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Safehouse: GW Main Area
This area, while obviously in the throes of demolition, is quieter than the main safehouse. The entire back wall of the kitchen has been removed, almost doubling its size into the safehouse next door, and an arch framed in between it and the new dining room. Another arch opens from the dining room into the hallway, the only entrance into the kitchen. The middle bedroom is undergoing serious re-wiring, with what looks like two ethernet jacks on opposite walls. A smaller cache of tools and supplies wait in the living-room. Upstairs is nearly unrecognizable from before: what used to be a living room at the front of the house has been walled off to make a large bedroom, steps now lead up into the attic above, and a small half-bath has been tucked underneath. What used to be two bedooms and a kitchen is now three bedrooms, while the full bath has new fixtures.
A doorway under the curve of the stairs leads from the main floor down to the basement. The exit from this part of the house is through a heavy door in the living room, which leads out to the area set up for communal use by the Sept's Garou.
Obvious exits:
Common Area BAsement
From the Glass Walker's area comes grunts of frustration and exertion from the Ahroun cub who has apparently affixed a work light behind himself and has placed himself in front of a wall where his shadow is prominently displayed. He appears to be running himself through different fighting drills while shadow boxing. Jabbing, dodging, round housing, sweeping and the like while wearing his tool belt that has a hammer, a couple screw drivers, and a nail pouch on it. And somewhere along the way he has picked up a construction helmet. Altogether he looks like a sad ass version of Bob the Builder as he bounces around in front of the wall, dodging and weaving.
Natalie pushes a wheelbarrow loaded with concrete blocks through the door between the public safehouse and the Glass Walker side, expertly manuvering it around the half-wall separating the foyer from the living room. There she stops, both eyebrows lifted in surprise at the sight in front of her. "--You get those blocks moved down to the basement?" she asks, pitching her voice loud enough to get Rocky's attention.
Saul gives a couple hops up and down as he momentarily pauses long enough to give Natalie two thumbs up while panting and then goes back to his shadow boxing, "Ya know I think I got this fighting thing down pretty good, Nat. Whatcha think, huh? Huh?"
"I think," she answers evenly, watching him, "That you can work on carrying this next load down. But no, you're not bad considering your age."
Saul stops and sags visibly, "Blocks. Move the blocks. Do the bricks. Haul this." He complains and then suddenly brightens, "Oh, hey, hey! Nat! The other day I was out with Kenneth, ya know, while I was walkin' back from the book store thing, and I got to kick this one guy's ass all over the cement. It was great." He says as he moves over to the wheelbarrow, "Ken helped too, but I did most of the ass kickin'."
Natalie shifts some of the blocks as well - but no, she's just taking them out of the wheelbarrow, not carrying them down the stairs. "Kenneth?" she echoes, wincing as she straightens, one hand moving around to lightly touch her back. "Who's Kenneth and why did you feel the need to kick some guy's ass? Also, language."
Saul blinks as he's corrected on his vocabulary, "Kenneth? Dude, Shadow Lord Philodox Cliath. Lucas' brother. We were walkin'. Talkin' and stuff when we heard this lady shout that this guy'd stolen her purse. So, ya know, that's not cool. Lady and all. So as he was running past I jumped on him and hauled him down to the cement while Kenneth further tripped him and then I kick his... damn it, I made a damned Picasso out of him before the police came."
"Language," Natalie says again, distracted by another wince. "All right - when did this happen? And since when have you started hanging out with Shadow Lords? What happened to the purse-snatcher?"
Saul frowns at this new bout of telling him to watch his language, "A'right, a'right. It happened, like, last week. Can't remember when it happened. Maybe Thursday or Friday. And I've started hanging out with Shadow Lords because besides you and whatever 'Walker is around here I have no one to talk to. None of the kin'll be within a mile of me with the moon so big. 'Cept maybe Jeremy. He seems cool with it. Anyway, anyway. Okay, okay. Heh. After I... cleaned his clock?" He shrugs and shakes his head at having to use such G-rated language, "The police came, asked us what happened and sent us on our way with a pat on the back. No names. No nothin'. We're in the clear. Only a few witnesses. I can promise you this though. I made sure he'll not be purse-snatchin' any time soon. Or having children either. Four good soccer punts to the groin." He pauses for a minute, "I like soccer."
