be much more reasonable, $599 for the mattress set and rudimentary metal frame. She gives it an experimental bounce.

Yi sidles over with her shopping companion, testing the bed out too. It seems decent enough, with nothing at the current moment that Yi can find wrong with it other than a lack of sheets, and weaker bed frame. Maybe it's the springs inside. "How's it?" She glances at the brand, then looks around for the salesman who is a short distance away at the phone.

"Seems good t'me," Bernie replies, and waves a hand to Roy, who sets the phone down after a few seconds and walks over. "Could you tell us about this one?" she asks. "Ah... this one has a padded top, standard spring arrangement," he replies, leaning over slightly to glance at the tagging, "...and I believe that one's actually on sale this week, three ninety-nine for the set. The new model will be arriving on Friday."

Yi arches an eyebrow, ever the skeptic. "That's... 30 percent off or so? What is the whole set?" She looks from bed to Roy, judging. The salesman is perhaps concentrating on Bernie's reaction to the bed, but turns to Yi and replies, "Well the set comes with the mattress, basic wireframe and boxspring. Since the new posturepedic models are arriving, these have a discount." He smiles amiably towards the two women.

Bernie gives the mattress another test bounce, just for fun. Roy is actually distracted into watching that for a fraction of a second. "Seems all right to me," the girl decides, glancing over to Yi, "...think it'd do, or should we look at other ones still?" A thought strikes her, as she glances up to the salesguy, "Do you deliver the beds? Does that cost more?"

Roy blinks for a little bit, then clears his throat. "Ah, yes we do, for a small shipping cost. About fifty dollars or so I believe." Yi adds up the prices, trying to figure out taxes in this form. "I think this one will do," she replies to Bernie after some thought.

Bernie grins. "Cool," she replies, almost simultaneous with Roy's, "Excellent. If you'll join me at the desk, we can write it up...?" He gestures to a desk, off to the side, with two chairs sitting in front of it and another behind.

Yi turns her gaze over at the mattress to give it one more perusal before heading over to the desk with Bernie. Sitting gingerly, as if there might be some cacti upon the seat she didn't notice, she watches as Roy turns up a computer screen and gets out a form. "This will be the receipt, which you can show to the delivery man and he'll bring up the mattress and materials to the door." After a few moments of punching buttons, another sound of a printer going. "How were you planning on paying?" Yi leans over a bit, to have a look at the price. Then, she gets out a wallet and starts sorting some bills. "Matt will be surprised, do you think?" she queries as she counts out green and sets it in front of Roy.

Bernie perches lightly on the arm of the second chair, and nods, grinning. "Totally! This is really cool, Yi. Thanks. I'll hafta go find some sheets next." She bounces slightly, and then thinks to ask, "...so when is it likely t'be delivered?"

Yi furrows her brow at the boxes and such in front of her, trying to fill out the form. Roy replies, "In 24 hours, usually. The delivery man will give you a call before he arrives to make sure you're home to receive your new bed." There's some eyeing of the cash, but it's a sale nonetheless. Yi motions for Bernie to peer over. Such small print and not as literate Yi is giving her some trouble. "Think you should fill this out instead," she remarks up to the nomoon.

Bernie nods, taking it and the pen, but bites her bottom lip lightly, looking over to Roy, "We don't have a phone. Can we just arrange a time now?" In contrast to Yi's hesitant form work, Bernie's pen practically flies across the paper as the girl leans over on the desk. She suddenly remembers what shirt she's wearing, and blushes slightly, straightening up to a less revealing position as she fills out the rest of the form.

Yi blinks as Bernie fills out the form with record timing. After that is filled out, Roy takes it gently and sets it in the printer to punch out a receipt. The shirt, goes /almost/ unnoticed, but salespeople are accustomed to masks. He gazes up at Bernie. "I think that can be arranged." Yi glances between the two, then gets up from the chair. "When can they deliver it?" Roy purses his lips briefly, before picking up the phone next to the computer and punching in a number. "Hey Joe? Yes, it's Roy. Yeah, I've got a couple of customers who have just ordered a bed, they'd like it delivered. Hm? Oh you can? Well yeah it's a slow day today.... Ok sure. Alright I'll send them over." Roy sets down the phone, and smiles. "You're in luck. Joe's bored. If you take this down to him, he can deliver the mattress to you within the hour."

"Oh, =cool!=" Bernie exclaims, flashing a grin at Yi. She reaches out to take the receipt, asking, "...which floor, first?"

Roy smiles some more, giving the receipt to Bernie. "Go outside near the theatre exit, there's a garage there by the Hollytron where the vans and trucks are parked. Joe's probably outside as is. He'll be waiting for you. Thank you." He offers a hand for the shake of a successful business transaction.

Yi grins back at Bernie, keeping quiet while peeking a look down at the receipt before slipping her wallet back into her pocket.

Bernie shakes the offered hand, smiling back. "Thanks!" she replies, retrieving her hand again, and then looking the receipt over again as she stands up from her perch. A glance to Yi, "...an' thanks. So shall we?"

Yi nods with a smile. "Did you need sheets, or should we go get the bed before Joe decides he isn't bored anymore?" Roy nods to the ladies and moves on to attend to another couple that has been perusing over the carpets, leaving them alone now.

Bernie mentally catalogs the contents of the bedding pile, and nods. "There aren't any sheets yet. But, I mean, I'm sure he wouldn't wanna break ya or anythin', y'know? I think I c'n prolly get holda linens..." She bites her bottom lip lightly, but apparently in thought rather than worry.

Yi looks around with thought. "Didn't you say Max was painting the flat? Something about night sky and stars?" She glances over to her companion. "What about glow-in-the-dark sheets? I think I saw some at Wal-Mart, before. Just a thought, anyway. I don't know how Matt would react to that kind of bedding." Yi's eyes sparkle with some amusement.

Bernie laughs! "I like it. I dunno how he'd react t' it, but it might be fun t' see..." She pauses, "Th' night sky an' stars thing, that's me though, not Max. We dunno yet jus' what she's doin'..." She heads toward the escalator with the other nomoon. "Oh hey, so Matt 'n' I joined up with Trouble, by th' way."

Yi glances around at the various people bustling around. She then turns back to Bernie as they make their descent on the escalator. "Oh? Not going to go hang around the park?" She raises her brow thoughtfully. "Nevada was talking about which mascot Trouble would have. Said something about magpies or weasels." No one is really paying attention, but the newmoon rounds around the actual mention of packs even as they stroll out of the men's department. Further away, there's a garage just as Roy said. Outside it is a U-Haul looking vehicle, with a man outside in a dark blue jumpsuit smoking a cig, cap turned back as he watches the passerbys and general parking lot in idle boredom.

"Seems like a raccoon's th' front-runnin' idea right now," Bernie replies, slipping completely back into her usual speech patterns, "an' still gonna be hangin' 'round th' park. Def'nitely. Still a major focus, yeah? Jus' gonna also do a couple other things..." She adjusts her glasses, and gestures to the bored looking guy. "Think tha's Joe?"

Yi's eye roves around before settling on the blue figure. "Think that's him, yes. Raccoon mm? Certainly will be interesting." She glances up and waves as Joe turns his gaze towards the two girls. Seeing them approach, he draws his conclusions and smites the finished cig from his lips. "Yo!" he greets, offering an odd tip of his cap to the two. "You two ladies the one with the bed?" He's looks about late 20s, maybe even early 30s, wearing a quirky smile of a handyman. "Got the slip?"

Bernie brandishes the the slip. "Hey!" she greets the guy cheerfully, "Yup, an' yup. You must be Joe, yeah?" She offers him the bit of paper as they get close enough to do so.

Joe licks a tooth briefly before taking the receipt and looking it over. "Hey, you got one of those Sealies. S'good ya gott'em today, I pick up th' ship coupl' a days from now." He checks over the paper again, before handing it back to Bernie. "A'ight you two stay out here, I'll get the mattress and stuff. Don't go nowhere now." He smirks a bit before straightening up the cap and heading into the garage through a door. There's some minutes of waiting, before the door to one opens up and out comes a van marked with the mall's logo on it. Joe hops out of the driver seat, leaving the door open as he rounds to the back and opens the loading bay. Waving the two girls over he motions. "That look right to ya? Gotta make sure about orders an' stuff. An' if you wanna ride over I think you two'll fit in the cab fine. Heh, no diff'rnt than a towing service eh?"

Bernie hums softly while they wait, and pads over obediently to glance into the truck and make sure it does, in fact, appear to be the same mattress. The fabric matches, the size looks right... she nods. "Yeah, tha's it... whatcha think, Yi, ride?"

