-----------------------------------

[The Safehouse]

There's the sound of knocking, and it's hard to tell just when it may have started. Probably not too long ago. Cole stands outside the front door, waiting patiently. Well, for him. He shifts from foot to foot. The Galliard is clad in beaten clothes, apparently the kind he doesn't mind getting dirty.

Natalie finishes driving the last screw in the current length and pauses to look at the door, frowning. A second later Cole bangs again and she sets down the drill, kicking the cord away from her feet, then crosses to let the other Galliard in. "--Cole," she says, surprised, waving him into the construction zone. "C'mon in."

Cole takes the invitation, stepping past her and turning around to face the Glass Walker. "Hey, Natalie-rhya." He cocks his head, listening to the music for a moment. "Uh, is it cool, me just showing up like this? I figured you might not appreciate a howl of introduction outside your door." He gives a little grin to show that he's being half-playful.

Natalie returns his grin with half of one of her own. "That's why we've got doorbells. Or, in your case," she inclines her head toward the door, "You knock. So what brings you to the city?"

Cole chuckles. "Well, this, actually. I heard from Megan-rhya about this project. And, well, I want to help." He states it plainly enough, especially for a Galliard. "It looks like there's still a little bit to go."

Natalie barks out a little hah. "That's putting it mildly. Yeah, sure you can help. How familiar are you with power tools, construction, that sort of thing?" She wipes a forearm across her forehead, then hooks both her thumbs into the beltloop of her jeans while she studies Cole.

Cole shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, where they can be mostly seen through holes there. "Well, I know my way around a toolbox, and I know how to pound a nail into a wall. If I have directions on where to put things, I can do a pretty wide variety of jobs. But mostly, just another set of muscles to help tote and lift."

Natalie says, "Spiff," after another moment's study. "Well, right now I'm putting framing up around this thing." She kicks one foot half-heartedly sideways toward the concrete. "If you can attach the rest of the vertical framing, I'll measure and cut the perimeter." A nod's given first to the drill on the floor, then the box of screws setting on top of the wall. "Gonna be able to handle that?"

Cole debates internally for a moment as to whether he can respond that yes, in fact, he can handle a good screw. Perhaps maturity wins out, because he simply nods. "I think I can manage not to make an ass of myself, yeah." He situates himself, then goes to grab the tools. "How've things been for the Walkers?"

"Well enough," she answers, waiting to watch and see how he handles himself with her precious power tools before moving away. "Never a quiet moment. --Oh, he probably wouldn't tell you, but I was the one who bought Erik the new clothes."

Cole doesn't have the fluid grace of a carpenter, but he nonetheless manages to do what he needs to do, and doesn't make a botch of it. "Erik," he mumbles, brain fuzzy until he makes the connection. "Oh. The new metis in town, right?" He frowns. "I've only seen him around once. And that was... well, not a pleasant time."

"New metis at the Sept," Nat corrects, frowning at his handling of the tool. "Voice of Trees, Cliath Fianna." Apparently deciding that he's not going to accidentally slip and drill holes in himself, she retreats to the other side of the low wall. There she picks up a tape measure and starts measuring the length of the wall. "He asked me to find him a violin too, but no luck yesterday. --What do you mean, it wasn't a pleasant time?"

Cole busies himself, voice carrying over the wall. "Trevor-rhya was less than pleased to meet him. Alicia-rhya suggested that since there were so many Galliards in once place, we should tell stories. That did NOT go over well with Trevor. He basically insinuated that any story told by Erik would probably be tainted. I honestly don't get it."

Natalie only offers a, "Mhn," as she hooks the end of the tape to one end of the wall. "Your... tribe isn't exactly known for its... spectacular treatment of Metis." There, that was tactful enough, wasn't it?

Any diplomat would be proud! "No, not from what I've seen. Some bullshit about how the body echoes the spirit. Deformed body must mean a corrupt spirit." The expression on his face, should it be seen, would lay to rest any doubts about whether Cole believed that or not. "I can't imagine Stag turning aside any warriors who sincerely loved Gaia. Even if their parents did a very bad thing."

Natalie remains silent while she measures the wall's length, noting it with a little nod, then returns to the far end. "That's... not a typical... huh. Your attitude is more like... one of the more progressive tribes'. I've talked with him a little - Erik, I mean. He tells good stories. Has a great voice."

Cole has a screw in his lips when he responds, which colors his speech a bit. "I've been told my tune will change when I get a little older," he murmurs, setting the next screw. "And yeah, I heard it. Damn. Guy could be a professional singer, if things weren't like they are."