Natalie enunciates clearly, her eyes locked onto the cub's face, "If you spend any more unsupervised, unapproved time with a Shadow Lord I'll cull you." She pauses a moment to let that sink in, then continues, "And no, none of the kin will come anywhere near you because they don't want to die. You'll notice Jon doesn't come around during the big moons either. For some Gaia-only-knows-why reason Jeremy thinks he's safe should one of us frenzy and lose it. He's not. He's stupid and lucky, and if he shows up again before the moon is half, send him packing. He ought to know better. You're a cub, Saul. I thought you knew enough so that you could be trusted. Maybe I was wrong."
Saul stares at her, his mouth hanging open and looks for all intents and purposes that the world is closing in around him, "The heck, Nat! I fought and I did some good! I took out a bad guy. One for the gipper an' all! Why can't you be happy I did one thing right. One thing! I thought you'd be friggin' proud of me!" He says in a raised voice, a deep frown creasing his features. He then drops his gaze and closes his eyes, his body just seeming to stand there limp, "Can't do anything right."
For a few seconds the only sound is concrete crating on metal as Nat pulls a block out of the barrow. "For taking out the purse-snatcher? Sure I'm proud of you. But for hanging out with Shadow Lords, for spending time with kin during a full moon, you're an idiot. --Dammit!" The block tumbles out of her grasp, clunking to the floor by way of her foot; she grimaces again and backs three quick steps away from the barrow and cub. "You're nearly ready - or I thought you were - for your Rite of Passage. You shouldn't need me to hold your damn hand all the time. And when you get smacked on the nose for screwing up, don't whine and bitch about it."
Saul spreads his arms wide, "Well pardon for thinking I deserved a little 'good job, glad what I taught you caught on' talk, ya know instead of the whole 'I'm going to friggin' kill you, so help me' spiel. A'right? No Shadow Lords. No kin. I got you. And no you don't have to friggin' hold my hand. I got it." He bends down to pick up the offending block and sets it on the other side of him and continues what Natalie was doing by unloading the wheelbarrow.
Natalie says tightly, watching him, "You remember what you hear first. I want you to remember to stay away from those damn Shadow Lords more than you need to get a pat on the back. You already know you did a good job taking out the purse-snatcher. What do you want, sirens too? A parade? A key to the god damn city?"
Saul snarls at this as he gestures at her, a block in hand as he does so, "I'm not an idiot, Nat. I told the Shadow Lord what I wanted him to hear about. Sometimes it's just nice talkin' at people. But whatever, Nat. Next time you slay a huge Wyrm foe or something I start in by sayin', 'Ya know, I think you really should have parried that blow instead of trying to block it outright'. But that's all fine and dandy. Ends justify the means in my situation. I needed a bit of assist at the moment. So what if it was a Shadow Lord? Could have been a Red Talon or a Fury for all I cared at the moment. I bumped into him. Whatever." He tosses the block behind him, "I'm not going to see him anymore. And if I see Jeremy before time I'll jump Umbra-side or just walk away. Okay? Lesson learned. Slap on the 'nose' administered."
"And if," Nat flings back at him, not backing down in the slightest, "It had been a Red Talon or a Black Fury I wouldn't have said 'boo'. You're just looking to get stabbed in the back. But hey, what the hell do I know? I'm just Beta of the damn Tribe, and have been Cliath for five years. Obviously you know better than I do what you need to do to pass your Rite of Passage. I ought to just send you on it right now, and then roll over so you can be Beta! What the hell was I thinking?"
Saul shakes his head and rolls his eyes, "I'm not sayin' that, Nat, and you know it. I know I don't know everything and you are a friggin' wealth of knowledge. God knows. Okay? All I'm sayin' is I handled the situation okay. At least in my thinking. Okay? No harm no foul. 'Sides, I don't want your friggin' job. I'm happy just bein' a grunt and gettin' the shit kicked out of me, read?"
Natalie takes a moment to look away from the cub, taking in a deep breath before letting it hiss out through her teeth. "Yes," she agrees once she's done that, her voice still tight, "You did a good job with the mugger. Like I already told you you did a good job with the mugger. Good job Saul, with the mugger." Another breath and she turns for the door. "I'll be back in a few. Unload the barrow and take the rest of the blocks downstairs."
Saul nods slowly and continues to unload the blocks, "A'right, Nat." He says and then stops, placing both hands on the edge of the wheelbarrow, "Hey, Nat? ...Sorry." He offers before he quickly goes back to his task and with a block in both hands, struggles to the basement door and starts down the steps.
Natalie stops with her hand on the doorknob, then nods, just once. "Accepted," she says before opening the door and stepping through. It's ever-so-carefully closed behind her, snicking closed with finality.
[End of log]