Yi trots over as well to give the mattress an inspection, as well as the frame, unassembled. "Looks right." She glances back to Bernie as Joe offers the ride. She blinks a few times, before conceding. "Better than dragging ourselves behind the truck," she smirks. That gives Joe quite an image, and he laughs heartily. "Right then, hop in th' cab and you'll have a bed to snooze on by dinnertime." He flips the cap around to a rightful position and heads back around to the driver's side to slip in. Yi goes about the other way, opening up the door to the passenger side and waiting for Bernie. "I kind of get the feeling it shouldn't be so easy. But I guess in Hong Kong we spend a lot more time arguing over prices."

Bernie nods slightly, "Could be... here things mostly are what they are an' if y'don' like it y'c'n look somewhere else, y'know?" She grabs on to the handy handles, and hauls herself up and into the cab in a surprisingly practised move, sliding in to make room for Yi on the bench seat.

Yi takes a little more time to get in the seat, but she sits in with no problems either and closes up the door. Joe glances out the driveway some and pulls out with practiced ease. "Live over on Elson... lesse." He mumbles something to himself before fading to silence. On their way, he takes up whistling a song, sounding remarkably like a song Bernie is familiar with. Ain't Misbehavin'... Travelling songs for the road, and some blocks off the I-90 exit later, the truck arrives to the front of the flat and is parked out in front of the building. "This it, yeah? Bein' a cabby in this town helps in knowin' places."

Bernie nods, "Yeah, this's it. Fifth floor... an' sorry t' say, elevator's onna fritz. But, 'f y'wanna hand we c'n help move it. Not, of course that they look particularly strong, but. "An' got a friend who's a cabbie, he knows where everything is, I swear."

Yi opens up the door, slipping out. Joe looks for a moment, incredulous. "Fifth floor? Ya gotta be kiddin' me, an' the vader's not workin'? Aw man." He chuckles, and opens up the driverside. "Hey if you wanna get the other end then, that'd be great. Don't think a mattress will be too heavy for a couple of strong women right?" He flashes that quirk of a smile before taking out the keys and slipping down off the cab seat with a hop and a whistle. Few seconds later the sound of the back opening up and some grunting as Joe jumps up into the van and pushes out one end of the mattress. Yi moves to assist, the Gnawer taking grip of the end sticking out from the truck. She notes to Bernie with a motion of her head towards the beams of unassembled metal, "Should get the frame."

Bernie drops lightly out of the cab, nodding to Yi, and picks up the frame bits. "I'll go first," she says, "Y'know, hold doors, undo locks, all 'at." Which she does, holding the front door, then passing them at a landing and heading up to unlock the apartment's door. Quite a bit ahead of the more unwieldy mattress, she sets the frame on the floor in the bedroom, and makes sure there's a nice clean path. Not hard, as the place is really quite neat, partly due to the sparseness of the furnishing. She sighs softly as she regards the nest of bedding, almost reluctant to move it, but there's no room for the bed if she doesn't. So, in a smaller pile by the closet door it goes.

Yi and Joe huff and puff up the stairs, not stopping along the way until they reach the door of the apartment. Here they move slowly and get the mattress leaned up alongside the wall of the bedroom beside the bedding nest. Joe looks around and smiles. "S'nice place ya got. I gotta take off, got my shift done in a few. But, enjoy yer bed eh? Maybe come back an' buy a loveseat or somethin' an' get me offa my ass again." He grins and heads back towards the door. Yi waves, offering a nice "Thank you!" as the man opens up the door.

Bernie waves a hand to him, echoing, "Thanks!" as he heads out. She shuts the door behind him, locking up, and returns to the bedroom. "A'ight!" she exclaims, eying the mattress, the box spring (brought up in a second trip, of course), and the frame. "...oughta get it set up." The frame comes with instructions and an allen wrench, so she manages to get it put together and placed without too much trouble.

Yi helps out with the final sproing of boxspring and mattress onto the frame, and queensize is finished. Mostly dominating the bedroom, she gives the rest of a room a spatial appraisal. "Erg," Yi grunts, leaning up against a wall and thunking her head dully against it. "Remind me not to do heavy lifting after fighting with mucky sewerbanes."

Bernie winces. "You a'ight? How'd that go, anyhow? I di'n' know it was happ'nin' yet..." She regards the room, definitely dominated by the bed, with satisfaction.

Yi shifts a bit, quirking this way and that to straighten out kinks in her spine before finally finding a nice place to settle against. "Two steps forward, one step back. Got 5 lights in before we found a bane. Or something. I don't know what it was, but it looks like the stories about flushing goldfish into sewers that turn into monsters are true."

Bernie winces again. "Ew. Any albino alligators? Or zat only s'posta be in New York? So didja kill th' thing?"

Yi shakes her head. "John didn't kill it, he said. It escaped by dissolving back into the muck at our feet. "Maybe you heard the explosion. Was a bomb from Roger that John threw against the wall. Napalm." The nomoon smiles, a little pyromaniac smile. "The newspaper did say something about the city locking the manholes though. We'll have to be careful around the Park for a little while."

Bernie giggles, and nods. "Too bad. Not like locks c'n stop us, though, yeah?" She grins wider, and does a big dive onto the bed, bouncing. "Whee!" she exclaims, and giggles again. "Wanna try?"

Yi blinks as Bernie bounces on her newly acquired sleeping tool. Apparently bouncing on beds is a new idea to the Gnawer too. Or maybe she just doesn't do it as often. With a slow shrug, she twitches some and then charge-dives onto the bed. Indeed, it's bouncy, and boings and sproings accordingly to a new bed-like way. The Canto-gnawer lies there for a little, before mrfing into the mattress and rolling back onto her feet. She looks lighter in mood though, as she salutes her fellow raggie. "I have to go. Need to finish running some errands. But, the bed's here and waiting, na? Matt will be surprised." She grins. "A housewarming gift for him and you, and a thank you for all the steaks he leaves at the church."

Bernie laughs, and bounces once more before sliding off and standing again. "Thanks 'gain. He'll be so totally surprised!" She shakes her head, "I oughta go hunt th' wild bedsheet, too." She stretches a bit, grinning, and walks the other Gnawer to the door, picking up her backpack and a couple empty Wal-Mart bags on the way.

Yi chuckles, giving the other raggie a wide smile as they exit and descend the stairs. "Good hunting then. I'll see ya around." She pauses. "And remind me to remind you about telling me how your rite was." She grins. "Still have to find out about the Axe and the Match too."

Bernie nods, "Oh, yeah! I will. 'f y' get a good version outta onea 'em, let me know? Max was kina brief 'bouti t, an' Chia wouldn' say at all, when 'lish an' I asked..." A pause. "I oughta go say hi t' her an' Cam, too, while I'm out an' all. Anyway, have fun, seeya later!" she adds as they reach a parting of the ways.

Yi grins and nods. "I'll see ya." With that she trots off in the opposing direction, heading towards some errandish destination.

[...one trip to Wal-Mart later...]
[Farmhouse: Kitchen and Dining Room]

In the front rooms, Cameron nods quietly. "Well, actually. I do know what I was thinking. Not all of it's complimentary. And I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." he remarks with a hint of a smile.

The sliding glass doors of the kitchen slide, quietly, and Bernie slips in, a couple Wal-Mart bags in hand, humming very softly to herself -- likely not audible from the other room, but perhaps. Just in case, the tune happens to be Ain't Misbehavin'.

In the front rooms, Alicia opens her mouth to reply, but simply leans back instead, eyes glancing over towards the kitchen. "We'll..talk 'bout this later aight?" She drawls to the male.

In the front rooms, Cameron nods quietly, and leans down to kiss her on the forehead. Letting her straighten up from his lap, and his chest. "It's okay. Just as long as it doesn't happen again." he says quietly. But the smile is still there.

In the front rooms, Alicia gives him a slight smirk, then wipes off her eyes. Standing, she peers into the kitchen to see the Gnawer Ragabash.

Bernie opens the fridge, grabbing a Sprite, and bumps it closed again, passing through into the other room and flashing a grin ather friends. "Hey!" she greets them cheerfully, "'sup? An' what don'tcha want t' happen again?" She heads over and flops onto the couch, setting down her bags and backpack and getting comfy as she pops the soda open.

Cameron reddens considerably, and he grunts, "Nothing." firmly. Knee-jerk reaction. Best to keep no-moons in the dark. He rises, after Alicia gets off him, and moves to greet Bernie with a small friendly smile quickly added to his expression.

Alicia shrugs her shoulders a bit. "Nada. Jus' stupid stuff Bernie. Played a mean joke on him, he's still kinda pissed off." She gives him a sharp grin, then slips down into one of the chairs.

Bernie eyes the pair of them a moment, seeming perhaps less than completely convinced by the explanation, but shrugs, and appears to accept it. "A'ight, fine," she says in a mock-hurt tone, "fine, then. Hide things from me, see 'f I care..." The grin returns, then, and she sips the soda again. "So whatcha up to, then, 'side from that?"