Natalie takes a quick measurement of the end of the wall, then retreats back to the toolbox and some scratch paper there. "You mean, if he weren't a, Garou and b, Metis?" She tosses him a sly look before scribbling down some numbers. "Maybe. All I know is that I found him in the compound trying to make some tasty oak-leaf stew and shivering in rags that wouldn't keep a mouse warm."

Cole looks guilty at that, and that's telling enough of an expression. "Geez. Poor guy. Why didn't he go lupus? That would at least help keep him warm." His hand rises to the fetish bound on a thong about his throat, unconsciously. "But yeah, that's what I meant. Too much rage in Galliards to do something stressful like singing for a career."

Natalie glances up at that, both eyebrows lifted. "--I've seen him in lupus. He's all but hairless. That's not going to do squat-all either." Back down to her figures, where she adds something, carries something else, and comes up with a final number. "Ugly as sin, poor guy. I'd say he's even worse looking than Flash was, but... it's comparing pineapples to watermelon. They're both fruit, but that's about as far as you can go."

Cole swallows and nods, continuing to attach the framing. He's quiet for a moment, thinking. "Ah. The mask. I guess I see why. I feel for him, then. It was a pretty raw reception he got."

Natalie only shrugs as she crosses over to pick up a twelve-foot length of board. "It happens. You don't like it, renounce your tribe and join the Children, or something." Hard on the heels of this bleak announcement she glances up to add, "Yeah, it sucks, but you're not going to change anything. Not from the rest of your Tribe, anyway."

Cole looks down, frowning. "I wouldn't renounce the Fianna over that," he says, seeming almost viscerally disturbed by the thought. "I'll just have to make sure that I do what's right. Even if none of the others think that way."

"Do what you think is right," Nat says. "Just know that everyone else is doing the same, huh?" Turning carefully to balance the mass of the wood, she sets it onto a pair of sawhorses, then fetches the tape measure again. "--In other news, 've you found out anything about that Crinos hair I showed you?"

Cole huffs a breath, coming down from his tip-toed stance. "Food for thought. And... nah. Sorry, Natalie-rhya. I tried asking everyone who I thought might know. No one knew anything about the Dominion beyond it's the place where Walkers lived." He shrugs helplessly. "Have you had any luck, on that?"

Natalie says, "It's been way at the bottom of my priority list." Tape's stretched out, a tick made on the wood, and then she measures again, this time in the other direction. "What with this place, my private life, and this little tangle Havoc's gotten into." She presses a button and the tape rolls back into its housing with a whirr and a snap. "--Speaking of, I called Megan-rhya last week and told her I wanted to talk to her. Have you seen her? Do you know if she's avoiding me or something?"

Cole gives an expressive shrug. "I saw her for just a few minutes, when she told me about this place." He snorts. "Well, she might be with Rafe, enjoying it while the moon is small." He finishes his task, and moves over, to watch the proceedings. "So I wouldn't think she's avoiding you. Just especially busy. I can relay a message to her, if you want. Or just remind her."

Natalie presses her lips together and mhns unhappily, straightens. "Remind her, please. And if you'd let her know that I'm going to be out of town this weekend... well, starting tomorrow, actually. I'll be back on Monday. But this is something that really needs to be dealt with before the next half-moon."

Cole nods, making a mental note of it. "I can do that," he affirms, glancing around the place. "Hmm. Any new tales pop up that you care to share," he asks, casually.

Natalie clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Lemme think," she says, moving over to pick up her circular saw. A nod at him to keep back and she flicks it on, the high-pitched whine turning quickly to protest as she introduces it to the wood.

Cole doesn't approach any closer, apparently at least wise enough to acknowledge the superiority of a sawblade over his regenerative and pain-bearing powers. He gathers up the drill and screws from where he was working, putting them into some semblance of order.

The saw screams through the first length of wood. It has scarcely enough time to come to a stop while Natalie picks up another length, measures it against the first, then cuts the second as well. "--Nothing springs to mind," she says then, kicking the saw's cord out from underfoot before placing it back on the ground. "At least, nothing fit for the general public yet. You?"

Cole shakes his head, snorting. "Nothing that I can really tell yet. I hope to have something ready for the next moot, though." Shifting his stance anxiously, he appears to think of something. "I'm going to go grab some dinner, and then come back. That cool with you?"

Natalie straightens, eyeing him dubiously. "Erm... no, actually. Unless by 'dinner' you mean lunch, not supper. I'm knocking off about five, five-thirty today. I'm just going to get the last of this framing done, then start working on our side of things. Thanks for stopping by, though. You saved me some time."

Cole gives a shrug, then, and nods. "Alrighty. I'll be back another day, then. This gives me something to do that actually involves effort. Talk to you later, Natalie-rhya."

[End of log]