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[Ed note: I kept getting dumped and forgetting to set the log up again. Here is what I did salvage. Nat's brought cookies and is grilling Kat on what she's been taught.]

Farmhouse: Kitchen and Dining Room

Homey is the first word to come to mind when looking at the farmhouse's kitchen. Dark, wood-paneled wainscoting covers the walls to about waist height, dark beige wallpaper continuing to the ceiling. Twin refrigerators occupy the north wall, facing the large six-burner stove on the south. The kitchen counter runs the length of the eastern wall, broken only by the double-basin sink. Cabinets run above and below the counter and a twin-pane window is set in the wall above the sink. A small pantry is set into an alcove alongside the refrigerators, presumably holding the deep freezer as well as shelves of dry goods.

Some twelve feet above the floor, a large chandelier hangs from the ceiling, lighting the dining room and casting long shadows over the bar to the kitchen. A long table occupies the center of the dining room, three chairs setting along each side, and one on each end. On the west wall, a large window looks out on the trees alongside the western pasture. Set into the north wall is a large cabinet, its glass doors closed on shelves containing a full compliment of fine china and glassware as well as a few decorative nicknacks. On the east, a wide bar separates the dining room from the kitchen.

An opening in the southern wall allows passage to the front entryway of the house, while a sliding glass door in the kitchen opens to a clearing behind the house.

Contents:
Katrine

Obvious exits:
Hallway/Living Room Back Door

Katrine tilts her head, nose twitching slightly as the smell of cookies abruptly gets much stronger. Her gaze doesn't leave Natalie, however. "Hmm... Jeremy tends to stick to the... more book-work-type stuff, really. History and whatnot," the girl replies. After a moment more, she shrugs. "Basically... he just mentioned it in passing."

Natalie obligingly shoves the plate toward the girl then, as an afterthought, pulls a chair out for her as well. "I'd be surprised if he could've done anything more. Speaking the Garou tongue in homid's kinda like a combination of Russian, German, and Yiddish while you've got laryngitis: possible, but hard as hell on the throat. Plus a lot of it's scent and body language. Crinos is the natural form for it."

Katrine steps towards the table, then pauses, turning back to snag her glass. Sitting in the proffered chair, the girl picks up a cookie, just holding it as she looks towards Natalie. "Ah. I... see. Sounds complicated."

Natalie grins as she reaches for a cookie herself - foiled by the plate being just out of reach, she has to lean forward. "Not really. It really does make sense, you just have to be in the right," a wry grin, "Shape for it. For instance..." Nat sets down her untouched cookie and considers the middle distance. "Both of us are ~Galliard~. Galliard. Y'see?"

Katrine narrows her eyes as Natalie speaks, tilting her head slightly to better focus on the sounds. "Well... not entirely," she replies truthfully. "I think I get the general idea, though," the girl adds, taking a bite out of the cookie in her hand.

"I'll coach you," Nat promises airily, returning to her cookie. "So let's see... you also need combat practice in addition to Umbral lessons, right? D'you have any skills that way at all? Fights, real training, guns, that sort of thing?"

Katrine smiles wryly, shaking her head as she swallows the mouthful. "'Fraid not. Alicia had me out punching a bag yesterday, but we haven't done enough that I'd call it training yet." She swallows again, then takes a sip of water.

Natalie says, "S'better than nothing. Well, at least you're not Ahroun. However, we're the ones - Galliards, I mean - who're often right up there in the front lines. As it were." She wriggles a bit in her chair, slouching and kicking her legs out in front of her. "I took some karate when I was a kid; I'll try and teach you that and just some scrapping. Last thing." She fixes the young girl with a considering eye. "And this depends on you. When do you want to Rite?"

Katrine nods slowly as Natalie speaks, listening intently... the motion stopping abruptly at her last remark. "Umm... when?" the girl echoes, pulling back a bit in surprise. She blinks, silent for a moment. "Uh... I don't know. When I'm ready?" she offers, eyes widening a bit.