Cameron looks a little uncertainly at Alicia. Idiot... now you're going to get pumped for information... He clears his throat a little, and smiles at Bernie. "Not much. Just bumming around here for the moment, even though I'm allowed on the Bawn, now. And to learn from non-Fianna." His smile widens to a massive grin as he speaks. Former discomfort disappearing.

Well, since Cameron doesn't know, Alicia is an expert liar, adept at making stories up that even the most keen of Ragabash's would be fooled by. Unless of course, they are her best friend, then she'd have to redouble her efforts. But for now, she remains silent, simply toying with her hair.

Bernie brightens further at Cameron's reply, either missing or ignoring his look to the Gaian. "Oh, hey, yeah? Time off for good b'haviour, huh? Kickass. Now they jus' gotta letcha guys come inta th' city, an' we c'n all go do shit. So who're y' learnin' what from now they're sure y'won't get corrupted?"

Cameron happily raises his hands in a gesture of ignorance. "Sepdet. Anyone. Whoever feels like teaching. I'm gonna ask Kaz, too." He smiles a little sheepishly. "You know. Elders who I'm pretty sure like me, or at least put up with my mouth."

Bernie grins. "Best kind. Y'c'n ask me too 'f y'want, though I dunno what I could teach ya, so hey. But, y'know, y'thinka anythin', go for it." She pulls her legs up comfortably onto the cushion beside her as she takes a sip. "'f you want, I c'n tell Kaz you'd like t' see her."

Cameron blinks for a moment. "But..." He blinks again, and squints at her. His smile widens slightly, and he lowers one eyebrow. "Are you tryin' to tell me you're..."

Bernie blinks once herself, then laughs. "Oh, right. Yeah. Tada! Cliath now. Rited jus' over a week ago. Guess I haven' seen ya in a while, huh?" she comments, a bit sheepishly.

"Yah.. too busy hanging with the big boys to remember the lil people." Comes Alicia's reply, smirking slightly.

Cameron totally ignores Alicia's comment, and his smile stretches into a grin of idiotic proportions. "Congratulations!" he says enthusiastically. "How's it feel? What'd you have to do? Tell us!"

Bernie thbbbts at Alicia. "Act'ly, I've been kina busy workin' on th' distraction thing, an' we gotta new cub I'm kina helpin' with th' teachin' of an' all. An' it's a twelve mile walk one way, an' I pretty much only do it t' come see you guys. So, nyah." She smiles as she says it, though, and it widens into a grin as she sees Cam's. "It feels pretty cool, honestly. Not, like, a whole helluva lot diff'rent, but some... an' it's kinda a long story, but 'f y'wanna know...?"

Cameron nods with that smile - slowly shrinking into something more like his usual satisfied half-smirk, and crosses over to Steven's armchair, flopping into it lazily. "Spill."

Bernie shifts, sitting crosslegged on the sofa, and nods. "A'ight, then. So, okay. I di'n' have any warning, Elan jus' collected me an' took me to th' Church, an' he took me inta th' Umbra there an' said good luck an' gave me this sticka gum an' said t' chew it. So, I did, an' he takes out this blue marble and starts chantin', an' everything starts goin' kina blurry an' dark, an' next thing I know, I'm a rat. In, like, a barrel, on some ship." She pauses for a sip of soda.

Cameron blinks at the weirdness of the story so far. "Well. I've had friends claim much the same thing after a bad trip." he says with a grin, and waits for her to continue.

Bernie grins, and nods, "Yeah. So then there's this flash, an' I'm still a rat, in th' Rialto, an' another, an' I'm in th' White House, in a nest in Clinton's desk, an' another, an' I'm in this rat stampeded in th' sewers, an' when I get out I c'n see it's somewhere in Europe, durin' th' Plague, y'know? An' then another flash, an' it's dark again, only I'm me again, an' not a rat. Which is, y'know, a plus, from my pointa view. An' I'm lyin' in a bed, an' I feel all sore an' bruised an' achy all over. An' it's cold. So I try t' make out where I am, an' this lady comes over, with candles, an' she's all, 'I was beginnin' t' think you wouldn't wake up,' an' she was tellin' me how they found me all beat up an' unconscious, an' they brought me down t' their secret unnerground refuge place an' were takin' carea me."

From Shore Around Half Moon Pool, Dreams-Deadly can be heard to howl, ~The halfmoons gather here. Join us.~

Cameron raises an eyebrow at Alicia for a moment, then just leans back in the chair, listening with a small smile. The call that sounds through the air takes his attention for a moment, but he dismisses it with a shrug.

Bernie glances vaguely in the direction of the howl a second, and smiles, taking another sip of her soda, before continuing, "...So I talk t' her a while, an' I find out they're this secret unnerground refuge somewhere that she can't give me any detail on 'less I d'cide t' stay there with 'em forever, an' I'm thinkin' this is kina a drastic decision, yeah? So I kina drew out what I could from her, an' found out they were led by this guy they called Father, only he got sick an' fell inta a coma, an' she was an nurse an' this other guy Gideon was a doctor an' nonea 'em could figure out what was wrong. An' so Gideon, he'd been father's right hand guy, so he was takin' over an' runnin' things, an' he was gettin' all paranoid an' makin' everythin' all regimented. An' so I start thinkin', huh, maybe he's poisonin' this Father guy or somethin'? Though, I don' say it or anythin', 'course. So she goes, an' says someone'll bring me soup soon, an' I figure I oughta do a li'l recon, so I go lookin' around."

Cameron lowers one eyebrow and gives a little hmmph of amusement at her suspicion. Quick, that... But he just listens.

Ah, the perils of having read too many mystery novels... Bernie sips her drink again, and leans forward slightly. "So, I go Nancy Drewin', an' I find this one room bigger'n th' others, an' lit by torches, an' th' furniture's niceish, an' there's even a desk. An' everyone knows in th' mysteries there's always useful shit somewhere on desks, so I check it out, an' it's all notes 'bout things they need t' get, organizational things, but there's this one li'l cubbyhole that won't open. So I convince it, an' inside, I find this crumped bita paper. An' just as I take it out, I hear someone comin'. So 'course I'm like, meep! An' I put th' note in my pocket, close th' door, an' scuryr out t' hide in th' bathroom a couple openin's down. Where I read th' note. Only it's all ripped an' crumped an' has blood an' tears on it, so I c'n only make out a li'l of the writin', an' it's all "Father" an' "can't not" an' "forced" an' "sick" an' "damned =thing=" an' stuff, an' I'm like, huh..... an' then th' guy passes an' goes inta th' room I was just in, an' I go back t' my li'l room."

Cameron's head tilts a little, mouth twisting slightly. How helpfully descriptive. But the story does have him curious, now.

"So," the new Cliath continues, "I just barely get sitting, an' I hear th' guy comin' over, an' he comes in an' is all hi, I'm Gideon, niceta meetcha, hope you're recoverin' okay, an' allat, an' so I try t' get info outta him, an' it's weird, it's like somethin's botherin' him, an' he half wants t' tell me an' half not, an' so I use persuasion on him, an' he, like... goes half-catatonic, only he's got this fake arm, an' it starts slowly rising, like it's movin' by itself. An' I'm like, whoa! So I reach out an' grab it at th' wrist, an' I have this kina hunch from everythin' else that maybe it's somethin' t' do with it, an' th' worst if I'm wrong is I'll be embarrassed, so I tell th' thing t' detach from him, an' it does, but only mostly, 'cause there's these green tentacle-lookin' things comin' outta th' stumpa his arm an' inta th' fake arm!"

Cameron frowns, with a wry expression on his face. "Goody. Wyrmy shit?"

Bernie nods, making a face, "Yeah. An' you would not =believe= th' stench. So, Gideon passes out, while these things turn out t' be worms, an' start squirmin' outta his stump an' orientin' on ME. So I kina throw th' arm away, an' start shiftin', 'cause I dunno what I'm gonna hafta do t' kill these things, y'know, an' I figure, claws might be handy. Meanwhile they're fallin' t' th' ground, an' there's like sixa 'em. So I go STOMP, an' get threea 'em under my boot right away, an' they go squish. Which is all good, if kina nasty. Th' other three, onea 'em can't find me yet, but th' other two, they slither up my leg while I'm shiftin', an' start borin' inta my calf. An' it hurts like mother, but I don' wanna scream an' have someone come see what's up an' find me in crinos, yeah? So I just grit my teeth real hard and stamp my foot, an' that hurts too, but it does th' job, not t' mention I catch th' other worm underfoot an' it goes squish too. Only, this time unner my BARE foot, an' I had thought th' =other= was nasty..." She shakes her head, shuddering slightly at the memory. "So meanwhile th' other two are still tryin' t' tunnel through my leg. I grab onta th' dresser for balance, an' quick b'fore I get too grossed out t' do it, lift th' other foot an' stomp on th' bitsa 'em still on th' floor, an' damn near fall over. It works, they die an' all, but first off, EW, an' second, they try t' escape or somethin' by zippin' alla way through my calf an' comin' out th' other side. So now I gotta pull dead Wyrm-thing outta my leg, which is all turnin' black where they went in. So I do that, an' then I shift back an' collapse on th' bed, just as Gideon's wakin' up again."

Cameron listens intently, wincing at the appropriate places, and looking thoughtful at a few inappropriate ones. Like the mention of bare feet on the worms hurting.

Alicia has dozed off in the chair, sleeping away now. Her hair sprawled across her face, hands tucked under her head, curled.

Bernie glances over at Alicia, noticing she's asleep, and laughs. "Man, guess it's a good thing I'm not a Galliard, huh? Well, anyway... so I ask if he's a'ight, he basically gets th' arm and throws it away as hard as he can, an' curls up sobbin', which I guess is a no, y'know? So I limp over t' be comfortin', an' there's commotion outside, an' this big ol' guy comes in, an' it's Father, an' he comes over an' tells Gideon he knows what was goin' on, that he could feel th' evil an' knows Gideon didn' mean t' do it, an' that he forgives him 'cause he knows he'll never forgive himself. An' they hug, an' then it's dark again, an' I wake up in th' Church Umbra again, with Shadow Claws watchin' over me. Ta da, th' end." She gives something resembling a bow, and takes another drink of soda, pretty much finishing the thing off.

Cameron frowns and blinks. "So that's it. You get a surreal experience, do what you think is Right, and you're Cliath?" He seems slightly doubtful.

Bernie arches an eyebrow at Cameron. "'cept for th' li'l body-jumpin' thing t' start with, it wasn't real surreal, an' feel free t' have a couple three-inch diameter wyrmy wormthings burrow through =your= calf 'fore y'decide that's no big deal. I saved a guy from bein' mind-controlled by th' Wyrm inta doin' bad shit, guy who was in chargea a whole lotta people who depended on him an' were there 'cause they had nowhere else t' go. So now they'll be okay again. Yeah, I did what I thought was Right, an' I'm Cliath. What th' fuck did you expect, three rounds in th' ring with a BSD?" She tries to take a sip of the Sprite, and gives it an accusing look when she finds it's empty.

Cameron's face falls quickly, and he shrinks back into the chair, palms raised. "Whoa, whoa, back up there, eh? I wasn't sayin' it sounded easy... I was just thinking it was meant to be some sort of Massive Ordeal, like a test of endurance pushing you lie... past what you think you can do and shit. Like Trial By Fire." he explains hastily. "I mean, like /Epic/ shit with like... takin' months and stuff. Like Luke 'n' Layne's and stuff. Like... not sure if you're goin' ta survive, and all that shit." He looks at her uncertaintly, to see if he's gotten his side explained. Mollifying her at all?

Bernie shrugs slightly, setting the empty can aside. "I dunno what theirs was; I never met 'em, an' all I ever heard 'bout their Rite was somethin' 'bout havin' t' persuade a spirit to help 'em? But I know I was gone for 'bout two days, our time, seemed like less, though. An' I =wasn't= completely sure I was goin' t' survive, seein' as I didn' know what I was s'posta be doin' there, an' secretive people sometimes get real unpleasant with snoops. But 'side from that, point's kina t' see 'f you got it down yet, whatever you're s'posta do. An' I'm a raggie. I'm s'posta figure things out, scout, think. Use my head. Which this tested, an' it worked. Right?"

Cameron nods, biting his lip a little. "I mean, yeah. Didn't mean to suggest anything. Really. I mean, look at me. Just proved I'm /so/ not ready for my Rite. Gotta be Wise, see." he shrugs, with a self-deprecating smile.

Bernie grins, and shrugs, unfolding her legs and stretching a bit. "'s a'ight," she says, picking up the can again and pushing to her feet. She doesn't pick up her bags, so apparently she isn't leaving yet. "...y'know yet Matt did his, too?"

Cameron nods again, and stands up, too. Could do with a soda. "Yep. Heard about that second hand. Uh... tried to congratulate him, but he uh... dashed off." The Fianna cub looks a little sheepish. "And, well. Summer was here and there was potentially dangerous stuff outside, so I figured... well. If somethin' nasty can get by Matt... it's probably going to be either bleeding bad enough that I might stand a chance at finishing it off, or..." He shrugs again, and grins. "Ah, whatever. Didn't sound urgent and I just wanted to chat."

Bernie grins, wandering into the kitchen and throwing away her can, "...so how's that goin' these days, anyhow? Th' Summer thing, I mean..."

A shy smile forms on the boy's lips, and he follows his newly cliathed friend into the kitchen. "Mmmm. Good. She's... she's so... I really like her, y'know?" he says, looking for words, but also trying not to sound too sappy.

Bernie smiles a bit, disappearing briefly into the pantry to snag a Guinness. "Yeah... I know," the ragabash replies, a tad vague on just exactly =what= she knows, but the intention is fairly clear.

Cameron frowns a little dubiously, and opens the fridge to get a coke. He eyes the guiness. "Lord. Developed a taste, have we?" he says with a smale smile.

Bernie shrugs, grinning. "Yeah, spoilt for th' cheap shit. Damn bad influence Fianna." She mock-glares at Cam before taking a seat at the table. "I dunno, haven't had one in a few days, feel like it. That meet with your approval?" she asks, the grin returning.

Cameron leans against the fridge, sipping his coke. "Really? I'm surprised Matt's fridge... er. Pantry... isn't well stocked at all times." he says with amusement.

Bernie pops hers open, and takes a sip. "Oh, there's us'ly several atop th' fridge, I jus' don' drink 'em alla time." Pause. "Jus' =somea= th' time." She grins again, relaxing back in the chair.

Cameron grins a little more widely. "Least he doesn't have to drag you up a flight of stairs when you get drunk." he murmurs.

Bernie giggles at that. "I only got drunk one other time," she replies, "An' that was mostly 'cause Shadow Claws said to, when I got back from my Rite. An' that was whiskey, anyhow..." She shakes her head a little.

Cameron smiles, and dangles the coke can between thumb and forefinger, peering at it intently. "Good. Everyone needs to know what it's like to get drunk on whiskey at least once. Just so they have something to remember when they're wondering about that fifth or six drink." Something changes about his expression, then. Becoming a little curious, slightly mischeivous. "Hey. Techinically, you're an elder to me, now." he says thoughtfully. "D'you reckon..." he pauses for a moment.

Bernie grins. "'s right, young man, so y'better show some respect," she teases. "Do I reckon what?"

Cameron looks innocent. "That bit where you said you used Persuasion on a guy to make him go all catatonic. That's a Gift, right?"

Bernie laughs. "Yeah, 's a gift. 'course, I was =tryin'= t' get him t' talk; I think th' Wyrm things made him go catatonic instead, t' stop 'im talkin'." She ponders. "'s too bad you can't go t' th' city. Way Yi taught it t' me, she had me talk her ex-boss inta givin' her her job back, y'see."

Cameron snickers, then looks at her consideringly. "You can do that? Heh. I reckon that'd come in /real/ handy for a lot of uses..." There's a mischeivous look on his face again. Doubtless something unsavoury. But spoiled slightly. "S'a pity I can't come out to the city with you. Steven didn't say anything about it, and..." His mouth twists wryly. "I don't know. Just a vibe. Don't think I'll be going there for a while." He shrugs lightly, and sighs. "Maybe Summer'll let you an' me practice on her." He grins widely, suddenly.

Bernie laughs, eyeing Cameron a moment and taking another sip. "Oh, yeah? An' what'd you try t' persuade her t' do, then?" she inquires, grinning, one eyebrow slightly arched. "..one thing t' keep in mind, though, 's not quite th' Jedi Mind Trick... it doesn' work quite as dependably, an' it works better when y'got a good agrument t' back it up, us'ly."

Cameron's grin broadens. "I've got /lots/ of good arguments." he chuckles. "But I don't think she'd like the thought of being 'magically' persuaded to do things." His expression quirks a little. "No, she would most definitely not like that." he adds a little more firmly.

Bernie grins, shaking her head, "Nah, I bet she wouldn't. Know I wouldn't. Though, not t' encourage you t' be unethical or anythin', far as I know no one's ever known I was usin' it on 'em." She sips thoughtfully a few moments.

Cameron's eyes get a slightly haunted look. "She'd know. I have a crap poker face." He grins suddenly, and picks the can from between his fingers and sips from it.

Bernie grins at that, and drains a little more of her can. "Just as well," she remarks, "cuts down on th' temptation, an' all."

Cameron nods in agreement with a faint smile. "Besides. That'd take some of the fun out of it... The chase."

"True 'nough," Bernie muses, "...or 'least I'll take your word for it. Wouldn' really know, so much..." She considers. "It =is= a handy Gift, though. Lotsa applications, an' all."