Natalie's return smile has more than a hint of smirk to it. "Right... but when do you want to be ready? Megan's decreed that all cubs shouldn't be cubs longer than two moots. Now I dunno when you Changed, but I bet it's longer than that. However." A bite of cookie sucks up several moments. "However. It's a heckuva commute from here to the city. Like I told Megan, I don't plan on chomping any more granola than I have to. If you stick out here, then I'll come out when I can and teach you when I can. But if you come back to town, then I'll have a lot more time to spend with you. Barring work, and all, of course. Like I told Jeremy, the choice is yours - I'm not gonna drag you back to the City if you don't want to go. But." She doesn't elaborate further on the 'but', just watches the cub.

Katrine sits back, sighing softly. "But it's the City, I'm a Glass Walker, and there's the decree to consider," she says, more musing aloud than anything else. Resting her elbows on the table, the girl sets her chin on the backs of her hands, the remainder of her cookie dangling from the lower. After a moment, she shrugs and sits up again. "Might as well," Kat replies, her tone rather resigned.

"I'm sure Megan'd make exceptions," the older woman offers. "Has she said anything to you? Have you heard anyone telling you that you must Rite Or Else?"

Katrine shakes her head. "No..." she replies, drawing the word out. "But... I doubt it's really a good idea to try and be an exception," the girl adds after a moment, mouth quirking wryly. "And... I've probably dragged my feet long enough," she murmurs quietly, turning her head and gazing off into the distance just beside Natalie.

Natalie carefully nibbles a red M & M out from its imprisoning dough. "Part of the Rite of Passage - a big part - is being recognized as an adult. And a big part of that is making adult decisions." Nat examines the remainder of her cookie for other wayward candies, but none offer themselves to nibbling teeth. "I don't see why we can't Rite you as soon as you're ready for it. Probably before the next Moot."

Katrine looks back to Natalie, canting her head slightly to one side, blinking in puzzlement. She doesn't say anything, however; merely nods in acknowledgement, raising her cookie and taking another bite out of it.

Natalie waits a minute longer. When it doesn't seem like Kat'll add anything else she shrugs. "All that said, when do you want to come back? Jer said he snuck you a contraband cellphone, right? 'Ve you got my number?"

Katrine shakes her head. "No, I don't have yours; just Jeremy's," she remarks, afterwards eating the last of her cookie and taking several quick drinks of water.

Natalie pops her last bit of cookie into her mouth as she unholsters her phone. "Well, do you want it? ...Or perhaps I should ask, do you anticipate needing it?"

Katrine chuckles softly. "I don't anticipate needing it," she comments, "but I should probably have it." Standing up, she gives Natalie a brief smile. "Let me run up and get mine real quick."

Natalie points out, her head cocked to one side, "You won't -need- it unless you're not coming back with me tonight. But either way - if you want to take a day or two, that's fine."

Katrine pauses, fingertips tapping lightly on the table. "Well... I'll have to get everything anyway, won't I? ...Not that I have all that much. So..."

Natalie only shrugs. "Your choice. If you come back with me tonight, there's more cookies there and we can start training tomorrow. You don't, well." A corner of her mouth lifts. "You'll have to share the rest of these cookies with the other cubs, and I might not get back out here tomorrow. I've got to run to Lowes and pick up some treated four bys; get started on clearing the foundation for Salem's greenhouse."

"Hmm, cookies," Katrine muses with a smile. "Let me get my stuff together - won't take more than a couple minutes; I'll be right back."

Finally, finally, Nat's smile doesn't show a hint of wryness or cynicism, just warm and approving. "There you go. Do I need to leave a note for anyone you're gone?"

Katrine frowns faintly in thought. "Well... everyone should know, I think, as I've met a lot of people around here... but Jeremy and Alicia, since they've been working with me, probably have the most need to know."

Natalie says, "We'll probably see Jer tomorrow, and he can contact this Alicia person. I bet he's got the entire Sept's phone numbers in his PDA." She stands to flatten the tinfoil, then flicks shooing fingers Kat's way. G'wan with you. We can talk about bedrooms on the way back in. It feels weird sleeping in Rina's, even if she doesn't stay at the house most of the time."

Katrine nods. "All right, then," she replies with a nod, before turning and running down the hall to the stairs.

[End of log]