Cameron grins, and straightens up to mock saying in a innocent little voice, "Why yes, Mr. Shopkeeper. I didn't swap the labels about. This stereo system really /is/ only $50 bucks. See this scrape here? That's prolly why." He finishes, giggling.

"For one thing," Bernie agrees, nodding, and grins again. "An' I wasn't stealin' that, I jus' put it in my pocket a second t' pick somethin' up with both hands, an' forgot all 'bout it..." she adds, suddenly startlingly earnest and sincere.

Cameron snickers, and sips some more. "Yeah, well. I think I'd prefer to pay for things properly, too." He shrugs dismissively. "I guess I'm just weird that way." he adds. "Nah, really, I was just thinking how useful it'd be if someone was being an asshole, or getting in your way." He blinks as an idea comes to him. "Does it work on us Garou?"

"T'quote Aladdin," Bernie remarks, with a light shrug, and sings softly, "I steal / only what I can't afford / (that's everything...)" She pushes a curl back behind her ear; it leaps out. "'course, now I c'n look inta gettin' a job or somethin'; they told me not ta when I was a cub. An' yeah, it works on 'rou... or 'least, got no reason t' think it doesn't."

Cameron's mouth twists slightly. "Hmmm. Don't think I wanna try, either." he murmurs. Leaning against the fridge, he takes another sip from his can of coke.

Matt holds the front door open for Anneka, ushering her into the Farmhouse. He leads her into the kitchen, stopping short when he reaches the door. "Oi. Didn't expect ta see ye 'ere, Books. Anneka, this is Cameron. Also Fianna."

Bernie, sitting at the table with a can of Guinness, grins wider at the new arrivals. "Hey, my cub!" she exclaims cheerfully, "heya, Ann'ka." She turns the grin on Matt, replying, "so we're even then, since I di'n' 'spect t' see you here, either..." She pauses a moment, and asks casually, "...y'been home yet?"

"'s cool, here--" Anneka murmurs, and then she perks right up when she catches sight of Bernie. "Hey, hi!" She's grinning as she scuffs right over in her baggy jeans to stand off near the table, hands stuck in her pockets. She smiles to Cameron, too-- a new face. "Hi," she says, her voice quieter.

Cameron gives Anneka a grin, nod, and a wink - in that order. Straightening up, he takes a step away from the fridge and gestures to it. "Can I get you anything?"

Matt blanches. "No...somefing wrong?"

Bernie settles back, still grinning, and shakes her head. "Nope, not a thing. 's all peachy. Jus' curious, y'know. You guys were at that moot thing, yeah?" She finishes off her beer, and tosses the can toward the trash, eyeing it intently until it lands where she wanted it to. "...yesss," she murmurs very softly to herself, "two points."

Anneka brushes a few tangled locks of hair from her eyes. Her hands are a bit sooty, with spots along her arms elsewhere from something or other she's gotten into. Her voice picks up a notch, and she's grinning right back. "Thanks!" A pause, then-- "Water? Been drinkin' s'much Coke I'm fizzin'."

Anneka nods to Bernie, eyes big and enthusiastic. "Yeah! It was pretty cool."

Cameron shrugs, and rummages in the fridge to grab a plastic container of cold water. He holds the fridge open with his foot, reaching to the nearby cupboard for a glass, then pours and replaces the water. The Fianna cub smiles wryly as he closes the door with his foot. "So. You're another one of the lawyers of the Garou world, eh?" He gives Matt a sideways glance and a wink. "Well. More like Judge Dredd than your conventional lawyer." he adds, moving to offer Anneka the glass.

The girl takes the glass, smiling, leaves a few smudges on its clear surface as she drinks. Anneka grins. "Lawyer?" She squints and giggles quietly.

Matt snorts. "Aye. We are the Law." He still seems worried about his flat now, dammit.

Alicia heads inside the kitchen after taking a long nap upstairs in the attic. Her hair is a bit miff'd, a yawn being the only greeting she gives to the group.

Bernie giggles, and glances back to Matt, noting the concern. Which she apparently finds rather amusing; some friend she is. Though then again, she's a raggie. She gets up from her chair, and stretches a bit, waving an arm to Alicia as the Galliard comes down the stairs. "Hey, 'lish. Good t' see you fin'ly rejoined us in th' wakin' world. Sorry my story bored ya so bad..."

Alicia yawns again, covering her mouth as she stumbles slightly over to the Gnawer, giving her best friend a strong hug. "Mrrraaaa... I'm still wasted. I'm jus' ganna go four to the floor an run home." Her eyes are swollen red and blurry.

Cameron gives Alicia a slightly concerned look, and bites his lip. "You want company?" he asks, a little gruffly.

Anneka gets about halfway through her glass of water, drinking quickly before she stops still and tilts her head. There's that impish look again, the same one she had at the Moot, and then she's bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Water jogs and jinks about in the half-filled glass. She does give Alicia something of a concerned glance, though.

Sophia pokes her head inside. "Hi, um... is it Ok if I come in?

Matt nods to Alicia, frowning. Bernie he asks. "So...What 'appened in the Decadence? Pipe burst?"

Cameron recognises the voice at the door and calls, "If you have to ask... no!" mischeivously.

Sophia sticks out her tongue and comes in, closing the door behind her.

Bernie hugs Alicia back, and nods. "Shouldn't be wearin' yourself out like that. bad. No cookie." She releases the Galliard and looks to the door as Sophia enters, making Matt wait a moment. "Hi," she greets the girl, and glances around at the others briefly, a 'is she okay?' look that relaxes at Cam's tone. That sounds promising. Glancing to Matt, she grins widely again. "I =told= ya, nothin' wrong there are all. 's all good. Honest."

Alicia yawns and waves to Sophia a few times, then glances over to Cameron. "MMmm...if you want. I just need to plop down and sleep the entire day away. I've been up for...two days straight now."

Sophia and a red dog come into the room. Sophia looks around and smiles at those she hasn't met. "Hi. I'm Sophia. I'm a Glasswalker theurge."

Cameron clears his throat a little, and looks at Alicia consideringly. "No. No, you should probably sleep, yeah. I'll see you later." To Sophia, he gives a slightly awkward look.

Sophia shuffles her feet. "I just became a cub, so I don't really know what I'm supposed to say."

Alicia punches Cameron quite hard in the arm, huffing. "Fine..." She says muttering. "Don't walk me home, jerk, ya need lessons on how to be a gentlemen."

Cameron's facial expressions change swiftly, and often, it seems. He goes from looking concerned at Alicia, awkward then amused at Sophia, to shamefaced and confused at Alicia. Gah. Women. He winces at the punch, and frowns. "Geez, alright, I will, then. Crikey." he mutters.

Bernie laughs at Alicia and Cam, shaking her head a little. "Kids," she remarks, dryly. Which is rather rich, since she looks quite possibly younger than either of them, come to think of it. "Anyway, hi," she greets Sophia again, "I'm Bernie. Cliath Ragabash Gnawer. Niceta meetcha." She offers a hand.

Sophia shakes Bernie's hand, pleasantly surprised. "Wow. I've been wanting to meet you."

Alicia clicks her tongue ring a few times against her teeth, hooking her arm up with Camerons. "Come male, lets paint the forest red or something." She flashes a grin over to Bernie, then tugs him to the door.

Matt nods to Sophia, Then Anneka. "Well, seems Oi've got a crisis brewin' at 'ome. Books, you'l see the cub either ta Signe's or upstairs?"

Sophia waves goodbye to Alicia and Cameron.

"...Dude!" Bernie exclaims, startled, breaking into a wider grin and glancing over her shoulder at the others, "My fame precedes me! Kickass!" She giggles, and waves to Alicia, breaking off suddenly as Matt speaks, and shaking her head. "Nuh-UH," she replies firmly, "there's no crisis, an' =damned= if you're goin' without me. I was jus' 'bout t' go b'fore y'all showed up anyhow..."

Anneka watches, green eyes bright under the sandy tangle of her bangs. She brushes her hair away with a free hand, the other holding her smudged glass, still, smiles at Sophia. Her toes, smudged and dirty, just poke out from beneath the cuffs of her jeans. "Hi, hi. 'm Anneka." She grins the impish grin. "Cub Philodox 'n Gnawer." Then she looks about over to Matt. "Rp?"

Cameron gives the room in general a half-wave. Looking to Bernie, he smirks at Bernie, and says to the room in general, "Well, I got me a hot date, so... Cameron, cub, Theurge, Fianna, and all-round nice guy. Back soon, people." He gives Alicia a wink, and allows himself to be dragged out.

Sophia says warmly, "Nice to meet you, Anneka."

Matt shrugs. "So you say. An' you're a Ragabash. Anyway. We've got watch over Anneka. Oi suppose she could sleep in th' spare room..."

Bernie sticks her tongue out at Matt. "Yeah, I am, an' when've I ever lied t' ya b'fore, huh? So what makes ya think I'd start now, an' 'bout that? Jeez. An' yeah, she could, or we could drop her back off at Signe's onna way, seein' as it's got th' proper locks, an' all." She glances to Anneka, "Though, seems t' me you could prolly be trusted not t' go anywhere, yeah?" It's a question; for once that yeah isn't rhetorical.

The faint ring of a bicycle bell comes from the lane, outside.

The 'Gnawer cub in question is bouncing up and down in place, singing quietly to herself about having a fang, of all things. "I've gotta--" She looks over to Bernie, eyes big-- then stops and closes her eyes for a few moments, holding herself still. When she opens them again, she nods. "Uh-huh. I won't go anywhere."

Kaz pushes in the sliding doors, flute case in hand. She grins faintly at the wagging dog, and then sags tiredly against the wall. "Yo," she says, generally.

In the front rooms, From upstairs, a small burst of 'Finally'! and 'About damn time!' snap off, followed by a 'Me first' and 'Hey! You CUT!' ... Soon after, the Lady Jefferson elegantly descends the stairs in a white bathrobe and slippers, towel about her hair, and quite relaxed after an hour-plus long bath.

Sophia waves at Kaz happily. "Look! I finally got to meet her."

Steven's carrying a couple of beaten up backpacks over one shoulder.

Kaz looks from Bernie to Sophia almost warily, assessing, in particular, Bernie's expression. "Yeah..." She moves out of Steven's way, carefully.

In the front rooms, Summer knocks several times on the front door.

In the front rooms, Brittany pauses by the front door, having been moving towards a bookshelf to return her reading material. She turns, then glances outside, to see who it might be.

It's the Galliard's moon, and it shows on Steven's face in a very unusual way: in particular, he seems to be grinning quite pleasantly.

"Hi, Kaz!" Anneka grins to Kaz, scuffs over to lean against the wall as well. "Th'moot was really--" The girl makes room for Steven as well, half-unconscious, half following Kaz.

Bernie blinks as her packmate walks in, breaking into a grin. "Kaz!" she exclaims, "jus' th' person...." Sophia's greeting makes her trail off, and she gestures at the girl, "Wait, you knew I hadda fan club, an' you didn' tell me? Hmph. See 'f I autograph any 8-by-10s for =you=... Evening, Steven. Running off to join th' circus?" He gets a pleasant smile and a quick gesture around the room with the question. "...jeez, it got crowded in here..."

In the front rooms, Brittany opens the front door, smiling down a bit at the girl outside. "Good evening."

Matt notes the crowd. "Oi'm goin' fer a fag," He says pulling out his pack of cigarettes. "Anyone else?"

Kaz grins at Anneka, and then mutters at Bernie, "Well, it ain't really /your/ fan club. C'ld we mebbe go outside for a sec?"

In the front rooms, Summer blinks, and swallows, a bit of an awkward look chasing away her smile. "Um, hi," she says, one hand running back over damp sweaty hair, trying to tame the frazzled escapees. "Um, is Cam around?"

Bernie nods at Kaz, starting to follow Matt out when she catches the question from the front room -- and the voice. Turning, she calls, "He went out, but he's gonna be right back, hi Summer!", waves quickly, and heads out the sliding door to the backyard.

[Barnyard]

Matt has cigarettes waiting for his packmates, though they're unlit.

Kaz doesn't seem to need a cigarette, though she takes one just to be polite. Jerking her thumb back to the house, she explains something quietly to Bernie.

Bernie accepts as well, glancing vaguely downward as she listens to Kaz.

The cub tumbles out into the backyard, skipping down the steps and ending up amidst the knot of folks gathered nearby. Anneka looks back over her shoulder at the house though, a figurative question mark lingering over her head. She sticks her hands in her pockets, 'wf's quietly and looks to Kaz and Bernie.

Pack> Kaz explains, (which is probably audible to Matt), sounding a little apologetic, "Sophia there's kinda obsessed with Harbor Park, an' in particular th' Fountain. She keeps goin', 'Why doesn't someone /fix/ it?' and 'I could /do/ something about it!' Like, at least three different times this week. I din' feel right tellin' her myself about, y'know, but I tol' her she oughta talk t'you. You c'n pretty much tell her anythin' you want, I figure, from 'Yes, I know it's annoying, and this is what we're trying to get the City to do,' all the way up to 'Yes, you can help, let me tell you how.' So. 'Less she already tol' you, I figured I'd tell you 'fore she did."

Matt sits on the back stoop, wreathing himself in smoke.

Most of Kaz's concentration is still on Bernie.

Bernie blinks, and nods, going thoughtful. "....thanks," she murmurs, and then something else, a bit longer, but less audible.

You whisper "...where're they stashin' her? I'll hafta track her down an' chat 'bout it t'marra, I think..." to Kaz.

Kaz waves in the direction of Kent Crossing, and mutters something inaudible.

From afar, Kaz mutters, "It's this place the Walkers bought, a couple houses down from here. 's a pretty nice place, all in all."

Anneka flops down on the stoop, not far off from Matt, and waves to Cameron. "Hi, 'gain," her voice quiet.

Cameron strolls up the barnyard from the woods, hands deep in jacket pockets, and head down. He isn't really paying much attention until he hears Anneka's greeting, and looks up. His face lights up with a smile. "Hey, guys."

Kaz says, cheerfully, "Hey, Cam," and glances at Anneka, as if to say, 'You had a question?'

Bernie breaks off and flashes a grin at Cameron. "Hey!" she greets him, "...Summer's inside." Then she starts, inaudible to anyone but Kaz, beside her, counting off seconds to see how long it takes him to get in there too.

Cameron's face doesn't change much at the mention, but he simply flips a lazy salute at the gathering, and says, "Well, cheerio. Got something in the oven, or whatever." And virtually dashes through the back door.

Kaz, to put it bluntly, chortles. After she gets control of herself, she leans over to ask Bernie something else.

From afar, Kaz waves a hand at the house. "So if I was gonna suck money outta Brittany there, how much do we need?"

"Every time I think I figure somethin' out, somethin' else happens that's confusin'," the cub says, scuffs at the ground a bit with a dirty foot. "An' there's a lotta confusin', now." She grins, then. "Crowded, too."

Kaz looks over from Bernie to tilt her head. "Which bit's confusin' now?"

Bernie giggles. "Ten seconds flat," she murmurs, and goes thoughtful again at Kaz's question, pondering while the Galliard talks with the cub.

Anneka squints, turns about to look back at the house. "Well, I was wonderin' who-- um, -he- was. An' about Glass Walkers, an' if you can filla schoolbus with alla people in th'farmhouse."

Kaz blinks. "Which he, the one with the eye problem, or the one that just came by? An'," she starts grinning, "There's even more of us where that came from, yeah. As f'Walkers -- well, if we're the ones that get down and dirty in the Cities, that do the close up work, the Walkers is the ones that do the stuff that don't take gettin' y'hands dirty, the techfoo an' the Mafia stuff an' things."

Anneka puts her hand over one eye. "Lotsa backpacks, too." Then she starts gigglin. "Makin' offers people can' ref'use?"

Bernie grins. "You could =try= t' get 'em all onna school bus, but I bet people'd protest..." Then she leans over and murmurs something quiet back to Kaz.

Kaz somehow gets tenser, although it's not very visible to those that don't know her well. "He's Steven. Fostern Fianna. Knows a lot. Not someone t'piss off, most've the time." She considers Anneka for a moment. "Actually, has anyone explained the /Gnawers/ to you, yet?"

You whisper "...How much can ya get? Th' proposed cost t' get the fountain back how it useta be, marble an' all, was a quarter mil. I figure we c'n fix th' plumbin' an' make a new concrete one for quite a bit less, but it's still gonna be a lot... jus' gettin' ridda th' marble takes it down t' two hunnerd-thou, figure th' concrete'll cost less, plus be less expensive t' get formed inta th' right shape an' all, an' we don' plan on payin' for labour on mosta it, seein' as we're doin' it... but frankly, whatever y'think y'c'n get." to Kaz.

Anneka sits up straight, opens her mouth to say something, then closes it. There's a pause, then. "Lit'ny, there's dif'rent tribes, 'spices, Rage, totems, gifts 'n rites, moot and-- don't touch Signe's stereo." She pauses. "Kinda, no. Not lots."

Matt speaks up. "One o' th' reasons Oi said 'wait,' earlier.

Anneka glances over at Matt, and nods. "Uh-huh.'

Kaz says, "Thirteen different tribes. Remind me to babble about them all sometime. Meanwhile, I'll just babble about the Gnawers. See, we're called the Bone Gnawers. Because people go, 'Oh, yes, all they get is the scraps, the leavings.' An' we do, it's true. We live in the City, which most Garou don't wanna do, an' most of the time, we get fucked over a lot. So because th' proverbial Man's keepin' us down, we've learned how to survive, to live anywhere we're forced to, an' to /fight back/ when we can. But the thing is, A Gnawer of Bone -- it ain't a bad thing, in the long run. Because, you chew on a bone long enough, and you get to the /best/ part of the whole animal, the marrow. An' that's true with us, too, 'cause we're made stronger by survivin', 'cause /we/ love the City even if most everyone else don't, we love what we can /do/ for it, an' we love /each other/. We're family, an' that /matters/."

From afar, Kaz shrugs. "I ain't talked to her. Might not get a red cent. But I'll see what I can do."

Bernie grins, and nods to Kaz, with a slight shrug of agreement, or possibly acceptance. She steps over to the stairs, then, and plops down next to Matt, leaning in sideways against him for a moment to give him a push.

Matt raises a hand. "Oi'm not. Family that is. Not the Gnawers, Anyroad." He smiles.

Kaz says, with a grin, "We got all kindsa interlockin' families around here. Packs, tribes, auspices, who /knows/ what I'll be talkin' about next?"

The cub's still for a few seconds, leaning forward a little, eyes bright and fixed on Kaz. "When I was on th'beach, I liked how I could see both-- Water comin' up on th'sand, all kindsa stuff around innit, blue, blue forever-- An' th'city on th'other, 'n alla stuff there, too, 'n people livin' in it." She shakes her head, smiles at Matt. "You're Fianna." She slips off the stop, standing up with her hands in her pockets, looks at Kaz again. "I love 'em both, where they're t'gether. That's me."

Kaz's grin softens a little. "Y'notice, we're out here. Gnawers, we adapt. T'anything." She glances at Matt. "You explained Fianna t'her? What it means, deep down?"

Bernie mock-pouts at Matt. "Hmph. Not even step-brother? Cousin? Third cousin twice r'moved?" She grins again, and leans back against the door a bit.

Matt shakes his head. "Nope. Get it straight. I'm th' bloody Sugar Daddy."

Kaz takes a long breath. "Well, mebbe /someone's/," she mutters, trying to hold her sudden temper in. "S'anyway, Bern, you keep leanin' on that door, I can't get through it to talk to Brittany."

"Oh, sorry," Bernie replies solemnly to Matt, with a wry little smile, "I forgot. Remind me t' r'member ya on Father's Day, yeah?" She stands, making Kaz's wish possible, and offers a hand to the Fianna to help him up as well, if he likes, "...so y'still in a rush t' check on th' Dec'dence?"

Matt grumbles. "Assumin' it's still =there=..."

Kaz looks alarmed. "What, y'apartment burnt down or somethin'?"

"Family," Anneka says, really quiet now, smiling a bit to herself. Then she grins more, glances to Kaz and Bernie beyond her. "That makes sense." She's humming to herself again when she starts walking back towards the stoop. "Um-- Where'm I sleepin' t'ni--" She looks at Matt.

Bernie shakes her head, looking bemused, and possibly just the slightest bit hurt, actually. "I asked 'f he'd been home yet, an' he jus' insists on thinkin' somethin' must be wrong, no matter how many times I tell 'im it's =fine=," she explains, still watching Matt as she answers Kaz.

Kaz looks from Matt to Bernie, and then shrugs. "OK, so he's a paranoid. Works f'me. Anneka, y'can crash here if y'want, or we c'n getcha back to Signe's easy."

Matt shrugs, apologetic. "Sorry, Books, but when a ragabash asks you ''ows yer ten ton weight?' First you think 'Whot ten ton weight?' Then ye think 'oh fer fuck sake.' Splat!"

The cub considers that for a few seconds, then smiles at Kaz. "Signe's."

Kaz looks enlightened. "Oh. Ragabash. Yeah." She seems to know the feeling. "Anyway. 'Kay, Anneka, I'll drive y'back when I getta chance. Meanwhile," she mutters, pushing past the two on the steps, "scuse me."

Bernie can't help laughing at the example. "A'ight, yeah, I grant th' gen'ral case, but c'mon, honest, y'think I'd do anythin' t' =hurt= th' Dec'dence? Worst case, there might be a tad of redecoration t' do, or some cleanin', but nothin', y'know, =permanent=." There's a slightly teasing tone in part of that, as if she's decided that if he's going to insist on worrying, she's not going to make things any more comforting for him. "...so c'mon, then. We c'n grab my stuff inside an' go check yer baby."

Anneka grins at Bernie on her way back into the farmhouse as well, waves to Matt. Looks like she's off to see if there's anything interesting in the 'fridge.

"Hah," is Matt's eloquent reply. "When /you/ pick up th' note th' iron's 'oldin' on th' place, then Oi'll stop worrying.

Steven is still chuckling as he comes outside. "Good night," he says. "Good night," he repeats.

Bernie glances up as Steven exits, her hand still extended to help Matt up, should he ever decide to stand. The Fostern's good humour makes her grin again. "G'night," she echoes.

Brigid traipses out of the woods, on a lazy path headed towards the farmhouse, idly playing with the tail of her braid.

Matt is slow getting to his feet, finishing his cigarrette. Finally, he stands and smiles at Bernie. "Oi'm sure its fine, loike ye say, or it was, when ye left."

Steven passes by the guardian as he heads back into the wood. He grins at her widely as he passes by.

Brigid raises an eyebrow and turns her head to return the smile a bit confusedly, eventually shaking her head and continuing to amble towards the farmhouse.

Bernie smiles at Matt. "Good," she replies, and moves to open the sliding door.

[Farmhouse: Kitchen and Dining Room]

Sophia nods. "Having her around helps me get in touch with my canine side." She grins, and turns to gauge Brigid's reaction.

Bernie steps in through the sliding doors, heading directly for the other room. She pauses in the doorway, though, and glances back, "...Hey, Sophia. Kaz hadda word with me, I'm gonna track y'down t'marra, we'll chat, a'ight?" With that, she passes by the sofa, picking up the backpack and Wal-Mart bags that were left lying there.

Brigid purses her lips in a smile and nods, tugging open the fridge door to look inside. "Definitely good to be in touch with that."

Sophia smiles at Bernie, and then goes back to futzing with hambruger meat on the stove.

Bernie passes back through, reopening the sliding door to leave, "Oh, an' hi," she adds, to Brigid, then, "Bye!"

[Barnyard]

Bernie emerges, backpack over her shoulder and a couple Wal-Mart bags in her hand. "A'ight. Ready. Let's go."

Matt hands Bernie her helmet, and starts the Lambretta. They head for the city with a 'vroom!'

[Bohemian Decadence]

It would be hard to believe that there really are no Ragabash tricks awaiting; Bernie seems a bit excited and anticipatory as they climb the stairs and open the door to the flat. She slips in first, and slips off her backpack but keeps holding her bags, stepping to the side and just waiting a moment as Matt enters.

Matt steps into the house, scanning it and inspecting. For what, he's not exactly sure. He pulls his shirt over his head as hge heads for the bedroom, but he stops in his tracks. "Oh, fer fuck's sake." He smiles, then dives for the bed, spinning around to land on his back.

Bernie grins like a maniac, and bounces on the balls of her feet, watching. She quickly makes sure the door is properly shut and locked, then follows, jumping onto the bed herself, to lie on her side next to him. "So," she asks nonchalantly, the effect ruined by the grin, "...like it?"

Matt nods, speechless. Like lying on clouds, compared to the floor. He tears himself away long enough to transplant part of the nest of blankets to the mattress.

Bernie meanwhile dumps out the Wal-Mart bags. There's two sets of sheets in one, and a bedspread in the other. Suddenly, she looks somewhat chagrined: "...I forgot about pillows!"

Matt almost dumps the blankets on the bed anyway, but pauses. "You even got sheets? Cor, Books. Where'd the fold come from, then?"

Bernie starts opening the sheet packages. "...well, th' bed itself, Yi. 'cause she wanted t' thank you. An' it's a housewarmin' present, too, she said." She slides off the bed, and starts putting the fitted sheet on. It appears to be black, with slightly greenish-white stars scattered across it. "Th' sheets an' stuff... I jus' picked up at Wal-Mart."

Matt mutters something about not needing to be repaid, and helps with the othe side of the sheet, smoothing it down over the mattress.

"I know," Bernie says in reply to the mutter, "but Yi wan'ed t' do somethin' nice for ya as a thank you anyhow. So I made a s'ggestion..." She shrugs, looking almost sheepish for a moment.

Matt nods, not really upset about this at all. "Oi guess we give 'er a proper sandshoe sometime. Oi'll try me 'ands at stir-fry, an see 'ow it goes. Go on, then. Let's 'ave that tops'l over."

Bernie grins and gives the topsheet a dramatic shake, trying to make it unfold and billow out. The effect is spoiled by being only partially successful, but it does the job well enough when they pull on the edges.

"'ats roight," Matt smiles, smoothing the topsheet down as well. "It is goin' ta be so nice sleepin' on a real bed. First time in a year, for me, Books." /Now/ he grabs some of the blankets and sleeping bags, looking for something comforter-ish.

Bernie brandishes the bedspread, pulling it out of the plastic, zippered bag it came in. It's black, as well. "What, th' one in th' 'riginal Dec'dence doesn't count?" she teases, but looks at the new bed happily, adding, "...it is, though..."

Matt looks at her. "Oi did say a /real/ bed. An' Oi didn't get that 'til Luke and Layne rited." Nodding to Bernie, Matt examines the bedspread. Beggars can't be choosers, but he's still curious what he's going to be sleeping under.

The side currently on top is black -- just plain black, with occasional stiching keeping the whole thing together so the stuffing won't slip. The other side is also black, with the same pattern as the sheets. They must be designed to go together. "Well, this one's def'nitely real," Bernie replies, pulling the blanket across the bed. "An' bouncy, too." She pauses, "Um, but I didn't jump on it a lot or anythin'."

Matt gives the ragabash a sly sidelong glance and a smile. "No' a /lot/, ye say. Less than, oh, twenty or firty minutes, then?" He helps pull the bedspread down over the sheets as well. Then he wads the Bohemian nest of blankets up and takes them to the spare room. "Roight back, then."

"Much!" Bernie agrees, a little sheepish again, and snags a few of the ancient pillows from the nest, shoving them into the pillowcases until they seems suitably full, and not too terribly lumpy. The finished products get arranged at the head of the bed while she waits for the Fianna to return.

The Fianna is still chuckling a bit at that when he returns, to a room transformed. "Wow," he says from the doorway. "Books, C'mere an' have a gaze at 'is. S'beautiful."

Bernie obligingly steps over to join Matt in the doorway (not as though it's much of a walk), and slides an arm loosely about his waist as she regards the room. She grins, and nods, giving him a pleased squeeze. "'s lovely," she agrees, "...prolly it'd help 'f I, y'know, made everythin' go =inside= th' dresser, an' shut th' drawers, but..." She trails off, happy.

Matt shrugs, still overpleased. "Ah, mess is a constant. Next Oi need ta work on th' den 'ere." he nods toward the main room behind them.

Bernie turns to glance behind her, without moving her arm. "...yeah? What else d'we need t' do in there?" she asks. "...'side from paintin', which we still gotta do in here, too, act'ly..."

Matt tics things off, mentally. "Telly, stereo, maybe some records, A big overstoofed chair." His arm slides around her waist as well. "Bed's a bloody 'andsome start though."

Bernie beams, and nods. "S'pose we could do with those, yeah..." She rests her head on his shoulder, and sighs contentedly. Then the grin returns, and she suddenly untwines herself and dives onto the bed, landing with an impressive bounce and a laugh.

Matt's grin widens, and he follows suit, landing next to the Gnawer. "Well, Oi made it, Oi guess Oi'll 'ave ta lie in it." He turns on his side to look at her, a glint in his eyes. "Seriously, Books. It's the best present Oi've ever received fer not dying on a Rite o' Passage."

Bernie giggles. "Y'get a lotta those, then?" she asks innocently, lying on her back still, enjoying the mattress. She stretches a little before rolling onto her side to face him. "Yi an' I, originally we were gonna get it while you were Ritin', so it'd be here when y'got back. But you were too speedy 'bout it for that. Not that I'm complainin'!"

Matt looks a bit sheepish. "Sorry. Would 'ave been a noice surprise, though Oi might not 'ave believed ye about th' date, then. Oi'm surprised it was as shorst as it was. Seemed longer fer me." He gestures in the air above them where answers to questions like these lie. 'parrently, time that passes in th' Legend'ry Realm doesn't, 'ere."

"S'funny," she replies, "mine, I was gone what, two days, I think? An' it only =felt= like a few hours...." She pauses, and smiles, "...maybe you were usin' =my= extra time t' get back so fast. Hmph. An' when'd I say you could borrow it? You'll hafta pay me back sometime."

Matt pushes the errant lock of hair away from her face. "Only if ye help me spend it."

Bernie ducks her head slightly, and then glances back up, smiling. "Deal, then," she replies, quietly. "Long's we don't run out."

This thought causes a cloud of guilt and sadness to flicker across Matt's face, but he recovers gamely. "Deal." He rolls onto his back, Spreading his arms out. "Ahhh..."

Matt is studiously examining the ceiling. "Hmmm. Stars, eh?"

"Mmhmm. Stars," Bernie confirms. She watches Matt silently for a few seconds, and then grins again, suddenly darting in, yanking his shirt up a bit, and zerberting his stomach severely before rolling back over and dissolving in giggles.

"Awk!" Matt squawks, curling up around her. "Oi, no fair!" He levers himself up and is upon her, tickling.

Bernie squeaks, laughing harder, and wriggles ineffectually to avoid the tickling. "Hey, stop, no fair!" she gasps in protest, arms wrapped protectively around her midsection, before giving up on that and retaliating with tickles of her own.

Matt laughs until he is red in the face, and decides that the only tactic he can use to prevent further tickling is to cradle her face in both hands and kiss her.

It works... not immediately, but soon enough. Her laughter suddenly muffled by the kiss, Bernie takes advantage of the lack of protection to tickle his sides a little more, but swiftly forgets about it, hands stilling in place as she kisses him back.

Matt hasn't mastered the art of kissing and giggling at the same time, so until she stops, he is basically just pressing his lips against hers. When she stops, though, he is more earnest, though the kiss retains a wistful quality.

Bernie's giggles subside just as quickly as the tickling, and her hands slide along the skin of his sides to encircle his waist, holding on quite tightly. Her mouth greets his eagerly, without any hesitation.

Matt isn't as confident on this new surface, as it keeps giving under him, instead of being steady, firm and marginally comfortable. Still he keeps from squashing the Gnawer, and her eagerness feeds his own. Shortly the wistfulness is gone, replaced by a fire.

One arm remains about his waist, the other gliding slowly up his back; the kiss deepens further as it continues, quite passionate on her end. Longing. The new surface bothers her not at all, the sensation of sinking slightly into it comfortable.

Matt rolls them both onto their sides, making the whole arrangement a little easier, and finding a reasonable placement for the awkward Bottom Arm, so that it isn't in the way and doesn't fall asleep. His othe hand strokes her cheek as they kiss, softly.

Bernie breaks the kiss briefly to catch her breath, eyes closed behind her glasses. The hand that ended up below him in the roll is pulled back to take the specs off, flipping them shut and reaching out to set them far away as her eyes reopen, gazing at him. The arms finds a new resting place about his neck, and she leans in to kiss him again.

A while later, Matt breaks the kiss, to pull his t-shirt over his head and off.

Bernie doesn't reclaim Matt's lips immediately, instead taking the opportunity to admire his form, fingertips slowly brushing over his chest, her eyes on them as they move. "You're so... beautiful," she breathes, tone laced with wonder. A moment later, she blushes, perhaps not having intended to say it aloud, or perhaps having meant to, but afraid she oughtn't have.

Matt hesitates, blushing. "Cor, Books. You doan't mean that." His brows are tented, incredulous. The last thing to enter his mind, apparently was that he might be beautiful. He glances inadvertently over his shoulder, to his back.

The blush increasing a shade or so again, Bernie glances briefly downward, then back to her fingers. "...no..." she says softly, and dares to look toward his face again, if a bit shyly, "I do."

Matt gazes at her in pure amazement. "Oi doan't fink anyone 'as ever said anyfing so nice ta me in me life." He lies on his back, one arm underneath her, holding her close.

Bernie cuddles into him, and opens her mouth slightly, as if to say something. She either can't decide what or changes her mind, and leans in to nuzzle his neck a bit, silently. Then, she does say something: "Well... they should."

Matt starts to say "fanks," but the word is cut off, midway through, by a huge yawn. His eyelids droop, which when combined with the smile on his face makes him look doped up.

Bernie smiles a little, and gives the Fianna a sudden, almost painfully tight squeeze which lingers a while, as if there's a danger that otherwise someone's about to grab him and drag him away from her. She sighs, relaxing it slightly, and suggests, "...so we prolly oughta get ready for bed an' act'ly use it all properly, 'fore you just pass out on toppa it."

Matt grins, amused. Then pulls the covers back. "After you," he sighs contentedly.

Bernie reclaims her glasses -- can't have them getting broken -- and quickly makes a pile of them and the majority of her outfit on the floor beside the bed before slipping between the new sheets and getting comfortable as Matt turns out the light and joins her. She tries one of the pillows, but ends up curling against him in the usual way, head resting on his shoulder and one arm across him. She sighs her own contented little sigh and soon drifts off by the music of the night noises and the light of the glow-in-the-dark sheets.